OK guys, I'm upgrading my intercoolers. I figure since I already have the bumper off, why not? Vote for the one you would put on your car and please give me a reason why. Here's some info on the dimensions of 4 of the 5 options.

ARC is 8"H x 9"L x 4"D = 288ci $2171 www.splparts.com
Stillen is 9.4"H x 8.4"L x 3.5"D = 276ci $1000 +-
Greddy is 6"H x 8"W x 4.5"D = 216ci $1000 +-
HKS is 10.2"H x 7.8"W x 2.5"D = 200ci. $1000 +-

Based off of these #'s. I don't think the ARC intercoolers are worth the extra $. It looks like Stillen's have the best bang for the buck.

I don't have info on the dimensions of the Z1 ic's. I called them and they didn't have the info available. I didn't think it was a difficult questions. They said it was somewhere between the Stillen and the Greddy. There is a comparison here....
http://www.z1motorsports.com/Product...ers/z1SMIC.asp

It looks like Stillen's IC's produced the lowest output temperature of all of the SMIC's. It also looks like all of the intercoolers performed about the same and they all outperformed the stock IC's by quite a bit.

I'm leaning towards Stillen at this point. ARC appears to have the best product, but IMO it's not worth the $.

 

As I stated in your other thread I think Stillen would be best. The air ducts are guaranteed to fit with your bumper also.

 

I've actually read that FMIC's are actually more inefficient than the SMIC's. Check this out....
http://www.300zxclub.com/showthread....t=intercoolers

I've also read that generally FMIC's and SMIC's have the same, or close enough to the same capacity. This is when you compare the FMIC's and SMIC's produced by the same company. I.E. compare the Greddy FMIC to the Greddy SMIC, etc. I wish the guys at Z1 weren't total boneheads. How hard is it to grab an intercooler and measure it?

 

Funny....
The arguements for the fmic in that thread are funny. I wonder if anyone stopped to consider why it was that the Z came with smic to begin with instead of a fmic. I believe that for all the moaning and complaining about the Z's engine design, I think that the smic's are one the things that the designers got right. Everything in the car is symmetrical. It seems that just about anything that seems to go away from that paticular design doesn't necessarily make the car any better.

Needless to say, I voted Stillen smic's also.

 

They did actually test a FMIC on your first site you linked. It was about 20degrees cooler. Why couldn't you use a FMIC?

 

I could use one. It's just that I've chosen not to. I thought that the FMIC's made a big difference until today. Since there's a debate about it, it's obvious that it doesn't make a significant difference. With an FMIC, you need to run the air intake cones over to the where the intercoolers used to be. Z1 sells a kit (Doolz stage II). Needless to say, with that changing your air filter would no longer be a simple job. I think they look cool, but the performance gains are minimal if at all with a very high quality FMIC (not Apollo). The Stillen IC's can more than handle the boost I'll be throwing at it.

 

Who voted Greddy? Why?

 

Not to mention that smic are less prone to damage than a fmic because of their less prone position in the front of the car.
Difficulty of installation is also another contributing factor in my view, to the smic being a more favorable choice. Basically, a "plug n play" scenario compared to all new plumbing and mounting installation vs. a fmic.

 

plug n play, but u should still change the stock piping.

 

Are you talking about the 4 pipes that are visible in the engine compartment? The 4 rubber hoses that get brittle? If so, then I already have them. I inspected the IC inlete and outlet pipes. I'll probably replace the rubber hoses, but other than that, the stock ones look fine. I really don't see the benefit of changing the black hard pipes over to something like the border 60mm set sold through AMZ.

 

The dimensions of the Z1 intercoolers is as follows......
7.25" H, 4.75" W, 7" L = 241.06 CI.

That would explain why it doesn't cool the air as well. The added depth takes away from the coolig efficiency, The air that hits the rear fins of the cooler has been heated as it past through the rest of the cooler. The dimensions of the intercoolers could be a good sticky item.

 

i was referring to all the rubber hosing. changing rubber to hard pipes is what i was talkin bout. if the stock hard pipes look good, then there is really no reason.

 

So have you decided on which ones yet? Im having to wait an extra week on my Stillens because they sold out during the group buy.

 

i like greddy...they make pretty nice intercoolers and they don't price them for an arm and a leg... if i decide to go with a front mount i will get the greddy one...also they have a pretty nice core which is always good....check to see if stillen is gonna hook you up again it's your fav place ever

 

I know, I know.....I've talked a lot of trash about Stillen. Some of the stuff that they make isn't the best quality and the do charge a lot for that stuff, but they do sell some good stuff. IC's, exhaust, body kits, intake. Generally it's the stuff that they rebadge. I've dropped quite a bit of $ on stuff from them, so I guess I'm kinda reaping the benefits of that (boy is that a stretch ). The intercoolers are made by Spearco; which is supposedly a very reputable company (I read that on 300zc). The issue that i had with them about wanting to oreturn the driveshaft, but they were going to charge me a re-stock fee; well that's normal business and, as it turns out, my concerns about the driveshaft were unfounded.

I ordered the Stillen IC's. So, if anyone wants/needs the factory IC's, Im selling mine. They're in good shape. Normal rock dings in the front, but that's it.