The eBay/SSAutochrome/XS-Power.com FMIC is 21.5 pounds... four ounces for the mounting brackets & hardware, for a total of 21.75 pounds, which is exactly 12 pounds more than the OEM intercooler (9.75 lb).

I'm not sure I'd call 12 pounds "only a few lb difference," especially as it's more than twice as heavy as the OEM component, AND it hangs just about as far forward on the car as possible.

But yes, a bar/plate IC by the nature of its construction is significantly heavier than a tube/fin design.

I deliberated whether I wanted to go with an aftermarket IC for a while, because I knew of the weight disadvantage, but eventually decided it was worth it, because I'm running peak boost of over 30 psi, and I do track days with my Evo, where I'm beating on it for much longer than 12 seconds at a time.







Here are some detail pics of the XS-Power IC...









Here's the XS-Power IC installed, before I replaced the bumper cover:



OEM vs. XS-Power IC:





And here are some views of the difference between bar/plate and tube/fin ICs inside...

OEM IC:





XS-Power IC:





Note that the fins inside the XS-Power IC are of the split-louvered design, which according to Nisei's IC design tutorial, is the most effective design for cooling the charge air - better than "bump" or "square" fins:

http://www.niseiengineering.com/imag...erTutorial.swf