CX racing FMIC kit
07-01-13, 04:10 PM
#1
WTF is a Piston?..Anyone?
Thread Starter
CX racing FMIC kit
alright so i have seen alot of questions about the CX Racing intercoolers and people are having and giving some mixed reviews. i just bought and installed mine into my 87 turbo and this will be a complete over view of my experiance with it as well as the results in terms of preformeance!
cxracing.com: Front Mount Intercooler Kit For 86-91 Mazda RX7 RX-7 FC FC3S
will also need
cxracing.com: FD Aluminum Intake Pipe For 88-92 turbo 2 Mazda Rx7
first the mods list:
1987 mazda rx7 turbo 2 with
s5 motor streetported
apexi power fc
cx racing FMIC
cx racing radiator
persision 5857 turbo
cx racing manifold
cx racing downpipe
3in steright pipe
THE INSTALL:
looking on their site they claim it fits very well into the car with no need to relocate your battery. i should have taken pictures as i installed but i did not. this kit comes with no instructions so if your newer to the automotive world you will need someone with experiance to help you install this kit. I personaly just looked at the few pics on there site and figured it out. that is a issue i think needs to be resolved as this being an entry level priced kit i think its targeted to people on a budget ( alot of first timers no offence), its not always the case but just a point to make.
so where to start well to being you will have to remove the following:
headlight washer tank
winsheild washer tank
all brake ducts and undersheilds from car
power steering
power steering lines and cooler
both plasic air ducts underneath hood latch
old throttle body
leading ignition coil
things you can put back after install:
front fender liners
that is all, and its not listed on there site that you have to remove any of this stuff. i understand about the brake ducts and some of the sheilds thats typical but the other stuff is needed due to where the intercooler pipes are bent and welded to run. now im not saying if you wernt an experianced fabricator or welder you could not make this work diferently, the point of this review is to give the info on the shipped product
The Install
the intercooler piping is all 2.5 inch with a 3in core the welds are all decent and the couplers and t bolt claps are all included. couplers are 3 ply silicone and t bolt clamps are aall stainless and are O.K. quality. i had an issue with one and broke the t bolt trying to undo it , normaly not note worthy but it was a brand new clamp i was just trying to re position. install will also require you to make the holes where the filler necks go for both the headligh washers and the windshild washer resivoire larger. the headlight neck is alot larger ( located on drivers side) and no cutting is needed just a little grinding stone and a dremal ( or air if you have access). On the passenger side you will need to cut a larger hole where the filler neck would go for the windshield tank. as its not even 2 in diameter. i used a dremal here because i dont have air and was on my back in the garage. installing the core iteself was very easy. all brackets provided fit into the car and there is no need to remove the fromt bumper cover as long as you jack up the front end of the car. ( i just jacked from front subframe quite high and put car on jackstands) the brakets given are all stainless and of decent quality. running the piping agian was not a huge deal once all the above modifactions were completed. I said it once already but if this is your first intercooler install and you have little experiance i wouldnt recomend trying to solo it unless you have some wrench time under your belt. after all things were moved relocated and delt with the install was not that hard, compared to some kits which require you to remove the bumper support or cut parts of the car. ( yes i know you had to make two holes larger but just go look at some of the FMIC kits out there. theres alot more involved)
results:
i did not really care about losing power steering as it was on the list of things to remove anyways. before this intercooler i was using the stock intercooler with all above listed mods. with the power FC my cruising intake temps were around 44* c with ambient around 25*c .
one hard pull into boost even in 2nd or 3rd ( only running .6- .7 bar) my intake was already in the 60s and that was not a hard or long pull.
with the CX racing FMIC my crusing temps ramain around the same 44*c with ambient between 25 - 32*c but under boost .8 - 1.0 bar my intake wont climb 1*c . the car is currently just pulling air from under the hood near the rad ( i kno i kno) so im sure i could get alot lower cruising intake temps with some more work. my 5857 has a .58 A/R so it develops alot of heat and this intercooler has no issues cooling it.
The pressure drop across the core isnt to bad , i first installed the kit and did not touch my boost controller as i wanted to see the diference in drop between stock and FMIC. results were suprising only lost around .1 bar through the core and all piping. obviously compared to stock it flows ALOT better and will aid in air flow.
Overall im happy with it , i like the kit but its not for everyone as you will have to lose the power steering. if you were ambitious you could probably re run the lines and make it work but personally i didnt want to bother. all the parts are decent quality for the price and compared to alot of other kits the install is nice. definalty better then anything you have to cut your front bumper or steel bumper support, and its nice to not have to remove the bumper cover everytime u need to get at the thing. instructions would be a huge bonus , its not a complicated kit but its priced for the entry level market ( compared to the GREDDY or HKS kits) and i think for that reason it should atleast have some sort of direction. its not hard to number tubes and type a quick list of where they go. throttle response is also greatly improved and even if your running the stock turbo you will gain power without adjusting the boost levles ( 6-8 psi stock boost) due to the air flow increase at the throttle body. I hope this was writen well enough and was not to confusing , and gives people an idea of what they are getting into. i personaly would recommend the kit simply for the price and i really do like that nothing has to be seriously cut ( structure) look at some of the 3rd gen kits where you have to remove the steel beam in the front bumper completely. that is VERY unsafe and if you got caught with that kind of modification your car could be subject to a safty inspection ( canada anyways). hope this helps and clears up all the questions you have. feel free to post any more questions and ill try to answer the best i can.
cxracing.com: Front Mount Intercooler Kit For 86-91 Mazda RX7 RX-7 FC FC3S
will also need
cxracing.com: FD Aluminum Intake Pipe For 88-92 turbo 2 Mazda Rx7
first the mods list:
1987 mazda rx7 turbo 2 with
s5 motor streetported
apexi power fc
cx racing FMIC
cx racing radiator
persision 5857 turbo
cx racing manifold
cx racing downpipe
3in steright pipe
THE INSTALL:
looking on their site they claim it fits very well into the car with no need to relocate your battery. i should have taken pictures as i installed but i did not. this kit comes with no instructions so if your newer to the automotive world you will need someone with experiance to help you install this kit. I personaly just looked at the few pics on there site and figured it out. that is a issue i think needs to be resolved as this being an entry level priced kit i think its targeted to people on a budget ( alot of first timers no offence), its not always the case but just a point to make.
so where to start well to being you will have to remove the following:
headlight washer tank
winsheild washer tank
all brake ducts and undersheilds from car
power steering
power steering lines and cooler
both plasic air ducts underneath hood latch
old throttle body
leading ignition coil
things you can put back after install:
front fender liners
that is all, and its not listed on there site that you have to remove any of this stuff. i understand about the brake ducts and some of the sheilds thats typical but the other stuff is needed due to where the intercooler pipes are bent and welded to run. now im not saying if you wernt an experianced fabricator or welder you could not make this work diferently, the point of this review is to give the info on the shipped product
The Install
the intercooler piping is all 2.5 inch with a 3in core the welds are all decent and the couplers and t bolt claps are all included. couplers are 3 ply silicone and t bolt clamps are aall stainless and are O.K. quality. i had an issue with one and broke the t bolt trying to undo it , normaly not note worthy but it was a brand new clamp i was just trying to re position. install will also require you to make the holes where the filler necks go for both the headligh washers and the windshild washer resivoire larger. the headlight neck is alot larger ( located on drivers side) and no cutting is needed just a little grinding stone and a dremal ( or air if you have access). On the passenger side you will need to cut a larger hole where the filler neck would go for the windshield tank. as its not even 2 in diameter. i used a dremal here because i dont have air and was on my back in the garage. installing the core iteself was very easy. all brackets provided fit into the car and there is no need to remove the fromt bumper cover as long as you jack up the front end of the car. ( i just jacked from front subframe quite high and put car on jackstands) the brakets given are all stainless and of decent quality. running the piping agian was not a huge deal once all the above modifactions were completed. I said it once already but if this is your first intercooler install and you have little experiance i wouldnt recomend trying to solo it unless you have some wrench time under your belt. after all things were moved relocated and delt with the install was not that hard, compared to some kits which require you to remove the bumper support or cut parts of the car. ( yes i know you had to make two holes larger but just go look at some of the FMIC kits out there. theres alot more involved)
results:
i did not really care about losing power steering as it was on the list of things to remove anyways. before this intercooler i was using the stock intercooler with all above listed mods. with the power FC my cruising intake temps were around 44* c with ambient around 25*c .
one hard pull into boost even in 2nd or 3rd ( only running .6- .7 bar) my intake was already in the 60s and that was not a hard or long pull.
with the CX racing FMIC my crusing temps ramain around the same 44*c with ambient between 25 - 32*c but under boost .8 - 1.0 bar my intake wont climb 1*c . the car is currently just pulling air from under the hood near the rad ( i kno i kno) so im sure i could get alot lower cruising intake temps with some more work. my 5857 has a .58 A/R so it develops alot of heat and this intercooler has no issues cooling it.
The pressure drop across the core isnt to bad , i first installed the kit and did not touch my boost controller as i wanted to see the diference in drop between stock and FMIC. results were suprising only lost around .1 bar through the core and all piping. obviously compared to stock it flows ALOT better and will aid in air flow.
Overall im happy with it , i like the kit but its not for everyone as you will have to lose the power steering. if you were ambitious you could probably re run the lines and make it work but personally i didnt want to bother. all the parts are decent quality for the price and compared to alot of other kits the install is nice. definalty better then anything you have to cut your front bumper or steel bumper support, and its nice to not have to remove the bumper cover everytime u need to get at the thing. instructions would be a huge bonus , its not a complicated kit but its priced for the entry level market ( compared to the GREDDY or HKS kits) and i think for that reason it should atleast have some sort of direction. its not hard to number tubes and type a quick list of where they go. throttle response is also greatly improved and even if your running the stock turbo you will gain power without adjusting the boost levles ( 6-8 psi stock boost) due to the air flow increase at the throttle body. I hope this was writen well enough and was not to confusing , and gives people an idea of what they are getting into. i personaly would recommend the kit simply for the price and i really do like that nothing has to be seriously cut ( structure) look at some of the 3rd gen kits where you have to remove the steel beam in the front bumper completely. that is VERY unsafe and if you got caught with that kind of modification your car could be subject to a safty inspection ( canada anyways). hope this helps and clears up all the questions you have. feel free to post any more questions and ill try to answer the best i can.
07-01-13, 08:59 PM
#2
Careful with that piece of **** company. Same owner as rotaryworks and renesracing/motorsports. All parts are sourced/made in china. There is no quality control. Rotary Works does not test fit the parts before they ship it to you. You might have been lucky. However, I spent a lot of money with them and received parts that didn't even come close to fitting. Parts that I couldn't even modify, and had to have a professional shop weld, modify, make completely new brackets, etc. Their customer service will ignore you. Money lost. If you do manage to get some one on the phone, they transfer you to a dead line and then ignore your return calls.
Do a search for Rotary Works. They are no longer a site sponsor if that is a clue. I can not recommend them, I hope you understand.
On the bright side, I'm glad the kit worked out well for you.
Post a picture!
Do a search for Rotary Works. They are no longer a site sponsor if that is a clue. I can not recommend them, I hope you understand.
On the bright side, I'm glad the kit worked out well for you.
Post a picture!
Last edited by tuscanidream; 07-01-13 at 09:02 PM.
07-01-13, 10:06 PM
#3
WTF is a Piston?..Anyone?
Thread Starter
yeah i understand that. i wasnt trying to say its fantastic there was just alot of questions and no really answers that i could find, so i figured id be usefull and try my best to help out the community. when looking for reviews before purchase i could not find any good info on them or the success or failure of install. just tryin to shed light. i would honestly never buy anything mechanical from the ( turbo ect ) but for non mehcanical stuff like turbo blankets and the small expensive stuff from most places there not to bad. prices are good and ive had no issues.
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davetheman (01-22-18)
07-19-13, 09:26 PM
#5
WTF is a Piston?..Anyone?
Thread Starter
not sure about the fog lights but im gonna go ahead and say no , and if u or someone u kno knows how to weld then yes it can be modified , i wrote it more for just the bolt in factor so guys know what there looking at. you might get away with keeping the fog lights, if you gave me a measurement of how much they stick out behind the bumper i can compare to where the pipes and core are mounted. i installed the kit by removing the p/s i tried my best to re install it but it wont fit without modification
03-14-14, 02:35 PM
#7
I did this (all parts from CX racing). Aluminum piping is aluminum piping. Not a big deal. You can get generic silicone couplers and t-bolt clamps. It holds up fine, this isn't a racing team build...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../ICdiagram.jpg
I also have an album under my profile that shows me building this set up.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../ICdiagram.jpg
I also have an album under my profile that shows me building this set up.
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03-14-14, 06:03 PM
#8
screw that kit
if you want a cheap kit the GSP/greddy knockoff is what you want. i just installed one that a customer supplied and i actually felt good about the final product. the CX kit looks like it isn't going to have even remotely a professional look to it no matter how much you chop and move the piping around. for the same price or less you get a kit that fits better with minor work, you do not have to ditch the washer reservoir, move the battery or even get rid of the brake ducts(some trimming should be done to the driver side though).
i did remove the A/C but as a finishing touch i moved the leading coil to where the A/C compressor used to be located and moved the fuse box to the battery box. and none of the FMIC kits will allow you to keep the OE fog lights.
the only things i have bad to say about it is it still matches the original greddy piping which is/was/always will be too long going into the throttle body and the last pipe needs to be cut short about 2" to prevent it from trying kick the master cylinder reservoir out of its home. the other being the IC top bracket is flimsy, but once fully assembled it doesn't rely on it much anyways.
last night the car made 332whp on a BNR stage 3 @12.7psi, 6 port 9.4:1CR engine w/water injection(on a conservative tune in the low 10's at max power level). so i wouldn't say the quality inside is all that bad either. with the stock TMIC the engine couldn't breathe and it couldn't manage to hold boost to make more than 260 before just the IC change.
if you want a cheap kit the GSP/greddy knockoff is what you want. i just installed one that a customer supplied and i actually felt good about the final product. the CX kit looks like it isn't going to have even remotely a professional look to it no matter how much you chop and move the piping around. for the same price or less you get a kit that fits better with minor work, you do not have to ditch the washer reservoir, move the battery or even get rid of the brake ducts(some trimming should be done to the driver side though).
i did remove the A/C but as a finishing touch i moved the leading coil to where the A/C compressor used to be located and moved the fuse box to the battery box. and none of the FMIC kits will allow you to keep the OE fog lights.
the only things i have bad to say about it is it still matches the original greddy piping which is/was/always will be too long going into the throttle body and the last pipe needs to be cut short about 2" to prevent it from trying kick the master cylinder reservoir out of its home. the other being the IC top bracket is flimsy, but once fully assembled it doesn't rely on it much anyways.
last night the car made 332whp on a BNR stage 3 @12.7psi, 6 port 9.4:1CR engine w/water injection(on a conservative tune in the low 10's at max power level). so i wouldn't say the quality inside is all that bad either. with the stock TMIC the engine couldn't breathe and it couldn't manage to hold boost to make more than 260 before just the IC change.
Last edited by misterstyx69; 03-16-14 at 08:38 AM.
01-23-16, 04:09 AM
#15
Full Member
I ran the pipe differently on the driver side to keep the power steering only thing is battery must me relocated other then that it all work
01-23-16, 04:10 AM
#16
Full Member
05-18-16, 10:10 AM
#21
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Thanks, looks sweet, only thing that hinders me are the shipping costs of $282,00.
I want to keep the powersteering thereforegoing to try add a 90° turn at the trottle body elbow to let the pipes run below up to the battery tray.
I want to keep the powersteering thereforegoing to try add a 90° turn at the trottle body elbow to let the pipes run below up to the battery tray.
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