Which Intercooler For R34 Gtr?

[Iron Mike]

Ok, let me get this out of the way first. I am well aware that the standard intercoolers on R34 GTRs flow very well and can handle in the vicinity of 370-380 awkw before they become too restrictive and an upgrade is needed. As it stands, my car is making power just shy of that and with some upgrades coming in the near future, I will be looking to upgrade my intercooler too. The car will not be a high-powered drag car (by high powered I mean a 500+ awkw monster) but it will be a super-street car I currently have two options bearing in mind cost and relative performance gains. I have heard and read everywhere that ARC cores prove the best upgrades in terms of response, flow, heat soak and pressure drop, but you pay dearly for this gain. So the options I've narrowed down to are the TRUST Spec-R HG which measures 302x710x115mm, and the HKS Type R which measures 700 x 304 x 103mm. I can get both for around $1200-1300 at the moment. Does anyone have experience with either of these and what are your thoughts on using them for power in the range of 380-410 awkw? My main concern is decreased response and pressure drop with the larger TRUST core. What should I expect? Also, with the 115mm thick TRUST core, will I need to cut away at my front bar to make it fit??

[GTRKat]

I had the TRUST Spec-R HG which measures 302x710x115mm and on my 32 there were modifications needed to the front bar to have it fit but can't speak for a 34.

I fitted that cooler when I was making around 400kw or so and had no issues. Found that the car made power more consistently and had less issues as it heated up. I did not notice any problems with decreased response.

Hope that helps!

[Four - Twelve]

Can't say much about those specific intercoolers and their respective performances, but I can provide insight regarding sizing.

If you are running a factory front bar, you will almost certainly need to cut away some of it for both the 115mm and 103mm intercoolers. I am currently running a 100mm thick intercooler on my 34R, and I had to cut into my oem bar to get it to fit. If you go down this path, be prepared to not run the grating, or to fabricate a new mounting system for said grating. I fear that there won't be much bar left if you decide on the 115mm option.

Z-tune and perhaps S-tune bars do allow greater clearance for intercoolers, and should clear the 103mm cooler, but 115mm may still be pushing it. Hopefully someone else can provide their experiences with these bars and larger intercoolers.

Best of luck with whatever path you go down.

Edited August 5, 2013 by Four - Twelve