Upgrade: Alky vs Intercooler

[SloGN]

Is it just me, or has the prices of Intercoolers seem to have gone down in the past 2 or 3 years? Wonder if it's because of the lower demand due to alky? When I bought my PTE front mount, I think it was around a grand, now it seems there are plenty of front mounts for under $800, and real nice looking stock locations for under $600. If I had to do it over again, I'd either just stay with a big neck stock ic or a little larger stock location, each with the alky. Seems all my front mount is good for is to have people say, "Look, this one has a front mount ooh, aah.

i personally thing there is not much of a gain in using a front mount for street use. You can run insane boost in the street and hook-up. Also a front mount is meant for use when you know that your gonna be boosting it for a great distance and to try and keep the heat down out of the intake charge.

The bigest problem with a stocker is the elbow is so restrive it anit funny. Upgraded to a nice used stock location I/C and do the alky.

say @ 22 psi in the street you only gonna be at full boost for @ least 15 seconds max. how much heat soak is the I/C really getting? not much . this is all my ampling in seeing what does what over the yrs

 

[yullose]

I'm not going to get into the FMIC vs Stock loc debate... but suffice to say, there is NO comparison when it comes to results.
No stock location intercooler will ever come close to the same performance as a front mount. That is a well known and proven fact. Whether that performance is needed or not, is entirely up to the guy buying the parts.
The biggest debate is over WHO'S IC is best. The comparison should be seperated... stock loc vs stock loc and FMIC vs FMIC. (apples to apples and oranges to oranges)

I wanted the best bang for the buck, so I opted for a PTE front mount. The difference in price from the front mount to the stock location unit wasn't enough to justify the cheaper unit. The bigger FMIC's were priced so much higher than the PTE unit, I couldn't justify that add'l expense either.

I've read dozens of times on these boards... 10 seconds seems to be the consensus... as to when a FMIC will be a benefit. 11's and slower, a stock location unit will suffice.

 

[Grumpy]

I believe "combination" is more important that if a front mount is better than a stock location .. we drive our junk way to much so we just kept our old technology V4 stock location

 

[TR Custom Parts]

I vote both!

 

[turbo nasty]

ALky and the Dutt neck will really wake the car up. Heck alky will wake the car up.

I went from alky and the stock IC to a FMIC and was astounded at how restrictive the stock IC was. The FMIC will be expensive and will likely entail cooling system upgrades.

Alky and a new TT alky chip and get you a 5 gallon 5 dollar plastic gas can @ the parts places, walmart, etc and then hit up the local speed shop for some Methanol for about 25 bucks filled. That 5 gallons will last you a few months and be a heck of alot cheaper the race gas and replacing O2s and plugs. Definetly last WAAAY longer than race gas.

Then you are going to definetly address traction as now with the alky you can drive daily in KILL mode!!!!! YEEEAAAHH.

Never forget the first test with the alky on the car.. cranked the boost up to 22ish psi from 16 and floored the car from cruise at 40 mph and the car started squealing the tires and getting loose.

Remember saying to myself this is too easy...now where is that Cobra...LOL

 

[artrenee10]

Ill go out here.....on a limb

And say actually intercooler.....True you can get the alky now and get VERY good results with it as I have read...but an intercooler can also help in getting that air into the engine. Which to me is just as, if not more than important than cooling that same air down, which is the responsibility of alcohol. I was faced with a similar decision a few years back, I instead went with an "old technology" V4 intercooler, and decided to learn how to tune the car first with out the variable of alcohol thrown into the mix. Which leads me to my next question, just how is your tune? Have you mastered it to the point where you can throw alcohol in and still maintain a performance type tune? I know Eric has mastered the tuning in the chip but what about you?

 

[Super6]

artrenee10

that is vey interesting. we just put on a RJC fm on a buddy's car that had a duttweiler neck stock intercooler,te60 turbo,and alky. he was running 23psi of boost with that setup now with the RJC fm he is running 20psi of boost with no alky. he said the car feels stronger at 20psi than it did at 23psi. we all run 100 unleaded fuel here because it is sold locally. i haven't got my hands on the car yet but i am sure we can get some more boost out of it but the fm must flow much better than the stock. i am a big fan of the fm because i use to hate that scoop at the bottom that scrubbed everywhere and the performance of the fm ain't bad either Bob

 

[PaCemkr86]

just my 2 cents...

alky and a FM

 

[NJ Torque]

just my 2 cents...

alky and a FM

 

[UNDER-PRESSURE]

My choice for a true street car into the 11's would be a Duttweiler necked stock intercooler & Razor's Alky kit. I recently switched my car to Alky & LOVE it!! The car was previously set up for 20 psi thru a BGC 23 row stock location intercooler & 100 octane fuel. The new combo is the Duttweiler neck, Single nozzle Alky & 24 psi on 93 octane.

 

[turbo buicks]

You would be better running alcohol and NO INTERCOOLER!:biggrin:

then go ahead and take yours off, haha, you wont!

:smile:

 

[justabuickv6]

When I made the switch from the stock intercooler to the powerstroke intercooler with 3 inch pipes, I ran the same MPH with 2 lbs less boost.

 

[UNDER-PRESSURE]

I was able to free up 2psi of restriction by just installing the Duttweiler neck on the stock intercooler.

 

[TurboBrett]

So much response, thanks for all of the input guys! I think I will do alky for now and intercooler later.

 

[Turbo1dr]

FM, race fuel and alky! Why not have it all?

 

[PaCemkr86]

FM, race fuel and alky! Why not have it all?

i agree totally !