I'm about to buy the front mount for my CA Coupe...my plan was to use the same cooler as dattodude (450x300x76; 2.5" pipes).

Then I wondered, is there a way to determine the best size for the engine application? The balance between lag, temperature drop, etc...

Been doing some surfing but haven't found a satisfactory answer yet.

Hopefully someone else here has thought about it and came up with an answer that satisfied them.

get one of those and don't use piping bigger than 2.5 inch and it'll be fine. for a standard turbo application one of this size is big overkill but there's always the future

The answer lies in thermodynamics & involves a calculation based on Latent heat, Heat transfer, Surface Area & the specific enthaply of air.

In short - The calculations are a b1tch....

There must be some manufacturer's selection data somewhere (A chart or similar) which gives an intercooler size by inputing some arbitary values.

I reckon it'd be easier to find that than doing the maths.

if its a CA then something around the stock size for silvias would be enough...

however they are useless little things and your better off checkin out some autoparts stores or talking to some garages that do FMIC kits for silvias. they would know (and have) basically what you need.

ill say that 2.5" pipe is nearly too big. the miniumum pipe lenght and diameter should be used to reduce lag to a minimum...

Maybe I'll go troll the ricer forums for a bit - see what some of the S13s have.

I can get the 450x300x76 w/ 2.5" pipes for $220 + delivery....that's a good deal - just didn't want to dive into it and regret it later...if it was totally unsuitable.

As dattodude has one it seems like a reasonable option, as I reckon he does his research.

Just looking to feel confident that it is the right decision.

I installed a 450x300x76mm core in my mate's CA18 silvia.

Most blokes with S13's just go straight for the 600mm core but we went with the slightly shorter core because it made the job a lot easier. We didn't notice a difference in lag or response from the stock intercooler but it gained quite a bit of top end.

My brother has 450x300 core cooler in his bluebird with an SR20 and it's making nearly 180rwkw on a stock turbo and computer.

I reckon you can't go wrong with these coolers for the price.

Well that's three votes for the 450 Nexcent PP sell. Sold I believe.

I'll make sure I get the 2.5" pipes, not the 3".

those intercoolers are fine for most road cars, stock are not that crash hot, bout same size as a 4 pack of toilet paper and about as useful when you boost a little or push the car in hot weather.

unless your drag racing or have a super hi po car and big $$$, it will take a fair bit to run out of efficincy from it. you might get 80% performance compare dto a trust or gready one, but you probably wont use that extra 205 and save yoursellf hundreds of $$$

i got my cooler the size you are talking about for $160 delivered. nexcent are not really all that cheap and sell the same products that ebay or justjap will. even if you get three inch outlets you have to get 90 degree silicon bends anyway, just get ones that reduce to 2.5 inch.

its not rocket surgery

Huh - didn't know about justjap, that stuff is really cheap...I thought $200 was a good price for an intercooler, but $129. Cor Blimey.