[mave198]

Originally Posted by Marcadelic

i feel like the amount of work a shop would have to do in order to make piping would end up costing just as much as an 600-700 intercooler though. If it came with piping i would have already bought it haha

Are you looking for a complete piping replacement like the ETS kit?

[Marcadelic]

Originally Posted by mave198

Are you looking for a complete piping replacement like the ETS kit?

just something to open it up at least a bit, all new piping would probably be the best solution though

[D27]

I have VRSF look good and does a good job I'm just trying to make new piping b4 the summer

[rooringhusky]

Originally Posted by Marcadelic

i feel like the amount of work a shop would have to do in order to make piping would end up costing just as much as an 600-700 intercooler though. If it came with piping i would have already bought it haha

Here you go: http://www.cxracing.com/mm5/merchant...ry_Code=ICKBMW

It comes with the piping and mounting brackets already....I am running the same kit with no issues...

So, for the core, mounting brackets, and cold/hot side piping its all under $600

*Keep in mind others have said these bigger units experience a higher pressure drop and may not be as efficient as other units on the market...Its your choice to make...

[kevinocarro]

I can tell you that it fit well, and that I didn't have to do any trimming whatsoever.

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

Originally Posted by Marcadelic

looked at it awhile ago but haven't recently, does it get rid of the oem connectors?

With the ER kit you can get all new piping all the way to the throttle body if you combine it with a charge pipe. Not sure if thats what you are asking.

Mike

[roadkillrob]

I have an hpf from lutz, good bunch to work with and love the hpf unit. That being said, several cheaper options exist that did not when I got my hpf, so might make a different decision now!

[Marcadelic]

Originally Posted by rooringhusky

Here you go: http://www.cxracing.com/mm5/merchant...ry_Code=ICKBMW

It comes with the piping and mounting brackets already....I am running the same kit with no issues...

So, for the core, mounting brackets, and cold/hot side piping its all under $600

*Keep in mind others have said these bigger units experience a higher pressure drop and may not be as efficient as other units on the market...Its your choice to make...

awesome thanks this is what i was looking for!!! basically what you're saying is if i go with this intercooler i'm going to need to get dp's as soon as possible? or am i missing something

[EJ_3]

Originally Posted by Jeff@topgearsolutions

Why limit yourself to what the shop offers, you can always have an intercooler of your choice sent to you by a vendor?
Do you want to maximize cooling and tendency to heat soak? Are you worried about trimming? Do you have a specific core type in mind? Do you have a specific budget in mind? Is quality concern? Where it is made? Those are the answers to intercooler questions and choosing one for your needs.

One of the BEST answers I've ever seen on a "What intercooler to buy" thread."

[ihc95]

The CX racing FMIC blocks too much of the radiator imo. Also it doesn't have much depth, all you're really getting is a large surface area. That's why I'm getting a helix, best of both worlds because of the stepped design.

[mave198]

Originally Posted by Marcadelic

awesome thanks this is what i was looking for!!! basically what you're saying is if i go with this intercooler i'm going to need to get dp's as soon as possible? or am i missing something

Dps have nothing to do with lowering IATs, but u should get those as well lol.

[Marcadelic]

Originally Posted by mave198

Dps have nothing to do with lowering IATs, but u should get those as well lol.

well then scratch that lol, i need to do some more research ha....

the helix one does like real nice though

[psmitty95]

Originally Posted by Marcadelic

well then scratch that lol, i need to do some more research ha....

the helix one does like real nice though

Dp's will give you a nice hp gain though... If you're looking to just lower iat's get a good fmic and then do meth

[Marcadelic]

Originally Posted by psmitty95

Dp's will give you a nice hp gain though... If you're looking to just lower iat's get a good fmic and then do meth

well ya i knew that lol, i just figured that catless dp's would help to utilize a bigger intercooler better because the turbo's would be spooling up faster but i guess what everyone is saying is that big tom's is even to big for that. Which is why the helix is the perfect size (or the aa race) unless you go with an aftermarket turbo set up.

[Juicer]

I'd go with the Helix. It fits the available space perfectly and has a large frontal area to keep temps low. Matches up with the factory fan seal real nice. Much larger than the stock IC but not overly large so pressure drop can stay low. Even if you decided to go with a turbo upgrade you would still be good with the Helix.

[E90Company]

Originally Posted by Juicer

I'd go with the Helix. It fits the available space perfectly and has a large frontal area to keep temps low. Matches up with the factory fan seal real nice. Much larger than the stock IC but not overly large so pressure drop can stay low. Even if you decided to go with a turbo upgrade you would still be good with the Helix.

+1

It's got the biggest air volume increase out of all of the aftermarket fmic's, which means better cooling than the other options. You also don't have to cut at all, which not only makes install easier but utilizes the plastic to direct air right to the Fmic. The other fmic's that require cutting get rid of this air guard, essentially letting a lot of the air go around the Fmic.

Oh and whomever made the depth comment, it's actually better to have more frontal area than depth. The cores are usually made deeper due to space constraints. This is another plus for helix and the cx racing one as well. Look at the 1000hp+ supra guys, they would laugh at you if you said depth is more important than frontal area. They all run tall cores with depths of 3 to 4 inches.

And like Benzy said, don't cheap out on doing an Fmic. Really isn't worth the few hundred. I won't name names but a lot of these newer aftermarket brands use cheap eBay cores with not a lot of r&d behind them.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by Manny_World

One of the BEST answers I've ever seen on a "What intercooler to buy" thread."

Thanks. A lot of people just say buy XYZ cause of price, or buy ZY because they have it and "love it". Doesn't really help if someone has specific needs.

Core Type
Core Size
End Tank Design
Piping
Trimming/Install Ease
Quality
Credibility
Reputation
Purpose (Street/Race)
Climate
Pressure Drop (although not much of a concern for this platform)

Digging Deeper:
Core Quality
Weld Quality
Fit and Finish
Optional Shrouding

That is very detailed way of looking at it though and it might confuse or scare people.

9/10 intercoolers available are better then stock so most are an improvement for anyone.

For those that like to knit pick at the details they are more then welcome to. The reality is if you put up one intercooler up against the next the differences will be negligible as there are so many factors, especially in a single gear pull.

Difference between tunes, wastegate duty cycles, ambient temps, heat soak, and other differences in modifications and turbo wear will all change variables.

The reality is one can expect about 15-20WHP from intercoolers. What they will also find is lower IAT, and more consistency from back to back pulls.

Bigger cores will have less tendency to heat soak and therefore will be more consistent pull to pull. They are ideal for track users are people in hot climates.

I'm sure this won't be the last intercooler thread but maybe this post might help some questions or just make things more complicated

[JohnSprm69]

i was in your same boat for a while and the more i read the more i leaned towards the HPF IC, just simply because of quality/size/gains/ease of installation (doing it myself). all those factors made me pull the trigger ob the HPF, and for a plug and play intercooler where you dont need to change hoses or any tubing you cannot beat the HPF.

[whosdady]

Another option is the Spearco intercooler. It has a great core.

[ichi_ban]

HPF...although Helix would be my next choice.

[Juicer]

Originally Posted by whosdady

Another option is the Spearco intercooler. It has a great core.

I had the spearco (code 3) on my last n54. Great FMIC but costly. Is it still produced? It included the aluminum boost tube which was nice.

[whosdady]

Originally Posted by Juicer

I had the spearco (code 3) on my last n54. Great FMIC but costly. Is it still produced? It included the aluminum boost tube which was nice.

Not sure about code 3 (specifically) but I purchased mine new just a couple months ago. Several websites have the Spearco available and it does come with the boost tube. My only complaint is the "spearco" writing on the front in blue. Personally I would prefer no writing so I eliminated it.