Fab9 350 hp intercooler vs ebay intercooler
#25
Based on what? I'm all for a heads up comparison but certainly this can not be decided based on value or quality since nothing has been mentioned about the fin density of the FM unit and we're leaving out other important details. I think size and price should also be a consideration here. To perform a proper product analysis we need a little more detail than some pictures from a dozen random sources. Price>Volume>Fin Density>Build Quality?
An international customer had an eBay intercooler shipped to me last year to ship with the rest of his order - it showed up bent. The material/build was so cheap I was able to grab it at each corner and bend it back, point being - pictures don't show the overall build quality. I'm confident anyone who owns one of our intercoolers can confirm the build quality is that of a premium intercooler.
An international customer had an eBay intercooler shipped to me last year to ship with the rest of his order - it showed up bent. The material/build was so cheap I was able to grab it at each corner and bend it back, point being - pictures don't show the overall build quality. I'm confident anyone who owns one of our intercoolers can confirm the build quality is that of a premium intercooler.
#26
I do not believe that ebay intercooler story. You could use mine as a jacking point, then take it off the car and use it as a tent stake hammer, then put it back on the car and use it as a bumper beam. The thing is seriously make from 1/4" thick aluminum its ******* dumb, it weighs more than my radiator full of water.
#27
SADFab Destructive Testing Engineer
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Wowowow, there is absolutely no way to compare 2 eBay intercoolers without them being side by side.I've heard if you order on Monday their stronger than if you place your order on Wednesday. But Friday gives you the best turbulators.
#28
I do not believe that ebay intercooler story. You could use mine as a jacking point, then take it off the car and use it as a tent stake hammer, then put it back on the car and use it as a bumper beam. The thing is seriously make from 1/4" thick aluminum its ******* dumb, it weighs more than my radiator full of water.
Regardless, my point is - there isn't enough information to put our intercoolers behind the FM units. It might be a good place to be (I've never seen an FM unit in person) one way or another, still it can't be decided based on this thread or the information in it.
#32
My ebay unit is a piece of **** that wouldn't even make a good paper weight, it's incredibly light. A piece of **** tube-fin with a bunch of folded over fins and decent performance. It would be perfectly fine for a street car but does get heat soaked on the track. Had I done more (some) research prior to purchase I would have known better. But it was cheap so who the **** cares, it will get replaced eventually.
Based solely on the pictures posted, from a cooling standpoint it looks like Precision > Bell > Fab9 350hp > aidandj ebay. Oddly enough (not really) the distance from camera to core is Fab9 > Bell > aidandj ebay > Precision. If you took all 3 cores and compared them from equal distances and same angle, which one would look better? From a distance the Bell cores look surprisingly similar to the 350hp Fab9.
More fins and turbulators inside means more pressure drop? Such a statement makes sense to me but I don't know ****. Anyway, based on that logic aidandj ebay > Fab 9 350hp > Bell > Precision
Based on price aidandj ebay > Fab 9 350hp > BEGI > Precision. Bang for the buck I don't think you can beat Fab 9's price with the exception of a very specific Ebay unit.
Only one of these has internal baffles so this is easy. BEGI > *
Mounting is another easy one. Fab 9 350hp = BEGI > aidandj ebay = Precision
Durability is tough. mt.net wisdom says BEGI are durable as **** and don't bend fins. Fab 9 are still pretty new and don't have a long track record. aidandj ebay is brand ******* new and made in china so probably mediocre. Yes I have no basis for that so suck it. I've only seen pictures on one Precision core, Savington's, and it looked fine after lots of track abuse. So this seems reasonable to me: BEGI > Precision > Fab 9 350 hp > aidandj ebay. I suspect all but the ebay unit will last a lifetime, and well the ebay is cheap so **** it. Replace it with another down the line if it falls apart.
Build quality is easy. * > ebay
The absolute most important quality has yet to be discussed in this thread.
Fab 9 350hp > *
And since this is miataturbo.net there can be only one choice. Fab 9.
Based solely on the pictures posted, from a cooling standpoint it looks like Precision > Bell > Fab9 350hp > aidandj ebay. Oddly enough (not really) the distance from camera to core is Fab9 > Bell > aidandj ebay > Precision. If you took all 3 cores and compared them from equal distances and same angle, which one would look better? From a distance the Bell cores look surprisingly similar to the 350hp Fab9.
More fins and turbulators inside means more pressure drop? Such a statement makes sense to me but I don't know ****. Anyway, based on that logic aidandj ebay > Fab 9 350hp > Bell > Precision
Based on price aidandj ebay > Fab 9 350hp > BEGI > Precision. Bang for the buck I don't think you can beat Fab 9's price with the exception of a very specific Ebay unit.
Only one of these has internal baffles so this is easy. BEGI > *
Mounting is another easy one. Fab 9 350hp = BEGI > aidandj ebay = Precision
Durability is tough. mt.net wisdom says BEGI are durable as **** and don't bend fins. Fab 9 are still pretty new and don't have a long track record. aidandj ebay is brand ******* new and made in china so probably mediocre. Yes I have no basis for that so suck it. I've only seen pictures on one Precision core, Savington's, and it looked fine after lots of track abuse. So this seems reasonable to me: BEGI > Precision > Fab 9 350 hp > aidandj ebay. I suspect all but the ebay unit will last a lifetime, and well the ebay is cheap so **** it. Replace it with another down the line if it falls apart.
Build quality is easy. * > ebay
The absolute most important quality has yet to be discussed in this thread.
Fab 9 350hp > *
And since this is miataturbo.net there can be only one choice. Fab 9.
#33
SADFab Destructive Testing Engineer
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If you are like me and do **** as cheap as you can and would rather spend way too long attempting to engineer something then eBay is the way to go. Any other situation I would pick FAB9. The outlets are in a perfect place, the mounting solution is awesome. And FAB9 have gotten a really good reputation of support and timeliness, something other companies can't always live up to.
I put effort into my eBay intercooler because I value my time at next to nothing because I do this for fun and have extra time as a student. If I properly valued my time then it would be FAB9 hands down.
I put effort into my eBay intercooler because I value my time at next to nothing because I do this for fun and have extra time as a student. If I properly valued my time then it would be FAB9 hands down.
#39
The dollar value of ebay intercoolers I ordered and returned before I got a good one > any brand name IC
AFAIK all the ebay tube/fin deals are crap. I've seen pictures of mediocore looking ones, but the ones I got were thick tube extrusions with jack for surface area. They weigh a ton with thick tubes and end tanks but still easily twist and rack side to side.
The first bar/plate I ordered is the ebay IC pictured in this thread.
AFAIK all the ebay tube/fin deals are crap. I've seen pictures of mediocore looking ones, but the ones I got were thick tube extrusions with jack for surface area. They weigh a ton with thick tubes and end tanks but still easily twist and rack side to side.
The first bar/plate I ordered is the ebay IC pictured in this thread.