Deciding on bolt-on FMIC / intercooler

[Tiago@VRSF]

Originally Posted by katsooba

so lets get VRSF back on topic

seen some good reviews on them

anyone rocking them?

We've sold about 120 of these so far and are all out of stock so there's definitely a few out there.

It seems someone quoted earlier that our 7" FMIC is a bolt on (no trimming) which is untrue, anything larger than 5" is going to require trimming of the shroud.

We have a new, upcoming end tank design on the way with a smoother transition and 2.75" inlets/outlets. This will apply to both the 5" & 7" which should be available shortly.

While there are a lot of great intercoolers mentioned here, I'd be weary of any intercooler with inlets/outlets smaller than 2.5" as they will pose a restriction in the intake tract and cause a bottleneck. I'd also steer clear of any tube/fin design as it's been proven to be inferior in multiple studies.

We've been designing and selling intercoolers for over 7 years now and we've had multiple 800whp+ customer cars running sub 9 second 1/4 miles.

[Experimental]

Looking forward to that 5" intercooler Tiago! You can put me down as a definite on that when they come in.

[Elsabor67]

Originally Posted by Fed P

After doing some more reading, it seems the Helix on occasion in some cars requires trimming and I would guess the Wagner too since they are so similar.

The VRSF 7" claims to not require trimming but I just don't see how its physically possible. Those 2 inches have got to go somewhere...

I think this means that for a true bolt-on I'm stuck with Forge and ETS 5". Otherwise if I allow for the possibility of trimming then all other kinds of FMICs enter the picture, for example the ER Competition one (right now there are a lot of deals, this one can be had at $750, which is even less than the Forge).

Fed,

All 7" intercoolers will require a degree of trimming or cutting, regardless of who makes them. I have the 7" ETS which I bought from another person on the forums and had to cut the whole lower brace so it would fit.

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=696574

ETS does make great products and Forge does also. If you want to keep the "stock" look, stay with the 5" intercoolers. Either choice you make, you will see benefits form it.

[BBBluey]

OP, Just inquiring on purpose of your choice. Do you plan to track or just drive fast? Why do you want an intercooler to begin with? Do you have a tune or plan on a tune?
Without a tune, and if you're not going to track, why get a bigger IC?

[MaDoNiOn]

Just to show what you need to cut if you bought this.
this intercooler is designed for 650 rwhp which is a bar and plate design.

[135Pats]

ive had my VRSF 7" in for a few weeks now, my logs show a much "happier" car in terms of timing, load response, etc etc and a useable whp gain at higher revs. Better cooling properties, power gains, and reduced engine/FI stress...these are all good things. I have nothing but good things to say about tiago and VRSF, for the price its tremendous. Oh and there was some cutting involved, but you can keep it fairly modest if you are careful.

[Fed P]

Originally Posted by JamJay

Perfect woman, hold on to that one

"Excuse me dear, would you care to pass me the other RB, please?"

Exactly, I got myself a real keeper! Don't know how I got so lucky but there we are =)

I'm very happy that two people, including Tiago, have mentioned that the 7" VRSF requires trimming as I thought it must going by the size. It did seem implausible, I'm not sure where the info started that's it plug-in but hopefully someone can find that piece of info useful here.

BBBluey there are many reasons for getting the FMIC. I would say the first reason was that I will be installing RBs soon I wanted the IC to keep up with increasing levels of boost. Beyond that, I've always been a sucker for efficiency and perfection in everything I deal with, so I want the car to be all that it can be. Finally, methanol is a highly controlled substance here so that route of cooling is cut off for me (though I am told, no joke, that people run meth kits filled with vodka here. theoretically we are talking water and alcohol after all, does make some sense). Oh, and I'm running JB4.

Finally, the continued bickering here has reaffirmed my belief that I made the right choice by not going with Helix. I agree that eric@helix was far more professional but the image of the company is soured, even if I can put myself into their shoes and imagine I'd be pissed as hell if someone really did copy my work (though I am not convinced this is the case either). Basically, the situation is a mess and with so many other options out there, I didn't want to reward the potential copiers or the aggressive accusers.

If the ER turns out to be too much cutting I'll try to sell it here and go back to the drawing board.

[Angerman]

Originally Posted by katsooba

so lets get VRSF back on topic

I just got their downpipes in the mail. Seems to be promising. Wish they could just install themselves though lol

[katsooba]

Tiago hello!

i've been trying to call the shop for the next few days,
i would like to get a shipping quote to Israel on the newer model 7" FMIC when its available.

i have also just sent an email to the shops email.

[BBBluey]

I know you mentioned you rather not go with Helix but there's one BNIB listed in our for sale section....listed here:
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=768111

If I had the $, it's the one I'd go with. You mentioned you wanted perfrection and for the car to be all it can be. Well, like "them" or not, IMHO their IC is one of if not the best IC out there. Also, getting the one from the guy in the thread doesn't really add to "their" sales as it's already been bought...if that helps any.

[ragingpanda]

I'm glad I went with the Helix intercooler. It performs exceptionally well at cooling my intake air temps.

[Tee-Dub]

When I go on VRSF's website they don't show anything for BMW, where are you guys ordering these parts?

[Tiago@VRSF]

vrspeedfactory.com, sorry about the confusion. We're working on a new site to replace both our current websites

[Phlonx]

So for u guys still comparing, $/performance, VRSF can't b beat. I have their DPs and will be ordering their CP when they are released. They seem to offer the best bang for ur buck in every product and i have read several threads confirming their quality