Difference Between Brand And No-brand Intercooler

[ckhawly]

What is the difference between a Hybrid intercooler worth $1000+

and no named brand worth $200

[R31Nismoid]

for most mild applications

nothing

this has been covered time and time again. Please search and have a read of people expiriences. There are lots to read about

[funkymonkey]

I'd say next to none. If you were comparing a Blitz, ARC, HKS etc intercooler to a cheapie then there's a world of difference from flow to fit... but a Hybrid is pretty much the same as a cheapie as far as I can tell.

They're made in pretty much the same factories, using the same processes, with the same designs. One just gets marketed through a brand, the other is sort of a parallel import. All the cheap chinese (and I include Hybrid in this category, even though they are priced high) intercooler kits come with shoddy clamps and thin silicone tubes and stainless pipes that don't inspire confidence. At least with a cheapie you can say "hey I didn't pay so much for it, so I can't expect much".

[ckhawly]

[R31Nismoid ...i did reaseach but could really find any answers...

what do u mean by mild applications

[ckhawly]

cheers funky i thought that was it....................................

why would brand name put a price tag that $1000 more

[Blitz]

What is the difference between a Hybrid intercooler worth $1000+

and no named brand worth $200

A Hybrid cooler and a 'no name' cooler are the same - You are paying for the 'Hybrid' name.

[khunjeng]

as with anything there will be differences in flow etc but in "mild" applications I doubt u will notice it. no point spending 1k on an FMIC and 200 on a stock turbo if u get my drift...match up ur combo...its like having a 4Gig CPU and only using 512Mb of ram runnig XP...its got the juice...but u cant really get to use it.

[WazR32GTSt]

from what i have read on the forums, "cheap" intercoolers have worked fine up to around 250rwkw with no problems

above that, who knows?

no one has really done it because if you have more than 250rwkw then you can afford whatever intercooler you like, and most opt for a brand name at that stage.

so i'd say you will be pretty safe unless you are building a race car

personally i got mine from justjap.com and its great quality and fits well

good luck,

Warren

[thrtytwo]

any forum will tell you that there are MANY people running fairly high boost and putting out nice kw figures with cheap coolers, there not as big a deal as some people make of them, the main difference is quality, i have a copy cooler and the welds are shit and the pipes are about as polished as my left knee ! but it works

[scathing]

That cracks me up.

A couple of years ago, a Hybrid was a "no name" intercooler. That's what you bought if you couldn't afford a Japanese brand name product.

[Sumo]

I remember those days.

Hybrid must have "made" a name for themselves

Cheers

Sumo

[JCMarshall_Law]

Yeah thats what I was thinking, since when have Hybrid coolers been top quality? They are still cheap, you can get a full kit off ebay for a 33 for $550.

[scathing]

I remember those days.

Hybrid must have "made" a name for themselves

I think we're showing our age. Before you know it, we'll be wearing cardigans and driving Camrys.

They definitely have made a name for themselves. They're cheap and the kits are pretty solid (i.e. come with most of the bits you need, tend to fit properly, and worked pretty well) which means if you couldn't afford the HKS / A'PEXi / Trust / ARC / Mick's Metalcraft wankery you bought a Hybrid.

And now, because everyone's got one, including some guys with "serious" cars, people who have no idea that they were the cooler you bought when you couldn't afford JDM now think its an aspirational brand.

That said, if I had a turbo car I'd probably buy a Hybrid cooler. I know some very nice cars with Hybrid coolers, which fitted perfectly, cool / flow well, and haven't broken....and I don't need to tell people I paid twice as much for a JDM aftermarket cooler that only does a better job when bench racing.