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

 

[JiveMasterT]

http://stores.ebay.com/Extreme-Turbo-Systems_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsQ3amesstQQtZkm

These kits look phenominal and I was going to get one until I realized my car breaks too much as it is near stock and I can't afford any upgrades. I've heard really good things about them though.

 

[blackGSX2g]

http://stores.ebay.com/Extreme-Turbo-Systems_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsQ3amesstQQtZkm

These kits look phenominal and I was going to get one until I realized my car breaks too much as it is near stock and I can't afford any upgrades. I've heard really good things about them though.

If I'm looking at the correct kit, you are still paying $900 for a 10" tall core and long piping. For that price, I'd go with the SBR race kit hands down with the back-door short routed beautiful stainless steel piping and a 12" core that is 3" wide.

The whole point of going with the eBay core is to bypass the huge cost of the kits people sell.

 

[JiveMasterT]

If I'm looking at the correct kit, you are still paying $900 for a 10" tall core and long piping. For that price, I'd go with the SBR race kit hands down with the back-door short routed beautiful stainless steel piping and a 12" core that is 3" wide.

The whole point of going with the eBay core is to bypass the huge cost of the kits people sell.

That's strange. When I emailed them a while back, they were much cheaper... came to like $750 shipped for all the piping, the intercooler flanged for hks ssqv, setup for gm maf, and some other stuff. Maybe because I was dealing with them off ebay? Ebay is how I found them though.

 

[southjerseyTSI]

ive been reading this thread since the beginning and i recently bought the ssautochrome one off of ebay, got it for like 260 shipped with short route chrome piping,nice tbolt clamps and nice couplers( 1/4" thick)... welds look pretty good, id give them a 8 outta 10 rating.i havent installed it yet but i will post when i do, here are some pics.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b119/lukkylukk/intercooler005.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b119/lukkylukk/intercooler006.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b119/lukkylukk/intercooler004.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b119/lukkylukk/intercooler001.jpg

 

[kanderson111]

That's strange. When I emailed them a while back, they were much cheaper... came to like $750 shipped for all the piping, the intercooler flanged for hks ssqv, setup for gm maf, and some other stuff. Maybe because I was dealing with them off ebay? Ebay is how I found them though.

Even at $750 the SBR kit is a better deal. Not only does it come with short route stainless piping and a spearco core. It has mounting brackets already welded to it and there is no guessing about how to place it, and only a tiny amount of trimming on the front bumper cover is necessary.

 

[JiveMasterT]

ive been reading this thread since the beginning and i recently bought the ssautochrome one off of ebay, got it for like 260 shipped with short route chrome piping,nice tbolt clamps and nice couplers( 1/4" thick)... welds look pretty good, id give them a 8 outta 10 rating.i havent installed it yet but i will post when i do, here are some pics.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b119/lukkylukk/intercooler005.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b119/lukkylukk/intercooler006.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b119/lukkylukk/intercooler004.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b119/lukkylukk/intercooler001.jpg

wow! what are the pipes made of? also, what flange options do you have for the bov? how does it fit in your car? my stock smic has a little leak in it and I wouldnt mind replacing it for $260 shipped .

 

[southjerseyTSI]

wow! what are the pipes made of? also, what flange options do you have for the bov? how does it fit in your car? my stock smic has a little leak in it and I wouldnt mind replacing it for $260 shipped .

i just got it a couple days ago havent installed it yet.
pipes are aluminum and bead rolled.
bov flange appears to be a 1g, i emailed them before purchase asking which one it was but they never responded, i figured for the price i wont complain if i have to take it to a welder to get a different one put on.

also it took me a month of bidding on different ones to get it for that low of price, most of them before that were going in the high 200 low 300 range with 40 bucks shipping, i got mine right at christmas day for that price.

 

[JiveMasterT]

i just got it a couple days ago havent installed it yet.
pipes are aluminum and bead rolled.
bov flange appears to be a 1g, i emailed them before purchase asking which one it was but they never responded, i figured for the price i wont complain if i have to take it to a welder to get a different one put on.

also it took me a month of bidding on different ones to get it for that low of price, most of them before that were going in the high 200 low 300 range with 40 bucks shipping, i got mine right at christmas day for that price.

cool. who was the seller and what was the auction number?

 

[TurboStutr]

http://stores.ebay.com/Extreme-Turbo-Systems_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsQ3amesstQQtZkm

These kits look phenominal and I was going to get one until I realized my car breaks too much as it is near stock and I can't afford any upgrades. I've heard really good things about them though.

i just bought their 1G 7 inch kit for $595 plus $50 for shipping for a total of $645(special pricing for last month). i installed it and everything fits where it should. i have a big 16g turbo. the instructions are pretty straightforward and i didnt run into any problems at all. at the same boost level(17psi), the car pulls much harder in 3rd gear. i've only had the kit on for about a week but so far its definitely got my recommendation

 

[southjerseyTSI]

cool. who was the seller and what was the auction number?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/DSM-...ewItemQQcategoryZ33742QQitemZ8027150623QQrdZ1


this is the exactly what i got.

 

[Slippi84]

Yeah my friend has that same fmic kit. I was really impressed that it was flanged AND came with t bolt clamps instead of the other POS connectors.

 

[gsxtacy]

Here's some updated photos of my SSAutoChrome 2G kit, Installed.

PM me for specific questions

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Gsxtacy

 

[Agent11br]

GSXTACY -

Did you have to ditch the fogs?

kit looks nice by the way!

 

[91gsxboosted]

I was wondering if anyone had tried the 1g kit from xs? the one with piping for $350. Any opinions on this one, like quality and fitment?

 

[gsxtacy]

yeppers, Fogs are a fond memory, I just thought the covers looked better than NO covers.

gsxtacy

 

[chicagoavenger]

I was wondering if anyone had tried the 1g kit from xs? the one with piping for $350. Any opinions on this one, like quality and fitment?

edit: I found it on ebay I thought it was the xoxo core.

 

[crunchymilk]

you get what you pay for..

 

[MaNGiNa24]

Here's some updated photos of my SSAutoChrome 2G kit, Installed.

PM me for specific questions

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Gsxtacy

How was the install? What diameter is the piping? Is it polished aluminum or polished stainless steel? Which bov did you mount to it? Do you think there would be any room for a maf-t to be installed between the bov and the tb?

 

[fostytou]

I would way rather spend an extra $100 or so dollars if you are thinking about buying the full ebay core/pipe kits.

After changing out that intercooler core and nothing else my dyno numbers went from 340 to 400 right away at 20psi. And yes a 35R rocks alot more at a bit higher boost... but thats only for the good gas.... and I don't have a ton of access to that.

Unfortunatley I don't have the link to the intercooler. I had tried to find it before and its nowhere to be found. I can text out the shape of the intercooler:
_________________
/ \
| |
|__________________|
(the top of the end tanks was just slightly smaller than the bottom)



It came with blue couplers and T bolt clamps. Watch the piping, mine put my greddy type S flange so that when the pipes shifted on boost it cut the vaccuum line going to the blowoff valve on the cruise control actuator bracket. Also, the T-bolt clamps that came with it had to be overtightened because they alway humped right under the bolt and allowed air to get through. The pipe right off the turbo curverd really wild to come around under the fan and in front of the engine mount.... I wouldn't be surprised if it would have gotten crushed on engine braking... but I had that pipe remade and went with a slimline fan. The pipes were black "powdercoated" steel and just under the secondary radiator fan the pipe grew suddenly like:

turbo
_| |_
| |
FMIC

both of the crap FMICs I got had vendors with terrible communication.

/edit....Sorry... i guess spaces don't work like that here.

 

[Slippi84]

It's ok I know what you mean whenyour describing your kit. Thing is just by the fact that you can't find the kit anymore makes me think you went with a literal no name kinda of intercooler setup. I mean while the other ebay caores and kits aren't like slowboy or greddy they still are pretty known like xo cores. I mean I will know soon how mine works but I really haven't heard many people at all complain about how their ebay core or pipe kit performs.

 

[95TSiNewbie]

Im thinking of going with an ebay fmic core aswell. I need something a little bit bigger then what i have now. Its funny to think, i see more negative reviews of the Greddy core then ebay cores. ID go SBR or DEJON race cores if I had the money but I have decent piping and just need a larger core....and this will suit me well. Good thread

 

[JiveMasterT]

so what would the downside to getting an ebay kit be? I mean, it's a set of pipes and an intercooler. I think as long as you aren't using some insane turbo setup, most ebay fmics will be fine, right? The only downside I can see to getting an ebay kit is that the couplers will probably be a crappy rubber (like greddy) and will dry out, crack and then you gotta spend like $100 on new couplers.

 

[Slippi84]

What do you mean by a crazy setup cause I have a setup that I plan on touching high tens with the right tunning and I have a huge ebay fmic.

 

[JiveMasterT]

What do you mean by a crazy setup cause I have a setup that I plan on touching high tens with the right tunning and I have a huge ebay fmic.

I dunno... I just always feel like there is some uncertainty regarding the quality of parts you get from ebay. It's hit or miss. I was mostly referring to welds on the IC blowing apart and stuff like that, but unless you have some full blown dedicated drag car and you are spending big bucks on your motor, turbo, etc, then why skimp on the intercooler? I think I'm going to get the kit that gsxtacy got because it looks good and has short route piping and stuff... the couplers are probably going to blow up eventually, but I'll replace them when that happens.

All I'm looking for is a negative side to getting an ebay intercooler / intercooler kit.

 

[Slippi84]

The only neggative to buying anything on ebay is that everyone on here assumes that you have cut a corner and bought some inferior part, when in fact you just managed to save a buck and got everything you needed from a part. Go for it don't let random people who haven't tried the part tell you not to while eveyrone that owns one is saying they love it.