which, in your your opinion is more practical for a daily driver, a FMIC or a SMIC? due to a lack of money i was looking into the greddy fmic from rx7store w/ m spec core, or an ebay smic. let me know what you guys think. any suggestions will help thank you.

my mods:

ss dp
N1 dual catback
hardpiping w/k&n's

ordering:
PFC w/ commander
midpipe
nippendenso fuel pump
alum. ast
FMIC or SMIC w/ greddy elbow if needed

 

anyone?

 

my vote is on a SMIC with the right ducting...... from many other users that told me.. id acually go for a ebay SMIC because they work just as good as brand name ones... but make sure it has good ducting/venting

im not a big fan of FMIC but if you were to go with one the Greddy Mspec core FMIC will be fine... its just like a the regular FMICs that are $1000+ except that the cores are made in Taiwan... from what ive heard... they work just as well.

id say... go for SMIC... unless you plan on running major boost later on

 

Thank you for your suggestion. definately leaning towards ebay ic at the moment unless someone can change my mind.

 

get a SMIC less chance of rock damage or getting hit by debris on a daily bases.

Jeff

 

ive had my FMIC on my 7 for about six mounths now with no problems. its a extreme turbo intercooler. great quality and very cheap for a fmic. comes with all the instructions needed to install. only takes about 6 hrs.

 

keep in mind, you get what you pay for..
if you wanna go cheap, you'll get cheap, and the engine might start breaking down sooner than you think
some items on ebay are good quality, others are completely crappy

 

thats a good thing to think about thanks guys keep'em comin'

 

well i live in jersey and i daily my car to the FULLEST even in snow....i have a fmic... u will be good! if u need anymore info pm me

 

i will be doing the same, going head on into blizzards. I'll prob go with the fmic just because the ebay intercoolers arnt really the highest of quality.

thanks everyone you all have been a big help.

 

just keep off throttle and coast....lol

 

WTF, you guys actually drive the FD in SNOW???? That's just crazy! How does it handle?

 

My only beef with a lot of the front mounts is you have to do some MAJOR hacking on the nose of the car to fit the core in place, as well as relocating the radiator and AC condensor. The Greddy IC removes a lot of the bumper core support - that is a vital part of the front crash structure of the car, and if it's removed or weaked, a minor wreck can turn into a major wreck pretty easily.

That said, the debate goes back and forth between the two - there are pros and cons for each, but for me personally an SMIC is the way to go.

Dale

 

For a daily driver there are no issues with having a front mount. We probably install 1-2 a week and all of these are DD. I ran FMIC on both my RX-7's for years with no problems.

Jason

 

i have a FMIC on my FD that i used to daily drive and my temps were low, depending on how i was driving.
when i road race or autocross, my temps climb through the roof. id look into a radiator as well. PWR, Koyo, or Fluidyne are good options (different sizes, fin numbers, etc. look up the differences.)

you should be fine with a SMIC, though. as stated, with the proper ducting, you'll get almost as much air as a FMIC.

good luck on your project.

 

why not build a water to air intercooler its not too much money

order a water to air intercooler
purchase an electric water pump
purchase a heater core from a ford or something, some hoses, and maybe a reseviour (add ice to it if you want)

im thinking bout doing it...less heatsoak, pressure drop, no rock damage possible, and temperature outside doesnt matter as much

would only require custom piping to be fabricated

 

whell i would pick v-mount lol but thats no option here but if it were me i would pick stock mount because of what dale said that it takes the support off of the nose and some people have overheating problems and some dont. also daily driving with a front mount could/probably will damage the fin from rocks and other debris

 

Its not that easy.. and its not that efficient as you think.

 

I DD my 7 (Exception for snow days). Only complaint is rocks/debris hitting the FMIC. Theres a tool that allows u to re-bend the fins back into place.

Riz..I had to drive home from work (I work 3rd shift) in that first blizzard. Got off work around 815ish..got home by 1030. 5 mile commute tops.

120 minutes getting out of tha parking lot, the rest was spent driving home. Got stuck only once..traffic stopped up hill..and tha all seasonal tires just spun and spun and spun. Was on the throttle with about 600 rpms the whole way lol. The worst drive EVER.

Then when I got home I had 2 shovel my way into tha drive way. Worked 9-8am.

 

NEEEDRX7,

The type of IC depends on the application (i.e. what will you be doing with the car). If you are just driving it on the street, a good upgraded SMIC that doesn't require much to install is the Blitz SMIC. I had one for a few years and loved it.

There is actually one for sale now here on the forum in the classifieds. Really, you can't go wrong with it as even when/if you decide to upgrade from it; you can sell it for almost exactly what you will pay for it.

 

Statements such as "my temps climb through the roof" are subjective and ambiguous.

So, what are the actual temps?

 

What i'd like to know is how many people that overheats with FMIC have a Greddy ?? IMO, Greddy FMIC have the worst piping design (out of HKS, Blitz, Apex-i, ARC), blocking a big amount between the IC and radiator... not to mention the huge gap inbetween... with out proper blockage/ducting all around, u loose quite a bit of airflow to the radiator...

there's a tone of topics on FMICs... a lot of people trashing FMIC on a FD seemed to have a greddy.... *shrug*.... just a thought...

 

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Mazda-RX7-twin-tu...QQcmdZViewItem

I know everyone bashes XS power products, but as alot of people have stated that as long as if they don't leak there really isn't much of a difference between the really good ones and the e-bay ones.

How would this intercooler fair for a car on stock boost thats a daily driver without a tonne of mods?

 

Actually, there is more to it than just "not leaking". There is already a large thread about those IC's so I won't repeat it here.

IMO, get a used decent name brand SMIC (something like the PFS). That way you get a real IC with proper piping and proper ducting.

 

The Greddy is the most popular FMIC and very few people have overheating issues. I never recommend a FMIC for a car that will see track time.

Jason