chilli Posted July 26, 2005 Author Share Posted July 26, 2005 Hi James, yeah its interesting isn't it. It's just so easy to rush into buying shiney new stuff and making mods. It's worth taking time to make sure it's the right thing to do first though, saves on expensive mistakes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SupraJames Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 yeah i do have a habit of buying things cause they look nice, and with the new bumper on its way, did not want a big hole with nothing it in..!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 I see what you are saying. I know its important not to upset the engine bay ambient temps so that the car doesn't start sucking warm air. When the coolant rad airflow is compromised, coolant temps cannot be kept in check in the summer under boost. That may lead to premature death of various bits. What about parts that depend on direct airflow for cooling, like the alternator? How long is that gonna live with the engine-bay preheating mod? I'd happily defer my FMIC install until its actually needed, but how will I ever know when it's need, I guess thats part of the problem. I could install a post IC temperature sensor I guess. Don't fit a cheap one from Maplin, at least not the one with a sample rate of 15seconds. Even the one with adjustable rate, is not quite clear how you set it to 1 second. Go for one with a K-couple sensor, and quick reflexes. If you see charge temps exceeding ambient+20C under full boost then you know the i/c is being stressed. If it gets progressively worse after 2-3 runs in a row, then you know that the i/c gets heatsoaked and is overwhelmed. Sounds like from what you are saying, a diy quick FMIC install might be worse than the SMIC, and an FMIC will only start to give the benifit its capable of if installed very carefully, with ducting and so forth. I wonder how many people go to this level of effort. Have you seen how many other bits have to be relocated and replumbed to fit mahoosive FMICs? Do some homework first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli Posted July 26, 2005 Author Share Posted July 26, 2005 I don't think I'd be aiming for a "mahoosive" FMIC, just a regular one, and for that I was hoping the amount of pluming/relocation was very minimal, as per sedge's post above. I'll look into it some more before making a choice then, I don't feel in such a hurry to get one now lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 I can't comment on the efficiency of the FMIC vs side mount - all I know is that when I went from a reasonably good stock SMIC to a Greddy 3 row I gained just over 25rwhp. The car felt much better and runs far more smoothly. Even in heavy traffic this summer I've had no problems with overheating. On the downside the AC isn't as ice-cold as it used to be. Sedge is right, you will need to relocate the rad bottle, but I can't see where you would could relocate the stock one too - its huge! Normally the branded FMIC kits come with a much smaller one that can be fitted next to the battery. You'll also need a different side PAS (?) cooler pipe that relocates it from in front of the radiator to the passenger-side pod. You will also need to relocate the horn. You need to ensure that you get the right pipe work too, this can cost £200+ if you need to get it made up separately. HTH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 With the bonnet open, try to see (or feel) the plastic ducting from the front of the bumper to the rads. Mr "T" has even used that black foam to further seal the rads to the ducting. Guess where all that ducting goes when you fit a FMIC... If charge temp measurements don't spiral out of control, I wouldn't be in a rush to block the engine bay. As for the 'extra bhp' remember that most people compare a knackered SMIC, corroded and full of oil mist with a brand new FMIC. They don't compare back to back units of similar condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymanuk Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Here is the Supraforums link for the tests on ebay stuff supraforums - ebay tests Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 I like the dye pics and the X-rays. Of course you get what you pay for, quality varies a lot apparently. But for that sort of money, you can't complain for having to make minor adjustments. Here's another view Quality Compressor housings stuck with glue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGav Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 JohnA... Interesting posts... while I agree you get what you pay for... however if you look carefully at those two top posts, you will see people have altered the design... I'd be interested in seeing if a non-modded one has cracked yet... I'm running an SS manifold so I'll keep an eye on it as well... Gav Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 I think that the 4cyl manifolds use thinner metal than the 6-cyl ones. But you get the picture, lol... At a bare minimum I'd inspect the inside very carefully with a torch and a mirror, and use the die grinder to smooth out anything that sticks in the airflow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymanuk Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 On the supraforum there is a guy who is running a complete BPU set up and will be dyno'ing it and posting results - I will post the link when out of my boring AD course(refresher - courtesy course)..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGav Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Yeah, I'll do the same once my mapping is sorted as well... Gav Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andreaz Posted July 31, 2005 Share Posted July 31, 2005 For you guys who have mounted one, how long did it take? And was it on a jap spec. Supra? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEDGE Posted August 1, 2005 Share Posted August 1, 2005 Took about 3-4 hours on a jap spec,dynoed at 373@hubs and running fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli Posted August 1, 2005 Author Share Posted August 1, 2005 What were you dyno'd at before the FMIC install, out of interest? or have you done several mods at once? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEDGE Posted August 1, 2005 Share Posted August 1, 2005 Car was standard so done the usual bpu decat etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now