obx FMIC kit

[nazthug]

ok, what happened to this company?

Since when does obx turn around from making rice parts to making LSD's, cams, manifolds, headers and NOW intercoolers, which are btw, EXACT replicas of APEXi????

I mean its almost as if they literally, take a product, CLONE it, and sell it for 1/3 the price

The products look nice, but WTF???

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how can you possibly do this? At these prices? Legally????

 

[blcknspo0ln]

food for thought, DSMJIM ran mid 12's on a 2" inlet diameter...

 

[calcifer]

Hey, on the subject of less expensive fmics, has anyone tried this:
here

Looks ok to me, but I don't know much about them. It does come with an upper IC pipe though.

 

[99gst_racer]

Hey, on the subject of less expensive fmics, has anyone tried this:
here

Looks ok to me, but I don't know much about them. It does come with an upper IC pipe though.

hmmmm...... The kit sounds to be complete. But they lack good pics of the kits installed, and close-ups of the cores. The price seems to be good. I'm not so sure about that "hybrid bar and plate - tube and fin core". I would want to see it flow tested before I made the purchase. Overall, not a bad find though. Looks higher in quality than OBX's kit.

PS - Not to be a dick or anything, but the subject is not 'less expensive intercoolers'. The subject is just what the thread title says, 'obx FMIC kit'. Your post should be the start of a new thread. Lets stay on topic.

 

[calcifer]

Cool, I'm in no position to buy one yet (from a mod standpoint AND financial standpoint), but I'm always looking around for good deals.

 

[95Eclipse]

You dont need 3". Use 2.5" or even 2.25"......

food for thought, DSMJIM ran mid 12's on a 2" inlet diameter...

But, should the intercooler size( 24" x 12" x 3") be enough for 50 trim or is it too big for it ? enough to cause big pressure drop.

anybody else feel free to chime in.....

 

[Revolution]

Hey guys I was reading through all 13 pages ,wow let me say it was definitely a great way to waste 2.5 hours.

Somewhere in this thread and I really don't care to lookanymore something was said that sparked my interest, so I quoted it.

AMS stampy
Vendor


Car: 94 Talon TSi AWD
Registered: Oct 2003
Reputation:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Denji
I'd say that there are different kinds of lies, white lies, intentional lies, and then statistics. Statistically that quote is like any other advertising pitch.. "now 25% bigger". "makes 25 more hp". Than what? under what conditions? What previous mods are on the car? I would like to bet on a stock car, putting all the competetors and then your parts on it, it would not make 25 hp over their part. For instance, on a 500 horsepower car, a 25hp gain over a competitors product is not as huge as a 25hp gain on a 200hp car. Also, what do you mean by making 25 more hp? Does it dyno in at a peak hp of 25 more than the other competitors? Or is it consistently better all throughout the power band? Its vague statements like that i find bothersome. I would like to see a third party's dyno sheets before such claims are made.

steps can be made, but like i said, if you want to run a 13.5, you can do without all top of the line parts.

Seems vendors are mad because they never thought about marketing to someone like me, then they realize there are a lot more like myself, not trying to run 11's. Also not trying to spend a lot, as i am a college student i don't have a lot.Quote:
Originally Posted by Denji



AMS stampy
Vendor......if you are going to play semantics on this then I will give you cold hard facts.

on a 600 hp EVO VIII our manifold made 25 more Hp then the Leading sheet metal intake manifold....to the WHEELS! same boost same fuel same everything.I am not divulging there name because they are a close friend of ours and I know that you guys will then start to bash them in this thread. He know the gains we made and he was very astonished and applauded us.

as far as marketing to people like yourself. We just developed a nice polished aluminum upper IC pipe for use with the stock sidemount. I don't think that is designed for sub 10 second passes

I am done trying to reason with you in this thread. You either cant see where I am coming from or simply value $$$ over quality. In either event I cannot sway your decision. This was in no way shape or form meant to get this ugly and Myself along with AMS holds no ill feelings to-wards anyone for posing there opinions in here. Best of luck to you and I hope to talk to you in the future.


Eric
quote ended


OK I would LOVE to see these dyno charts on either a mustang dyno or and awd dyno, and some flow bench results as-well (since the dyno numbers can always be glorified) to see how your smim made an extra 25whp on a manifold that already make anywhere from 40 to 80 hp. So basically you're smims made 40+25=65whp on a small turbo setup and a whopping 80+25=105whp on a big turbo setup? I don't make it a habit of calling people on their comments but I just had to see it for myself,and if you did congrats ,it must beone hell of a design to beat out the magnus smim.

Anyways not to get off topic,why not buy a good tube and fin or bar and plate core (I personally have the bar and plate) and bring the car to a reputable mechanic sothey could build some quality custom pipes to you're cars needs.

Where could you get great core's at an amazing price? easy righthear where I got mine.

www.streetimports.com

 

[98turbo]

Wow, this thread has gotten way off topic...

 

[Thomas91169]

yeah no shit they seriously need to close it.

 

[SikRacing97GST]

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Here's my dirty car with the obx fmic.

 

[blazin3sgte]

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1. Maybe the other companies are just ripping us off? I mean when you can buy a PAIR of headers for a big block V8 at or below the cost of our headers, there is something wrong if you ask me.

Good old supply and demand, if we pay it, they will charge us for it!

2. They probably just reversed engineered their products off of the other companies. Unless the product is patented, there is no legal protection against someone taking your product and duplicating it. With digitizers a person can “scan” the actual part, and “reverse” the data to create a design that can be used for manufacturing.

We used to do this all the time with plastic vacuum formed consoles that we made for new fork lifts. We would take models from the designers; digitize the model to make the mold for production parts. Good to see some competition if you ask me.

3. As far as the fabrication, not too hard these days to bend pipe and make nice welds. The investment would be low, and when spread out over a “target” quantity, actual cost would not be that high. I bet a quality header can be manufactured for less than, hmmmm, $75…..just guessing from my automotive engineering days when I did the product quotes. Most of the cost would be in the material, especially if your using a 300 series stainless.

Personally I have always thought the cost for equipment on these cars is ridiculous, but that is what the market will bear, so that is what they will charge us.

 

[blazin3sgte]

undefinedundefinedundefined

1. Maybe the other companies are just ripping us off? I mean when you can buy a PAIR of headers for a big block V8 at or below the cost of our headers, there is something wrong if you ask me.

Good old supply and demand, if we pay it, they will charge us for it!

2. They probably just reversed engineered their products off of the other companies. Unless the product is patented, there is no legal protection against someone taking your product and duplicating it. With digitizers a person can “scan” the actual part, and “reverse” the data to create a design that can be used for manufacturing.

We used to do this all the time with plastic vacuum formed consoles that we made for new fork lifts. We would take models from the designers; digitize the model to make the mold for production parts. Good to see some competition if you ask me.

3. As far as the fabrication, not too hard these days to bend pipe and make nice welds. The investment would be low, and when spread out over a “target” quantity, actual cost would not be that high. I bet a quality header can be manufactured for less than, hmmmm, $75…..just guessing from my automotive engineering days when I did the product quotes. Most of the cost would be in the material, especially if your using a 300 series stainless.

Personally I have always thought the cost for equipment on these cars is ridiculous, but that is what the market will bear, so that is what they will charge us.

............ hey whats up guys im fairly new the the dsm world after blowing my motor in my alltrac . but dsm guys are lucky . at least companies are making parts for our cars the celica performance world basically cost an arm and a leg and , you really cant even get these parts in the usa. but i noticed that when i went to the dsm side we have soooooo many parts available. ebay is a god sent and every one who is a underground machinist knows that why should we buy a part that the big name company sell for the price of a arm and a leg , they will make for much less. and more than likely the underground guy will more than likely make it better . the big companies will take your money if you give them your money.. who wouldnt. obx has a nice big inter cooler . ill be getting one. as for that header ........i ...dont ....think so.... just my opinon

 

[drewvr4]

just as an fyi on this...

i bought a SSAutochrome manifold and the guy was correct it is mild steel to stainless...so that will crack 100%

but dont be fooled, SSAutochrome and OBX ARE NOT the same company, i bought and OBX manifold for my GVR4 and they used mild steel for both the flange and runners...good quality and i was very happy with it.

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

Well I got a deal on this so I went ahead and took it.

By now OBX is not the only company who carries/makes these Apex'i fmic knockoff. Moderator please edit and add apex'i copy for more relevant searches.

The kit I got is obviously used, but the bulk of the parts included in the original kit were received. I just didn't have the 2 "L" shaped mounting brackets, but after some checking on EBAY I noticed only the actual "OBX" kits came with these, and the kits that were the same, but were not advertised as "OBX" did not. This is just based on the pics, so they might have included the brackets, but why would the picture show all the pipes, couplers, and clamps and not the bracket. And this brings me the case to mine, which isn't the "OBX" brand, and the seller gave me everything. Why would the original owner not use the brackets and purchase the HDR (Home Depot Racing) bracket that was included in my purchase. So take caution if you buy this kit. You probably will NOT get the mountain brackets unless you pay $20-40 extra from what I've seen in the auctions/buy it now on ebay. It might be worth it if you don't want to take the time/gas/labor to make your own brackets.

Yes I know why didn't I go with the SSAC. i have that on my other GSX. and like I said i got this at a price that i would not refuse, so why not. also I wanted to keep my foglights and my bumper support.

It's installed on my daily driver gsx. Again the kit was used so it doesnt look pretty. The previous owner sprayed it black but no complaints I wanted the sleeper look anyways.

The t-bolt clamps were showing some rust? just cleaned the up and they were good to go. The obx/apexi copies come withh multi ply silicone couplers and t-bolt clamps, but the ones that come on the SSAC kit are far better having now own them both. Still, the ones included in this apexi copy are still better than the ones included in the REAL apex'i or greddy kit, which just come with worm clamps and rubber couplers!

All the pipes were beaded on the ends, previous owner cut a bit off on the longest straight pipe so it wasn't beaded, but he did me a favor because it looks like it would've been too long anyways and i would've had to cut it myself.

the long pipe and the pipe that connects to the upper ic pipe has a bracket to mount on the frame. previous owner had jacked up the bracket that connected the pipe that connects to the upper ic pipe. the brackets are easily bendable. After these pipes and because I had a boost leak, I ended up breaking the bracket because I bent it too much. the bracket for the long pipe is just fine. For the long pipe, i don't know if the kit comes with the proper bolt, but there is a hole just under the headlight in the radiator support that it bolts on to perfectly. The other bracket for the other pipe mounts to one of the stock mounts of the SMIC, use the smic mount bolt for this if the kit didn't come with it.

The piping in general is alright, its a bit thin and just doesn't feel as durable/strong as the SSAC kit, can't compare to the real apexi, but it's about the same as the piping on my old Greddy 24r. Not a big deal though.

As for the core, it's solid, the welds look good, nothing to complain about here. there are bolt holes on each side for mounting brackets. As you can see in my pics, the previous owner had improvised. I showed pics on where and how I mounted it. works just fine. It's straight and aligned and you can see that in the final pics.

Install was a breeze thanks in part to the previous owner who cut the long pipe so its just the right length and the brackets he had already provided. Take these 2 things in consideration to extra work if you buy this kit. I believe the kit is suppose to include the "S" lower ic pipe for stock t25 or similar routing turbos. I have a b16g so that wouldn't work, and looks like the previous owner did too, so he included the right pipe that goes from the jpipe to the smic location perfect for the piping for this kit.

The main problem for me is the piping is 2.5". The jpipe i have is 2" and the lower ic pipe after the jpipe is 2.25. My upper ic pipe is also 2.25". At first I just tightened the couplers.THIS DID NOT WORK! Massive boost leaks. If your car sounds like a bird chirping and wistles, and you have pipe size difference and try to use bigger couplers, you probably have a leak, if that wasn't enough, the car should feel weird and slow anyways.

I have no problem with leaks or couplers blowing off on all the connecting points of the fmic kit and its pipes. just where the pipes get smaller Definitely get the right transition hoses.

As you can see its obvious my bumper support was cut up real good. I did not post the trouble in doing this, because this is an extra bumper support from my other 2g that had been cut up by a body shop for me. So this should also increase a lot of labor time IF you decide to keep it. I'm sure I could keep more of the front part in tact, but hey I wasn't about to cut up my perfectly good one when I had this already.

Also I forgot to talk about the bumper. Guess what, i did not have to cut it at all! That was nice, a sigh of relief for me because I really didn't want to do anymore work. You can see the effects of not trimming the bumper even a bit, it crunches up in the middle there, but its not too bad. And yea I know I couldve cut the black part for that more aggressive look, but I already have one 2g like that, this one just wanted to keep under the radar.

Overall, its ok, I can't really state performance yet because I'm waiting on the right hoses. Will update later.

 

[98GSXtreme07]

Thank you so much RedTurboEclipse for this review. That bumper support is wicked! Something I'm going to look into doing. With this review I now have something to look at when it comes time to getting this kit and my final decision. Thanks again for the time it took you to write this up.

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

Thank you so much RedTurboEclipse for this review. That bumper support is wicked! Something I'm going to look into doing. With this review I now have something to look at when it comes time to getting this kit and my final decision. Thanks again for the time it took you to write this up.

no problem, everybody is caught up with the SSAC and i don't blame them, I have that kit too, for the price yea its superior, and this thread kinda just fell in the black hole, but I had to throw my support since I am now an owner as well. Just take the things I mentioned in consideration so you won't have any surprises.

The boost leaks were the big killer, I thought by tightening the clamps enough were good for the smaller pipes but NO WAY.

READ THIS BELOW

I thought I could save money from buying the right reducers by cutting a piece of the 2" pipe hose and inserting it in the bigger coupler to serve as a cushion/spacer/seal/whatever. Yea It worked for a bit, but this was on the jpipe that is pointing down and is now carrying a bit of a load since the lower pipe has no bracket or anything. so on the freeway when I got on it, POP, it just wiggled itself free even though I swear I tightened the clamp pretty good. This technique seems to be ok on the turbo compressor/intake pipe becausae dejon actually gives you a rubber ring to go over so it fits snug, but I guess its apples and oranges with that in comparison.

Is there anywhere LOCAL to buy these transition reducer hoses? They are like $20-25 shipped from popular places. Got a 2" to 2.25" on ebay for $10 shipped, prob get the 2.25" to 2.5" there as wel unless there are cheaper places. I cant justify paying $25 per hose since buying 4 of them at that price is more than how much I paid for this kit

 

[98GSXtreme07]

The intercooler setup I'm looking for is 1. Bolts up to the stock UICP 2. Keeps my fog lights 3. Can't remember the 3rd one but a good price will work

I like the ETS because you get to keep your crash beam. Not sure of the fogs. But its short route.

Greddy...well, too expensive there.

The SSAC would be great but again I think you lose the fogs so the OBX would be great for me since it has everything I want. Well, except for the quality like the ETS and SSAC kits.

 

[geoffskiGTS]

helped my buddy put one of the obx fmic's on his 96 gts. here are some pics of the OBX FMIC insalled.

<a href="http://s493.photobucket.com/albums/rr291/geoffski123/?action=view&current=DSCN2776.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr291/geoffski123/DSCN2776.jpg" border="0" alt="fmic 2"></a>

<a href="http://s493.photobucket.com/albums/rr291/geoffski123/?action=view&current=DSCN2774.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr291/geoffski123/DSCN2774.jpg" border="0" alt="fmic"></a>

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

nice pics, so thats how it looks if i had got the right brackets hah.

looks like your buddy decided to go for an fmic for his first mod, gotta look fast before your actually fast maybe his motto? heh jk

 

[98GSXtreme07]

helped my buddy put one of the obx fmic's on his 96 gts. here are some pics of the OBX FMIC insalled.

<a href="http://s493.photobucket.com/albums/rr291/geoffski123/?action=view&current=DSCN2776.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr291/geoffski123/DSCN2776.jpg" border="0" alt="fmic 2"></a>

<a href="http://s493.photobucket.com/albums/rr291/geoffski123/?action=view&current=DSCN2774.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr291/geoffski123/DSCN2774.jpg" border="0" alt="fmic"></a>

Were yall able to keep the fog lights? Did that particular OBX kit come with the t-bolt clamps? I've seen most of them didn't have them, just worm clamps.

 

[geoffskiGTS]

the 2ga fogs lamps wont fit on with the fmic. the kit came with obx couplers and the t-bolt clamps. the kit looks pretty good, im not to fond of the what this kits is routed.

 

[98GSXtreme07]

Yea most people aren't. I like the long route (OBX) compared to short route (ETS,etc.). Forgot it's a 2ga so yeah I guess you would lose them. I see in all of the ebay ads that all of the OBX kits have worm clamps. Do you know if even though the picture's show worm clamps they do include t-bolts clamps? I guess really I could just ask the seller(s).

 

[geoffskiGTS]

he got this kit off ebay and the pic showed worm hose clamps. when it showed up it had the t-bolts but the were shitty quality. we broke like 3 or 4 of them. the nuts seemed to get cross threaded about half way down and could not loosen or tighten them. and the section that is t'd broke out of the clamp. and also the kit does not include a upper I/C pipe. it stops where the stock plastic pipe goes to the TB. just food for thought.


<a href="http://s493.photobucket.com/albums/rr291/geoffski123/?action=view&current=DSCN2796.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr291/geoffski123/DSCN2796.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

[98GSXtreme07]

Ah. Thank you for that. Yea I have RRE's UICP so no problem there. I guess if I end up getting this kit I'll look into getting quality t-bolts. Thank you sir for the information.

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

yea those are the same clamps, like i said in my review, the tbolt clamps included are inferior to the ones that come with the SSAC kit. I did manage to get a lot of them really really tight without breaking, one of the ones included though the previous owner already broke, with the problem said above, but just 1. weird...

 

[MaNGiNa24]

Aside from keeping the stock fogs I don't understand why anyone would go with this kit over the ssauto.