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Hi, i have a Series 1 R33 Skyline, ive got my new boost controller but i don't want to hook it up till i replace the SMIC with a FMIC kit because its so hot and humid in darwin. I was talking to a guy at Autobarn and he confused me about brands etc. I then read a Fast Fours magazine which was alright, one thing in the mag i noticed was;

A spokesman from Hybrid said with a FMIC kit to suit an R33, they have seen 30-35kw increase from replacing the SMIC with a Hybrid FMIC kit on a good nic RB25DET, this was also based on the cars being completly stock, no exhaust, intake mods or anything.

Other people have told me that a FMIC won't increase power and i might loose power if i get an FMIC kit that has a high pressure drop.

Now atm i am running stock boost, when i get the FMIC kit i wanna run 10 pounds on the stockie. After i get some more money and stop prettying up the car for the Mrs, i want to get a smallish turbo like a HKS2350, bigger pump, injectors and power FC and i want to run about 15 pounds.

I want to ask the experts :P, what brand of FMIC kit should i get, will i get any performance gain or loss & how Plug and Play are the FMIC kits as they state they are.

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you will not gain or loose any power by fitting a FMIC and changing nothing else. What you certainly will gain however is more throttle lag. the time taken from when you press the accel pedal to the time the throttle body see's positive pressure. this is because you now have to fill all the extra pipework and the bigger FMIC core. you wont make any more or less power as you aren't putting any more air through the system. airflow makes power and you haven't changed that. you've changed the size of the inlet system (larger core + pipes) but haven't pushed anymore air through. sure the air has less heat charge but its still the same volume.

a good idea if you wish to avoid having the throttle lag problem after it is fitted is make another change at the same time, such as turn the boost and do a 3" turbo back exhaust. if you do this the outlet system can flow more air (less restriction) and the upped boost pressure will flow more air (providing exhaust will permit it). most people assocaited this with "a fitted a FMIC and gained 20rwkw" type of hype etc. i dont think brand plays a massive role in a FMIC core, they are all metal with just a particular tube and fin or bar and plate.

do a search on both to find out which is better for your use. a GTR second hand one is plently and good for upto 300rwkw so it will suit your needs and be had cheaply and should at least mount up somewhat closely as its based on the r33 front.

remember that airflow makes power not boost. running 8psi means nothing, flowing more air than you currently are means more power

thanks man, i already have a 3" exhaust cat back, need to get a new dump pipe so it's 3" all the way.

Would it be worth buying a genuine Hybrid FMIC kit from Autobarn etc for $1000, or a cheap knock off Hybrid kit off ebay for $600. The Mrs want's the Hybrid kit cause its got the 'shiny pipes' as she calls it, and it's half her car so i got to do they shiny bling stuff.

Sorry about the stupid questions, owned suzuki siwft gti & nissan exa before the skyline, so i don't know shit about rwd turbo's.

i would suggest looking in the group buy section, there are always on group buys on FMIC kit's so you should be able to save some dollars there. get a 3" split dump from BATBML (under for sale, business trader area) and that will be a perfect dump pipe for your needs. it's a dump and front pipe in one. make sure you have a good flowing cat also, this will help in taking off back pressure and flowing more air out the exhaust

Yeh i installed my FMIC last week, I only have a pod in heatsheild and cat back exhaust and havn't increased boost yet, the power gains were little to none. In my book the FMIC was installed to set the car up safely to run higher boost.

when i had my FMIC installed i did notice a smaller delay when pressing the accel pedal so the theory re: throttle lag increase does hold truth and its not some front facing plenum myth.

depends on labour taken and amount of hours involved. i paid $1200 to have a no brander hybrid core fitted. the core was only $350 the labour and pipework and welding (all stainless) was what cranked the pricing up. and also labour to cut the front bar and make it all fit

Hey man,

These are apparently genuine hybrid and a couple of hundred cheaper.

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/in...showtopic=90632

Should only cost 300-500 bux to get it installed. when i installed mine i didn't really notice any major change but i'm waiting to get it on the dyno before i put up the boost above 9psi.

Check out the link anyway

Since I installed my hybrid fmic, there was definately more power, no change to turbo lag & my car stopped backfiring so much. :P When it was with the stock one, it would pop on 90% of my gear changes, fitted that & now it only does it when the revs get high, and very occasionally whenever it feels like it.

I installed my fmic with custom pipework 2 weeks ago, took me (very unexperienced) a total of around 10hours to get everything measured up and perfect.

I bought the Apexi intercooler with same side return end tanks, off ebay. 2ndhand but top condition direct from Japan.

I noticed more power, but the tune on my SAFC is now way off, as Im using a heap more fuel. Going in to the shop shortly for a full fuel system upgrade, and more tuning parts.

Ok then, it feels to me like there is a little extra 'kick' there.... in fact Im sure there is. But at the same stage Im sure a fair bit more fuel is being thrown thru the system (around 20% more judging by my fuel guage).

Getting retuned next week on the dyno, with more fuel & air mods......

Paul correct me if i'm wrong, but you may be adding more area to be filled by the turbocharger to fill the system with a FMIC, but if the air being pushed into the engine after the Frount mount would have a lower air temperature, and therefore would also have more molecules per area etc?

Ie. Under the same principle that your car seems to run better on a cold night?

Taken from Autospeed website: Issue 12: http://autospeed.drive.com.au/cms/A_0084/article.html

'When a turbo or supercharger compresses air, the air is heated up. While this hot air can be fed straight into the intake of the engine (and often is), there are two disadvantages in taking this approach.

Firstly, warm air has less density than cool air - this means that it weighs less. It's important to know that it's the mass of air breathed by the engine that determines power, not the volume. So if the engine is being fed warm, high pressure air, the maximum power possible is significantly lower than if it is inhaling cold, high pressure air. The second problem with an engine breathing warm air is that the likelihood of detonation is increased. Detonation is a process of unstable combustion, where the flame front does not move progressively through the combustion chamber. Instead, the air/fuel mixture explodes into action. When this occurs, damage to the pistons, rings or head can very quickly happen.

If the temperature of the air can be reduced following the turbo or supercharger, the engine will have the potential to safely develop a higher power output. Intercoolers are used to cause this temperature drop.'

Edited by insu

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