Let me tell you something about rubber intercooler hoses on a boosted engine. They work fine until they don't. And when they don't — when boost pressure climbs and the rubber starts to expand, soften, or suddenly let go at the worst possible moment — you'll wish someone had warned you earlier.

NISMO did warn you. The Carbon Intercooler Piping Set for the RB26DETT is their answer to one of the genuine weak points of the standard GT-R cooling setup.

The concept is straightforward: replace the rubber intercooler pipework with dry carbon tubes. Carbon doesn't expand under boost. It doesn't soften in heat. It doesn't develop the creep and compliance that rubber builds up over years and heat cycles. What you get instead is a stable, rigid charge path from turbocharger to engine — every time, all the time.

What's in the kit

The system consists of three pipes: the upstream intercooler pipe inside the front bumper, the downstream intercooler pipe inside the front bumper, and the upstream collector tank pipe inside the engine bay. It fits all BNR32, BCNR33, and BNR34 GT-Rs, as well as the Stagea 260RS (WGNC34) — any car running the full RB26DETT setup.

NISMO notes this should ideally be paired with their Inlet Pipe — the outlet section from the inlet pipe is not included in this kit, as the two are designed to work as a system. If you're planning the inlet pipe upgrade, the intercooler piping is the logical next step.

The honest tradeoff

This is competition-class hardware. NISMO is clear that it's motorsport-focused — you may notice additional sound, it needs proper fitting and professional tuning, and it sits outside standard warranty coverage. That's the deal when you're building a serious RB26 package.

Part numbers: 1446A-RSR25 for BNR32, 1446A-RSR46 for BCNR33/BNR34/WGNC34. Both are ¥440,000 including tax.

Is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth it for a GT-R you're actually pushing? Absolutely.