Ive been doing loads of looking into this as the good SMIC's are very expensive, and the ebay ones are a terrible design and i doubt the core is very efficient.

 

The two ive came up with vary in size and cost, but both will not require much pipework to fit and maybe flipping one of the end tanks.

 

first up is the cheapest:

 

1- The SMIC from the VW TD group of cars. They measure 8" by 8" but vary in thickness. If you get the lower spec its only 2.5 inch thick, but if you get one from a 130 spec car its 3.5 inch thick. The outlets are 2.5 inch so would require 2-2.5" reducers ( around 7 quid each)

 

You can see the design in this link to a google image http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=mk4+golf+smic&um=1&sa=N&biw=1024&bih=447&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=Elo6BQQy-EXVKM:&imgrefurl=http://iappsofts.com/forge-smic-kit-mk4-1-8t.html&docid=hqJ96GWOnFwDmM&imgurl=http://blackforestindustries.com/images/mk4smic5.jpg&w=950&h=686&ei=x6v6UcaCAumQ7AbR_oDYBw&zoom=1&iact=rc&page=2&tbnh=140&tbnw=212&start=11&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:26,s:0,i:166&tx=117&ty=99

 

This would mean the intercoolers would be working on vertical flow and would use almost all of the intercooler. These would flow better than the current setup and most definately better than the japspeed/ebay ones as they use BEHR cores rathern than generic chinese ones

 

this is the cheapest option as ive bought a pair of them for less than 30 quid, and by the time i add in the reducers and making the pipes, they will set me back less than 60 quid.

 

2- The supra MK 4 SMIC is the next one on the list, and this one is a bit of a monster.

 

it measures 11"x9" and is 5.5" thick !

 

This is a pic of the one in question

 

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=supra+mkiv+smic+dimensions&um=1&sa=N&biw=1024&bih=447&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=z0saIXB-f8jb3M:&imgrefurl=http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php%3F1340671-Supra-SMIC-on-a-1.8T-golf&docid=FrzDD_TGTRxtaM&imgurl=http://mkiv.supras.org.nz/images/articles/inter25.jpg&w=759&h=569&ei=Uq36UfaRBo6S0AWu7IGgAw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=157&page=1&tbnh=131&tbnw=154&start=0&ndsp=9&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0,i:94&tx=106&ty=44

 

This cooler is horizontal in flow and will not be as efficient, but the sheer size will more than makeup for any shortfalls ( you could make your own endtanks and change the flow characteristics but unless you can do it yourself the cost would be prohibitive)

 

Ive not measured the inlets yet but even if they are 2.5 then only a couple of reducers would be needed and with the design of the cooler then only 1 extra pipe per side needs fabricated to fit them.

 

These are the more expensive option as ive spent 90 quid buying a pair of them, and with fabrication etc the cost of fitting them will rise to roughly 120 quid, but again still cheaper than the ebay ones and FAAAAR better cores but ive not checked what type yet.

 

just thought i would add this an case anyone else is interested :)

Yeah I've thought about this myself. Upgrade the pipes to 2.5" with it will make miles of benifits.

Fmic

Fmic

Bad idea IMHO, not only does it add alot more volume to the inlet creating lag, it also blocks airflow to an already overstretched cooling system

 

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Yeah I've thought about this myself. Upgrade the pipes to 2.5" with it will make miles of benifits.

I did read a thread about someone who tested the 2.5 inch pipework and got almost no improvement, i posted the link in another thread

I still think the bigger pipes would give an improvement lol. I guess it depends if everything else is upgraded to match like.

 

I prefer side mount inter coolers.

 

Do you know how these would compare to the like of pace side mont intercoolers (that's what I have)

iv heard alot of bad things about pace when i was into fords, the ones fitted to fiest and escort rst were actually worse than the standard ones.

pound for pound thes ive posted cant really be beaten. especially the supra one, IIRC the supra sidemount is fine up to 400 bhp on a supra, so 2 on a 300zx your gona struggle to max it out !

 

If i had more time i would just make a 2.5 inch piework kit, but dont want to spend hours making something that might not work !

Bad idea IMHO, not only does it add alot more volume to the inlet creating lag, it also blocks airflow to an already overstretched cooling system

 

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I did read a thread about someone who tested the 2.5 inch pipework and got almost no improvement, i posted the link in another thread

 

Not at all. I get zero lag and no cooling issues whatsoever with a FMIC, with both stock & uprated radiators. My S13 ran a huge FMIC directly in front of the rad and I also had zero issues with that set up.

 

Although I'm yet to quantify the gains from my 2.5" pipework on the dyno (1/4 mile now 12.6s@113mph, limited by Auto gearbox), I've seen a peak of 1.58 bar and it holds 1.2-1.3 bar to the redline on the old stock Auto turbos. Same as any modification that allows the VG to breathe, there are obvious benefits to be gained.

Ive a large fmic and took out the cooling rad for the air con to give more air to pass around the water rad. lets be ohnest if its hot then the roof comes of so never used the AC and it potentaly strips bhp and weighs a tonne. fmic all the way for me.

Not at all. I get zero lag and no cooling issues whatsoever with a FMIC, with both stock & uprated radiators. My S13 ran a huge FMIC directly in front of the rad and I also had zero issues with that set up.

 

Although I'm yet to quantify the gains from my 2.5" pipework on the dyno (1/4 mile now 12.6s@113mph, limited by Auto gearbox), I've seen a peak of 1.58 bar and it holds 1.2-1.3 bar to the redline on the old stock Auto turbos. Same as any modification that allows the VG to breathe, there are obvious benefits to be gained.

 

If those vw side mounts fit they would be ideal though wouldn't they?

Noz, do you still have the aircon etc on the car ?

 

With so many restrictions in front of the rad already( oil cooler, aircon rad and then adding an FMIC) the cooling system will be pushed very hard on a tuned engine and with so much heat already in that cramped engine bay i honestly dont think its the best idea.

 

Z32bolt i will be down the unit today for a couple of hours so will start fitting the VW coolers, i dont have the reducers but i can do the rest to show, i will post pics tonight once im back.

If those vw side mounts fit they would be ideal though wouldn't they?

 

Not the stock ones with plastic end caps, no.

 

Noz, do you still have the aircon etc on the car ?

 

With so many restrictions in front of the rad already( oil cooler, aircon rad and then adding an FMIC) the cooling system will be pushed very hard on a tuned engine and with so much heat already in that cramped engine bay i honestly dont think its the best idea.

 

Z32bolt i will be down the unit today for a couple of hours so will start fitting the VW coolers, i dont have the reducers but i can do the rest to show, i will post pics tonight once im back.

 

Aircon rad is now gone. In my experience with a massive intercooler covering the entirety of the stock rad in my S13, it was perfectly fine. And that was with 382bhp@hubs on a stock 1.8L. Exactly the same goes for my Zed with an uprated engine oil cooler & autobox oil cooler under the nose panel. At full bore down the km runway at 140mph, it was 89°C at approx 25°C outside temp. Day-to-day running it hits 82°C and stays there with an uprated rad, but in fairness I've seen zero difference between the uprated & stock rad. Stock thermostat.

 

I've never actually experienced overheating issues due to a FMIC on any car. Also, I'm pretty sure my pipework is shorter than any other Zed by quite some margin, and this just wouldn't be possible with sidemounts. I'm planning on having it even shorter (by approx 30%), with the FMIC as close to the rad as possible. I simply wouldn't be doing that if overheating was an issue. I have many logs of ECT on full bore runs (strip, road & dyno). In my experience, it's simply not a problem. If you're tracking the car with relative frequency, most would consider removing the aircon system at any rate for the weight-saving. The FMIC on my car is spot-on, and causes no issues with regards to overheating or restricting airflow to the rad :)

What front mount do you use then Noel?

What front mount do you use then Noel?

one modified by me ;)

What front mount do you use then Noel?

 

It's a joint Silverline/Turbonoz collaboration, which includes the 2.5" pipework kit.

one modified by me ;)

 

Oh I might of known.... Hahaha. I've got a suggestion for you which il pm you later once I wake up.

well the VW and supra SMIC's are a bust.

The supra one is just toooooo huge to fit, i would need to cut the metal support away from under the headlight which supports the wiring loom and pretty much any other thing in the wheel arch to get it to fit ( i think i may do this as its my own budget build and not a problem for me but i wouldnt make it available for anyone else)

 

The VW one due to the shap of the end tank making it vertical is a no go, again you would need to cut away the metal support for the wiring loom. il be down today again and have alook at making it horizontal bu thise will mean 2 pipes need making up so costs a tiny bit more if it fits in the space

 

 

Noz what do you know about the VW smics ?

 

The VW guys have them running at 2 bar of pressure before they upgrade to an FMIC

 

 

BTW is your 2.5" pipework alloy or stainless ?

Ok found some Vw ones this size for about £25-30 each

total l=35cm w= 14cm h= 20cm

core l= 20cm w= 11cm h= 15cm

How does this compare to std zx ones? The Vw ones are very efficient.

due to the end tanks they are not an easy fit, if you can fabricate one end tank yourself then they will fit quite well and are about 50 percent bigger than stock with a better fin density.

Go for the 130 spec PD diesel ones, they are much thicker than the rest

Got some good news :)

I decided to break a fiat stilo JTD115 I have, and once I pulled the front end off I noticed the intercooler core looked like the same height and width as the zed one.

So I pulled the tabs back one both and found the zed end caps fit onto the stilo intercooler, which is 2 inches longer, half and inch taller, and has DOUBLE the amount of fins the zed does !

This should mean you get roughly 30 percent more cooling than a standard one and with minor mods you can use the original brackets and all you need is a bit of 2 inch pipe to extend the intercooler pipe ( ive got a load of 2 inch ally pipe and can cut and post to people that do this)

 

Ive got a couple pics to show the results ( ive not fitted the intercooler yet as I didn't have time, but will be looking at it today)

 

 

Not to mention the stilo intercooler is at least 8-10 years newer so the fins wont be crumbling to dust.

 

Its amazing I spent days trying to find and intercooler that was cheap and easy to fit and I had one in my unit the whole time !