I'm a bit of a newbie. I recently bought a 1991 300zx TT and I'm wondering if I should put a front mount intercooler on it to get more air flow. If so, what all do I need to do this and what size intercooler would be best? Any suggestions?

 

Welcome to ZDriver!

No, you should not use a front mount on a Z32TT. Search here for "Front mount" "FMIC" etc.... lots of info on that subject. We also have a huge IC write up sticky: https://www.zdriver.com/forums/300zx-z32-tech-tips-273/intercooler-writeup-long-19694/

 

So just curious. Why wouldn't a front-mount be better than the side mounts? I know there might be some lag but there would be cooler and more air flow. And I really appreciate the advice.

 

How would there be cooler air? It's the same air, just inches to the left or right... not a single degree difference.

Zlover4life has talked about this MANY times (and you can read the same thing at tt.net). The Z32 runs much better w/ side mounts & almost everyone running front mounts has overheating problems.

Again, do a quick search on here. This is another good read: https://www.zdriver.com/forums/300zx-z32-forums-7/dont-bash-me-fmic-26982/


Lastly, I'm not sure why this is in the Z31 section... Moved to Z32 section.

 

They would neither be cooler nor move more air flow. In fact, blocking your radiator, oil cooler, and intake will (and I promise this) cause everything to run hotter... and the worst part is that your gauge won't show that by design.

And if you're even considering an Apollo FMIC, stop. The charge face is hardly larger than stock (less than 2 square inches larger) and is by FAR the smallest of the aftermarket intercoolers (9 square inches smaller than the smallest side mount option). They also have a smaller volume than Stillen, ARC, and Ash's Massives.

FMIC's (well designed ones like the TDM Works one) are only useful on cars that are primarily driven at the drag strip or dyno queens where overheating isn't a concern. A street driven Z32 will benefit from SMIC's over FMIC's ANY day. And Stillen/ARC/Ash's Massive SMIC's will perform on par with any FMIC with less cost and less risk of overheating.

 

Okay, thanks for clearing that up for me. Definitely no front-mount! And if I go after market I'll probably get the Stillen side-mounts. Thanks again.