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Anybody have a long term incercooler report?

4K views 33 replies 13 participants last post by  dezert7 
#1 ·
Long story short. I need an intercooler and I want to replace the pipes on both sides also. One of the end tanks on the factory one let go.
I have read a lot of posts about peoples opinions on the different intercoolers but I can't really find any long term reports on performance and quality. I was leaning towards the Banks system but mostly because it comes complete and the price seems to be decent. The Mishimoto is appealing because of the warranty and you can buy all the parts the banks comes with but not as a package so it comes out to be a little more money.
My truck is primarily used for toting the kids hockey gear across multiple states for hockey on the weekend but it's also used for pulling a 26' enclosed car hauler and camping.
I have some mods done to the truck, intake, exhaust, FICM tune, Innovative Diesel tunes.
I need a turbo also so I have to take that into consideration but I right now I need some feedback on the intercoolers.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
#9 ·
I have plastic on one side so I'd like to get rid of it. I could buy just the single metal one, get the intercooler and new boots separately but it's cheaper just to buy the whole package.
I'm looking to see if people are still happy with the performance and quality. Did the welds hold, anybody burst one and if you did have issues, how was the customer service.
 
#10 ·
Fair enough :nod:

I'm still very happy with the performance and quality. I've beat on it with decent boost, high temps, cold temps, vibrations, etc. etc. and all the welds are holding just fine. It's a pretty robust unit. Customer service that I've experienced thus far with Mishi has been good, but there have been quite a few not happy with them with their radiators and the service they've received therein. I haven't read of anyone bursting an aluminum intercooler of any brand yet at this point, even the CSF unit that Mike posted, and there's been a LOT of guys that are running that one considering it's price point. If memory serves @Merc82 is another member running that one, and a pretty big handful over on the Army.
 
#11 ·
Thanks nighthawk285.
I just want to make sure what I'm buying isn't going to cause me more headaches than I already have and these forums are the best place to get real information from the end user.

The truck being down sucks, even more so now that it's the middle of winter and having to drive through the mountains for hockey...
 
#16 ·
If I was closer to you and on your side of the border, I would offer you this option:



I've replaced my stock intercooler once. Then it went again. This time I rebuilt it myself going with all-welded aluminum and using the original core. I made up a jig off the OEM cooler, and made all the parts. I'm now building more of these in my spare time for my local market. They're priced about the same as an OEM one from the dealer but it's "bulletproof".
 
#14 · (Edited)
If doing this on a budget is an important factor in this, than I'd definitely go with the CSF unit.

CSF intercooler --$280 to $350 depending on where you buy it
Stock metal side pipe with boots included -- Around $115 IIRC from either of our vendors on here @Sunrisefordparts, @fordsvtparts
Stock cold side boot replacements -- $40 ish from the same vendors (I haven't looked that one up recently, I could be a ways off)
Then use the money you saved from the CSF over something super spendy like a Mishi/Banks/etc. and get a Stage 1.5 turbo from KC Turbos @peixinho.
 
#17 ·
Great idea. Thank you for the advice. I'll definitely look into the CSF intercooler and price out the other parts. It could be the best way for me to go.

I like the idea of the saving on the intercooler replacement and spending more on the turbo. I sent a couple of emails to KC Turbo but haven't received anything back yet. Hope to hear back soon so I can make some final decisions.
 
#18 ·
#21 ·
Maybe go with "leadprojectileproof".
 
#22 ·
Yup, I run the CSF 6028. It was a perfect replacement for my oil soaked and leaking OEM unit. I have had no issues with it. Hell, if it's good enough for Charlie at KC to run with all the testing he does, I have no worries with it.
 
#30 ·
I have had great luck with mine. I have also recommended it to 100s of people and everyone loves them. I tried to become a dealer and sell them... but the market is so saturated that people are selling them on Ebay for less than my cost.

Rumor has it... the price is going up on them and they are going to enforce MAP pricing around $600-$700. Buy one while you still can.
 
#24 ·
I have the CSF 6028 as well. I changed mine because I had a boost leak that ended up being a crack in the plastic intercooler. I have had it since July 2016, so about 7 months. I got it based on the recommendation of Charlie at KC.
 
#26 ·
About 5 yrs ago I found a Banks system from a wrecked truck on ebay. It was like brand new. The guy told me it had less than 1000 miles on it. I bought the intercooler, the pipes, the boots, the intake elbow and banks air filter for less than $600. All in all a great deal for me. I've put about 125K miles on it and it has been flawless thus far. That said I didn't notice a night and day difference in performance. I have a little more down low but once the turbo is spooled up I can't see any difference over stock. If I had the same deal to do over again I would still jump on it but I would never fork out the cash for the "new" stuff. Performance gain to dollars spent would be minimum.

k
 
#27 ·
Wow! Good find.
 
#28 ·
For the price the CSF unit is hard to beat. I got a mishimoto unit a few years back right after they started using the cast end tanks, I have no complaints about their intercooler.
 
#29 ·
Thanks scparrish.
From the sounds of it, either one would be a good choice and CSF works just a well as the Mishi. I'm glad someone told me about their experience with the CSF or I would never have considered it. I've always been a believer in "you get what you paid for" and with the price of the CSF I would have passed it over.
 
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