IMPORTANT! THESE INTERCOOLERS ARE DROP SHIPPED DIRECRTLY FROM Z1! AS SOON AS THIS ORDER IS PLACED, Z1 WILL GET THE ORDER AND SHIP THE INTERCOOLER KIT DIRECTLY TO YOU. THERE CAN BE A STOCK DELAY AS THESE ARE MADE IN BATCHES. THE WAIT CAN BE OVER A MONTH AT TIMES. PLEASE EMAIL ME BEFORE PURCHASING TO CHECK ETA ON DELIVERY. ALSO, IF THESE ARE PURCHASED WITH A TUNE, THE 30 DAY TUNING PERIOD WILL NOT START UNTIL THE INTERCOOLER KIT ARRIVES.
 
Z1's Nissan Z Air-To-Air Intercooler Upgrade is the final step to take when upgrading the charge air cooling system in your Z. By adding two large intercoolers behind the front bumper you'll be able to run your car hard and trust that you'll be able to maintain consistency when it counts the most.
Why do I need it?
Nissan's factory charge air cooling system is made up of a single heat exchanger, a coolant pump, and two small water-to-air intercoolers. This system has proven to be insufficient for managing charge air temps under high-performance driving conditions, leading to a loss of engine performance as temperatures start to climb.
This occurs for many reasons: As charge air temperature increases, the density of the air entering the engine decreases. Lower air density means that less oxygen is available for combustion, which results in a loss of horsepower. Additionally, the engine management system responds to the increased temperature by gradually reducing both ignition timing and target boost pressure in an effort to reduce engine temperatures and protect the engine from detonation. Depending on how the engine calibration is configured, this protection typically begins to take effect when charge air temperatures exceed 140°F. We regularly see charge air temperatures up to 185°F on vehicles with stock intercooler systems when driven hard, resulting in a reduction of ignition timing of at least 2.5 degrees, and a loss of as much as 25whp or more just from the timing reduction.  With the reduction in timing, combined with a reduction in boost target and overall less dense air, we've seen losses on the dyno as high as 75whp on stock intercooler systems. Upgrading the stock heat exchanger and coolant pump system can be helpful for cars that are occasionally driven hard on the street but don't see any track time. However, for cars that will see extensive high-performance driving including track time and racing, the Z1 air-to-air intercooler conversion kit is the only solution for keeping charge air temps under control, no matter what.
How do you fix it?
To remedy this situation, our engineering team focused on eliminating the stock water-to-air intercooler system in favor of much more efficient air-to-air intercoolers. Two custom intercoolers were designed to take up the space behind the front bumper. Cast end tanks allow us to maximize core area, exposing as much of the core as possible to cooler ambient air. Offset fins on the ambient side of the core allow for greater heat dissipation and more effective cooling of charge air, resulting in more consistent performance. A custom bash bar was designed to replace the factory crash bar and retains all factory features including radar sensor mount, ambient temp sensor mount, and tow hook location.
Black anodized mandrel bent charge piping directs air to and from the intercooler. To ensure piping stays as smooth as possible, custom tooling was developed to ensure the desired radius could be achieved without crushing piping. Wire-reinforced silicone couplers are used on the pressure side to prevent ballooning, which is critical in high-boost scenarios. To make sure that we put our best foot forward, we stuck with our long-standing philosophy of placing filters in the direct path of cold air in front of the core support to ensure the system is working efficiently from the moment air enters the piping. BOVs are placed directly in front of the throttle body, similar to the positioning on the GTR.