Scottie-GNZ Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Anyone using one of these or have any real feedback? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CXRacing-Intercooler-27x12x3-Civic-S13-3000GT-Mustang_W0QQitemZ350073702534QQihZ022QQcategoryZ33742QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Guess I have been out of touch, but I cannot believe the pricing on these. I have an XSpower I am trying (not my car) and my skepticism went away when I actually gave it a close inspection. Configuration and dimension demands limit my options for this project and this one fits the bill perfectly. TIA and would appreciate real feedback not opinions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cramer Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Not that exact model, but I've got a different CX Racing intercooler and charge piping. Here's my impression of it. Pros: -Good value for the money -Looks pretty good -Charge pipe had T-bolt clamps and silicone couplers rather than worm clamps and rubber Cons: -Heavy for its size -Charge pipe bends aren't the most accurate -Mounting brackets included were a bad joke (two strips of metal with holes that didn't even match the bolts - I see they're not advertising the brackets anymore) Sure, it's a cheap ChinaCooler, but it's not bad for what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wigenOut-S30 Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Hey Scottie, I think Im running this exact IC. So far I have been really impressed. I got mine over a year ago. The prices have really come way down. All the welds on mine are perfect and It pressure tested fine. So for the price I say go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slow_Old_Car Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 I compared a X02 unit (which if i'm guessing right CX, X02, etc... they all come from the same maker) side by a side with a precision unit. The big differences i found were in the finning. The china mades use wider FPI counts and are straight shot. The precision unit had a tighter FPI count, as well as individual fin staggaring in the core itself. The end tanks on both units were nothing to write home to mom about, both had internal casting markings, though i would suspect that precision might have actually done a bit of CFD analysis prior to casting theres (no signs of it, just basing that off there rep for turbos and testing data). The real difference between the china units and the good stuff is in the core i believe. Though i've never had the opportunity to test 2 identical sized units back to back to figure out if the fancy core section warrants the price tag increase. It definately would make sense to see the good cores out perform the china ones given the fact they should have a bigger effective front cross section with that tighter FPI and staggaring, but it could also be a flow killer making the deeper regions of the core lose efficiency compared to the china straight through models. No way to know w/ out testing the two designs on a car and logging the IAT's, or if someone has one of those fancy fleer cameras Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wigenOut-S30 Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 I can only account for my personel experience. I went from a starion IC to this unit and it was night and day. My AIT's now that I have aluminum IC piping and routed the cold side to be as short as possible are pretty low. Rowing the gears from 1st-4th It would climb up to around 99 deg. As for the thermal properties on the IC itself I couldnt tell ya.. A side by side test with one of these and the high dollar units would be awesome!. The inside of my end tanks really didnt have any casting flaws or anything like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calgary280ZT Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 I'd echo Matt and Wigenout. Mine has inlet and outlet on the same side. Does it work? No detonation, but I really don't know enough about intercoolers to tell you. Service was great and can't beat the price. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktm Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 I am using the exact same intercooler as well. I was limited by dimensions too and wanted something that would fit exactly between the two large openings in the radiator core support. I've been very happy with its performance to date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Ktm, can you post some more shots of your plumbing underneath the car? Just curious how you routed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datman Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Not sure if mine is the same but it looks just like and it was very cheap. It works great! only problem I had was coolant overheating when I had the IC flat against the RAD support, I pulled the bottom of the IC out to allow air under and up through the rad and not had a problem since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie-GNZ Posted July 3, 2008 Author Share Posted July 3, 2008 Thanks for the feedback guys. Exactly what I was looking for and I must say I am surprised by the number of responses in such a short time and all positive. Matt, as for your cons: - Heavy, IMO, means heavier gauge - Doing my own custom charge piping and mounting brackets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slownrusty Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 It blows me away that these intercoolers are so cheap and folks are getting great results - actually that's awesome! Imagine an intercooler that huge for $83! I paid 10times that for mine..so I am green with envy! KTM Bo - I did not realize you routed your IC piping under your car? Interesting, I was originally going to do that but was concerned with the number of 90Degree Elbows and added lengths of pipe. Your thoughts? Yasin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktm Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Yasin, the added length is insignificant. I posted pictures of my setup here and on Zcar when I first routed it, and there was a debate on both sites as to its "effectiveness". Look at it this way, if your IC has an inlet and outlet on opposite sides, you need to get the air from the turbo to the IC inlet. My lateral distance across the engine bay is the same as those routing it behind the radiator. Now, you still have to get it forward to the IC. Again, my longitudinal distance is damn near the same as routing it behind the radiator. My transitions are MUCH smoother. I am not running all 90s; my setup is 90 out of the turbo to the oil pan, 70 from here up, 70 again pointing to IC inlet, straight to IC inlet, 45 degree from outlet to TB. Check the turbo forum for my first post about this setup and you will see the debate. Edit: Here is the link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveosupremeo Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Scottie, I'm also using that exact same intercooler on my 77z. the mounting is perfect and i'm running mine at 13psi on stock turbo for now but i know Gabe has run his at 18psi maybe? he'll have to chime in again. and then I got the cheap aluminum piping kit with couplers and clamps and had the whole setup for less than $300 and that includes their shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Scottie, I had one of those intercoolers on my 240sx at DNI. No complaints here! I would love to have a higher end unit, but at the rate I trash them I can't justify it!! Evan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cramer Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Yeah, it probably is heavier gauge, but I'm not sure they put the added weight where it counted or not. I'd pretty much counted on designing my own brackets too (like anyone would make off the shelf brackets to fit a turbocharged Dodge Dart!), but at the time, CX Racing's ad copy made a big deal about how they included brackets with theirs and I felt they should have delivered better on that promise. The brackets should have at least had holes that were large enough for the intercooler mounting brackets. I wouldn't have been irked at all if they had not mentioned or included brackets - which appears to be what they're doing now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two11 Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 For those that used this intercooler, did you buy the piping from the same seller? If so, did it do the job or did you have to buy additional piping? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbo5670 Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 I've got that same IC as well, no complaints, but it does weigh 10-15 lbs or so. On the plus side it is pretty well made, ran for about a year. Also on a 92 deg day at 8lbs of boost, I was only reading 105-110 degrees temp. -Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wigenOut-S30 Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 I sourced piping from a different person. I found that most of the piping you get off the ebay IC piping has some sort of coating and its hard to tigg unless you get all of it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datman Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 I bought a pipe kit from ebay....the alloy pipes came in various lengths and bends . The hoses were poor though and burst above 10psi. Still the pipe was worth the money, I just bought some samco hoses and better clamps at a later date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slownrusty Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 Bo - Many thanks for that link on your piping routing..not sure how I missed that thread - oops. Interesting read and feedback. Regards - Yasin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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