Procooler or Zims a/c kit?

[Trace86]

I live in Houston and the a/c in my 86 is useless. I am wondering if the procooler or the cold a/c kit from Zims are worthwhile upgrades? Thanks for any help in making this car somewhat comfortable in this hot weather.

Trace

[esample]

I am in the process of upgrading my a/c also. Have done a lot of reading here and on other sites. It is very confusing. The Procooler gets a lot of good reviews. However, my mechanic here in Tampa tells me he has installed several of them with mixed results. He says he hasn't done one in a while. This leads him to conclude it might not be the best solution. He has recommended a larger condenser in the front and fans for the condenser in the rear. So I'm going to try that first along with the center vent kit from Griffiths. YMMV.

BTW, my blk/blk '86 has a pretty good system now. Just not quite enough for Tampa....

[Barrpete]

The procooler isn't a magic bullet. Porsche OE AC systems suffer from inefficient & undersized evaporator & condensor and are marginal at best. Simply adding a procooler will help but probably won't be enough to make much difference, particularly if existing condensor or evaporator are dirty. When I removed my old evaporator there was a huge clot of lint underneath that had built up over 20 years!

I have installed Rennaire's procooler, but I also upgraded the evaporator and front condensor. Last week it was 109 here & I was getting mid 40's out the vents.

[DRV2FST]

I have the ProCooler and it works great for me. I have a black/black 85 930. The shop that installed it said it really makes a difference. This was the first ProCooler they had installed. They install AC in several 930's. Still, it is not a miracle worker, "better" in this case may mean 10 degrees cooler.

Certainly new hoses, new condensers, and a new (or rebuilt) compressor would make a great difference as well. I'd say do it all so you can enjoy the car more.

[skipdup]

Trace- I have an under-belly condenser on my '79 930 running R12 through a sanden 508. Also have a fan on the tiny rear condenser. It's probably the coldest auto a/c I've ever seen. Seriously.

If you ever make it ever to SA, you're welcome to take a look/feel.

- Skip

[bigchillcar]

the fans are critical for in-town driving. when you come to a stop, there's no flow over the condenser(s) without one. that would be my priority one if you have no fans..

[ljowdy]

Here's what I did, read the last entry
Air Conditioning Re-visited

[Crachian]

What exactly is in the Zim's kit?

[Tigerrat]

Funny you should ask, as I have both in Houston on my '88. I go by the drop from outside ambient to vent temp. The best I could get with just the Procooler was about 40. Added the ZIMS condensor and can get 45. Its still a fight with the temps and humidity down here. Glad to fill you in on the install, etc. Ken

[skipdup]

I should have also mentioned... I have never had a problem in stop & go traffic with my under-belly.

[blk911]

Skipdup

Where did you get your underbelly? What color is your 930?

I am in Austin and just miserable that I can't drive my triple black SC during the summer. I have a Sanden, Procooler, barrier hose and upgraded Rennaire evaporator.

[Nutmeg911]

How many of you guys switched to R134a and how have stayed with R12? My car was switched to R134a but when I bought my the ac nmever worked and when I did the research to see what was invalved in the switch I found that all that was done to mine was that they changed the charging ports, that was it. I'm thinking of switching back to R12.

[khamul02]

Another note on more condensors Rennaire now sells a larger under belly condensor. It's twics a deep and fits with no mods. It's only on their site via "current excellence ad".

[vbush]

Esample, you have a PM

[DRV2FST]

What exactly is in the Zim's kit?

+1

[scottb]

Originally posted by khamul02
Another note on more condensors Rennaire now sells a larger under belly condensor. It's twics a deep and fits with no mods. It's only on their site via "current excellence ad".

Are you sure it's an underbelly condenser? I looked at the ad, and it appears to me that it's a replacement for the existing front condenser. Was I looking in the wrong place?

[scottb]

Originally posted by Crachian
What exactly is in the Zim's kit?

Zim's Kit

[Barrpete]

I believe that's the front condensor. Here's a pic vs. the stock one.

[scottb]

Barrpete: Have you installed it yet? If so, was there an improvement?

[Barrpete]

Yup, last summer. I installed the whole kit with compressor (mine was shot) upgraded evap, barrier hoses, procooler & front condensor. Running 134a and getting mid 40s out the vents when it's 107 outside.