The big Intercooler thread.

[greg hazlett]

Bang for buck might probably be Levels performance. But they are not replying to my emails, so they either do not send it to Europe or they do not care about their potential customers.

Nik is a one man show so I recommend giving him a call, it does take a while for him to respond but he will.

Sponsored

 

[greg hazlett]

Just going off what I've personally heard from other people in this thread and the EB community. I personally went with ATM. Adam(Tune +) recommends ATM, Full-Race, and then Levels in that order. Hence why I said Levels first, since the other two aren't even in his top 3. I've heard that MAP is above Mishi as well.

Funny thing, when he worked at MAP it was the best/only one and others were "junk" and now that he doesn't work there he does not recommend them...

I have the MAP and it is ok/good upgrade over stock but as others have said ATM or the new Levels one coming out is what I would recommend depending on your budget. If you can swing it get the ATM or new Levels and do it once.

 

[smidra]

Levels is gonna be the best for you money. I'd go MAP next after them. Mishimoto would be last on my list. To get in contact with Levels hit them up on Facebook.

I ordered mine a few weeks ago and haven't gotten it yet. I e mailed them yesterday and no reply yet. Hope there is no need to be worried. I'll let you know if they e mail me back today.

The best thing to do is to get his number from the website and call him. Nik is a one-man show. He's doing everything from R&D, production, shipping, and everything else by himself. If you call him, you'll get the answers you need a lot quicker.

Edit:
Here's his number: 386-456-8059



Sent from my XT1095 using Tapatalk

Nik is a one man show so I recommend giving him a call, it does take a while for him to respond but he will.

Thanks a lot guys, I will try that! This proves how helpful and friendly community this is. Thanks!

 

[higdominator]

Funny thing, when he worked at MAP it was the best/only one and others were "junk" and now that he doesn't work there he does not recommend them...

I have the MAP and it is ok/good upgrade over stock but as others have said ATM or the new Levels one coming out is what I would recommend depending on your budget. If you can swing it get the ATM or new Levels and do it once.

As the cars make more power/go faster the needs develop. Before this MAP was probably adequate, but as the ATM, LVL, FR stuff has shown to be better for making power, the stock replacement styles naturally go to the wayside.

FWIW, Adam still plugs the MAP for stock replacement coolers, it's just that time and experience has shown there to be better options.

What's really going to make this fuzzy....Cobb's new beast of a stock replacement IC.

 

[Juben]

Testing has shown over the years that taller and thinner intercoolers perform better than short and fat ones. Not only does a taller intercooler have a larger surface area for cooling but the air passes through (externally) easier than a thicker unit. With a thicker unit, the air heats up more as it travels through it and loses some of it's cooling ability. There's been some good write-ups, which I've previously posted.

Sent from my XT1095 using Tapatalk

 

[Juben]

"Area vs. Thickness
Wang continues, "The rule of thumb here is obvious-bigger is better. More surface area means more cooling power. However, a larger surface area is favored over a thicker core. A larger surface area provides more cooling face for the ambient air where a thicker core might be less effective. As the core gets thicker, the ambient air traveling through the core is heated by transfer and the farther through the core it travels the hotter it gets. By the time the ambient is at the back side of the unit, it's lost a good percentage of its cooling capacity. Beyond that, thick cores cause an ambient pressure drop, which means less air will make its way to the radiator causing overheating issues.

"When it comes to area, achieving the maximum height is more beneficial than widening the unit. The main reason for this is pressure drop is greater when the charge air has to travel through longer passage compared to a shorter passage. It should be noted that pressure drop through a longer-passage core can be compensated for, to a certain extent, via fin design.""

Source for the above excerpt: http://www.superstreetonline.com/how-to/engine/0304-turp-intercooler/

That's why I've always recommend units designed like the Levels or Full Race. The ATM is kind of the best of both worlds and is designed extremely well. In any event, whether you choose the ATM, LP, or FR, you really arent going wrong with any of them.

Sent from my XT1095 using Tapatalk

 

[marjen]

Oh this is getting confusing. Pulling the trigger soon. Its either going to be Levels, MAP or might see how the new cobb turns out. I would prefer a stock replacement. That is the only thing holding me back on the levels. It looks a little tricky due to having to kill the shutters.

 

[greg hazlett]

Removing the shutter is not a big deal and does not affect anything other than cleaning up the grill.

 

[higdominator]

Oh this is getting confusing. Pulling the trigger soon. Its either going to be Levels, MAP or might see how the new cobb turns out. I would prefer a stock replacement. That is the only thing holding me back on the levels. It looks a little tricky due to having to kill the shutters.

Shutters are cake. Like Greg said, there's no ill effects that anyone cares about.

IMO if your choices are between Levels, MAP or Cobb....I would go levels hands down.

 

[marjen]

But doesn't it throw error codes? I will probably be tuned again anyway, so maybe it does not matter. I do hear nothing but good things about the levels.

 

[Juben]

It throws a code, but it doesn't turn the Check Engine Light on. It just stores it and you'll see it if you use a code scanner.

Sent from my XT1095 using Tapatalk

 

[espennor]

Bang for buck might probably be Levels performance. But they are not replying to my emails, so they either do not send it to Europe or they do not care about their potential customers.

ox

Levels looks good! I have a US mailbox, so they only have to send it to NJ...
Looks like Adamtune and Levels IC to start with.

Thanks, anyways I'm not upgrading until april or may...

 

[turtleboy]

While I was shopping around the Levels won for price, size, construction. Yes some of the others might be better, but at almost twice the price, what are you really getting unless your car is a dedicated race car you you need only the best. I'm a very happy customer.

 

[Juben]

The only one that'd be slightly better would be the ATM. Otherwise, the Levels is on the same level or better than the others. It's been one of the best intercoolers I've used on my cars. And for the price, you really can't beat it.

Sent from my XT1095 using Tapatalk

 

[espennor]

Oh this is getting confusing. Pulling the trigger soon. Its either going to be Levels, MAP or might see how the new cobb turns out. I would prefer a stock replacement. That is the only thing holding me back on the levels. It looks a little tricky due to having to kill the shutters.

What's this thing you have to do with the shutters using Levels IC?

Sponsored