Buy one, ship it to me and I'll do a review and post it on EvoM.

 

Even already owning one, I would be happy to see some more specific comparison results.

 

I'd vote ETS for budget.... its one of the cheapest/quality = value

 

I guess the bigger question remains, where are the cores that the companys weld their end tanks to coming from? Are they the same? What if one supplier supplied them all, or made to fit?
Has anyone Really Tested the Different INtercoolers and temps on the same car?
The way the core is built is what should be considerd, not the name on the intercooler. Although some ends are Fabbed aluminum and others are cast, so some would be heavier then others.
Also some have a thru design while others have a offset fin pattern,

All i can say is the 4" VSRF one i have works, and fit well.I mean its a 4" IC and i didnt have to trim the crash bar.
I have not yet tried tuning and logging with it cause ive been dealing with drive train issues.My IC before was stock and i replaced it cause it was leaking, and i got a DEAL on it and it fit great.
Was it over $300? Nope, am i going out for track records with my DD Evo? NOPE
Does heat soak consern me? NOPE i doubt im even close to it.
Was there a difference in the way it drives? I cant tell at all over the stock IC
Did it get the job done without spending $500 plus Yes..

 

In my opinion best cores are made by Garrett.

To the guy with Honda comment. I see more fast Hondas on track than any other Import.

 

From my experience, buy the right product the first time and you won't have to spend money twice. I've seen people, and even I've done it myself, bought cheap parts only to end up buying a better one down the road. In the end, you end up spending more money if you do it wrong.

 

The current OBX intercooler is a great buy for the money. The new Perrin copy, not the old one. I've had that intercooler side by side with a Nisei, CX-Racing and ETS intercooler, and the ETS, CX and OBX internal/external fin structure structure are so similar you would swear they were the same. The OBX takes some finesse to install, but for the price, you can't really complain.

Nisei has a nicer looking fin structure btw

 

+1

 

Doesn't change what i said. Going fast doesn't equate with my statement.

I stated I loved Honda's for a reason. I was into them for a long time. I still like them and I'm hovering around a K20/Hatch project that I can do with my son. I had a few hybrids and a 98 ITR.

BUT.

Its fact. There are more Honda and 240 owners that would prefer to do something on the cheap because they are trying to go fast for the least amount of money spent. Then you get cars that look like hammered s#!t.

You don't see that as much with the higher end sporty/s cars. Evo's are kinda in between because they are pretty cheap now and you can go fast for relatively cheap. But the cost to fix/replace stuff is still expensive and you see alot of people get in over their heads quickly. They aren't used to having to actually pony up large sums of money to fix/replace/upgrade.

I know alot of guys in Honda's that are fast at the track. I'll be the first one to tell you I could care less about the track. Most of those fast cars are gutted rattle traps with a less then ideal suspension/wheel/tire combo for the street.

Take that same car on the street. Different story.

Thats another debate for another conversation.

I would not cheap out on the IC. The problem is how efficient are they after a few pulls. Esp. in hot weather. I'm willing to bet they heat soak something fierce, which kills power. If you buy this now, and are serious about performance for your car and want to step up to a FP red you will more then likely replace it. Why not just save the cash and buy right the first time?

There is a reason its so cheap and some of the tried and true offerings from other reputable companies are more.

And its not always the companies name. Its not like there is a BMW/Supra tax on these vehicles.

 

Just be an intercooler looks the same doesn't mean it is.


** Picture of our ETS Fin Pack (Offset and Staggered) This fin pack forces the air to split multiple times prior to leaving the core which results in cooler intake temps due to more fin contact.


** Internal shot showing our offset and staggered fin pack and the density.


** inside of an ebay intercooler. You can see the fin pack is straight through, no offset, the air flows right through the intercooler. This is why you see higher intake air temps on the ebay intercooler.

You can also tell a lot by the weight. An ebay core can weigh around 10-14lbs where ours weight is around 20lbs+ due to the density.

Thanks!

Michael

 

I agree with both of smurfzillas posts. Although i am coming from the other angle. I owned a 300zx TT before my evo 8 And i must say that buying quality parts for my evo has still been relatively cheap. I have gone all ets with mine. I am running an fp red and will be making just above 500whp on a 3.5" ets IC.
Now if i were to ever have skimped on my 300zx with mods. OH MY GOD, id pay for it. I had to pay double for parts ln it cause it was a twinturbo. So id say us Evo owners are lucky that even these quality parts arent a fortune. But trust me i was too in the 300 whp range and wondering if an "ebay ic" would work but then i thought what if i go bigger? Or what if i had my nightmare 300zx? Either way at any mod level purchase it rite. Cause smurfzilla has a point about being on a honda budget. It wont work when stepping into an evo. On my end i saw evo parts pricing and had a sigh of relief when coming from a TT. So it could be worse. Alot worse...
In the end I just dont see why anyone take the chance on a part that can lead to engine knock if it is not working correctly. What I mean is that an IC is very important part and must work properly to ensure optimum engine performance. There are other parts where you can save a few bucks with no harm done but when it comes to cooling engine intake temps id spend the loot...

 

I am replacing my 3.5" with a 3.8" garret core because I've been told that's the best one to have.

 

~$500 is not bad of a budget for a FMIC. I bought an ETS from Michael, PM him and see what he can do for you. ETS' 3.5" is about $600 What's another $100 if you're already planning on spending $500?

 

The cut pics of the staggered rows that ETS posted looks like the maze from The Labyrinth

This just shows how old and bored I am.

 

3.5" to 3.8" surely cant be worth the cost/effort/retune/etc