PFS is great for a modified street car with stock turbos. Track cars and bigger turbos can benefit from a larger IC, but for tooling around town with 725-300 rwhp pfs does just fine. A larger IC won't prevent heat soak.

I have a 8"fan on my PFS IC - but no vented hood. Ive taken core temps on the IC, and the fan doesn't prevent heat soak, but it does slow it down a little bit and speeds up recovery a little bit. It also prevents the underhood temps from going through the roof when you park the car on a hot day after city driving . (well it does if you hook it up to run off a thermostat after you shut the car off). I figure this is good for preventing the hoses from going brittle and all that. If I was going to do it again I'd go for a 10 fan and make it fit. The 8" is a little weak and sounds like a hairdryer.

 

I saw an ARC intercooler that fit's into the stock location with the stock airbox and stock battery.

How does it compare ?

:-) neil

 

Just get what ever you can afford. I think you can tell from this thread what is most desirable. Get the best IC you can afford. If you buy it used you can always sell it later for the same price and get your money badk to go with something else.


Stephen

 

Lots of talk about the PFS, APS & M2 unit but not much on the Greddy/Trust unit. Is there a reason for this? Are they just that rare or are they not even good enough to be considered? My car had one on it when I bought it. I've got the ducting taken care of and still use the stock battery box (for the cooling) with a smaller battery. I can see the lower entry isn't that great but the core seems pretty thick so it shouldn't be too bad as far as pressure drop, am I wrong? I've got a Pettit intake, hard pipes, efini Y and upgraded turbos as well as a Bonez DP/high flow cat and Greddy cat back. Bottom line: I'm getting the air in and out pretty well elsewhere but I'm concerned the Greddy SMIC may now be the restriction. With so many comments about running the PFS, etc., at 15 psi I'm wondering if I need to upgrade or not. Sure, I'd like the v mount too but it is pricey and I don't know if it will really make that much of a difference or not. Anybody care to comment on the Greddy?

 

I think the GReddy is just a metal version of the OEM. I could be wrong and its the Blitz though.

BTW, I might have a PFS SMIC for sale soon when I get the car back from KDR. Reason for selling is the fact I went single and needed a FMIC.

 

The greddy is a bit larger than stock, but not as large as the PFS. Go with what Stephen said, get what you can afford and it will be better than stock.

Tim

 

I have the following setup
PFS IC
M2 CAI
SR Radiator

I just love the PFS, only downside, which I have corrected with the M2 CAI is the air robbing between IC and Intake as like stock setup they source air from the same duct

 

a pretty good thread re ICs..

i don't have much to add except my friend has had a PFS IC since 1994 and has tracked his car aggressively and i can tell you the IC has done an excellent job. 15 psi, 165 mph on race gas and no motor problems. nice, compact with excellently shaped endtanks and tube design.

i agree w Kevin "T" Wyum, as usual, that it just comes down to your budget. if you can snag a good condition used PFS w duct for around 5-600 and it would help your budget you will absolutely never regret it. it is an excellent piece.

if you have a larger budget go for the ASP medium. i run the ASP large but suffer from decreasing returns but so what syndrome. i suggest you try not to contract that disease.

and of course i would be remiss if i didn't suggest that fmic don't belong on the optimally engineered fd unless you have a gig in the next Fast and Furious 12.

howard coleman

 

I'll add my 2 cents.. since I owned a PFS IC..
I think its a wonderful IC. Only thing I recommend is that the 2 screws that holds the duct to the IC, if you dont use it, it will leak air. So, use it and use the right bolts.

I've enjoyed my PFS SMIC.. I had to get rid of it because my aftermarket hood didn't close. Now I have SPOautos SMIC.. which I need to put in.. I also agree with Stephen.. and as alway with Howard.

 

Phil, I Paypaled ya back your change for your thoughts... I'm just playin hehe

On a serious note, Stephen made his own IC?

 

He did.. He made it out of Sparco core.. Really nice one.. I can't wait to put it on..

 

Niiice. Def. post some pics of it (in this thread or another) when you install it.

 

Anyone running Koyo with PFS SMIC ? I am and the duct sits about an inch higher then the IC, thus screwing the duct to the IC is impossible and I had to duct-tape the opening to prevent air from leaking at the top of IC (although its not perfect and would like to change it).

 

While we're at it, what did you guys use to cap off the round side duct in the PFS IC duct? (intended for use w/ the PFS intake)?

 

Use a sock and a clamp :P

 

As hot as the engine bay gets?! That sock would catch fire! LOL

 

I used a black cap from a spray can, a silicon coupler, and two clamps.

It's amazing how much easier it is to get to the duct fastening bolt on that side without the PFS intake in the way. How many of you owners dropped the bolt in the fan shroud 4 times before getting the threads started? I could have strangled a certain New Zealander a few time for that.

 

Peter, originally I had a makeshift plumbing tubing cap that was a little too small, but w/ a bit of weatherstripping around it, it got wedged inside the hole pretty well. A few months later, one time popped the hood, and it was gone lol. A few days later I was over at PFS, and I asked them if they had a cap for it (being that they make the product), they said nope. But Ray suggested exactly what you said - a cap from a spray can. They had about 20 spray cans on the shelf in the bay, and I tried EVERY SINGLE ONE lol. They were all too small to actually fit over the opening. You wouldn't happen to know a spray can of what, would ya? lol. (Now I know why Home Depot has so many spray cans w/o caps... )

OMG, don't get me started. Lets just say those magnetic extension things are my best friend. Getting the other bolt in, not to mention the TINY space for both nuts and screws used in the AST bracket they used...man...getting that on, off, and on again once was a FEAT...

 

It was just a can of spray paint. It didn't go over the hole, it was the same outside diameter as the little tube that comes off the duct with the hole in it.... both coincidentally the same INSIDE diameter of a piece of intercooler coupling (2.75" silicon, I believe).

 

Yea, I saw a couple that were pretty much the same diameter. Ok, so you stuck a silicone coupler on the INSIDE of the duct and paint cap. Then you secured the paint cap onto the coupler w/ the clamp, right? How did you fasten the coupler to the duct tho? Where did that 2nd clamp go?

 

Nope. Silicon coupler on the outside of the duct outlet and paint cap (which are the same diameter)... just like coupling two IC pipes. Nothing goes inside the duct outlet.

 

I'm slow lol. For some reason, I got the impression you put them on the inside Don't mind me...lol