View Full Version : intercooler question
sriturbo
06-11-2006, 10:45
have been looking at some universal ones and was not sure of the size to get, can anyone tell me the size of the FMIC that courtney do so i can compare with some of the universal ones,and is it just a swap over for it to work, i mean there is nothing to wire up is there..
how big a differance does the piping route make when your conecting it up,
The courtenay smic and fmic are both 9ltr :)
sriturbo
06-11-2006, 10:50
i was needing to know the dimensions of them not the capacity....sorry my fault there
Size is not everything...........
sriturbo
06-11-2006, 17:20
Size is not everything...........
no but it helps mate
TurboMark
06-11-2006, 19:12
What one you looking at mate. I also was thinking about a universal unit but not sure who to go with. Any recommendations?
There is a group buy in the group buy section ;)
http://www.m1gst.com/vb/showthread.php?t=79290
wywywywy
07-11-2006, 08:28
The courtenay smic and fmic are both 9ltr :)
You sure? I thought the FMIC was 7ltr or so?
You sure? I thought the FMIC was 7ltr or so?
Large Capacity Lower Front Mounted Intercooler
http://www.courtenaysport.co.uk/images/lfmic_ast4.jpg
Our Lower Front Mounted Intercooler improves on the original 9 litre side mounted intercooler by the fact that in most applications over 95% of the frontal area is directly exposed to high pressure air, whereas with the original 9 litre cooler at least 40% is obstructed by the bumper. To this end on back to back testing at an ambient start temperature of 22 degrees the "OE" intercooler will exceed 74 degrees inlet air temperature, the 9 litre side mounted intercooler sees a respectable 55 degrees, however due to its position and therefore increased efficiency the new Lower Front Mounted Intercooler sees this inlet air temperature drop to 41 degrees. As a result an Astra Coupe that was dyno tested running standard map, Courtenay front pipe and a Viper Induction Kit produced 205 bhp on the standard "OE" intercooler, and when tested after fitment of our New Lower Front Mounted Intercooler saw an increase of 18 bhp at best case and 15 bhp at worst. As used in our CS4 Tuning Package.
Special Introductory Price ONLY £599 including full fitting kit and instructions. Fitting in house from £185
I'm positive the FMIC is deffo smaller - it doesn't need to be as big as all of it is in the airflow, rather than being masked by the bumper as the SMIC is
wywywywy
07-11-2006, 11:15
Large Capacity Lower Front Mounted Intercooler
Our Lower Front Mounted Intercooler improves on the original 9 litre side mounted intercooler by the fact that in most applications over 95% of the frontal area is directly exposed to high pressure air, whereas with the original 9 litre cooler at least 40% is obstructed by the bumper. To this end on back to back testing at an ambient start temperature of 22 degrees the "OE" intercooler will exceed 74 degrees inlet air temperature, the 9 litre side mounted intercooler sees a respectable 55 degrees, however due to its position and therefore increased efficiency the new Lower Front Mounted Intercooler sees this inlet air temperature drop to 41 degrees. As a result an Astra Coupe that was dyno tested running standard map, Courtenay front pipe and a Viper Induction Kit produced 205 bhp on the standard "OE" intercooler, and when tested after fitment of our New Lower Front Mounted Intercooler saw an increase of 18 bhp at best case and 15 bhp at worst. As used in our CS4 Tuning Package.
Special Introductory Price ONLY £599 including full fitting kit and instructions. Fitting in house from £185
And it doesn't mention the capacity of the FMIC.
sri-turbo-19
07-11-2006, 21:38
fitting my universal one on thursday so piks will follow...
The FMIC has a small capacity, however it is 100% in the air flow, it has less heat sync from the water radiator as it is not mounted on it and the core has fins in it thus increasing the cool surface the hot air passes over.
The SMIC is much better than the standard one, however the FMIC is better still and for the extra money well worth it.
As for universal £100 intercoolers, they will be better than the standard cooler, however their core construction and end tanks are inferior to that used in the Courtenay & Pace coolers so therefore will not be efficient. If you're on a budget then go for it, but if you want the best results then look elsewhere.
With intercoolers size is not every thing, infact too big is detrimental as are poorly flowing end tanks.
Before anyone suggests that a Pace or Coiurtenay cooler costs more because of each companies profits consider this, the cores they use cost THEM more than a cheap cooler costs YOU, plus they sell kits, not just coolers.
MikeWarner
08-11-2006, 10:10
This is a photo of the internals of the Courtenay intercooler. My money is on a £100 intercooler looking nothing like as good as this. The Courtenay one is a very efficient design.
http://www.migweb.co.uk/gallery/data/509/26.jpg
Ah i've never seen what they look like on the inside. I work with computers so I know about surface area to dissipate heat. But with IC's its reversed..... That looks probably about the best you could do and keep it free flowing. The shear scale of a IC is what makes it expensive. I'd love to see the inside of the cheaper versions now!!
sri-turbo-19
08-11-2006, 15:11
http://s77.photobucket.com/albums/j46/sri-turbo-19/th_newdigitalcamera042.jpg (http://s77.photobucket.com/albums/j46/sri-turbo-19/?action=view¤t=newdigitalcamera042.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch1)
poor picture i know, doesnt seem a lot different to me. at the end of the day you choose whether to pay £600 for a courtenay item or even more for a pace one. personally i like the challenge of making up the brackets and pipework etc. By no means am i saying mine will be better than the courtenay/pace unit i simply cant justify the price difference. il be able to look at it when its done and be proud that iv managed to sort it out myself. also im not looking to be running mega bhp so the unit iv got should do me just perfect. dont want to start a massive debate im just adding my views.
MikeWarner
08-11-2006, 19:37
http://s77.photobucket.com/albums/j46/sri-turbo-19/th_newdigitalcamera042.jpg (http://s77.photobucket.com/albums/j46/sri-turbo-19/?action=view¤t=newdigitalcamera042.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch1)
poor picture i know, doesnt seem a lot different to me.Yours is a bar and plate design. The Courtenay one is a tube and fin design which is supposed to be better. £500 better is debatable though.
http://s77.photobucket.com/albums/j46/sri-turbo-19/th_newdigitalcamera042.jpg (http://s77.photobucket.com/albums/j46/sri-turbo-19/?action=view¤t=newdigitalcamera042.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch1)
poor picture i know, doesnt seem a lot different to me. at the end of the day you choose whether to pay £600 for a courtenay item or even more for a pace one. personally i like the challenge of making up the brackets and pipework etc. By no means am i saying mine will be better than the courtenay/pace unit i simply cant justify the price difference. il be able to look at it when its done and be proud that iv managed to sort it out myself. also im not looking to be running mega bhp so the unit iv got should do me just perfect. dont want to start a massive debate im just adding my views.
Your comments are spot on......if you want to put the work in and pay less then it's up to you. Some people think they are the same and it's gready tuners to blame, but that's not the case.
reggie69
09-11-2006, 08:42
Some people think they are the same and it's gready tuners to blame, but that's not the case.
i used to think like that mate but after seein the two differance in the intercooler i can see why they would charge a fair bit...development cost etc etc
maybe this little topic has opened up my eyes a bit...
MikeWarner
09-11-2006, 09:18
Some intercooler cores I've seen are shocking. Be careful buying cheap ones off the likes of eBay.
Cheap:
http://www.pbase.com/image/24986524.jpg
Expensive:
http://www.goapr.com/VW/products/images/intercooler_fmic_coreend_th.jpg
That last one is the jordons boobs!
That last one is the jordons boobs!
Not sure what you mean there mate, I can't see any little Aussie hanging on to it.
Not sure what you mean there mate, I can't see any little Aussie hanging on to it.
hahaha
Well the usual saying is the dogs danglies but I can't see how they would be good lol
wywywywy
09-11-2006, 10:56
Cheap:
http://www.pbase.com/image/24986524.jpg
WTF!? Is that for real?
That looks exceptionally rubbish!
Even a 22 years old double-cheap rusted second hand heater matrix looks better than that!
sri-turbo-19
10-11-2006, 12:44
Your comments are spot on......if you want to put the work in and pay less then it's up to you. Some people think they are the same and it's gready tuners to blame, but that's not the case.
after fitting the cooler i can understand where you and mike warner are coming from, personally i did mine mainly for looks. but i can now understand the £600 price tag. again, personally i wouldnt pay it but you are both running mega bhp and the intercooler needs to be as efficient as possible in order to maximise its performance. i would use the courtenay/pace item if i was running your bhp without doubt.