Have been looking at buying an upgraded intercooler seen a few on ebay,

 

firstly i saw this one which requires a lot of front assembly >

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=220178889795&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=012

 

Secondy i saw these side mounted ones which look like a lot less work and less expensive too.

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/IUpgraded-AL-Side-Mount-Intercooler-Nissan-90-96-300ZX_W0QQitemZ180193994667QQihZ008QQcategoryZ43808QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItem

 

What would you recommend???

oh no ................the bag of worms has been opened again :)

 

do a search Jimmy there is a LOT of debate about this one

 

ive got a FMIC to go on , but others have gone for uprated side mounts

 

pros and cons whatever way you go ...

Trouble with side mounts is getting rid of the air after its gone through the cooler, Nissan seem to have forgotten about this fact on a standard Z.

 

Some put exit scoop things on the bumper, but IMHO they look out of place. Some say the pressure inside the wheel arch is high and so resticts the exit air. But this is my prefered choice, but I dont know.

I have the fmic on your list and have had no problems with it at all.

Just noticed its about a £130 cheaper now :headvswal

go for the front mount, as said theres pros and cons with both, so go for teh mean look and ya dont get much meaner than a z with a big intercooler in someones rear view mirror

I've ordered the FMIC on your list and heard good things about them.Surely there better than the standard SMIC's at a least a third of the price of say Greddys. ;)

The side mounts look like they have got thicker cores and would probably flow more air, but if you don't need to push alot of air through them its more a case of what you would prefer the look of.

cool thanks for the help guys, think il go for the front mount after crimbo,

what differences did you notice with the front mount????

 

it makes the car run safer too, no? cooler air less combustion temp? im not an expert....

before using an FMIC, make sure your cooling system is in perfect condition and you have a good aftermarket watertemp. gauge or you WILL run into (overheating) problems .

oh didnt know that bit, why is that then? car is running very cool at mo have not even had the rad fan kick in yet, maybe just coz its winter. but il take your advice into consideration thanks :)

I bought the side mounts you linked to on ebay. Didnt want front mount blocking my rad and oil cooler.

 

Had them fitted yesterday and I'm sure the car has more go.

 

I'll be booking another session on the same rollers and will be back with the hp gain shortly!

 

Only thing I found is that mine didnt come with any brackets etc and didnt have the right hole drilled on one side so are mounted with the pipes and one bracket. Not going anywhere tho. :)

a bit of DIY never hurts :)

I had the first FMIC's on your list but never fitted it. I have Greddy SMIC which actually have larger cores than this FMIC. Also this Chinese FMIC weighs about 9 ton and it is very rough casting and ropey inside the end tanks. It is a copy (I use the word copy very losely) of the HKS FMIC, but having seen both in the flesh this one bears little similarity apart from apearance. The core's also look quite dubuious on close inspection which is why i chose not to use it even though I was told these were good, but I wouldn't think they are any better than stock. Infact having been assured of there quality I gave them the thumbs up on here. However when i got the thing in the fleash and since my mate Dave own's dpmotorsport and having seen loads of different IC's over the years I think this is Just more a blingy thingy. Those side mounts look well made though, but only marginally larger than the standard SMIC's.

 

These would be the best value side mounts at the moment http://www.z1motorsports.com/product_info.php?cPath=6_22&products_id=71&osCsid=4445202d945af565f8d80349e829f485 IMO

 

If you have a 2+2 with side mounts you need to relocate the wassher bottle and remove the charcoal canister to improve the airflow. Also make sure you retain your IC ducting and if you can duct the rear of the cooler to your brakes or out the side off the bumper.

some1 recently fitted some ash spec smic's and they looked huge compared to stock... not sure who though :confused:

I had the first FMIC's on your list but never fitted it. I have Greddy SMIC which actually have larger cores than this FMIC. Also this Chinese FMIC weighs about 9 ton and it is very rough casting and ropey inside the end tanks. It is a copy (I use the word copy very losely) of the HKS FMIC, but having seen both in the flesh this on bears little similarity apart from apearance. The core look quite dubuious on close inspection which is why i chose not to use it even though I was told these were good, but I wouldn't think they are ant better than stock. Infact having been assured of there quality I gave them the thumbs up on here. However when i got the thing in the fleash and since my mate Dave own's dpmotorsport and having seen loads of different IC's over the years I think this is Just more a blingy thingy. Those side mounts look well made though, but only marginally larger than the standard SMIC's.

 

These would be the best value side mounts at the moment http://www.z1motorsports.com/product_info.php?cPath=6_22&products_id=71&osCsid=4445202d945af565f8d80349e829f485 IMO

 

If you have a 2+2 with side mounts you need to relocate the wassher bottle and remove the charcoal canister to improve the airflow. Also make sure you retain your IC ducting and if you can duct the rear of the cooler to your brakes or out the side off the bumper.

 

Are these SMIC's just a direct replacement? No issues with having to modify the front bumper or anything? I have a SWB and was looking at putting these on, just wanted to know what i was getting myself in for before i bought them!

Well the ebay side mounts gained me 12hp !

 

Not a great increase and my charge temps are still too high for more power

 

So if you want big power get a front mount, if you want an upgrade that doesnt spoil the looks get the side mounts

 

He did say that it was difficult to get the fan directly onto them, so there maybe more of a gain on the road.

Are these SMIC's just a direct replacement? No issues with having to modify the front bumper or anything? I have a SWB and was looking at putting these on, just wanted to know what i was getting myself in for before i bought them!

 

Yes these are a direct fit and the standard bumper ducting bolts on direct too. Bumper side ducting or as I did loover ducting the lower inner wheel arch also increases the flow rate through the IC's

Yes these are a direct fit and the standard bumper ducting bolts on direct too. Bumper side ducting or as I did loover ducting the lower inner wheel arch also increases the flow rate through the IC's

be good to have some info on what you did if you have time Mark. I noticed when i was messing with the washer jet motors that the washer bottle block the path of air and there is no gaps in the wheel arch liner to let the air flow through the intercooler (and also, beneficially, pass by the brakes and cool them). Im not sure i could think where the washer bottle could be relocated but i was thinking about butchering the wheel arch liners but then i thought there might be little gain with the washer bottle in the way and all that area will get covered in muck with gaps in the wheel arch liner which will make the air flow even worse.

 

How did you get round this Mark?

 

What is it like on the other side? not looked their yet but would want a balance to have the same conditions on both sides.

Well the ebay side mounts gained me 12hp !

 

Not a great increase and my charge temps are still too high for more power

 

So if you want big power get a front mount, if you want an upgrade that doesnt spoil the looks get the side mounts

 

He did say that it was difficult to get the fan directly onto them, so there maybe more of a gain on the road.

i think a lot of the prob is engine heat,lift your bonnet and feel the temp of the hard pipes :shock: before this summer ime going to wrap all my turbo pipes with that manifold heat tape and try and stop the engine heat getting absorbed into the hard pipes which i think are a step backwards compared to the normal nissan rubber as metal has a much higher heat transfare rate than rubber anyway

some1 recently fitted some ash spec smic's and they looked huge compared to stock... not sure who though :confused:

 

Jaffa I think?

i think a lot of the prob is engine heat,lift your bonnet and feel the temp of the hard pipes :shock: before this summer ime going to wrap all my turbo pipes with that manifold heat tape and try and stop the engine heat getting absorbed into the hard pipes which i think are a step backwards compared to the normal nissan rubber as metal has a much higher heat transfare rate than rubber anyway

 

I agree ;) Thats why one of my first purchases was a carbon vented bonnet.Oh and it looks nice :cool:

These would be the best value side mounts at the moment http://www.z1motorsports.com/product_info.php?cPath=6_22&products_id=71&osCsid=4445202d945af565f8d80349e829f485 IMO.

 

Does anyone sell these in the UK and how much are they once imported?

 

Has anyone tried both f/m and s/m in the same RR session to see what really works best?

be good to have some info on what you did if you have time Mark. I noticed when i was messing with the washer jet motors that the washer bottle block the path of air and there is no gaps in the wheel arch liner to let the air flow through the intercooler (and also, beneficially, pass by the brakes and cool them). Im not sure i could think where the washer bottle could be relocated but i was thinking about butchering the wheel arch liners but then i thought there might be little gain with the washer bottle in the way and all that area will get covered in muck with gaps in the wheel arch liner which will make the air flow even worse.

 

How did you get round this Mark?

 

What is it like on the other side? not looked their yet but would want a balance to have the same conditions on both sides.

 

I used a SWB water bottle, but also added a secondary washer pump under O/S wing so as to keep good jet presure. on the N/S the carbon canister has been removed (which is the worst blocker) and I've got to move the overspill tank to the back of the inner wheel arch and bring the neck through by the side of the battery. Someone has allready done this about 3 years ago and did a fAQ.

 

I also got the square loovered ally wall vents and cut the right sized holes in the lower inner arches and bolted them in. This means the air will be pushed through the coolers even more effectively than a FMIC.

http://www.3zc.com is having a sale on these right now.

 

http://www.z1motorsports.com/product_info.php?products_id=71

 

$595 USD + $100 USD for shipping to the UK

 

all you have to do is become a member of http://www.3zc.com Its free to become a member by the way. :)

Stock v Greddy

 

 

Greddy v Ash