Smic??

[B.Martin]

As most of you know i spend my days at the shop i run, when its quiet i generally look at things i can buy for my RX7 (its most unhealthy) i\'ve noticed these XSpower SMIC kits. They are rarely mentioned on here is that because they are utter bull feces or are they just the third choice after front mount and v-mount?
How do these work? I mean the FMIC is simple, it sits in the front of the car getting air forced at it when then car moves. I mean i\'m not that knowledgable on how the front of the FC is laid out. It looks to me that a SMIC would struggle to get much (cool) air and stay quite warm due to being inbetween the radiator and the engine its self, but then would this not be the same for a v-mount set up as well?

To understand i\'m imagining fitting a SMIC and naturally i\'d be fititng a new radiator, fan set up and probably a different airfilter as well to remove the airbox and all its plasticness! The reason i\'m so interested is because lets face it a SMIC kit can be picked up for less than £200, which is cheap really considering a good FM/VMIC kit would cost probaby at least double that brand new. Also they look pretty nice and shiney and i love nice engine bays!
Its also worth me mentioning i\'m not planning on doing this anytime in the immediate future, but i am planning on getting a new rad and fan set up once i\'ve sorted the handing out. Its also worth noting that my first goal is only to get to around the 300 bhp mark (when i do start engine bay/performance mods) and i\'m pretty certain that a SMIC kit would easily support over that, i understand the stock fuel/turbo set up on the FC is only good upto around 280bhp. I am also aware that i will need aftermarket managment to support something like this.

Basically, i just want the intercooler advice here.

Many thanks

[flatout]

that pic just above is a tmic , i never heard of a smic in a fc, i dont know where it would go, the first pic is an fd set up ya ??,

[Brett]

They don\'t make a kit you can fit to an FC without an awful lot of graft..

[Prof]

SMIC = Stock Mount InterCooler
 
For the FC that\'s top mounted, for the FD - front mounted.
 
I think the XS Power ones are only stock mount for the FD - and they don\'t look that \'stock mount\' either.

[1990_fc3s_t2]

Also there\'s the SMIC = Side Mount InterCooler just to make it a little more confusing!
If you not going for big power an upgraded top mount will be sufficient. :-)

[B.Martin]

You see i assumed that SMIC meant side mount. As this listing on eBay says that it will fit the Turbo II and FD3s. And i assumed the rotary engine was sideways in the bay which is why they called it side mount :Giggle

I just thought as the 2 engine were similar that it could be made to fit with relative ease as long as a new rad and fan set up were installed. That bums that idea then

[dthebuk]

also thought it was side mount.

I wouldn\'t bother in an FC mate. T, V or F mount is what you need

coilovers first though! get that baby on its bottom

[B.Martin]

Yeah, i\'m not a fan of top mount. Although i do like that RE:A one i\'ve seen. But ahoy your right, coilovers first.

[m1tch]

I haz a V mount

[B.Martin]

I know, but I also know that you know that I am skint and can\'t afford it for a while yet. Was just intrigued because they are cheap. If you want to sell the v-mount and everything I need to attach it to my car, hard pipes, connectors, joiners etc for £200 I\'d be enquiring... Nay I\'d be biting your right arm off about your v-mount !!

[SFW]

i have a used one without the pipes if you are interested.
used for less than 500 miles.

[B.Martin]

Right... I know we\'ve had the discussion here and everyone has said to wait and go fmic or vmic, but like everyone I\'m on a budget. I\'ve got the opportunity to get an intercooler core for like £20! I can get the hard pipe set supposedly for the FC for around £60, so that is an aftermarket intercooler set up for let\'s say less than £100 probably once you\'ve made sure the pipes will fit!

I mean in the hot heat of Cyprus that stock tmic has got to be a bit crap sat on the engine even with the bonnet vent. I also would like to know a bit more about qhere the air comes from on the sm and vm set ups. Obviously its worth noting I won\'t be able to fit this until I\'ve changed the rad and fan set up, but I\'m really thinking it\'s worth doing for such a small cost. Taking this into account, what are people\'s views?

[TiddlesRX7]

Its worth a shot for the money in my opinion. People didn\'t get the kits that are available today by not trying things. Also I know XSPower haven\'t got the best rep but a very good friend of mine is running some of their stuff on his 500+ bhp skyline with no problems. In fact he can\'t understand all the issues people have with them.

[B.Martin]

Yeah I recon it\'s worth a punt, got to be better than stock surely.

[TiddlesRX7]

That\'s the plan! The only way to tell really is to get before and after inlet air temp readings.