Hating to sound like a noob. But in this instance I really wish some of the more knowledgable members would give this a look. Everyone who is already big turbo and super upgraded doesn't necessarily pipe up in these lower build item threads anymore with their thoughts on build, size, etc. Here's to hoping some of them take the time to drop a few thoughts, without being full on noob and tagging.
EDIT: Alright, I'll be the noob and get flamed. Please come and offer some insight on this intercooler. My concerns are: 1. It's small in comparison to most (if not all) other aftermarket. 2. It's Tube and Fin (I am well versed on the differences and read ALL archives on here) however it maintains a really high price point. 3. It is specifically built for "lower range" horsepower ~300. (I never plan to exceed stage 3). 4. They tested with a B&P but released a dataless T&F. 5. NO ONE is discussing this cooler. (This urks me the most really, is it being ignored because not a great option)
I hope some of you will offer your 2 cents.
What the hell, I'll give a random opinion. I'll try to highlight some good things and some negative things because I'm not really for/against anything. I don't usually post about things without seeing third-party data, but it's Saturday and I really don't have anything better to do.
This is kind of difficult to voice an opinion on because what was developed in testing is not the same as the product that's being sold. That, in and of itself, seems really weird to me. I think I would have been more ok with it had there been a follow-up test with the actual unit to substantiate the previous data utilizing different cores.
T/F is generally not as robust as B/P, and that has been shown with the one single currently-available T/F option not performing very well in temperature reduction. That doesn't necessarily mean that this particular T/F option will do as bad, but it kind of plays into my previous thought. I would imagine that if people have issues with the CAT reduction or with damage from normal road-debris that they would speak-up, but there is very limited data on the other T/F so it really comes down with how honest/critical the initial end-users are once they put some mileage on them.
That's enough bad, here are some good-
I like the fact that the OEM turbo is the intended power level. A lot of FiST owners seem to be of the mentality that CAT is the only consideration for an FMIC, and that couldn't be any farther from the truth. Sacrificing a few degrees of CAT for minimal pressure loss is going to be light-years better than having a core that has 5 psi pressure loss but CAT stays at ambient. Think about how much turbo life you're saving if you're running 22.5 psi at the turbo outlet to get 22 psi at the intake manifold versus running 25-27 psi at the outlet to get the same 22 psi IM pressure. Pressure drop is a much bigger deal than its actually given credit for.
Finally, Mishimoto has built basically their entire business around managing and transferring heat. That should speak volumes towards their cumulative knowledge/expertise and I think that this is one of the few instances in this community where I would expect end-user results to mirror what has been posted.