I have known a couple people to put the ebay FMIC on and run 500-600 rwhp. What you need to worry about is pressure drop and I can almost guarantee you that it will have a larger pressure drop...but will it be enough to over ride the cost. I mean and HKS FMIC for $1200+ versus a ebay for $100-200 you would really need to look at it...minus the fact of saying I have a "Enter big company name" Front Mount - some that is important.

 

Yeah i have the same thread going on Supra forums and these kids went crazy making fun of me. now i know i can't listen to rich brats when it comes to budget decissions < really, what kind of a 20 yo has a 50 grand car and has more money to modify it!!>. I think i'm going the ebay route, now i gotta decide which one to pick for 500 rwhp!!!!!

 

madmax ill post pic tommrow for u

 

Running an ebay 24x12x3. That is all you will need to make 500rwhp. The FMIC has held up well to some very hard HPDE road course driving without any heat issues.

For throttle response, weight and ease of installation I'd go with the smallest IC you can get away with, the 24x12x3 is just right and will give you some upside from 500whp as well.

 

Hey bro, could u send me a link or a seller to ur intercooler .I'm also prepping my car for road racing LOL

 

Just search... 24x12x3 .... on eBay. You can find one for 179.99 with free shipping. Then you will have to do pipes. I would suggest you call around to see what a shop would charge for some - call a muffler shop...it should not be much more that what a universal kit cost and it will be made right.

I used to have a 300ZXTT ( just sold it last week ) and the Nissan community has very strong views on the arrogance of supra owners - it is a constant battle. When I went to the Sc300 I got a lot of crap for going into the 2JZ nation from my buddies.

Point is do what makes you happy. If you make a 10 second SC300 for 7K and they have a 10 second supra for 20K because they bought all HKS then you both win cause you are both happy.

Opinions are like azzholes --> everyone's got one and not all of them are nice.

 

24x12x3 here also. I didn't pay anywhere near $179 for it, it was like $120 shipped. CX Racing.

 

So...Noone is gonna bring up efficiecy...design.... Anyone? Any of you logged your AITs w/ different I/Cs? Yeah you might understand why some are 3 times as much as others. I am not saying the markup is justified, but still.... the design, efficiency and pressure drop across several different I/Cs will bring it all to light. I mean just look at the endtank design of the "name brand" I/Cs vs. the 100$ ones. The cheaper ones are crap, it's a much smoother transition, and there are hardly any sharp corners, everything is designed to insure optimum flow and efficieny. The better you cool the air charge, the more HP u get, and more importantly the less the chance of detonation. So again while the price probably isn't justifiable, don't think that there is no reason for an I/C to be priced up there, because there is. Especially for you guys that like to Auto-X or roadrace, I would heavily consider a well designed I/C.

 

my ic was 105.00 shipped + 30% 0ff

 

I completely agree with you and that is why I stated in my first post about pressure drop. Anything with your turbo system is going to be based/surrounded by efficiency. If you are talking budget systems then the eBay system is the way to go. Just like going with an XS system over HKS. The efficiency in the turbos are going to greatly different and potentially the longevity. However the XS has opened the doors for a lot of people to put a turbo system on their car for a fraction of the cost. ( This is in no way a negative toward XS, I have not used their products and from what I have read there are numerous happy people)

However my suggestion would be if you are that concerned about efficiency and pressure drop you should go get a bell core that measures 3x24x12 and has a CFM of 1227. It will cost you ~$614.00 which actually is not bad money wise.(Data from their website) You will need to pick up end tanks and weld them though. Also you can choose the flow design which I would recommend the vertical flow design. This will allow you to pick your own size, make a better flowing system like 2jzlex is talking about and still at a fraction of the cost. Plus you can tell people you designed it and it is CUSTOM

Thanks for keeping us honest 2jzlex

 

12x24x3 here as well. Seems like a pretty common size. Can anyone post pics of how they routed their piping? I'm thinking of redoing mine.

 

Camera phone pics, but you get the point:

 

what do u guys think about the greddy trust twin turbo one? i'm thinking about getting it and splitting the pipe going to the intercooler..

 

F-u-c-k it, i decided to go with CXracing since i have no time to waste < i only got till winter school to get the turbo running reliably>. Now i'm faced with horizontal flow, which most are running, and vertical flow which would yield a cleaner setup and less piping, so which is it? Do we even have room for vertical flow type? and how much room do we have vertically?

 

Anyone gonna post an impartial dyno showing a meaningful gain by going with a name brand vs. ebay FMIC's ??? Anyone???

No, because most of us are very pleased with the no name and do not believe we get enough bang for the buck going with a $650-$900 name brand.

The biggest and most hideous restriction in place on my system is the MAF sensor. That restriction will only fixed going MAP. Spend you time and money there and go with the no name FMIC's. Your single will more than over come any minor flow difference, if there is any there at all.


There was no quality difference visually when I side by sided my IC to a Greddy at the shop that installed mine. In fact, the shop was shocked at the quality of welds and general workmanship.