Lets talk Ebay FMIC. Especially if you have one.

[chicagoavenger]

I have read a couple of threads on ebay intercoolers but just wondering which ones out there that are actually good? Allot of them have something that goes like this

"Good for up to 500bhp(I have seen from 350-600). all our intercooler has been tested to withstand more then 80psi pressure and it has very small pressure drop across the end tanks, at 15psi inlet the out let has 14.8psi that means it has only 0.2 psi pressure drop ,compare to many other intercoolers it is an excellent figure (some intercooler has 1-2psi pressure drop) also at the same condition, the temperature has drop from 120 degree to 28 degree ( and it is an excellent figure for efficiency"

Is the above statement just a bunch of bs or true? Has anyone tried the Megan racing FMIC? I think it's crazy to spend 700+ on a core and piping. I really don't care about name brands I just want it to work. Kinda like a Dave Brode part or Megan Racing or Johnny Racecar FMIC all cheap but effective with great quality. Here are just a couple of FMIC I'm talking about that look good but do they perform and will they last? Please chime in if you have a ebay FMIC or had one especially if it worked or did not work well for you. thanks

Megan FMIC

No name brand but has the standard psi and efficiency spill

Street Imports FMIC

XOXO Core but has good feedback on the core

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

WARNING big pics.

A member on dsmtalk posted these. It might help with install for some of you who just got your kit and still having trouble.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v92/spoolnvr4/IMGP0141.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v92/spoolnvr4/IMGP0138.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v92/spoolnvr4/IMGP0142.jpg

 

[my98GST]

OOOhhhhh, so it appears that you guys had to bend your tab DOWN towards the ground and then bend the tab towards the front of the car..... DOH!! I was just bending the tab towards the front of the car and there was still no way that it was going to mount the core flush.

 

[chicagoavenger]

Just ordered a 1G strip kit and CAI from www.extremeintercoolers.com. The guys sound really nice and i cant wait till it gets here i have heard so many good things about them. I will take pics when it gets here. It takes a little longer because of the problem of me being it Toronto Canada.

Keepin alive the 1G guys

Why would you pay 700 bucks and that's for the small core ? Have you not read this thread

 

[cfisher]

I finally got a chance last night to take the GSX out and have some fun. I did about 3 runs in it and there is definetly a power increase. As soon as I got done with the 3rd run (spanking a prelude) I pulled over and checked the piping to see if it was still cool. I grabbed the top of the elbow by the TB and it was like the pipe had been sitting in a freezer. There was even frost by the core inlet and was ice cold. This was in about 50 degree weather and I couldn't be more happy with the kit. This is got to be the best deal around and seeing that others are charging $800+ for the same thing is even better.

 

[RiceKiller_TSi]

Why would you pay 700 bucks and that's for the small core ? Have you not read this thread

The kits they sell are an "exact" fit and also allow you to keep your crash beam so you wont have to worry about protecting your core quite as much. The plumbing is short route as opposed to the ones sold by the eBay guys for the 1g. The pipes are already powdercoated as well and the kit includes ALL of the couplers and clamps needed. You cant beat not having to molest your car to get it installed. I do think the price is a bit much though.

 

[TORONTOTALON]

You say small core like its a bad thing im not going to be running a big turbo setup or a 2.4L block so if i got a big core i would loose spool up time and this kit shouldnt be compared to an ebay kit. Honestly if you are a mechanic or welder then the way to go would be an xs pwer or ssautocrome because if it breaks you can fix it because from what ive read xs pwer doesnt have the best customer service in the business. Extreme intercoolers on the other hand has one of the best customer service in the business. They treat there customers like gold because they know good busniess sense.

Im not flammin i just want you to understand why i spent the money on the good stuff....

and obviously short route, powder coat, flange option, blow thru setup option witch is all included in the price and basicall everything else RiceKiller_TSI said....

 

[my98GST]

So, am I right about having to bend the tab down towards the ground first and then bending the back part of the tab foward to make it fit??? I'm going to be leaving school in a few hours and I'm going home to fly straight into it so I need all the help right now that I can get.

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

So, am I right about having to bend the tab down towards the ground first and then bending the back part of the tab foward to make it fit??? I'm going to be leaving school in a few hours and I'm going home to fly straight into it so I need all the help right now that I can get.

That is what I did.

 

[my98GST]

And then You got it to where you could pull up the left tab to the fog light holes, drill a big hole in the front side but don't go all the way through to the second part of the tube. Then you came from the back with a tiny drill bit through the center of the back of it and came through then took another drill bit made the screw size hole? Then you did the same to the right side or did you do the right side? You mounted the top tab last to make sure you could move it left to right/ up and down to fine "tune" the position??????????

 

[fwdeclipse]

On sunday i emailed them about the group buy and they said yeah its still going.So I just sent the payment and i received my core and pipes today.they have pretty bad customer service once you pay they will not respond to any emails.

 

[my98GST]

Well, I've finally got my core to where it will mount.. I really think either my car or the core I got was a little ####ed up. I had to completely bend the top tab down and the top part all the way flat ontop of the cooler to where it would sit flush against the fog light holes. Im just going to stick a screw in each side on the first part that is about 2" long and lock tite it and not use the top tab. I got to thinking about what one of the people on here did is drill the front bar out to where he could get the socket in it and then use just the back bar to mount it. Well this core is pretty damn heavy and with my luck and it being aluminum, that it would bend off and rip out so I'm going to try to hunt down some longer bolts.

 

[fwdeclipse]

I finally got a chance last night to take the GSX out and have some fun. I did about 3 runs in it and there is definetly a power increase. As soon as I got done with the 3rd run (spanking a prelude) I pulled over and checked the piping to see if it was still cool. I grabbed the top of the elbow by the TB and it was like the pipe had been sitting in a freezer. There was even frost by the core inlet and was ice cold. This was in about 50 degree weather and I couldn't be more happy with the kit. This is got to be the best deal around and seeing that others are charging $800+ for the same thing is even better.

This does not make any sense to me.If its 50 degrees outside,isnt that as cold as the core can be.How does the core make it colder than the outside air.There is no ice in it to cool enough to make frost.I thought a fmic just had more surface area so it took alot longer to heatsoak it.I did not think it could make frosty pipes.

 

[eclipsegs98911]

I am trying to do the group buy. I emailed them and have not heard back.

Has anyone just sent payment with hopes they would send the intercooler kit to you?

I really want to get one before the buy is over. Please help with a reply!!!

Can anyone else help. I want to get this ordered but I am afraid to just send payment without a reply back from them. Has anyone just sent payment?

 

[fwdeclipse]

Just keep emailing them again and again.That is what I did.It took them two days to reply and i sent prob 5 emails.Good Luck

 

[Spoolin98]

This does not make any sense to me.If its 50 degrees outside,isnt that as cold as the core can be.How does the core make it colder than the outside air.There is no ice in it to cool enough to make frost.I thought a fmic just had more surface area so it took alot longer to heatsoak it.I did not think it could make frosty pipes.

Go stand outside in 20* weather, then stand outside in 20* weather with a wind chill, it will definitely feel colder than 20*. I don't know about producing frost, but an IC definitely cools the air.

 

[fwdeclipse]

I was not questioning that it cooled down the charge.I just thought that was weird that it could produce frost but maybe.I guess ill find out, I just got my fmic today and will install it tomorrow.The temperature here tomorrow is supposed to be 42* so ill see how cold the pipes feel.

 

[UMR98GSX]

I too almost threw up the BS flag when I heard lower than ambient intake temps. I'd still like to see it to believe it but then again I know how Kansas/Missouri weather is so I don't doubt that the temp fluctuated that much in one day.

Anson

 

[Spoolin98]

You said "How does the core make it colder than the outside air". It sounded to me like you were questioning whether or not the IC cooled down the "charge". Sorry I must have misunderstood.

 

[mdgoodrich]

can someone please tell me how much trimming is required on the bumper cover for the xs intercooler compared to maybe a greddy or something. I really want to get one but i dont want the bumper to look all cut up.




thanks

matt

 

[eclipsegs98911]

According to the laws of heat transfer you cannot go any lower than the lowest temperature. Since the state of coldness is due to the removal of 'heat' or energy you cannot remove any more energy that what is minimal. So if it is cold out say 40 degrees, the coldest temperature you should be able to get to is 40 and that would be achieved if you had 100% efficiency in your intercooler. If you go lower than that I don’t see from an equation standpoint how it is possible.

As for trimming your bumper, I currently have a FMIC and I trimmed it with a utility knife and then used an orbital sander to clean up the edges and get more detailed. It is time consuming but well worth it in the end.

 

[kottyking]

But your also constantly moving air. It's not like outside temp.

 

[my98GST]

Could someone please elaborate on which pipe I'm supposed to cut 2" off of??

 

[my98GST]

The way I look at it is, you ahve 50º weather which is still fairly chilly, and you're going 60+mph....The windchill is goign to drastically change the temperature. The faster you go the cooler its going to be...

 

[Narco]

Could someone please elaborate on which pipe I'm supposed to cut 2" off of??

The small 90 deg bend, but cut it to fit, don't just hack 2" off of it.

 

[my98GST]

Yeah I understand what you're saying..... Is it the one that comes off of the turbo or the pipe that connects to the IC inlet?