[WilliamE92]

What sort of piping did that require?

[BOOSTED4DR]

Overall I think i looks great and a plus for a self mod. hey it works thats all that counts and you got to save a bit..

[Brey335i]

Originally Posted by ar design

The fin density is a BIG clue as to the quality of a core.

I think you would probably be one of the best to help us understand the difference between these intercoolers on here. I think a decent amount of members (me included) do not really know that much about them.

Obviously, we have discovered that there is more to them than just size. What is meant by fin density and what else separates the cheap ones from the higher quality units?

[ridin135]

Doesn't matter about fin density this is still better then stock.

[Silvercoupe]

Originally Posted by Big Tom

Yep, they're almost the same IC's!

The only differences is that the thickness is 4" on mine vs AA 3.5".
And the connection pipes is 3" on mine vs 2.5" on the AA.

Can't really order them , what language is that ?

[Syndicategt]

You need to get a M3 Rep front bumper to allow for more airflow to that beast! Looks nice!

[ducati955]

very nice work man. i need one of these!

[wren57]

Would look good behind my mtech!

What type of silicone hoses/bends did you need?

[JDLM]

Looking forward to this

[Bakeme521]

waiting for IAT temps and dyno charts

[a32guy]

Nice work, I did this with my old Viggen back in the day. Granted the core isn't on par with a Precision core, but it has to do a better job than stock.

[ak335]

wow thats big

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

AR Design makes a good point about the fin densitiy.

Even though AA is similar, that doesnt mean they are right either.

Although AA doesnt make a bad product, if your going to make your own intercooler why not make it the best fin density possible?

Eitherway, props for doing something out of the box.

[kjrulz]

Originally Posted by JPSlick

AR Design makes a good point about the fin densitiy.

Even though AA is similar, that doesnt mean they are right either.

Although AA doesnt make a bad product, if your going to make your own intercooler why not make it the best fin density possible?

Eitherway, props for doing something out of the box.

Agreed

[rbaldwin28]

16 Bars. But only 6 have air flowing through them. It will probably perform much better than stock and keep heat soak away so, mission success. Bang for your buck, can't beat it but I would bet it will perform close to the same as the other inter-coolers even with 7 or 8 lateral bars because only so much air can flow through the front bumper. I avoided the taller inter-coolers because of the proximity to the radiator. Heat transfer and reduced air flow into the radiator were a concern. Is it louder when boosting now with metal end tanks?

[hun77777]

i didn't know helix was "bigger IC" than AA or STETT. i always thought that AA or STETT is the biggest for N54 but i guess i was wrong...

[uhcoug2011]

I don't see what everyone is complaining about.. it's almost identical to the AA and I haven't heard anyone complain about these issues with the AA unit..

[Clap135]

You should sell it for 800 and call it r&d. Good job man

[Big Tom]

Originally Posted by uhcoug2011

I don't see what everyone is complaining about.. it's almost identical to the AA and I haven't heard anyone complain about these issues with the AA unit..

Maybe because the price on this IC is "too" low?

I've now learned that there's a bounch of overpriced IC's out there. For shure...

[R1000K3]

Great solution Big Tom, very well done

I'll probably do the same mod, and then also secure the IC to the frame/bodywork so it cant rattle around and break something or fatigue welds.

[Tiago@VRSF]

Keep in mind you still need to figure out what you're gonna use for couplers before you can compare it to any of the other kits. You also need to factor in the fact that air won't reach about 30-40% of that upper part due to bumper design. With proper ducting you may get some flow up there but with the stock ducting you're just creating more pressure loss across the core without the cooling benefits. If I recall the AA kit DOES include couplers/piping & ducting which definitely factors into the price.

Just because an intercooler shares similar end tanks doesn't mean the exterior or interior fin stacks on the core are anything alike. Some cores are designed to cool better/block flow to anything behind it and others are designed to cool moderately and allow more air to flow.

Judging by the fin density and angle it looks like this was meant to allow flow, which in effect will sacrifice cooling. Also just because an intercooler is larger and the piping inlets and outlets are bigger doesn't mean its better. In the end it's just more volume for the tiny turbos to fill which results in more lag and less transient response. This has been tested on evos and sti's quite a few times. Going with 3" intercooler piping & a 4" core on smaller turbos will result in a loss of power 9 times out of 10.

[k726]

Ive been to the AA shop multiple times deciding on the FMIC, and I was asking a ton about if their large IC would allow sufficient air to pass through. The AA cooler does allow a large amount of air to pass through. This intercooler is a pretty damn close replica of a premier item from Active.