Look at how cheap the XS Power kit is now!!

[EclipseSH21]

hmm looks like the time is right to get me one of these....

 

[JayRolla]

Quit it! Youre getting me all anxious.

I know, its almost like im one of there salesman trying to promote. Ive just wanted a FMIC so bad and now Im getting one and cant wait. Never wanted to pay 700+ just for a core and some piping. Now this is just perfect.

On a side note ive heard of people cutting the 1g kit down to short route and he noticed no difference from when it was long route. He said I guess the good thing is I have bragging rights now.

 

[DSM_GSX4life]

wow... is the quality of the $700+ kits really that much better?

 

[twack]

If there is anyone out there who has cut the long route down to a short route, you should speak up. what pipes did you cut and how ddi you run it i know theres alot who would like to know

 

[PieEyedPiper]

I wish we could keep our fogs with this kit.
I'd do just about anything.

 

[JayRolla]

I thought since the end tanks on the 2g kit came out the back of the core that you can keep your foglights. But deffinently not on the 1g kit.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

I thought since the end tanks on the 2g kit came out the back of the core that you can keep your foglights. But deffinently not on the 1g kit.

Really? Ill have to scour the massive thread about these things to find out more, but I was under the impression the 2g kit could not maintain the fogs.
But youve given me hope.

 

[JayRolla]

Didnt say for sure, dont get mad if you still lose them.

 

[TSIMonsteR]

It is impossible to keep the stock fog lights for a 2gb....... The Core Inlet pipe is in the way

 

[JayRolla]

That sucks, I thought maybe just because of the short route piping and how the core is built. You could customize some smaller ones in im sure.

 

[JayRolla]

Finally broke down and got the kit. Was going to get it before but held off. $230 shipped to my door. Right after I purchased I noticed they have auctions now starting at $149. Thats $199 shipped to your door. That is so cheap and the quality is great. Hard to believe but its true, ill post up my feedback once installed.

 

[SBstar]

hmm I'm thinking about it, should I....

 

[Ludachris]

Question:

Has anyone done any scientific testing and comparisons with these cores? Do we know how efficient they are compared to the big name cores? Obviously, quality will be proven over time, but how do they stack up to the proven cores as far as power potential goes? I'm all for cheap kits if they're actually good. Unfortunately, you can't know if they're good by just looking at them. I'd like to know that the company making them actually did some testing and has some data available. And if they don't have data hopefully someone else did some testing on their own and can share.

I'd be skeptical without more data. It's tough to go wrong with a Spearco core because they have data and they've been making them for years. I hate watching fellow DSMers go out and buy products just because they're cheap and the welds look good - especially something as important as an intercooler. The people that are bashing these kits are the ones who are skeptical, they shouldn't be flamed. The ones who are looking to buy them should be asking for more data.

 

[JayRolla]

I know you have seen the long thread on this kit. There are tons of people running it and say they are great. Welds are good and piping is polished nice. Its the same ebay core that is being sold by everyone else and has been proven to work well. Im guessing that a spearco core is more efficient but for the price and the reviews ive read I actually bought it. I will post how good the kit is. If it allows me to get at least 300whp with my setup easily I will be happy. If the core sucks well then I payed 230 for piping and will have to buy a good core. All I know is that intercoolers dont have that compicated of a design and it should work well.

 

[SBstar]

This is the best I can come up with for you Chris, I'm reading it at the moment to see what I can find.
http://dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=237530&highlight=ssautochrome+intake+temps

 

[Ludachris]

I know you have seen the long thread on this kit. There are tons of people running it and say they are great. Welds are good and piping is polished nice. Its the same ebay core that is being sold by everyone else and has been proven to work well. Im guessing that a spearco core is more efficient but for the price and the reviews ive read I actually bought it. I will post how good the kit is. If it allows me to get at least 300whp with my setup easily I will be happy. If the core sucks well then I payed 230 for piping and will have to buy a good core. All I know is that intercoolers dont have that compicated of a design and it should work well.

The definition of "good" is what I'm trying to get at here. And that will only come from test data. If the kit helps you achieve your goals, that's great. That means it was worth the money in your case. But it doesn't say anything about how "good" it is.

I'm just wondering if anyone has done any type of testing on these kits or if they're just buying them because they're cheap. Just because a lot of people buy them and there's a long thread about the product doesn't tell me it's a good product. How do I know that any of the people saying they're great know the difference between those and the big name cores? I'm not really looking for the data myself, but I want you guys to look at the data before you make a purchase so you'll be more informed. I hate seeing people jumping on cheap deals without knowing if they're getting their money's worth.

I'm simply trying to challenge everyones' thinking here. I want to make sure everyone understands the difference between a "good" kit and a "popular" kit. You can't know how good it is without data, end of story. It's nice that there's a cheap alternative, but I'm hoping everyone is buying it because it's good and not just cheap.

 

[JayRolla]

Yea that is the thread im talking about. Has a lot of info, its mainly on the 2g kit but the 1g kit is just as good. Cant wait to receive it. My car is having a misfiring problem and barely even runs but I still bought it. I made a thread about my misfiring in the bolt on thread but no one will help. If anyone has any insight that would be great. Here is the thread.
http://dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=241105

 

[SBstar]

What kind of numbers do you want to see here Chris? Intake temp differences between one of these, a stock smic and "name brand" one would be nice to look at. Perhaps someone will strap themselves to a dyno and see what kind of numbers they can make (obviously including tuning between the different ones). From what I've read people aren't having many problems with heatsoak. I haven't heard of anyone having leaks from poor craftsmanship.

 

[JayRolla]

Thats what I looked at. I heard the welds are good. The core does not heatsoak. People have boosted to 30psi no leaks. Install was not that bad. Intake temps dropped incredibly. I have not found anyone who has tested this core to an expensive one. If you already have the nice kit, why would you buy the cheap on to see if its just as good. Anyone out there have any real comparisons of the xs core to a name brand core?

 

[SBstar]

I agree few people with an expensive one are going to switch to a cheap one, and I have yet to hear about anyone switching from this particular fmic kit to a more expensive brand name one.

 

[blcknspo0ln]

What kind of numbers do you want to see here Chris? Intake temp differences between one of these, a stock smic and "name brand" one would be nice to look at. Perhaps someone will strap themselves to a dyno and see what kind of numbers they can make (obviously including tuning between the different ones). From what I've read people aren't having many problems with heatsoak. I haven't heard of anyone having leaks from poor craftsmanship.

Everyone does understand that intake temperatures are measured at the MAF, right? The only way you're going to know if the temperature of air flowing through the IC pipes is cooler is by installing an actual sensor in the UICP somewhere.

I don't have any hard data on this kit, but my experiences have also be good. Easy install (except TB flange needed to be milled), NO heatsoak with 5-6 pulls (sometimes hotlapping at the track, pulling over and touching the UICP and it was cool), pressure tested to 30 psi no problem, and the price is great. To me, that is more than enough. btw, I ran a top/bottom spearco FMIC before this and it is a dramatic difference between the two. albeit, the top/bottom vs. side/side, among other things, is a whole different topic.

 

[thekellbeast]

All I want to know before I drop my money on one of these, is how much power people have put down on them. Or, how big of a turbo are most people running on these?

 

[twack]

Realize that the 1g and 2g intercoolerkits are different. Not just the piping but the intercooler itself, the 2g intercooler has had alot more people try out. So far ive heard/experienced that its a good intercooler. Im using just a big16g, but i would be interested to see whats the largest turbo people have run on these.

 

[Ludachris]

What kind of numbers do you want to see here Chris? Intake temp differences between one of these, a stock smic and "name brand" one would be nice to look at. Perhaps someone will strap themselves to a dyno and see what kind of numbers they can make (obviously including tuning between the different ones). From what I've read people aren't having many problems with heatsoak. I haven't heard of anyone having leaks from poor craftsmanship.

The two big measurements would be flow and air temp for me. Is there no data posted anywhere about these cores? I mean, that's great they don't leak and all, but how efficient are they? People are asking things like "how big a turbo has been run with one?". I would think the flow and air temp would be the most important factors as far as performance goes. It sounds like most people like the fitment and quality so far. I'm just wondering about the numbers.

 

[Ludachris]

Thats what I looked at. I heard the welds are good. The core does not heatsoak. People have boosted to 30psi no leaks. Install was not that bad. Intake temps dropped incredibly. I have not found anyone who has tested this core to an expensive one. If you already have the nice kit, why would you buy the cheap on to see if its just as good. Anyone out there have any real comparisons of the xs core to a name brand core?

You don't have to go out and buy one to do a comparison. All we have to do is have one person who owns the cheap core post numbers and compare those to the big name cores if the numbers aren't already provided by the manufacturer. I'm really surprised that more people aren't looking for this data before they buy this kit.