I was looking once again at intercoolers and I was checking out smic's specifically since smic's have the least lag generally.I came across the pfs intercooler and This looks like the most decent setup that ive seen.I know theres a few owners that actually have the pfs intercooler.I want to know if it made any difference in lag and performance and if you have any numbers as far as pressure drop and also temperature readings.
Last but not least where did you purchase your intercooler from other than pfs directly.Its a nice stup but for 1100 bucks I might as well pick up a blitz unit.
Thanx guys.

 

I have the PFS intercooler but unfortunately, I can't be of any help to you with your questions. Mine was installed when I bought the car, and I've never been in any other RX7 but mine. It seems to work well, but I have nothing to compare it to.

 

You don't have to relocate the battery with the PFS setup which is a perk in some cases. Where as the other SMIC require you to do so

 

Yea I have the PFS SMIC myself...a plus is that it is truly a stock mount as others have said...no modification/relocation necessary.

I bought mine off of another forum member. That's how ppl usually get theirs nowadays anyways. So I'd just keep an eye out for it. They pop up every now and then.

As for its performance, check out this link: https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...light=pfs+smic

 

I've got one and it just drops in once you get all the stock stuff outta the way... the only down side is the intake steals air away from the IC and vice vursa and when no air is really flowing it does tend to get a bit warm being so close to the engine, but that a problem for almost all IC's... I like the setup, but I think I may get rid of it in the next few months and get a front mount...oh yeah the PFS IC keeps you looking stock for a lil sleeper effect

 

thank you guys for your input.I very much appreciate it.Hey jammer if you are going to get rid of it how much do you want for it? I was looking at picking one up.Either this or the blitz.But being that this intercooler is fairly no hassle Im leaning towards this one.
Fd newb how much did you pick up yours for?
I remember seeing one on ebay for like 400 bucks and I didnt get it because I was going to go with the blitz.Now I feel like a dumb ***.

 

400?!?! I got mine for $750 I believe... They usually run somewhere between $650 - $850...

I should be selling mine in the next month or two hopefully...

 

ok.so thats two guys selling theirs.is there a reason why you guys are looking to get rid of them?

 

Well, in general, SMICs are great for auto-xing (since you won't get heat soak), but not the best for drag racing. So lots of guys who drag go single, and run FMICs. That's the biggest reason I think that ppl sell their SMICs.

Me...I wanna go w/ Chuck's V-Mount

 

yeah the v mount setup is nice.but damn its expensive.I was thinking of running the pfs smic with a vented hood and a small fan blowing on the front of the intercooler and out the hole in the hood.I think it may be a good way of cooling the unit.What do you think.Also how much psi did you gain by going to the pfs unit versus the stock intercooler?

 

Yea the V-mount's $$$...but Chuck's stuff rocks lol.

Someone on the parts for sale section actually had the setup you were talking about...the PFS SMIC w/ a fan. Here's the link...https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ntercooler+fan

While the pics aren't up anymore, I'm sure you can PM the guy who bought or sold it and find out more. But that def. sounds like a good setup.

I have a vented hood on my car...as for psi gained...that's only assuming you're still on the stock ECU. I already had a PFC, since I had intake, DP, MP and exhaust, and was tuned for 13 psi. I just dropped the IC in, and went for a drive!

 

was there a difference before and after the install?
Right now I have heat soak issues because it seems like it takes forever for the boost to kick in after the car is fully warmed up on a warm day.
I checked the link and he said it dropped air temperatures as muchas 200 degrees.Thats friggin awesome I think.I plan on having a street car with good power so Im not going to drag race it.More of a fun car to drive through the twisties and so on.

 

No doubt about it the car pulls stronger than w/ the stocker. 200 degrees? Prob not that much...unless that's 200 degrees compared to no IC at all? lol

Point is, the PFS SMIC is a very good IC when all is said and done. No worries =)

 

I just read scudercirrianis website on the comparison between intercoolers and Guess whos post I happened to come across.A guy by the name of Kevin T Wyum.Sorry if I misspeled it Kevin.Anyways.He says that the asp intercoolers that he builds are much more efficient for their size.Now im confused as to which one to get.The pfs or the asp.If I were purchasing new for new then it wouldnt be as hard of a decision.But if I can get a good enough deal on a pfs or a asp It may be the deciding factor. 1500 bucks for a intercooler is quite steep in my eyes.

 

Bro, go to the link I had posted above...https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...light=pfs+smic
It discusses all of that...

 

The PFS intercooler was the first aftermarket intercooler I ever bought. It is extremely nice. I would say that it is most likely the best SMIC that lets you keep the battery in its stock position. I never notcied any pressure drop. I have had a m2large and now a greddy 3row FMIC and I have never noticed any signifigant pressure drop with any of them. I think the pressure drop argument is oevrated.

 

I would like to see what kevin has to say about all of this.But im sure youre right about the whole pressure drop thing.One question.How does pressure drop affect turbo lag? I would think that it would decrease it.But I honestly dont know.Although from what mahjik says anything is better than a stock intercooler.

 

ASP/M2 are the best SMIC, the pettit is also good, but it is is a direct replica of the ASP. THere was just a group buy on the ASP. I would say get a ASP or V-Mount, I think those are the best stock mounts that you can buy.

BTW- I have a ASP/M2 medium

Do a search, there is a TON of info on intercoolers. It really come down to what you want to do with the car and how much money you want to spend.

 

You won't ever casually notice pressure drop -- it doesn't show up on a boost gauge. You could have an IC with 1 psi of pressure drop and switch to one with 5 psi of pressure drop, and your boost gauge would not indicate this change. What you would notice in such a back-to-back comparison is that the car makes a bunch less power with the IC that has 5 psi of pressure drop.

Pressure drop is a measurement that is used to describe how restrictive the IC is to the air flowing through it (the air that goes into the engine). It is quite obvious that doing something like pinching one of your intake pipes down would reduce the power your car will make. If you did that, the pinch would create a large "pressure drop" when you run the car at full steam. The pinched down pipe might have 15 psi on the turbo side and 10 psi on the engine side, or 5 psi of pressure drop. There is some pressure drop associated with every component between the air filter and the engine. The IC core is often the most restrictive part of the path, so choosing one that has low pressure drop is a good idea.

-Max

 

thanx max for the explanation.So less pressure drop = less lag.So comparing both intercoolers the pfs and the asp what are the pressure drops of each.I read somewhere that pfs changed their intercooler cores to a more efficient one about 4 years ago.Thanx for the info guys.Much appreciated as always.

 

No, less pressure drop = more power. I'm sure it has some effect on lag, too, but I doubt it is very significant. Volume of the piping and IC do have a noticable effect on throttle response and lag, though. An unfortunate truth is that ICs with low pressure drop tend to have a relativley large volume. Your idea of going with a SMIC to retain throttle response and keep lag in check is a good one, since it keeps the total volume as low as possible. However, any aftermarket IC is going to have more volume than the stock setup.

The ASP Medium, in my opinion, is a very good setup since it has a large core with low pressure drop, and the short pipes keep the total volume to a minimum (but still it has much more volume than the stock setup).

-Max

 

I guess im damned if I do and damned if I dont.Ill get more lag with a bigger intercooler but less heatsoak therefore more reliable horsepower.I guess its a tradeoff any way you look at it.Thats why like you mentioned I was going to go with a smic since its smaller and has shorter pipes but would be better than the stocker as far as heatsoaking and pressure drop goes.I think I may get a used pfs unit if its feasible.

 

fd newb.I sent ya a pm.
Thanx for the comprehensive info by the way max.

 

All of the questions you've asked have been covered in a lot of previous posts. I know I've actually answered a lot of these same questions before. As for the ASP medium compared to the PFS normal IC there's really no comparison. They're in two different classes. I honestly can't think of any category in which the PFS would even perform on the same level, let alone any better. They should now both be as user friendly, meaning they both fit with stock battery in place and both maintain the airpump and they both cannot be used with the stock airbox.

Here's the important caveat to this, price. You won't find a used ASP medium for anywhere close to same price as a used PFS IC. The PFS IC's are definitely a huge improvement over the stock IC's and really are worth using for people who have budget issues and would be satisfied with moderate upgrade from stock that improves reliability. With that said I don't think they're worth anywhere near $850 used, that's insane. For $400 more you could have gotten a brand new ASP Medium on the group buy a week ago. I'd endorse someone using a PFS IC if they could be had for $400 or $500. Bottom line, it's not a bad product, different class but also in a lower price bracket.

As for a FMIC being needed to run 1/4 mile. (bonk) I ran corrected 10 second quarter miles on a stock block, transmission and differential, not even full slicks with my large stock mount IC. If I have the time to put my car back together (plan is to do so after the group buy is finished being assembled) I'll bet I can probably pop off a low to mid 10 second quarter mile on the SMIC depending on what breaks of course. Anyone that honestly thinks you need a front mount for drag racing doesn't know. I won't go over any of the FMIC vs. SMIC vs. HMIC vs. VMIC vs. XMIC debates. They've all been covered over and over again.

Hope that helps a little.

Kevin T. Wyum

 

I have PFS SMIC and I like it. I didnt notice any huge difference to stock IC on the street, but on the track (not drag) it helps cool down my intake air better and longer. The "cold" side of the IC is still hot the the touch after some 7minutes of continous boosting.

I had quite some problems with installation of mine - as I'm running thick Koyo radiator and had to trim the duct, etc...