FMIC or SMIC?
 

I'm newto the RX-7world and I'm looking intoupgrading my intercooler in my 93. My question is would a FMIC make my car overheator should Istick w/ SMIC?I alredy have a Fluidyne radiator and a upgraded AST.

Depends on your FMIC setup, the condition of your car, how you run it, etc. Most with FMIC have elevated temps but not overheating per se. If your car has cooling problems a FMIC may not be advised

Both have advantages and disadvantages and the debate on this is neverending.

a search will get you more than enough posts for you to go on.

Everytime I have followed the FMIC / SMIC threads it seems to me that most people who lean toward drag racing will choose a FMIC becuse of all the sitting still time....the FMIC allows for faster cooling wtih that big core sticking out there in the open...downfall, well, it kinda blocks all the air coming in throught the front that usually cools the radiator and bring temps down when driving...With the FMIC it doesn't allow as much airflow through the front. Sooooo, I have come to the conclusion that if you are more of a drag guy, go for the FMIC...if you are a track / auto x / taring down the highway guy, go for an upgraded SMIC...

there are lots of little factors that other people argue constantly about but i honestly believe it's as simple as Drag car = FMIC / Track car = SMIC I know I will probably get beaten up by a few people but that's ok :D Currently I have not upgraded my IC but will go with the SMIC just to keep the sleeper look.

Good luck, dude!

BTW I'm not going to be on any type of racing may be street but this car is for fun.

my logic is...the car has a weak cooling system..this much cant be argued. Why weaken it even further by placing a big fmic in front of the radiator? It is a pretty easy decision in my mind.
If you drag race ONLY then i could understand going fmic. However for most they will sit in traffic alot while only drag race and road race some.

That's is my consern. If having a FMIC will give me problem with overheating, even after I upgraded my radiator and AST

i have a fmic i used to run it with my twins, no prob overheating. A lot cooler intake temps, I would recomend it if your car isnt already having overheating problems. Oh I have the Blitz FMIC

Mike

How about a V-mount from rotary extreme?

Unless you have a specific need for a FMIC, any of the SMIC will give you better performance than the stock IC (and a little easier install).

If you are keeping the stock twin turbos, an FMIC is just for looks IMO.

Considering you already have an upgraded radiator you will have nothing to worry about running a FMIC. You can even throw different fans on the radiator for peace of mind.

I agree with hondasr4kids. V-mount is the way to go.

I Somewhat agree with V mount, but what I don't understand it how the air from the Vented hood is supposed to help the Vmount, and won't the Vmount get heat soaked by the engine and radiator !?

I'm interested in V mount and I belive that Japanese Racing teams love it but weather it's for me remains to bee seen.

Guys, I don't believe Chuck has his V-Mount kit ready yet. You can check info about it in the following thread:

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...threadid=34592

For a street driven car, the v-mount would be more overkill than the FMIC, IMO.

I LOVE my GReddy Type 24 V spec FMIC! I have Koyo rad, GReddy Airinx, 1300 cc secondaries, Nippondenso fuel pump, Power FC, J-spec twins, street ported KD Rotary motor, DP, Hi-Flow Cat, RB dual tip catback. Motor temps have been solidly between 85 and 86 C (185 to 186.8 F) during the Indiana winter months. My first road racing event with the Type 24 V spec FMIC setup will be March 22 @ Putnam Park Road Course www.putnampark.com

I disagree that FMIC is for drag racers only, cuz I'm a road racing FIEND!

Being a Jedi Knight of the twisty track, I chose the "dark" side of the "Force" and went FMIC. I'm very happy with the setup thus far.

vmount would be nice, but a little too expen$ive for me. smic also keeps piping nice and short(less distance=less lag). most fmic's make you reposition the radiator even closer to the engine, hack up stuff including the front bumper cover. they do look nice and won't heatsoak. a nice sized bar and plate smic with a cooling fan gets my vote though.

Whatever you choose. Go with Japan Domestic Market parts. Fit and finish are OUTSTANDING. Performance par excellence!

Dude, consider where you live.

My wife's spent plenty 'o time in PR, and it's not cold there.

A FMIC *will* significantly reduce the amount of air that your A/C condenser can get. Something to think about.

Besides that, I'd go with what apneablue said about drag vs. autoX/street.

I'm running a SMIC replacement with great results and no heatsoak issues.

Either way, I think you'll be more than happy with the upgrade from your stock situation.

-E

you're not go'n to overheat!!!
 

is there even a question? hehe.. just kidding. dont even give me crap about blocking the radiator.. 85-95 degrees on my PFC (so cali traffic) .. which suprisingly.. is THE SAME AS STOCK.

i've also noticed most people who say "you're gonna overheat" do not have FMIC's themselves and everyone with a FMIC and a PFC can see the before and after differences. (since you're new to the rx7's a PFC w/ commander gives a digital read out of water temp in centigrade)

my fans turn on more often to keep the temps down. everyone is trying to mod their fans to stay on all the time anyways.

my friends car overheated with a fluidyne in the stock position. why? fan fuse blew and the he didnt notice the fans not working.

boost lag? anyone have a stopwatch? i cant tell... is it even measured in seconds?

some responses state that if you have "over heating problems" you shouldnt upgrade to a FMIC.

you shouldnt upgrade anything at all and get your "overheating problem " fixed.

boost lag? anyone have a stopwatch? i cant tell... is it even measured in seconds?

pressure drop? i had to turn down the boost because the colder air made my boost go up. guess it flows better than stock also.

grab your stock intercooler pipes.. or even your stock smic when you stop driving. hot isnt it... my fmic still feels like a cold soda can on a hot day.. and the pipes are cold. huge difference. it works.

get a SMIC.. easier to install. get a FMIC if your willing to handle THE hardest thing next to silicone hoses. i'd rather do fuel filters and downpipes all day.

the ONLY gripe with FMICs.. is crap flying into it like rocks and bugs.

HKS Type-S FMIC..

good luck

https://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL60/...9/19860171.jpg
https://www.rx7club.com/forum/attach...postid=1413165

:withstupi :)

My Power FC kicks the low speed rad fans on @ 86 C, high speed fans @ 87 C. So far in stop'n'go traffic (winter right now in Indiana) I've seen 86 C as my peak water temp. Will report back after my first track event @ Putnam Park Road Course.

Rx7 Store did all my installs. Definitely worth having pros do the install. The Koyo was so thick, the GReddy Airinx and rad hoses needed custom fabbing for optimum fitment and performance.

http://66.216.67.51/images/products/...ntercooler.jpg
http://66.216.67.51/images/products/...cooler-rad.jpg
http://66.216.67.51/images/products/...ar/engine2.jpg
http://66.216.67.51/images/products/...car/engine.jpg
http://66.216.67.51/images/products/...enginedrop.jpg

Well I think I made my mind. Since I'm moving back to the states (I'm in the military) to S. Carolina I think I'm going w/ the Greddy FMIC I have heard lots of good thing about it. Now, I'm planningon the near future to upgrade the turbo to a single (XS kit), can I still use that IC with it?

Excellent choice! I've been ecstatic with my GReddy Type 24 V spec FMIC setup :) Be forewarned that the ONLY intake that will fit with the Type 24 V-spec FMIC GReddy is the GReddy Airinx, especially if you're going with the Koyo race radiator (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED WITH FMIC). Talk to Jason Baughman and Zavier Neeley of Rx7 Store for details on the custom fab job they needed to do for my car to get the GReddy FMIC, Airinx, Koyo to fit. PM names are Jason and zayrx7

BEST OF LUCK! YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED :)

Depends on the size of that single turbo kit? If it's similar to a GReddy T78, then, I'd do the Type 32 V-spec FMIC (known as the 3-row), instead of the Type 24 V-spec FMIC (known as the 2-row). The 3-row is a thicker IC core than the 2-row, for sufficient cooling surface area to cool the volume of air T78s put out.

Check out the Rx7 Store website. You'll see that Jason sells Type 24 V-specs specifically for twin turbos, and the Type 32 V-specs for the for the single turbos.

nocab72 (Kyle Bacon) runs a GReddy 2-row Type 24 V-spec with his single turbo hybrid GT35/40, and apparently has NO ISSUES with the GReddy 2-row, based on his intake air temps (Apexi Power FC monitoring).

So how many of you with FMIC actually take it to the track and how well does it perform there? SleepR1, you mentioned that you are a track junkie, did your car get hot after several laps? How high were your intake temps and also water temps?

Check this thread:

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...hreadid=112928

That car has a FMIC and was on the track all day without problems. The day I was watching (and took the pics), it was around 100 off the track. Not sure what the track temp was, but he does have the Scoot hood so that was helping his under-hood temps. :)

whats the biggest intercooler you can buy for your stock twins the greddy 24v, the blitz fmic, the hks types or the turboxs