I did a quick review on the ETSs here:

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...7-2-gt2rs.html

They are performing even better in cooler weather.

 

Can you pls clarify the above statement, being most the high powered cars run this or larger?

 

coming from you thats a huge compliment! i read all your threads before doing it this way. the 16 row look great but the cost was more than i wanted to spend. i feel the added 2" of core thickness will help me cooling and the diy was a 5 on a scale of 10. i have a great welder that i use and he is very reasonable . approx 200$ for all the welding work. cutting the plastics is easy and i learned a ton about the way the system works by diy.

i suppose i could have used the bell 3.5" cores and made it even easier but if the cool factor counts these 4.5" are huge!!

 

Wow! I bought mine 3 weeks ago for $1,099 and I got a great deal on forge hoses as well form ecs. I wish the vendors would give us a heads up when prices are about to change.

 

One of our PCA members got his last week for near that price from Sunset Porsche.

 

It certainly is nice not having a radiator behind the intercooler in these cars -can pretty much jam as much cooler in there! If you've got a good welder and some time its a no brainer to get to know the car better + the cost savings. I really enjoyed the intercooler DIY from the guy in Melbourne and that car ran like raped ape with pretty minimal mods. Looking forward to your experience/result from building a set.

 

With the 997.2's being quite a bit more expensive now, you might as well spend a little more and get the USP motorsports for 1690 or the ETS for 1880.

 

for me its as much fun working on the car as driving it. i can spend months doing it if needed and i went as far as install a lift in my little 2 car garage to ease the workload. so far i did intake piping, injectors , i/c, y pipe and plugs while i had the i/c out. only had the car a few months!

 

Hi Bobby, I shall try my best as this is a huge can of worms. It really boils down to the use of the car and is directly related to the length of time the high power is made. You would be suprised at how many 700-800+ rwhp chassis dyno cars would become 600hp cars after a minute under load on an engine dyno as IATs and EGTs soar. Many on this forum gravitate to shorter acceleration metrics above other performance metrics (1/4 mile, 60-130, short sprints on the street, 1/2 mile and even mile events) and will seldom see the differences in thermal efficiency of various intercooler cores. For these people a core with minimal restriction will likely provide small but tangible gains where thermal efficiency isn't as important. This usually means a relatively less dense and/or thicker core (common cores from least to most dense: rebranded Chinese knockoffs (crap), $Bell (many US tuners use these), $Forge, $ETS, $$Garrett, $997.2, $$$$Marston -there are others of course but those are the more common here). Side note: there is more to a core than fin density -row height, external pack height, row entry design, fin staggering, construction techniques, end tanks, etc can all make a difference and also drive the price up the more elaborate it gets. Minimal flow restriction usually comes with lower thermal efficiency -these cores control IATs for a while (especially ones with more mass), but if you're winding out 5th and 6th gear on your way to 200+mph or you're constantly under load on a big road course or autobahn, IATs will start crossing thresholds where ignition timing will be pulled and fuel enrichened in tiers to protect the engine (compounded even more by lower octane fuel). There simply isn't enough convection->conduction->convection from hot compressed air to ambient air via the intercooler to control temps well for extended periods. These timing and fuel changes will usually cost much more power than a slightly more restrictive intercooler core -this is why some of the tuners across the pond chuckle at our power claims achieved on a 4 second chassis dyno pull or a fast 60-130 time. The difference between putting down "high power" for 10-20 seconds vs 10-20 minutes (or hours!) is huge and will uncover just about every cooling shortfall.

In short, it depends on the goals with the car The fastest 996/997TT runs a very dense, well designed and very expensive 3.5" core. The quickest 911TT probably runs something thicker, more crude and much cheaper.

I think the 997.2 cooler, even at its latest price, represents tremendous value for the 500-700hp crowd, particularly among road racers. I was also very impressed with the ETS 16 row except for the weight. I haven't been quite as impressed with Bell (temps specifically -other platforms have found this as well) but they make every size under the sun for easier construction and are still a much better option than stock 996 or 997.1. Champions latest gen Garrett core'd coolers cool very well and have awesome tanks but come with a price. I haven't seen any data on Forge but the owners seem to be happy and are putting down some good accel #s. I would throw the knockoff cores in the garbage (and the businesses that sell them for $1700). The Marston, Secan, and other "aerospace" coolers are big bucks for situations where every single degree of IAT matters.

 

The 997.2TT/GT2RS intercoolers are made in Portugal by www.jdeus.com

 

I couldn't agree more! I ordered mine from ECS as well, on Jan 11 ($1099). Didn’t hear anything for over a week, so on the 21st I called and spoke to Nate. He told me they just got in and will be shipping to me that afternoon! The very next day (22nd) I got a canned email from Nate:

“We are writing to inform you that the 997.2 turbo /RS intercooler that you have ordered has been moved to a back order status with the supplier. Unfortunately our supplier is unable to provide ECS Tuning with an accurate ETA for the receipt of these products. Here at ECS Tuning Inc. we work hard to process all orders in a timely manner; however we are at the mercy of our manufacturers and suppliers of the items. Please rest assured that your items are on order and that your order will be processed as soon as the delayed items are received in our warehouse.”

Really? You couldn't have picked up the phone and called after telling me they were in your shop!!! I’m sure they realized their pricing had risen (since their price is now listed at $1414), and instead of just explaining that to their customer and offering a refund, I had to contact them to cancel. My response was, “What??? We spoke on the phone yesterday and you told me the parts were in from Porsche and shipping out to me! So, I guess that was not true. This being the case, please cancel my order and refund my credit card.”

Nate’s response was a simple, “Your order has been canceled.” I wonder how long they would have strung me along with the “backorder” BS.

Luckily I have since acquired a nice used set from another 6-speed member. It's gonna take some convincing for me to order anything from ECS again!

 

Yea I've had some shipping issues with porsche parts from ECS in the past. Even if they are "in stock" they come from a different warehouse which, in my experience, has added an additional 2-3 days before they actually ship out. So if you need something fast and pay for 2 day shipping, you won't see the part for 4-5 days typically. Aside from that I have been a long time ECS customer (used them a lot when I had my Audi) and their prices are generally the best. Never had an issue with receiving the wrong parts or damaged parts either.

My "go to" shops are pelican and ECS depending on how fast I need the part or who happens to have it cheaper.

Back on topic, I was debating 997.2 IC's vs. W/M injection. With this price jump I'll probably end up with W/M before upgrading the IC's.

 

You guys aren't the only ones with issues with ECS. I'm not sure I'll be doing business with them again after they screwed up a Christmas present delivery this past year, not once, but twice, then were unapologetic about it. But that's for another thread.

Sucks these have gone up in price, they were the ones I was planning on getting for an eventual K16 Billet or 18g car for pump gas.

 

Well I found a member and picked up a set for a great price last night. They are used but the price was good and hopefully the work just the same.

I agree with you all, it would be nice to know if the prices are jumping up on items beforehand, but that's just the way it goes I guess. My HP goals are well within 500-700 so I think these will work just fine.

 

Very few people left with true customer service these days! I can't fathom these retailers don't realize how important that is. For me, I would gladly pay a slight premium if I know I'm going to get taken care of and given the straight scoop. Few things gain my respect and continued patronage more than, someone admitting a mistake and attempting to correct it. I like to think most of our particular community is that way.