The big Intercooler thread.

[TheDonSalami]

I installed an ebay Mishimoto knock-off FMIC and charge pipe kit on Saturday Sept. 8. Total price for the parts, with shipping, was $405.00.
My car is a 2018 PP automatic and has MBRP race exhaust, Roush CAI, Mishi catch can, cold pre-gapped plugs, GFB DV+ and Steeda throttle body spacer; I use Motul oil and a wix filter. I use 93 octane Sunoco exclusively.
This is a brief review of the install and results.

Install was very easy; as illustrated in all of the videos other than a few minor changes to the location of the inner wheel well mounts for 2018.
I did the job with another person, in my driveway on ramps.
If i was only installing the FMIC on factory pipes it would have been about a 2 hour job.
The instruction kit for the charge pipe kit did not illustrate the locations of each of the clamps, silicon connectors or pipes themselves.
We had to run through a couple of mock ups to make sure it was correct.
One of the clamps had a bad weld and rather than use it we retasked the OEM clamp and that added some time as well.
The whole installation was done in about 3:30 hours including a couple of drink and bathroom breaks.
My car only has 3000 miles on it so you could have done the job without gloves and stayed clean as well; truly an easy job.
The parts themselves were good, not great. As I said there was a broken clamp, but the threads on the FMIC required a bit of cleaning and the interior of the FMIC and all pipes had powder coat overspray and/or loose material. They had to be wiped and blown out.

Since installation I have used the car on 3 of the 5 days of my 70 mile round trip work commute and another handful of testing miles after install; I did a few high boost stomps to check things but otherwise it was mostly highway driving at 50-75mph in mild to moderate traffic. I commute from Westchester NY to Nassau county so they are heavily traffic roads. Temps here this week have been upper 70s to upper 80s, humidity is very high.
I dont have a data tracker other than my memory, I have the programmable dash so I set the in dash gauges to include charge temp, engine temp and boost (easier to look at all three together rather than looking over to the analog boost gauge).
There is no question that charge temps are down 20+ degrees, likely about 30.
The car is running significantly smoother. It idles smoother, maybe even a few RPMs lower (probably not though) and shifts are noticeably improved.
I suspect that the "smoothness" is real, not just seat of pants placebo, and due to the increase flow and efficiency of the charge pipes more than the FMIC itself; although 20-30 lower charge temps could make a difference as well.
MPG is better, although it could be the traffic conditions this week (Jewish holidays in NY tri-state make for light traffic, but then again school started and that increase traffic over my summer base- I've been driving the car only since school was out). Pre FMIC my commute mileage, from the on-board computer was about 27-28mpg, post install its 30.3. Lifetime mpg on the car pre-install over 2700 or so miles was 24.7; since install that's increased to 24.9.
I have no 0-60 or 1/4 mile times on the car to actually measure pre/post, and I havent really gotten on the car yet or repeatedly to know if there is a performance improvement.
I suspect that the "smoothness" also means improved performance.

All in all it was so cheap and so easy that there is no question that it was worth it.
Now if only Ford Performance would release their tune I can install my MBRP catted downpipe and find out what the car can really do.

youre not tuned?

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[Brodirt]

youre not tuned?

Not yet; hopefully soon. I hear Cobb is 2 weeks out which means Ford Performance is about the same.

 

[cstewartj]

I installed an ebay Mishimoto knock-off FMIC and charge pipe kit on Saturday Sept. 8. Total price for the parts, with shipping, was $405.00.
My car is a 2018 PP automatic and has MBRP race exhaust, Roush CAI, Mishi catch can, cold pre-gapped plugs, GFB DV+ and Steeda throttle body spacer; I use Motul oil and a wix filter. I use 93 octane Sunoco exclusively.
This is a brief review of the install and results.

Install was very easy; as illustrated in all of the videos other than a few minor changes to the location of the inner wheel well mounts for 2018.
I did the job with another person, in my driveway on ramps.
If i was only installing the FMIC on factory pipes it would have been about a 2 hour job.
The instruction kit for the charge pipe kit did not illustrate the locations of each of the clamps, silicon connectors or pipes themselves.
We had to run through a couple of mock ups to make sure it was correct.
One of the clamps had a bad weld and rather than use it we retasked the OEM clamp and that added some time as well.
The whole installation was done in about 3:30 hours including a couple of drink and bathroom breaks.
My car only has 3000 miles on it so you could have done the job without gloves and stayed clean as well; truly an easy job.
The parts themselves were good, not great. As I said there was a broken clamp, but the threads on the FMIC required a bit of cleaning and the interior of the FMIC and all pipes had powder coat overspray and/or loose material. They had to be wiped and blown out.

Since installation I have used the car on 3 of the 5 days of my 70 mile round trip work commute and another handful of testing miles after install; I did a few high boost stomps to check things but otherwise it was mostly highway driving at 50-75mph in mild to moderate traffic. I commute from Westchester NY to Nassau county so they are heavily traffic roads. Temps here this week have been upper 70s to upper 80s, humidity is very high.
I dont have a data tracker other than my memory, I have the programmable dash so I set the in dash gauges to include charge temp, engine temp and boost (easier to look at all three together rather than looking over to the analog boost gauge).
There is no question that charge temps are down 20+ degrees, likely about 30.
The car is running significantly smoother. It idles smoother, maybe even a few RPMs lower (probably not though) and shifts are noticeably improved.
I suspect that the "smoothness" is real, not just seat of pants placebo, and due to the increase flow and efficiency of the charge pipes more than the FMIC itself; although 20-30 lower charge temps could make a difference as well.
MPG is better, although it could be the traffic conditions this week (Jewish holidays in NY tri-state make for light traffic, but then again school started and that increase traffic over my summer base- I've been driving the car only since school was out). Pre FMIC my commute mileage, from the on-board computer was about 27-28mpg, post install its 30.3. Lifetime mpg on the car pre-install over 2700 or so miles was 24.7; since install that's increased to 24.9.
I have no 0-60 or 1/4 mile times on the car to actually measure pre/post, and I havent really gotten on the car yet or repeatedly to know if there is a performance improvement.
I suspect that the "smoothness" also means improved performance.

All in all it was so cheap and so easy that there is no question that it was worth it.
Now if only Ford Performance would release their tune I can install my MBRP catted downpipe and find out what the car can really do.

the ridiculous price of these intercoolers are definitely making me want to go the same route and find a less expensive option. from what I've read all the BS about rounded headers and all this stuff doesn't really matter - it's all about end tanks that aren't aluminum (they're supposed to be cast), and denser fin pack, and larger core. The rest is all marketing ("billet", etc.).The other forums have a pretty detailed post about a user installing a Mishi knock-off as well. I may take the risk and get an eBay option as well.

 

[Brodirt]

The ridiculous price of these intercoolers are definitely making me want to go the same route and find a less expensive option. From what I've read all the BS about rounded headers and all this stuff doesn't really matter - it's all about end tanks that aren't aluminum (they're supposed to be cast), and denser fin pack, and larger core. The rest is all marketing ("billet", etc.).The other forums have a pretty detailed post about a user installing a Mishi knock-off as well. I may take the risk and get an eBay option as well.

I did not hold a Mishi in my hands along side the ebay special, but I did look at a number of online images, which included actual side by sides done by others; the units are as good as identical.
My confidence was further boosted when it fit perfectly and then further when it worked as well as Mishi promises for their units.
Drop the two-fitty, its worth it and whats best is that if the unit goes south its not likely to cause any damage to the rest of the engine.

 

[cvf-jason]

I did not hold a Mishi in my hands along side the ebay special, but I did look at a number of online images, which included actual side by sides done by others; the units are as good as identical.
My confidence was further boosted when it fit perfectly and then further when it worked as well as Mishi promises for their units.
Drop the two-fitty, its worth it and whats best is that if the unit goes south its not likely to cause any damage to the rest of the engine.

Very-much agree that the pricing of these IC's is a bit ridiculous, but the issue here is that the Mishi clone is copied over and over and over by 3-4 different factories without test-fitting and using different, maybe even sub-par materials. Those copies of copies are then re-copied, etc. and eBay sellers then see the IC in a catalog from a random factory and buy it for resale with no testing. That's where fitment and quality issues enter the equation - and return issues if you encounter them. You want a company that has their own product tested on jigs and vehicles prior to production - that control their process. Price is all marketing beyond that. It's MUCH more attractive to go with the eBay option when any other options is 2x+ the price, though. Can't argue with that.

For example, that same thread in the other Eco forums had a guy say that the weld seam on his buddy's eBay IC blew after a few months.

 

[Brodirt]

Very-much agree that the pricing of these IC's is a bit ridiculous, but the issue here is that the Mishi clone is copied over and over and over by 3-4 different factories without test-fitting and using different, maybe even sub-par materials. Those copies of copies are then re-copied, etc. and eBay sellers then see the IC in a catalog from a random factory and buy it for resale with no testing. That's where fitment and quality issues enter the equation - and return issues if you encounter them. You want a company that has their own product tested on jigs and vehicles prior to production - that control their process. Price is all marketing beyond that. It's MUCH more attractive to go with the eBay option when any other options is 2x+ the price, though. Can't argue with that.

For example, that same thread in the other Eco forums had a guy say that the weld seam on his buddy's eBay IC blew after a few months.

Or maybe youre just paying Mishi for unnecessary good will and customer service?

 

[cvf-jason]

Or maybe youre just paying Mishi for unnecessary good will and customer service?

Not knocking your approach at all, my man. Just saying that the trade-off between eBay knock-offs and going Mishimoto is the returns process if you encounter an issue (you're not having to send it to China and return through eBay) and the odds of you getting a damaged/off piece is higher (since these guys don't care about quality control - they just sell off the catalog). For a product that's 1/2 the price of Mishimoto's I'd give it a shot as well.

 

[PRG3k]

Very-much agree that the pricing of these IC's is a bit ridiculous

Buy used. They cost so much because they are practically a lifetime part. So what does that tell you?

Buying a used IC in the classifieds (there are always a boatload) is what everyone should do. I've bought brand new units, used brand name units, knockoff units. Used brand name units are the best value and they'll last forever.

It's going to serve you the exact same way it did the last guy. Even if its filthy, old and got oil spewed inside from a blown turbo, a simple dunk in a non-corrosive solvent and its good as new.

 

[cvf-jason]

Buy used. They cost so much because they are practically a lifetime part. So what does that tell you?

Buying a used IC in the classifieds (there are always a boatload) is what everyone should do. I've bought brand new units, used brand name units, knockoff units. Used brand name units are the best value and they'll last forever.

It's going to serve you the exact same way it did the last guy. Even if its filthy, old and got oil spewed inside from a blown turbo, a simple dunk in a non-corrosive solvent and its good as new.

Another valid point, but I'm still a big believer in a fair-priced brand-name product out of the box new. My point was that those who want knock-offs from eBay can buy them, but don't think you're getting the same product which has gone through the same process as even your used brand name unit.

 

[Brodirt]

Buy used. They cost so much because they are practically a lifetime part. So what does that tell you?

Buying a used IC in the classifieds (there are always a boatload) is what everyone should do. I've bought brand new units, used brand name units, knockoff units. Used brand name units are the best value and they'll last forever.

It's going to serve you the exact same way it did the last guy. Even if its filthy, old and got oil spewed inside from a blown turbo, a simple dunk in a non-corrosive solvent and its good as new.

Did you ask any seller why they were selling them?

 

[Brodirt]

Not knocking your approach at all, my man. Just saying that the trade-off between eBay knock-offs and going Mishimoto is the returns process if you encounter an issue (you're not having to send it to China and return through eBay) and the odds of you getting a damaged/off piece is higher (since these guys don't care about quality control - they just sell off the catalog). For a product that's 1/2 the price of Mishimoto's I'd give it a shot as well.

I didnt mean to come off as defensive; I often favor quality over marketing.

 

[TheDonSalami]

Map or cpe street intercooler? I have the Ford procal tune and I don't plan on getting a a new tuner in the near future.

 

[Redcruzer]

Map or cpe street intercooler? I have the Ford procal tune and I don't plan on getting a a new tuner in the near future.

I cant comment on the MAP unit but the CP-E works very well with my FP tune and is very well built.

 

[PRG3k]

Another valid point, but I'm still a big believer in a fair-priced brand-name product out of the box new. My point was that those who want knock-offs from eBay can buy them, but don't think you're getting the same product which has gone through the same process as even your used brand name unit.

Most of the time fit and fitment aren't a problem on a lot of those knockoff units. They're usually made from the same molds. What can suffer are quality of aluminum, quality of welds and quality of the core and cheap end tanks.

Did you ask any seller why they were selling them?

Why are there ever used parts for sale? 99% of the time its someone going back to stock, others think bigger is better and bought another unit, others are parting out, others sold their car. 1% chance someone can be hustling you and in which case their seller rating would drop and no one would buy from them again.

 

[Brodirt]

Most of the time fit and fitment aren't a problem on a lot of those knockoff units. They're usually made from the same molds. What can suffer are quality of aluminum, quality of welds and quality of the core and cheap end tanks.



Why are there ever used parts for sale? 99% of the time its someone going back to stock, others think bigger is better and bought another unit, others are parting out, others sold their car. 1% chance someone can be hustling you and in which case their seller rating would drop and no one would buy from them again.

I was wondering if the knock-offs that you've come across gave any indication of under-performance or failure.

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