I know this is a GOOD thing, just thought I'd show my excitement! I bought rxplicit's Petit SMIC and duct. After the BITCH install I took the car for a drive. I boosted 10 lbs, all over the place. The highway, and in town, under normal driving conditions. 84 degrees outside, and not too humid. After 20 minutes, I pulled in a parking lot, and popped the hood. To my amazement, the intake side of the IC was COLD. I'm impressed! Never saw that with the stocker!

 

Was there a reason you changed? You were better off with the stock ducting. The Pettit does not fit properly or rather snugly and leaves gaps. The stock also cools down the A/C and battery. If you are using a water filled battery it will boil over and the acid will leak and eat up your car like the blob.

 

how wait what. the stock IC cools the battery? i never heard of that

 

i think he is talking about the ducting for the stock ic...it has a little vent to the bat.....

 

Well, the stock ducting didn't meet the IC well at all. I know the battery is not cooled anymore, but are the ones in the rear bins? I thought the battery ducting was pretty useless, but I could be wrong. As for fitment, the Petit ducting fits VERY well. I have no gaps, and no problems. It took a lot of trimming, cussing and bitching, but I got it in there perfect! I did put foam tape around the IC where it meets the duct.. just for extra insurance.

 

Yea, I think the Pettit duct is pretty good, the one I've always heard has issues was the Peter Ferrel ducts.

Anyway, there are only thousands of FD's running around here without that battery duct and I've NEVER heard of anyone having a problem. None of the aftermarket IC's have the battery duct.

Now for the real fun....turn up the boost to 12-13psi IF YOU HAVE A ECU

STEPHEN

 

He probably changed cause the stock IC is a huge pile of ****!!!! Ok so it cools the a/c dryer and the battery......TO BAD IT CANT COOL THE INTAKE AIR!!!! HaHa

None of the aftermarket IC's have the battery duct and I've never heard of anyone having problems with that.

STEPHEN

 

The only real fitment problem I had was the small aluminum brace running across the chassis parallel to the radiator. Gone. Can't really see what purpose it served, as I could bend it with my fingers. Also with the Koyo, the fans sit a bit higher, which makes everything SUPER tight! But, I managed to get it in there. If I ever see a thin aftermarket fan setup for the radiator, I'll install that, ridding ALL fitment problems. Also looking for a small fan to pull some air through the IC too. And as for the boost... 12psi is NICE!!! But I stay at 10. Hardly ever race. But when I get to the track, we'll try a 12psi run and see what happens! Thanks for all the input!

 

That is your crossmember!!!! To be honest I think you should leave it in!!!! Eventhough it can twist a little from front to back (which I think its needs to do because of frame flex) it is strong going long ways from left to right. If I'm not mistaken its there to keep strength between the 2 main frame sections on the car.....that is actually what its bolted to is the frame and I'm about 90% sure its there to provide strength to keep the frame from flexing inward during hard turns. Also there is a AC hose that attaches to it and if its not held down to something it will get in your main pulley and get cut up....that hose cost about $150!!!!!

I've never heard of anyone having to remove it for a IC and there are thousands of Pettit IC's out there so it should fit fine even with the cross member

STEPHEN
STEPHEN

 

Actually i have heard of one case from the big list of someone exploding their battery at the track. I believe this was with an M2 small. That is a pretty extreme circumstance but the damage was quite serious because the acid caught fire. There is a purpose for the air ducting to the battery, something to be aware of.

 

Yeah, I'm thinking of fabricating a duct... or making a connection between the 2... And as for my previous statement... about the battery in the trunk...Duh, I just reallized that I inquired about why the batteries in the trunk dont explode... Wow.. Guess I need some coffee...



Thanks for the input!

 

anyway batteries that are mounted in the cabin should be sealed.

 

That's it!! Haha I had a brain fart and couldn't remember what the name was... You're right. I made sort of an ignorant statement earlier about not needing it. I am in the process of fabbing a new one. Thinner. I DID get the IC to fit with the stocker in there, but it was rubbing. I'm still in the install/test/tune/play with stages, so it'll one way or another DEFINATELY go back in...

The IC is such a tight fit... I had to lube up the couplers and slide them all the way on to the pipes, then slide them back over the gaps... Otherwise, NO GO. Anyway, I'll have pics up soon, and hopefully get some more fitment solutions. Thanks for the concern . Oh, and I stabilized the AC line.

 

justin,
glad to see that the duct came. i do not know why it did not arrive with the IC itself, as they both left at the same time..oh well.

it appears that you are having a great initial enjoyment of the IC, i liked it as well. like i said in another thread, i miss it, referring to the install that did not go tooooo too well.

i think that you will see a million times better performance now that you have removed that ****-box from the factory. also, you will notice that w/o all of that extra plastic under there, that thins ventilate better..

louis

 

Yes, you will notice tubing from the ducting to the battery box, which is supposed to be closed with a cover. The water filled battery's will boil over from the extreme engine heat.

 

There have been lots of problems. I was one of the guys that posted about it. This is the reason I said to get a gell battery. The battery's in the cubby bins are not exposed to extreme heat as the engine compartment. The acid from the battery will eat the car up like the blob. If you are running a water filled battery without it being coold by the ducting, I challenge you to pull out the battery and abox and see what it has done. I was lucky that I noticed it destroying my radiator fan and replaced it in time.

 

If you were able to trim the pettit duct to fit without overlaping the bottom or top end tanks, you did a way better job than I did!!! ...post some pics

You can order the ducting for the small Knight Sports SMIC and it is a perfect fit just like the OEM, but without the holes just like the Pettit. I'm sure it would cost you bank though. Click link below:
http://www.rxecret7.com/ks-17.html

Oh, below is the link for my battery leaking thread:
https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...hlight=battery

So back to my original point. 1. You are better off with the original duct when running stock intake and water filled battery. 2. Change to a sealed gell type battery if it won't be cooled off and relocate if possible.

 

^^^^^the duct fit fine when it was in my car goracer. i wonder if you got a bunk-untrimmed duct. well, then again, they are all different. however, my only point was that there was plenty of clearance on the IC and there was no overlapping.....that was the easiest install on the car since the efini Y pipe.....

 

Cooling the Battery? a minor issue at best. Alot of folks running around w/ "uncooled" batteries w/ no probs.

 

yeah, mine was not trimed as it was intended for the Petit SMIC. I used a cordless circular saw and sanded the rough edges.

Yes there are alot of people running a water filled battery but no, not without problems. They just haven't pulled out the battery and box to see the damge the acid has caused.

Sorry if I took away from the orginal intention of this thread, just wanted share my battery acid problem which is more common than some of you think.

 

My battery exploded once WITH the stock IC/ducting. I think its more important that one have a proper box and cover for the battery. After some cleanup and a new battery, my car was good to go

 

Thanks for the information.. I am looking into a gel battery, or a relocation to the rear bin... I am however, happy with the duct so far... My stock one wasn't even close.

So now I have a question about the crossmember... I am in the process of putting one in, but was wonderng: Is it really THAT effective? I'm not doubting that it is, just wondering since it is so far in front of the suspension...does it do that much? Thanks for all the help guys, and Louis, thanks again!

 

Crossmember? Sounds like you are talking about a strut tower bar? ...if so, there have been a few threads with very happy people. Personaly, I don't think you will notice unless maybe your suspension is real soft.

I think I will have to pull my duct out and trim it some more, so it tucks in between the top and bottom tank.