best intercooler for the money?
#46
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I am not familiar with the M-spec or the ebay intercoolers other than some of the comments I have read and pics I have seen on this thread. Do not oversize your intercooler, bigger is not necessarily better. Match it to your set up and HP goals. Again, for my set up, I chose not to even consider anything less than excellent with my FMIC.
I am sure yo can get a 27x12x4 or larger, which should cover the 31" opening you are asking about once you install the end tanks. A goood fabricator can probably fit it and the piping in, but I am not sure, as I have not checked to see the max size you can fit in an SC. Again, the larger you go, the more pressure drop you tend to face, especially with lesser designed units.
Go with what best you can but that fits your budget, and if it is not the top for now, don't sweat it, design it so that you can change it out easilly and use the same tubing in the future when your budget improves, and if you find the existing FMIC is not meeting your needs effectively.
My .02 worth.
Ryan
I am sure yo can get a 27x12x4 or larger, which should cover the 31" opening you are asking about once you install the end tanks. A goood fabricator can probably fit it and the piping in, but I am not sure, as I have not checked to see the max size you can fit in an SC. Again, the larger you go, the more pressure drop you tend to face, especially with lesser designed units.
Go with what best you can but that fits your budget, and if it is not the top for now, don't sweat it, design it so that you can change it out easilly and use the same tubing in the future when your budget improves, and if you find the existing FMIC is not meeting your needs effectively.
My .02 worth.
Ryan
i was thinking instead of getting a core that's 24x12 and occupy a part of my frontal openning, get something that will take full advantage of that openning, maybe 30x9 since the openning isn't nowhere near 12". I reread the part of Corky Bell's book about intercooler and now i'm inclined to buy a vertical flow intercooler instead. The search is still on still, we'll se...
#47
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You had better factor in the radius of the two 90 degree IC pipes and the route they will take. The installation of my 12x24 plus endtank plus 90 degree radius of connecting ic piping appears to be close to the maximum width possible in the front of the SC. There are power steering and other connections on the drivers side that will limit the routing.
Don't want to speak for others, but that's the way it looks under there in my case. It'd be interesting to hear from anyone getting a wider fitting and how ic pipes routed.
Don't want to speak for others, but that's the way it looks under there in my case. It'd be interesting to hear from anyone getting a wider fitting and how ic pipes routed.
#48
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here is a bigger core. 24 is what I am seeing as the norm around here (limited searching) but here they got it 12" x 32" x 3" and you can see the IC piping. I like this setup. This would of been perfect if vertical IMO - not taking anything away from it though.
http://www.lextreme.com/scic.html
http://www.lextreme.com/scic.html
#49
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I thought I'd add a little blah blah blah.
I got this one on Ebay for like $200 and never used it. It's tiny 21" X 6" X 3" and odd the way it has 3" in & out on same side.
Don't know how much less or more efficient this is.
I'm guessing less efficient since not many out there.
![](http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l307/lfrers/IMG_2615.jpg)
![](http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l307/lfrers/IMG_2618.jpg)
![](http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l307/lfrers/IMG_2623.jpg)
The one I have in now is the same style but it's like 26" X 10" X 4" and old as hell. Like from 2000.
the guys who do my tuning politely tell me that it's junk. lol
By the way Ebay Item number: 140284548146 is a copy of the one from Lextreme but it's only $90 Shipped. Hmmmmm tempting.
hehe ![Big Grin](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
http://www.lextreme.com/scic.html
I got this one on Ebay for like $200 and never used it. It's tiny 21" X 6" X 3" and odd the way it has 3" in & out on same side.
Don't know how much less or more efficient this is.
I'm guessing less efficient since not many out there.
![](http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l307/lfrers/IMG_2615.jpg)
![](http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l307/lfrers/IMG_2618.jpg)
![](http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l307/lfrers/IMG_2623.jpg)
The one I have in now is the same style but it's like 26" X 10" X 4" and old as hell. Like from 2000.
![Smilie](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif)
By the way Ebay Item number: 140284548146 is a copy of the one from Lextreme but it's only $90 Shipped. Hmmmmm tempting.
![Big Grin](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
![Big Grin](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
http://www.lextreme.com/scic.html
#50
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here is a bigger core. 24 is what I am seeing as the norm around here (limited searching) but here they got it 12" x 32" x 3" and you can see the IC piping. I like this setup. This would of been perfect if vertical IMO - not taking anything away from it though.
http://www.lextreme.com/scic.html
http://www.lextreme.com/scic.html
On that one, the overall length is 32, not the core. From the pics i can tell that it's impossiple to fit any bigger cores in there. I can also tell that it's not possible to fit a vertical flow intercooler due to the position of crash bar mounts unless we decrease the size of the core significantly..... damnnnnnnnn.
Last edited by madmax98; 12-24-08 at 09:21 AM.
#51
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great thread and good info
. Is anyone aware of an intercooler test that compares the various "ebay"/china intercoolers on the market to determine which ones are "better" in terms of cooling efficiency and flow?
![Smilie](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif)
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