intercooler thoughts
 

hey guys. it seems like anything rx7 specific just double or even triples in price for some reason. i dont get it. anyway, done venting....

been looking up some info on intercoolers. i haven't really seen anything that really fits the bill for me... and if it does it costs a few extra bills than i'm not willing to pay. i really dont want to start an Ebay brand bashing here. this is just what i've found...

CX Racing is not a name brand like Greddy, HKS, or Apexi. it's an ebay brand. AND i'm surprised the BMW world has taken a liking to them.

here's some threads that make me want to consider looking into CX Racing a bit more. for my needs (lightly modified 3rd gen) it should be fine.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=579584

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=1739211

currently on ebay, CX Racing intercoolers that can be mounted vmic style are 175 bucks.... from what i understand, CX Racing provides atleast some cores to Godspeed, and the same looking intercooler has been seen holding 400hp on this sight.

thanks

Nothing wrong with CX Racing or Greddy Ebay Knock-off IC kits. Plenty have run both.

i've read that Boostmaster makes a great Greddy knock off piping kit. there are some diamonds out there.

Back in the day people really used get stuck on name brand IC's. People would pay close to 1k for used units, kind of silly since they are just an air radiator. I have always felt that when it comes to fd's we have been price gauged from day one.

BTW I run a godspeed smic with my gt35r and it works just fine.

the difference is the design of the IC itself (bar and plate vs. tube and fin), you can read it up yourself on google...

if you want a cheap FMIC kit which will also be possible to convert to VMIC, check out the autobahn88 FMIC kit...

I've compared this kit DIRECTLY with a genuie greddy kit... what should i say... it's the same, for 100%... core, bends, pipes, brakets etc. ... and it costs near nothing...

If on a budget, I would definitly go with the autobahn88 kit...

^ Got any pics of this comparison?



John

As someone who used a CX Racing intercooler in a custom setup, I'll say they work just fine as long as you have proper ducting (as with any IC).

The reality is that the difference between ICs isn't what you see on the outside, its what is on the inside...

Core comparisons I found online:

Garret:
https://i1008.photobucket.com/albums...p/DSC03412.jpg

CX Racing:
https://i652.photobucket.com/albums/...racingcore.jpg

You can see a lot brand comparison pics here:
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...ng-FMIC-Review
and
http://www.gencoupe.com/2-0t/82849-fmic-options-2.html

That being said, the reality is you only need what you're going to use. Truth be told, for a street car you can get away with a lower end IC, like the CX Racing. Can probably even use it for light track duty. However if you're car is purely a track car and you're doing extended-length events, you might want to go with something in the higher price bracket.

These days people don't go overkill on ICs because it's simply not needed with modern water/meth injection setups.

Anyway here's the ducted-SMIC setup I used to use on my FD. It was primarily a daily driver but I also took it for the occasional 1/4 strip test & tunes. I used a CX Racing intercooler and custom made the piping. The fiberglass duct was from Pettit Racing (part of their CCIII kit).

That setup worked just fine for my daily drive @ 15psi. Even in hot summer weather. I added an electric fan to it for stop & go traffic as well.

http://gallery.tfrascone.net/var/alb...6/IMG_9873.jpg

Cheers.

sorry, no pictures...

The Greddy and Autobahn IC are also already in running cars since 2 years, therefore it will be hard to make pictures for comparison

If you're on a budget and set on a stock mount then go with the CX racing. The major flaw with this kit is the lack of a duct. Have fun finding the Pettit duct, but there is light at the end of the tunnel....

http://roninspeedworks.squarespace.com/smic-fd-ducts/

I personally love my Vmount kit and would go that direction every time.

this might be a dumb question... but your passenger side IC pipe doesn't have the stupid looking bend in it. did you have to move anything to get the straight pipe on there?

^ Air pump



John

what about using an air to water intercooler?

I've seen a recent build of a Twin Turbo Gallardo on Luxury4Play and the fabricator used two garrett cores which said they support up to 1000hp, and he used two of them

If I read correctly, the fabricator is the one who is built Titan's kit as they briefly mention the orange TTG belonging to Titan

http://www.luxury4play.com/lamborghi...started-3.html

I believe that defeats the OP's purpose of cheap and easy.

I run an air to water setup. If price is a concern it is more expensive that a cheep air to air intercooler; cost was about 600 for everything. My care is street driven and I have no problems with it.

I bought some ebay IC pipes for 40 bucks, and a really clean used Blitz SMIC for about 300 bucks, then bolted it all up with some cheap-o t-bolt clamps. My stock duct fit perfectly with the Blitz.
About $350 total. Stoked. :)


Be patient and check the 3rd gen FS section. A good deal on a nice SMIC will surface, I promise.

i will probably end up with some form of smic. i'll be moving/ deleting/ upgrading things so depending on space, maybe some form of vmic after i get some measurements.

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-gen-archives-73/peter-farell-intercooler-good-setup-326305/

love this link!

I'll be selling my Greddy FMIC soon for cheap. Once I get my V-Mount