Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

hey guys im in the process of purchasing an r33 turbo to replace my r32 stock turbo and was thinking of changing my smic for a r34 gtt one... just want your thoughts on if it would be a good investment in getting one of those. im not really here to chase alot of power though if it would help a fair bit in air ratio wise, is it good value for money in worth getting.

cheers guys,

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/306854-r34-gtt-vs-r32-gtst-smic/
Share on other sites

The R34 SMIC intecooler is better but still junk, it heatsoaks badly and only delays the inevitable. FMIC are cheap nowadays and just jup have returb flow ones for next to nothing. I got 34 gtt ones laying around like dead flys.

I did make 198 rwkw, when my car had the standard R33 turbo and R34 SMIC. So it is definitely an improvement over the standard R32 or R33 intercooler.

The reason I stuck with a side mount initially, was because I didn't want the increased length of piping (and reduction in throttle response) when combined with the standard plenum.

In the end I had to go for a front mount, but changed the plenum at the same time to minimise the piping.

i still call bullshit on it being an improvement

any core could make 200rwkw

even a top mount core could make a single 200rwkw pass

but after that run, its heatsoaked and useless for anything further

thats where the difference between the core and its location that matters

once its heatsoaked, how quickly can it ditch all the heat thats stored in it

Paul,

Calling Bullshit is a bit strange? A larger core has to be somewhat of an improvement, as the core has more surface area.

This extra surface area will take more heat from the air before it gets heat soaked (as there's more alloy to heat up).

It's common knowledge that a front mount will be a much greater improvement, due to it's location and the extra core size. But if the larger size of the side-mount core didn't make a difference, why did Nissan progressively increase it's size over the years?

Ryno

  • 1 month later...
i still call bullshit on it being an improvement

any core could make 200rwkw

even a top mount core could make a single 200rwkw pass

but after that run, its heatsoaked and useless for anything further

thats where the difference between the core and its location that matters

once its heatsoaked, how quickly can it ditch all the heat thats stored in it

I call bullshit on the bullshit call too... it is simple matter of physics and the R34 SMIC has more surface area, volume and weight (approx 50% more!!!).

Unless you're also calling bullshit to thousands of years of science that means: more flow, a bigger heat sink and better heat transfer capabilities. ;)

With some simple improvements to ducting and air flow (e.g. R34 air duct on the front, some foam rubber to seal it to the SMIC and more venting in the inner guard to let the hot air out) it is a big improvement over the stock R33 SMIC.

Yes a FMIC is better but a half decent one also costs $800+ and requires some effort to fit, not to mention the lack of stealth (if that's your thing).

If you have mild mods and are using the stock ECU/turbo the R34 SMIC upgrade at under $200 is a bargain!

I got instant power gains and much better response due to this mod, I also added an 8inch thermofan (400CFM) to aid cooling for good measure.

P.S. Getting heatsoaked on a dyno is indicative of nothing, unless you drive your car on one...

I call bullshit on the bullshit call too... it is simple matter of physics and the R34 SMIC has more surface area, volume and weight (approx 50% more!!!).

Unless you're also calling bullshit to thousands of years of science that means: more flow, a bigger heat sink and better heat transfer capabilities. :D

With some simple improvements to ducting and air flow (e.g. R34 air duct on the front, some foam rubber to seal it to the SMIC and more venting in the inner guard to let the hot air out) it is a big improvement over the stock R33 SMIC.

Yes a FMIC is better but a half decent one also costs $800+ and requires some effort to fit, not to mention the lack of stealth (if that's your thing).

If you have mild mods and are using the stock ECU/turbo the R34 SMIC upgrade at under $200 is a bargain!

I got instant power gains and much better response due to this mod, I also added an 8inch thermofan (400CFM) to aid cooling for good measure.

P.S. Getting heatsoaked on a dyno is indicative of nothing, unless you drive your car on one...

thier crap fullstop they are designed for 6psi and daily driving not 12-odd psi and any sort of decent spirited driving. A quick datalog of AIT quickly proves this. I can listr about 6 customers with ARC SMIC and r34 SMIC that are having issues on anything warmer than 25 degree days.... track days in anything over that requires stupid numbers removed from the timing map.. few are still on std turbos. Add a decent turbo and the issue comes to fuition twice as quick.

one rb20 skyline with gt2530 has an ait (pfc djetro on rb20) that takes timing out as the temp increases, it turned out after 3 laps of winton the total timing was reduced so much to stave off det that when i ran it on the dyno with those timing figures it only made 170rwkw..... std power, fitted a cheap 400 turnflow kit and it is sweet.

if someone is happy to pay $200 (like you reckon) for a r34 smic be my guest i have a few id be happy to part with.

  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Next, remove the upper and lower radiator hoses, both are held with a spring clamp. While you are under there, tackle the Auto Trans cooler lines.  Again both are held on with spring clamps, and as mentioned above you should cap them on the radiator side with an 8mm cap, and on the car side loop them with a length of 8mm pipe - this will stop you losing a dangerous amount of AT fluid during the rest of the job If you've been meaning to add a sender for AT trans temp, this is a great time to do it; put a sender fitting into the passenger side line as that is the inlet to the cooler/radiator.
    • Next you need to remove the intake duct (as with pretty much every job on these cars), it is a series of clips you gently remove with a flat bladed screwdriver. They do get brittle with time and can break, and I have not found a decent quality aftermarket one that fits (they are all too soft or flimsy and don't last either) but the nissan ones are a couple of bucks each (ouch).  Once the clips are off (either 8 or 10, I didn't check) you lift the intake duct out and will see the reservoirs Undo the line into the radiator side cap (some bent needle nosed piers are awesome for spring clamps) and then remove the 4x 10m nuts that hold both in place.  I didn't get these pics, but remove the line under the radiator reservoir (spring clamp again) then remove that reservoir. Then you can get at the intake reservoir, same thing, spring clamp underneath then remove it. BTW This is a great time to put in a larger (+70%) combined reservoir that AMS makes..... https://www.amsperformance.com/product/q50-q60-red-alpha-coolant-expansion-tank/ They also make an Infiniti branded and part# version if that is your thing
    • To drain the Intake Heat Exchanger, there is a crappy drain plug in front of the driver's side front tyre: You should use the largest headed phillips screwdriver you had, and in my case I needed vice grips on the hose above as the plug was tight (tighter than it needed to be, since it has an o-ring seal).  After you have a tray down and open the drain, open the intake heat exchanger reservoir cap (drivers side one) and you should get a couple of litres of coolant To get to the radiator, you need to remove the plastic engine undertray. It is held on with a series of 10mm headed bolts and some clips. For the radiator, there is another type of crappy drain (kind of like a plastic banjo bolt) and you should attach a length of hose to direct the stream of coolant per this pic (otherwise the coolant hits the rad support and goes everywhere). The drain is on the rear of the radiator on the driver's side and a bit hard to find. Put a big tray or bucket down (5l won't be enough) and slowly unscrew the fitting by hand. You only want to remove it far enough for coolant to flow, it you unscrew it right out the whole fitting and direction pipe will come off and you will get a coolant bath (yum!). Undo the radiator reservoir cap and it should empty about 8l
    • So, this shouldn't be such a mission, but there were a few tricks so I thought I'd post up a DIY for it. This was on a Q50 Red Sport but I doubt any other V37 model is very different (maybe just less steps for the intake heat exchanger hoses) I pulled the radiator out to flush it because the car was running hot at the track, but obviously the same steps apply for changing a radiator for any reason including an upgrade. If you are removing the radiator, you of course need to drain and refill, so have 5+ litres of blue coolant ready. You also need to drain the intake heat exchanger to remove the radiator so you will need a couple of litres for that as well. You will also need something to deal with the auto transmission lines, I used 2x 8mm rubber caps on the radiator side, and a short length of 8mm pipe on the car side.....unless you can block these lines quickly you will loose AT fluid and it may be enough to hurt the transmission if you don't refill it. 2 other tools that really help dealing with coolant lines and spring clamps are Bent Needle Nose pliers Hose pliers Between them they will reduce the frustration (and injury) potential by about 1000% Other than that....lets go... "First, jack up your car". Yes really, and put it safely on stands. If you are not confident doing that you need to give this job to a mechanic
    • If the forester is anything like our old 2007 GTB Liberty, I could near on run ling Long's and "rate them", as no matter what, it just hung to the road, even when abusing it in a hard launch in the wet, or throwing it at corners.
×
×
  • Create New...