Side Mount Options

[KiwiRS4T]

For people who want to stick with the smic for whatever reason ( there comes a point somewhere around 220 - 230 AWKW where you don't have much choice but to go front mount) there are alternatives. I have just spent the day (well most of it) fitting my Nismo smic. I had found a Trust one for my last S1 but damaged it in the crash and was lucky to find this Nismo one. There is a good "how to upgrade from R33 to R34GTT i/c" by SK in the DIY section. The GTT and Nismo bolt straight in . The Trust holes don't line up with anything much and mine was virtually hanging by the hoses (although without any problems)!

The best looking one is the ARC but I wasn't able to locate one in NZ. The stock S1 R33 one looks (and is) really tiny when you get it out. Dimensions (width x height x thickness):

Stagea S1 (R33) 210 x 185 x 65

Stagea S2 (R34GTT) 210 x 225 x 80

Trust 240 x 195 x 100

Nismo 200 x 230 x 100

ARC - I don't have the capacity but I believe it is greater than all of the above.

Front view S1/GTT/Trust/Nismo

Top view Nismo/Trust/GTT/S1

[RBPOWA-(TJ)]

hey thats cool to see the difference side by side like that Rob . good on ya

[GTR91]

Side Mount Inter Cooler? as opposed to a front mount?

Is it a cost thing? or a cops thing?

[RBPOWA-(TJ)]

cop thing ... that ARC on pictured was sold not to long ago for around 800 bucks.

and i think rob once said front mounts regardless or return flow thought the stock holes is still illegal

[-NismoR32-]

cop thing ... that ARC on pictured was sold not to long ago for around 800 bucks.

and i think rob once said front mounts regardless or return flow thought the stock holes is still illegal

return flow is legal if you don't have a pod, (only 1 intake mod in Vic. anyway) if you have both then (pod & front mount) its illegal.

which is why you would go for a ARC, Nismo.... smic because you could get away with the pod & cooler.

[_Ryan_]

needs to be put in the DIY/FYI Sticky!

great thread rob, wish i had stayed SMIC, easier

[DaveB]

The best looking one is the ARC but I wasn't able to locate one in NZ. The stock S1 R33 one looks (and is) really tiny when you get it out. Dimensions (width x height x thickness):

Stagea S1 (R33) 210 x 185 x 65

Stagea S2 (R34GTT) 210 x 225 x 80

Trust 240 x 195 x 100

Nismo 200 x 230 x 100

ARC - I don't have the capacity but I believe it is greater than all of the above.

Front view S1/GTT/Trust/Nismo

Top view Nismo/Trust/GTT/S1

Awesome stuff Rob - thanks for the measurements! and for the awesome pic's

[KiwiRS4T]

Side Mount Inter Cooler? as opposed to a front mount?

Is it a cost thing? or a cops thing?

Obviously when I get my RB30 powered Stagea I'll have a massive front mount! Apparently in some Aussie states there is a legal issue. In NZ front mounts are not illegal (although certification may be necessary if you have chopped the metalwork to fit one) but for me its partly cost and partly wanting to keep a low profile. I have done track days with the Trust side mount with about 200AWKW and it has been fine. I am hoping to get to about 220AWKW and am making a temperature controlled water spray with a spare windscreen washer set-up from my w/o car. If I get carried away and want still more power I'll have to get the beefed up gear box and a front mount as well as the poncams, port and polish, Link computer etc (around $6500 all up) so that will be some time away yet!

[bTW the measurements in the original post are for the core only, excluding the side tanks]

[DaveB]

Obviously when I get my RB30 powered Stagea I'll have a massive front mount! Apparently in some Aussie states there is a legal issue. In NZ front mounts are not illegal (although certification may be necessary if you have chopped the metalwork to fit one) but for me its partly cost and partly wanting to keep a low profile. I have done track days with the Trust side mount with about 200AWKW and it has been fine. I am hoping to get to about 220AWKW and am making a temperature controlled water spray with a spare windscreen washer set-up from my w/o car. If I get carried away and want still more power I'll have to get the beefed up gear box and a front mount as well as the poncams, port and polish, Link computer etc (around $6500 all up) so that will be some time away yet!

[bTW the measurements in the original post are for the core only, excluding the side tanks]

Ah, thanks Rob - are you able to give the measurements of, say, the Trust sidemount including side tanks? I am looking at a air-water core of a similar shape and style (single side entry/return) to a SMIC, but it is 12" or 300mm wide, including the side tanks... wondering if I have a hope in heck of fitting in in the standard position. It's also 300mm tall and ~115mm deep/thick.

[66yostagea]

I fitted an R34 smic following the SK DIY. I did mod the air deflector a bit to catch mor air asthe extra size gave a slight misalignment problem. But all is good now.

[KiwiRS4T]

The standard smic is 360mm overall the Trust was a little more so width will not be a problem. The Trust and Nismo are just over 100mm thick but there is room for more so the thickness will be OK. Height will be a problem as the GTT and Nismo ones at around 230mm just fit and the Trust at 240mm was jammed in. You could go the extra 60mm by removing the bits under the intercooler depending on your ground clearance as it would protrude down a bit. (Or, more drastically, you could chop out the metalwork above the intercooler and modify the aircleaner).

[DaveB]

The standard smic is 360mm overall the Trust was a little more so width will not be a problem. The Trust and Nismo are just over 100mm thick but there is room for more so the thickness will be OK. Height will be a problem as the GTT and Nismo ones at around 230mm just fit and the Trust at 240mm was jammed in. You could go the extra 60mm by removing the bits under the intercooler depending on your ground clearance as it would protrude down a bit. (Or, more drastically, you could chop out the metalwork above the intercooler and modify the aircleaner).

Hmm thanks Rob sorry for the late reply, but I haven't forgotten about this project. A better intercooler, a boost controller (jaycar IEBC) and a re-tune should be all I need to finish this project off. But considering that I need an extra 60mm by the sounds, and the pipes at the top of this liquid-air cooler are not properly aligned the same as stock and so may require even more clearance, I might have to look at front-mounting the exchanger via a turn-back style setup (this will be less critical than with a FMIC I think because the whole thing will still be smaller overall and thus hopefully more manageable/easier to conceal). Oh... and I would need to get my front bar re-sprayed at the same time... chipped, scratched, cracked and split (dayz too)

[airbox]

I fitted an smic off an R34GTT complete with it's own intake shroud, straight swap, had a bit of difficulty attaching the plastic inner wheel lining due to the extra height. That was until it blew off cos of the plastic panel attachers being broken, it rubbed on the wheel for a minute or so, got a bit hot and warped and now it fits perfectly!!!! Can't say I notice a huge difference, a bit more urgent at the top end. I don't want to go bigger as I find the lag as it changes up bad enough as it is!!

Good thread Rob. Not meaning to be rude but that window could do with a lick of paint!!!

[KiwiRS4T]

I fitted an smic off an R34GTT complete with it's own intake shroud, straight swap, had a bit of difficulty attaching the plastic inner wheel lining due to the extra height. That was until it blew off cos of the plastic panel attachers being broken, it rubbed on the wheel for a minute or so, got a bit hot and warped and now it fits perfectly!!!! Can't say I notice a huge difference, a bit more urgent at the top end. I don't want to go bigger as I find the lag as it changes up bad enough as it is!!

Good thread Rob. Not meaning to be rude but that window could do with a lick of paint!!!

Well I started at the top! Have done the roof but the rest of the exterior needs painting, my floors need sanding and polishing etc - its just time and money and my story is i just have to "finish" the car first!

I haven't got past the 200AWKW stage yet so i haven't found the limits of the smic. If I have to change it i will but if i can get 220 -230AWKW with the smic its staying! (But that's just me - I'm not suggesting other people should not get a front mount or that they'll get no benefit from one ( although that would be true if that was the only mod!!)

[wisey18]

I have an ARC SMIC (the same one in the first pic) on my R34 GTT. I did notice a difference between the stock one and this. They are similar in size but the ARC SMIC is a little thicker.

I don't get the heatsoak like I used to on really hot days and seems more responsive too!

ARC SMIC is slightly shorter than R34 GTT but slightly wider than R34 GTT.

Thickness of the ARC is 105 according to the ARC website.

http://www.arcinter.co.jp/arc/products/int...rmal/index.html

Looking at the specs of the NISMO core I believe the ARC one is very close the NISMO one but 105 for thickness.

Does anyone know what the ARC SMIC's are rated to?

[KiwiRS4T]

I don't know what the ARC smic is rated at. I saw some big figure somewhere but can't remember what it was. I have emailed the question to the ARC website that you linked to.

What power are you making at present? Please be sure to let me know if you are ever thinking of selling it!

[wisey18]

Yeh, no worries Rob.

I haven't got it dynoed since I put it on so I can't say what power it's making.

I had it dynoed stock with R34 GTT optioned exhaust with the butterfly valve which was seized shut at the time and it only made 134.4 rwkw.

[DaveB]

Digging up an old thread... with a question... would a trust sidemount be an upgrade over an R34/series 2 stagea sidemount, do you think?

Reason I ask is there's a trust sidemount cooler available for $300, says to suit R33. I don't know whether the mounting points would be in the right place to make it fit a series 2 stagea; but I just assumed that since apparrently the series 2 stagea SMIC = R34 GTT SMIC and S1 SMIC = R33 SMIC, that the R33 trust one would fit S2 stagea... anybody know??? The trust looks better dimensions-wise, except not as tall.

[KiwiRS4T]

Yep I had a Trust smic - excellent unit thicker and more efficient than R34 one but wrecked it when I smashed up the car. For some reason the brackets didn't line up very well so it was basically hanging by the hoses and supported by the front bar support but it worked fine. Also didn't come with the shroud so i had to fabricate one myself.

[DaveB]

Hmm yeah its actually $400 (don't know htf got that wrong??) here on sau

but for that price + fabricate shroud etc I might try water-air. Just got to work up the enthusiasm. Most urgent issue is spark breakdown anyway.