Curious, has anyone run the XSPower/SSAC 2g big ass FMIC kit from eBay and then comparatively upgraded to a "real" FMIC kit like an SBR race, DVDT, PTE, Dejon, ETC kit? I've always wondered if these kits really hide some obscure real time loss that we're not aware of. i.e., AIT from the throttle body differed by a HUGE amount from one to the other

Some say that the SSAC turns into complete crap when you throw a monstrous turbo on there, and are only good for about 450hp... but i'll see for myself soon enough.

Got a friend pushing 30lbs on a HTA3582R on the SSAC and it works great so far.

Well, we all know the SSAC works great (I currently run 26+ psi on my 50 trim as well) and the UICP is cool to touch even after hotlaps at the track; but my question is a comparative one. Even though the SSAC is known to work very well, but will switching to a kit regarded as 'the best or the better' yield an actual gain? Say for instance, will my IAT's drop 15*F ceteris paribus if I ran my SSAC kit and then switched to a 4" short route ETS setup? If so, what is the nominal gain and do you guys think it will be worth the switch vs. cost? Has anyone every blown one up yet due to boost? or have one fail?

Here is a link that has some comparisons. Random FMIC information with a little turbo info mixed in..... - Page 2 - Buschur Forums

On the SSAC intercooler in that thread, they were running a GT35R at 40+ lbs of boost. I think thats a little more then what most people are doing here.

It also doesnt compare that car, to itself with a different intercooler. Basically that link doesnt help this thread much. Good thread to read though.

blcknspo0ln said:

Well, we all know the SSAC works great (I currently run 26+ psi on my 50 trim as well) and the UICP is cool to touch even after hotlaps at the track; but my question is a comparative one. Even though the SSAC is known to work very well, but will switching to a kit regarded as 'the best or the better' yield an actual gain? Say for instance, will my IAT's drop 15*F ceteris paribus if I ran my SSAC kit and then switched to a 4" short route ETS setup? If so, what is the nominal gain and do you guys think it will be worth the switch vs. cost? Has anyone every blown one up yet due to boost? or have one fail?

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Kiggly has "sort of" done this when he switched from a 4" core off of E-Bay to a 2.5" diesel core and showed lower intake temps. He is now running the largest Garrett core, so his data from this will be very interesting.

The only way to really figure out how well your IC is working is to stick an IAT in your system. I know you can log the GM IAT--it's just a matter of either having a GM MAF setup, or not logging either MAP/WBO2.

also i dont think some one that just spent $800+ on a new FMIC is going to post that they just waisted their money, and pretty much any done by a company that makes one is going to do the test on like a GT35R with 35+ boost.

but i would like to see a individual person try this. on like a pump gas turbo

Actually buschur racing has done test on other products to find which is best.

For an EVO, they actually found that the EBAY o2 elbow created the best power. I understand what your saying, but its not always true.

that thread that was supplied for this thread, didnt really compare any of the intercoolers against each other. It more so just stated what each car had for AIT before and after pulls. But every car was different. Not very helpful.

I think everyone agrees that the Ebay FMIC is pretty good for 425-450 whp. After that, it does not support it.

I too, would love to see some real data on the SSAC kit.

We need somebody with a mid framed turbo running 30+ PSI. Relevant data would be pressure drop and before & after AIT's. Is there anybody out there that is willing to test theirs?

And as Tom pointed out above, Kiggly was having issues where he couldn't make any more power with more boost. His testing revealed that the intercooler pressure drop was choking power. He switched from a diesel truck core to an eBay core, and saw better spool times, less pressure drop, and he could build boost quicker with 2-step. But, AIT's didn't improve much, so he didn't see a power gain. He now has a 5" Garrett core and he said the internal design of the two are completely different. It's easy to see why there is a performance and price difference between a Garrett core and an eBay core.

I'll add a few details here:

AIT's were better with the diesel truck core, but pressure drop was way worse. Both intercoolers made very similar power up to the high 20-psi range.

The 24x4x12 ebay core made way more power than the diesel truck core at boost above 30psi. Charge temps were bad, but unlike the diesel core, power did increase above 30psi boost. This was a brief test, I never searched for the limits because charge temps were too high for my liking. The ebay core had about 3psi pressure drop at 35psi boost and 9k.

The 28x5.1x12.75 garrett core flat out rocks. I don't have clean power results yet (hopefully tonight), but charge temps at 17-18psi fall about 5deg, then get back up to where they started through a dyno pull. Pressure drop is 0.1psi or less at 8k and 18psi. Spoolup is WAY better than it was with the ebay core, and I also changed turbine housings from 1.1 to 1.25AR. With either of the other cores, I could keep boost down to 12.5psi. With this core it boost creeps to 18psi.

The good intercooler changed a lot more things in a lot more positive ways than I expected. I'll report back power numbers after I have some clean dyno pulls. For now though, I'll just say it definitely makes more than either of the others did and the car's performance is better in every single way.

Kevin

kiggly said:

The 28x5.1x12.75

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Isn't that Garrett's biggest core? That is crazy! Did you fab up your own endtanks or purchase a pre-made intercooler from a vendor?

I wonder what makes the garrett cores so much different from the SSAC core? Materials used perhaps? Or just overall design?

TSIMonsteR said:

Isn't that Garrett's biggest core? That is crazy! Did you fab up your own endtanks or purchase a pre-made intercooler from a vendor?

I wonder what makes the garrett cores so much different from the SSAC core? Materials used perhaps? Or just overall design?

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Kiggly fabb'd up his own entanks (and they are quite bad-ass looking, I might add).

There is quite a bit of difference in the internal design. I'll let Kevin chime in on that though, because he has direct experience with the two.

You might also add that he is running 8s in the 1/4mile which not many if any of use will ever do, so the ssac fmic should be just fine.

Gamble97 said:

You might also add that he is running 8s in the 1/4mile which not many if any of use will ever do, so the ssac fmic should be just fine.

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Well, any intercooler will "work".
The point of this thread is how well it works.
And for that, we will need test data, not assumptions.

good information in here already, thanks to kiggly!


subscribed!

-Brian

I'm so tempted to get an air sensor + ETS ultra short route FMIC to compare. Anyone have a grand to spare!?

You could always get the 50 dollar IAT sensor first and get data on the SSAC

It would be optimal to find a sensor that had outputs for temperature and pressure.

garrett cores rock, plain and simple.

blcknspo0ln said:

I'm so tempted to get an air sensor + ETS ultra short route FMIC to compare. Anyone have a grand to spare!?

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Does ETS use garret cores? I've been tempted to get one of their kits just so I can put the fogs back on.

TSIMonsteR said:

Does ETS use garret cores? I've been tempted to get one of their kits just so I can put the fogs back on.

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They generally use their proprietary core, but give you the option to use an equal sized Garrett core for the same price.

The difference will typically be in efficiency and heatsoak resistance. Our internal and external fin pack is set up for maximum efficiency without restriction, and when sized correctly can offer practically zero pressure drop in any given application. Most of the cores I've seen from Ebay use a straight through internal fin pack. While that design flows well, it doesn't offer much opportunity for heat dissipation. Depending on what you've got, your results may vary. Our cores have been tested on some of the highest horsepower cars in the industry and are proven to produce results at 55psi+ and 1000whp+. The best part is that those intercoolers use exactly the same core and endtank design as the intercoolers we ship to our customers daily, so you can be assured that they will meet the need

Tom

Well correct me if i am wrong, but wouldn't any intercooler just do the job wherther you are making 700hp or 300ho? All it does is it cools the hot air down. The way i see it, is that the cars that are making more hp, have bigger intercoolers since they are building more boost and need more air to cool down.

Two different intercoolers that are the same size will cool differently though. With the one that cools more you will have less of a chance of knocking. And certain intercoolers create a restriction even if they are big enough because the design isn't good. That will limit how much power the car can make. Get one of those cores with a built car and then swap it for a garrett core and the car will gain power. I have seen cars gain 40whp at the same boost because their old core was a restriction.