smic vs fmic let the debate begin

[ffrpwner]

Ok i have been studying this for hours....i wanna here from z guys


My bumper is perfect for a fmic and i love the look....
my stock inter coolers are dented and have rocks and pebbles in them so its about time to replace them

now i have a stage three....i think lol jwt ecu...pop charger...gutted pre cats...testpipes...exhaust...i dont know what hp im making but some one asked when i was getting a fmic

now...i understand that the cars some with smic stock....but ive been told that smics will NEVER be as efficent and cool the air like a fmic due to it being right out there in the front....now its either bigger smics or a fmic.....i dont know about pressure leaks and all that crap just some one explain to me...

[jedijeff123]

Ok i have been studying this for hours....i wanna here from z guys


My bumper is perfect for a fmic and i love the look....
my stock inter coolers are dented and have rocks and pebbles in them so its about time to replace them

now i have a stage three....i think lol jwt ecu...pop charger...gutted pre cats...testpipes...exhaust...i dont know what hp im making but some one asked when i was getting a fmic

now...i understand that the cars some with smic stock....but ive been told that smics will NEVER be as efficent and cool the air like a fmic due to it being right out there in the front....now its either bigger smics or a fmic.....i dont know about pressure leaks and all that crap just some one explain to me...

2 turbos, imo, means 2 intercoolers is more effective. while an FMIC does have better airflow due to it being mounted on the front, it causes less airflow to the radiator and a hotter engine bay overall. SMICs don't. larger SMICs are far more effective at your level anhow. FMICs are only needed at 600RWHP+. until then it's pointless, and SMICs are better.

[jedijeff123]

also, Z1 SMICs FTW, they flow best. even over Godspeed.

[ffrpwner]

lol ill probably get the godspeed inter coolers but i couldnt decide between the fmic and smic....there both HUGE i dont know how the smic will fit haha but i guess they do.. ..more opnions..???

jed wat you said about the radiator makes since i just wanna know why all these guys are running fmic...there has to be some sort of advantage...

[tg]

FMIC - you're trying to hard.

SMIC - has its limits, but only about .5% of all FMIC owners have reached that limit.

[legion]

jed wat you said about the radiator makes since i just wanna know why all these guys are running fmic...there has to be some sort of advantage...

cause it looks cool

[DMeN Z]

Read a long thread on another Z site not too long ago. There was some talk about the SMIC having slight more advantages than the FMIC for our cars (has to do with the balance tube and air turbulence/cross flow...blah blah blah). Personally, I would stay with SMIC unless you're running a high quality barNplate one with vertical rows like the TDM-Works FMIC. I'm not too fond of inhibiting the cooling performance of the radiator and oil cooler simply to run a FMIC IF its for the looks. SMIC will perform just as well for the stage and amount of power you probably have...

ASHMassives ($$$) or Z1 ($$) for SMIC. For FMIC I'd go with the TDM-Works FMIC kit Spec Z offers...($$$$$-Too expensive for my blood)

Also...listen to TG.

[Initial_Z]

Why choose one when you can have both ? Just do custom piping lol

[Z-owned]

I say smic's and 2.5" ic piping ftw.

I suggest these.
http://www.ashspecz.com/ashspec/Interco ... oolers.htm

[ArticDragon192]

Run your motor with smics, then with an fmic, and see which charge pipe is cooler. Yes, an fmic. Won't outflow and smic, but an fmic will always cool the intake charge better than any smic. Greater area and more airflow will always help in cooling your intake temps. And with a proper cooling set up, the Z should not be overheating. Smics have their limits because of their size, and even if you go with massives, you can't really direct that much air to them unless you remove your blinkers.
Imo, fmic > smic. Heat soak sucks.

[Z-owned]

the turn signal modification on the usdm corner lights, with air ducts in place of the fogs will direct more than suffecient airflow to smics. Heat soak shouldn't be a issue at all with either setup when upgraded.

[Weber3211]

if you go FMIC put an electric fan on that radiator

[Z32TT]

if you go FMIC put an electric fan on that radiator

Lol um what?, why put something worst?

Op smic would be best unless your running a super built setup then there is no point, Ash massives are the way to go but they are freakin expensive, Z1 would be my next choice but if on lower budget get godspeed that what i have and better over stock anyday..

[Weber3211]

there are plenty of electric fans that flow better than the factory belt fan.

[Z32TT]

Its ok to have one if your in more of a flat area but if you live in a location with hills and such i dont see it great at all, plus well.. Im not going to argue it more there are tons of threads with people going back too stock clutch for obvious reasons after awhile...

[vulcanrush]

there are plenty of electric fans that flow better than the factory belt fan.

which electric fans flow better? i asked specialty-z, and they said the stock fan set-up is better at flow and cooling, but they rob you of about 30hp when it's fully running.

[vulcanrush]

My bumper is perfect for a fmic and i love the look....

i'm probably the exact opposite...i prefer a sleeper-look, and the z is tough to cool enough as it is, i just don't think a fmic is a good idea with the radiator and oil cooler there too.

also, the sz guys run a fmic, but they're also putting out like 900hp.

[Z31toZ32]

fmic is rice unless it is actually needed.

[Ghut300zx]

what if you ran your intake through one smic then a fmic then throught the second smic then to your engine!!!

[BigTDogg (MA)]

FMIC - you're trying to hard.

SMIC - has its limits, but only about .5% of all FMIC owners have reached that limit.

2nd, there are maybe 2 properly designed FMICs for the Z, and I'd say out of all the FMIC owners, maybe 10% run them.

The HKS FMIC is one, and T0M's of TDMWorks is the other. Everything else is crap. Period.

And there are a few electric fans which will flow as good as stock. But from what I've seen and researched, nothing flows better. I wouldn't personally do an e-fan unless I had an e-water pump too. That way I could cool the car down after shutting it off and walking away.

[vulcanrush]

i think i know what the massives smic mean, massive debt.

costs twice as much as the z1's, i wonder if it's twice as good, will get it on a dyno one day. might have been unnecessary for my power levels, but i tend to overbuild.

[ffrpwner]

lol ok after reading all of this ive decided on godspeed side mount inter coolers haha....my 240 friends are gunna be like wtk and so are my wrx friends and 350/g35 friends and 3000gt fans.......they all have fmics but if its not neccessary on the z then who cares what they think haha thanks for the help guys

[BigTDogg (MA)]

i think i know what the massives smic mean, massive debt.

costs twice as much as the z1's, i wonder if it's twice as good, will get it on a dyno one day. might have been unnecessary for my power levels, but i tend to overbuild.

Depends on your goals. IMHO, there's no value in getting the Massives unless you get the 2.5" intake pipes. The 2.5" outlets of the Massives are really designed for the larger charge pipes.

Stock pipes: ARC, GReddy, Stillen, Z1, everything else, in that order.

2.5" charge pipes: Massives, Modified Stillens (SZ sells them), everything else.

[labcoatmonkey]

fmic is rice unless it is actually needed.

I run an fmic, and my car is far from rice. The set up I have allows for optimal airflow to oil cooler and radiator. The custom piping also frees up more space and the intercooler also works as a big balancer tube which is beneficial. Before I blew a few rings I was running about 400 hp at 14 psi on a s*** jdm motor and my intake temps and engine temps were pretty low as opposed to conventional smic setups. Besides FMIC does look BADASSS unless you are running a "not so fast but intimidating setup" which is rice

[evildky]

most sidemounts cool more efficiently than most front mounts, if you want a decent front mount (vertical flow) you will spend a lot more than you would for decent side mounts

The set up I have allows for optimal airflow to oil cooler and radiator

front mounts block airflow to the stock a/c condensor, radiator and oil cooler raising temps across the board

I run an fmic, and my car is far from rice.

ricers never know they are ricers, thats why we tell them

I was running about 400 hp at 14 psi

not on stock turbo's you weren't

the intercooler also works as a big balancer tube which is beneficial

I havn't personally seen a front mount that acts as a ballancer, every one that I have seen has sepperate channels, if this exists I'd be interested to see it

[vulcanrush]

fmic is rice unless it is actually needed.

I run an fmic, and my car is far from rice. The set up I have allows for optimal airflow to oil cooler and radiator. The custom piping also frees up more space and the intercooler also works as a big balancer tube which is beneficial. Before I blew a few rings I was running about 400 hp at 14 psi on a s*** jdm motor and my intake temps and engine temps were pretty low as opposed to conventional smic setups.

i agree, fmic isn't rice.

i have a couple of questions for you, though, not rhetorical questions --- how did you know your intake temps and engine temps were pretty low as opposed to conventional smic set-up's?

what were your intake temps and engine temps?

also, how did you blow a few rings, that seems to indicate knock? either too much boost or the fmic's weren't cooling the air intake.

400hp on 14psi is a pretty high number.

[Weber3211]

which electric fans flow better? i asked specialty-z, and they said the stock fan set-up is better at flow and cooling, but they rob you of about 30hp when it's fully running.

apparently the electric fan from a mid 90's ford taurus flows almost twice as much as the Z's stock fan. there was a thread about this a while ago when someone was looking for an electric fan for their VH swap.

[legion]

which electric fans flow better? i asked specialty-z, and they said the stock fan set-up is better at flow and cooling, but they rob you of about 30hp when it's fully running.

apparently the electric fan from a mid 90's ford taurus flows almost twice as much as the Z's stock fan. there was a thread about this a while ago when someone was looking for an electric fan for their VH swap.

Now that you mention it, I do somewhat recall reading this a while back. Would be interesting to hear from some people who have done this.

[car nut]

I was running about 400 hp at 14 psi

You mean at the crank right?

[evildky]

you won't make 400 at the crank at 14 psi on stock turbos period

the tuarus 3.8 fan ( i had a couple) flows a loy fo air and takes a lot of amps, it needs to be on a relay in conjunction with a variable speed controller, wired to full voltage the on body wiring can't handle the full amperage, they flow lots of air but need to be installed propperly to keep from melting down