The Z1 SMIC design is another one of our pursuits to develop competitive products with attributes in performance and pricing to set it above the rest.  

While our primary concerns are with the performance of the intercooler, one design element that had a lot of our focus was on the fitment of the intercoolers; we found that other cores presented issues in this department such as interference with turn signal lights and lack of fitment with stock ducting. The Z1 intercoolers bolt up to stock brackets as well as use the stock ducting to maintain good airflow through the core. Without a duct, an intercooler in the side mount position is going to have compromised airflow due to the fact that the charcoal canister, radiator reservoir, and wheel well liner are all acting as barriers - with the ducting in place, the high-speed ram effect being routed directly into the core face will force air through the core even with these objects close behind it. Maintaining the factory ducting keeps the new intercoolers efficient as well as the costs of expensive aftermarket ducting down.

With large gains in power output over the stock units in our dyno testing, the differences in power output between Stillen, Greddy, HKS, and Z1 intercoolers yielded the fact that they provide similar gains, even though the Z1 set was near the top. There are other cheaper "eBay" Z32 intercoolers now on the market, however, they lack the substantial core volume and core quality of the other respected choices on the market. So we recommend choosing from respected brands based on the variables of fitment and price when selecting an SMIC set. We are wholesale distributors for other respected brands and will sell you any intercoolers you may choose. However, with the best fitment available, while maintaining one of the largest core volumes and the best retail price of the bunch, we think the choice is clear.  

There are two main reasons upgraded intercoolers are beneficial. The ability to flow a higher volume of air through them and the ability to cool that air (intake charge) down at higher volumes.

On a modified 300ZX TT upgraded intercoolers replace a restriction in the intake tract (stock intercoolers). Stock ICs were designed for the flow produced by stock turbos at around 10 psi. As flow increases, whether it be turning up the boost on stock turbos with an ECU upgrade or upgrading to our GT675RS turbo kit, the amount of restriction increases also. Replacing this restrictive stock unit with the Z1 SMIC kit results in power gains which are proportional to the increase in flow rate. The illustration below shows the dimensions of each core used in the the Z1 SMIC kit.  

Z1 SMIC Core Dimensions           Cold Flow (A) = 4.5"            Hot Flow (C) = 8.0"          No Flow (B) = 7.25"

Replacing the restrictive stock intercoolers with our larger higher flowing units means increased performance even at the stock turbos level, with gains tested at around 15rwhp & 20rwtq. Gains with upgraded turbos ranging from 40-60rwhp and even more as the stock intercoolers become more and more of a restriction as power levels increase. We've used the Z1 intercoolers effectively on Z32s producing over 700hp. It is possible to flow as much volume of air through stock intercoolers but it will take more pressure to do so and the intake charge will not be cooled as well. This means your motor/turbos are having to work harder, and getting fed hotter air which writes a recipe for detonation.

The more you are able to cool the intake charge coming from the turbos the more power you are going to make and the less likely you are to have problems with detonation. So not only is the Z1 SMIC kit of benefit to performance but also to the safety and reliability of your power plant. You can make more power on our upgraded intercoolers and while actually making it easier on your engine and turbos. You will make more power at the same boost levels, but because your intake charge will be cooled more than it is with the stock ICs you can also turn up the boost higher while staying in the safe zone below where any detonation might occur.

See the online INSTALLATION MANUAL with pictures and instructions.

The dyno chart below displays the results of back-to-back runs on a Stage 3 Twin Turbo before and after installing the Z1 SMIC kit. (Click image to enlarge)

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