So i'm hearing the ams intercooler is just about the right size. But the quality and fitment of the hks is much better. I want the best for performance, the one that really helps out by cooling down and giving more power.

I'm debating weather i should go with the hks piping and newest hks intercooler or these other brands:

ams
agency power
or hks

what do you guys think?

 

We've been using the BR fmic and it's work great thus far. Not sure what you define as "Best" but consistent 10 second passes and no issues.

 

Agency Power one looks nice and good price from the vendors. I am personally going with this one.
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=355352

 

Ams and ETS are both great products!

 

I have been looking at the performance numbers and other variables on FMIC from Buschur, AMS, ARC,ETS, HKS,Perrin and AGP in an attempt to address this question. Waiting on ETS for their performance figures and when I get that will post results. Stay tuned.

Later, Ken
AMS Intake&Exhaust
Iveytune (322 all around)
Robispec K&W

 

Ken,

As promised, we will have results posted next week!

Thanks!

Michael

 

i think ams or hks is the best bet.

whats the power gains of the hks?

does anyone know?

 

ARC ftw!

 

All the FMIC that are mentioned above will do the job just fine. Especially on the stock turbo. It comes down to personal preference and which one you like the look of best. I highly doubt there will be a large performance difference between Ets, AMS, Buschur, Perrin, or HKS. Go with which one you like the best, and read who has the best customer service. I know when I have Pmd ETS or Perrin the reply almost immediately

 

I agree. With the stock turbo I doubt there is much difference in any FMIC kit. Look for fitment and make sure you don't have to modify anything to install. I believe the Buschur one your do but the others are plug and play. Also watch the inlet and outlet size. Some come with larger size inlets or outlets or both. Sometimes good if you plan on upgrading turbos like me but not so good for the stock unit. 2.5 inch is fine for stock. I wanted 3 inch outlet since I am using 3 inch cold pipe to the TB.

 

I am waiting for Wayne at PPI to finish his intercooler and hardpipes for the X. He makes great products for the XIII and IX and I'm sure his X products will be nothing short of perfect.

Dan, you are a local guy here in Michigan. You should give him a call.

 

AMS FTW! Performance increase was nice and fitment was sheer perfection. Didnt even have to take off the front bumper.

 

As promised, I have included information below on some of the major vendors of FMIC. The data are physical dimensions, cost and performance relative to OEM. For the relative performance figures, it was necessary to interpret the vendors’ results which I may have done incorrectly.

I originally thought and so expressed earlier that performance would be a major determinant for choosing a particular vendor. However, the test conditions under which each vendor demonstrated their performance gains varied. For example, some had aftermarket UICP and others stayed OEM. Some tested with and w/o tunes and manual boost controllers. All of these differences in test conditions will affect the performance results. To illustrate, according to HKS, their intercooler makes ~10whp. If you add their upper and lower IC pipes with their FMIC, they achieved ~20whp. So the performance differences presented are not just the result of the FMIC but other factors as well. This makes the interpretation of these figures difficult to say the least. In addition, the actual cooling conditions, primarily the frontal fans when dyno’ing the vehicle vary from one vendor to the next to say nothing of the ambient temperature, pressure, etc. at the time of testing.

So how then does one make a decision? Well, I looked at two primary sources (and, yes, they are not the only sources) bellintercoolers.com and a book by Julian Edgar entitled, 21st Century Performance (2004). Therein, they outline from a laboratory point of view various factors and conditions that are important and of little importance to the performance of an IC. For example, after “… three decades of testing intercoolers, we have found no appreciable difference between any core style [bar and plate vs tube and flange] or manufacturer.” However, pressure and temperature changes across an IC are very important. That said, “… many intercooler manufacturers have no data available on either of these factors”. I had originally hoped to avoid this deficiency by focusing on whp gains on the vendors FMIC relative to the OEM FMIC but as indicated above this to was also problematic.

As a possible resolution, I leave you with a quote from Edgar, “… the design of the intercooler is normally limited by factors other than heat transfer abilities and pressure drop. Because an air/air intercooler uses ambient air as the cooling medium, an air/air intercooler cannot be to efficient-simply, the bigger the intercooler the better.” Whether the differences in size of the FMIC listed below actually produce significant differences in performance relative to OEM under actual driving conditions is, at this point in time, unknown.

Finally, fit, finish and cost should definitely factor into your decision. For example, HKS indicates that a number of fitment problems have to be resolved when installing their FMIC. Finish is an esthetic but does involve the integrity of the welds which must be maintained as you go over the vagaries of the road surface at speed.

I wanted this note to be short and informative; I have failed at both.

Later, Ken

 

^^Thanks for the info^^

 

There may be a mistake on your pricing there. Ours sells for $550 plus shipping. Until the end of the year we are selling them for $550 shipped. If you could adjust your pic it would be great. Thanks!