[berns]

Not sure if you guys have experienced limp mode from high water and oil temps, but I often do between track and spirited canyon driving.

Got these pieces from CSF and am really impressed by the quality and packaging, especially for the price. Not sure if the N54 community is aware, but if you've got an OEM oil cooler, you can use the CSF E9x m3 trans cooler as a direct drop-in replacement. It's been tested to flow 30% more than the factory unit and requires no modification. My oil temps have been rock solid during hard driving so far, which is awesome. I'll be headed to the track soon and can take some logs of both coolant and oil temps.

The radiator is way lighter than the stock unit. Good welds for aluminum, and with 105k on my car, it was a good time to replace the factory unit. Radiator went in with zero fitment issues and the factory fan mounted up perfectly.
Oil cooler also dropped in easily.

Oil cooler retails for $599, part number 8042 - http://csfrace.com/bmw-radiator-splash/

Radiator retails for $569, part number 7046, fits automatic cars as well.
Some quick photos I snapped of the radiator, and a shot of the oil cooler. Will report back with some hard data and further impressions. Interested to see and hear what everyone else is successfully running too.

[mike@x-ph.com]

CSF make top quality radiators

[limitdown]

I've had the CSF radiator for about 18mths now. Awesome build quality. This company has in the automotive industry since 1947, so this is not some fly by night.
The radiator is thicker than OEM, so it pushes the fan shroud inward a bit.
This caused an issue with aftermarket stock location silicone inlets.

My water temps are great. I just wish that we could crack the tables to target a lower water temp, which would in turn also lower the oil temp. These 2 sort of go hand in hand.

[135Pats]

Originally Posted by limitdown

I've had the CSF radiator for about 18mths now. Awesome build quality. This company has in the automotive industry since 1947, so this is not some fly by night.
The radiator is thicker than OEM, so it pushes the fan shroud inward a bit.
This caused an issue with aftermarket stock location silicone inlets.

My water temps are great. I just wish that we could crack the tables to target a lower water temp, which would in turn also lower the oil temp. These 2 sort of go hand in hand.

Have you seen the recent XDF updates? We have substantial control over WP duty cycle, temperature at which is enters various cooling modes, and duty cycle gradients within each cooling 'mode'....It's good stuff and to your point, will help maximize the benefits of this larger and more efficient rad.

[limitdown]

Originally Posted by 135Pats

Have you seen the recent XDF updates? We have substantial control over WP duty cycle, temperature at which is enters various cooling modes, and duty cycle gradients within each cooling 'mode'....It's good stuff and to your point, will help maximize the benefits of this larger and more efficient rad.

Thanks for pointing out Pat. I haven't checked the XDF thread in far too long.
I'll need to get Ken/Wedge to adjust my tune.
My car doesn't like 90F+, 70%+ humidity tropical weather

Originally Posted by jyamona

Engine Cooling
- Coolant Temp Threshold (enable warning)
- Coolant Temp Threshold (yellow warning)
- Coolant Temp Threshold (red warning)
- Oil Temp Threshold (enable warning)
- Oil Temp Threshold (yellow warning)
- Oil Temp Threshold (red warning)
- Oil Temp Threshold (upshift warning)
- Temp Threshold for End of Warm-up
- Ambient Temp Threshold for High Mode
- Ambient Temp Threshold for High+KFT Mode
- Coolant Setpoint (Normal Mode)
- Coolant Setpoint (High Mode)
- Coolant Setpoint (High+KFT Mode)
- Radiator Fan Duty Cycle (ECT Target Diff)

[Jaronbwall]

Great pics man. Looks like a solid product.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by limitdown

Thanks for pointing out Pat. I haven't checked the XDF thread in far too long.
I'll need to get Ken/Wedge to adjust my tune.
My car doesn't like 90F+, 70%+ humidity tropical weather

Ken can definitely get those changed for you.

*****

CSF is a great product and more and more popular.

That polish finish looks the business too. They can also be had for a better deal by some vendors...

Interesting to know about the trans cooler being used as the oil cooler.

[STR8-6IX]

consider removing your plastic engine cover during hot weather and track days. this plastic traps lots of heat and makes your engine run quite hot even if you arent romping it.

[berns]

Originally Posted by 6IX-F10-N52

consider removing your plastic engine cover during hot weather and track days. this plastic traps lots of heat and makes your engine run quite hot even if you arent romping it.

Good tip! Thanks.

[berns]

Originally Posted by Jarronbwall

Great pics man. Looks like a solid product.

Thank you! Easy to take nice photos of something well made

[limitdown]

So I finally got Ken/Wedge to modify my tune to target lower temps. What a massive difference it made. My coolant temps dropped substantially, which helped drop oil temps as well (these 2 sorta go hand-in-hand). You can see in the screenshot that the max coolant temp that was hit with the OEM radiator was 226F, while the max temp hit with the CSF was only 201F.
These are screenshots during very spirited driving on the same road under the same 90F+ and 70%+ humidity conditions.
The CSF radiator's capabilities really came to life after the tune adjustment.
I've been boosting 21psi on 93 pump for daily driving to/from work for over 1yr, 12k+ miles. Previously, I ran Cobb Stg2+ for many years.

[berns]

Originally Posted by limitdown

So I finally got Ken/Wedge to modify my tune to target lower temps. What a massive difference it made. My coolant temps dropped substantially, which helped drop oil temps as well (these 2 sorta go hand-in-hand). You can see in the screenshot that the max coolant temp that was hit with the OEM radiator was 226F, while the max temp hit with the CSF was only 201F.
These are screenshots during very spirited driving on the same road under the same 90F+ and 70%+ humidity conditions.
The CSF radiator's capabilities really came to life after the tune adjustment.
I've been boosting 21psi on 93 pump for daily driving to/from work for over 1yr, 12k+ miles. Previously, I ran Cobb Stg2+ for many years.

This is awesome.. Time for me to get a tune!

[ayao]

Bump for results!

[houtan]

Originally Posted by ayao

Bump for results!

+1

[jlcf22]

Will this help at transmission to cool? If it does how many degrees?

[ayao]

This might give you a little more information on automatic transmissions and the CSF radiator.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1121751

[berns]

Quick update for you guys. Had the car out at a track day at Autoclub Speedway. It was pretty awesome. I was really impressed with the car after all the changes I've made. First time running that track. It's a no bull$#@!, big boy's course. Hard on tires and brakes for sure, especially with six 20-minute sessions. I only did 5 of them. Best time of the day was a 2:00.539, which I was pretty pleased with considering the other factors.

CSF radiator and oil cooler did their job. Water temps were ROCK SOLID all day. Barely budging, as I can see from the JB4 gauge hijack that shows me water temp on oil temp at full throttle.

Oil temps climbed but didn't go over until the last and hardest session of the day, after 15 minutes of hard driving with the least traffic of the day. Car went in and out of limp mode (I think?) where boost would dip to 5psi and then back up to 15ish. I also ran low on fuel halfway through the day. This is the problem with gauge hijacking, and me not paying enough attention. Hard left hand turn, exit on full throttle and backfired hard. Thought I blew a coilpack, limped it off track in 2nd gear and realized I was really low. I had an e40 blend in the car, then had to fill up with 91 for the rest of the day.

I actually just realized I was throwing a code for the intake vanos solenoid, so I replaced both intake and exhaust which is an easy 30-45 minute job. Got the parts from ECS tuning. No more CEL on acceleration, randomly, and the car feels way better.

Additionally, I tightened the preload on my rear turbo wastegate the night before, which got rid of some of the terrible rattle, but this caused the car to overboost running map 2 on JB4. I think duty cycles hadn't changed or adapted, which gave me an engine light and no power for my first session. The rest of the day was spent on Map 1. Even still, I was hitting 145 on the oval with ease and close to 120 on the other straights. You'll all be happy to know, I blew past several e9x M3's during my sessions, but definitely had trouble keeping pace with some F80's. Let's not discount driver mod, here. I ran in the novice group here because there were way less people in it.

Biggest takeaway and changes needed after yesterdays shakedown: I need brakes. This car is already way too fast for the current setup. I was experience lots of fade, and today, my brake pedal feels like mush. I believe the previous owner did stainless lines on this car, I haven't checked in a while and forgot, so I'll have a look. Otherwise it's PowerSlot rotors with Hawk HPS 5.0 pads and new BMW fluid. Rather than get new rotors and replace the fluid with some track-appropriate Motul or the like, I'm going to keep my eyes open for a used front BBK setup.

[ayao]

Originally Posted by berns

Quick update for you guys. Had the car out at a track day at Autoclub Speedway. It was pretty awesome. I was really impressed with the car after all the changes I've made. First time running that track. It's a no bull$#@!, big boy's course. Hard on tires and brakes for sure, especially with six 20-minute sessions. I only did 5 of them. Best time of the day was a 2:00.539, which I was pretty pleased with considering the other factors.

CSF radiator and oil cooler did their job. Water temps were ROCK SOLID all day. Barely budging, as I can see from the JB4 gauge hijack that shows me water temp on oil temp at full throttle.

Oil temps climbed but didn't go over until the last and hardest session of the day, after 15 minutes of hard driving with the least traffic of the day. Car went in and out of limp mode (I think?) where boost would dip to 5psi and then back up to 15ish. I also ran low on fuel halfway through the day. This is the problem with gauge hijacking, and me not paying enough attention. Hard left hand turn, exit on full throttle and backfired hard. Thought I blew a coilpack, limped it off track in 2nd gear and realized I was really low. I had an e40 blend in the car, then had to fill up with 91 for the rest of the day.

I actually just realized I was throwing a code for the intake vanos solenoid, so I replaced both intake and exhaust which is an easy 30-45 minute job. Got the parts from ECS tuning. No more CEL on acceleration, randomly, and the car feels way better.

Additionally, I tightened the preload on my rear turbo wastegate the night before, which got rid of some of the terrible rattle, but this caused the car to overboost running map 2 on JB4. I think duty cycles hadn't changed or adapted, which gave me an engine light and no power for my first session. The rest of the day was spent on Map 1. Even still, I was hitting 145 on the oval with ease and close to 120 on the other straights. You'll all be happy to know, I blew past several e9x M3's during my sessions, but definitely had trouble keeping pace with some F80's. Let's not discount driver mod, here. I ran in the novice group here because there were way less people in it.

Biggest takeaway and changes needed after yesterdays shakedown: I need brakes. This car is already way too fast for the current setup. I was experience lots of fade, and today, my brake pedal feels like mush. I believe the previous owner did stainless lines on this car, I haven't checked in a while and forgot, so I'll have a look. Otherwise it's PowerSlot rotors with Hawk HPS 5.0 pads and new BMW fluid. Rather than get new rotors and replace the fluid with some track-appropriate Motul or the like, I'm going to keep my eyes open for a used front BBK setup.

Because I'm on the fence about upgrading to the 7045 / 8042 combo I'm concerned that your oil temps still went high on the last session. I'm wondering what your thoughts are about this? Thanks!

[limitdown]

What were your water and oil temps? It's difficult to see the actual numbers in the video. You can use MHD to show the numbers in real-time.
Did you get a custom tune to target lower temps?
Do you have a BMS oil tstat bypass?

[STR8-6IX]

those of you suffering from limp mode/high oil temps, try removing your plastic engine cover. it makes a noticeable difference with temps.

[Chris@VargasTurboTech]

Originally Posted by berns

Not sure if the N54 community is aware, but if you've got an OEM oil cooler, you can use the CSF E9x m3 trans cooler as a direct drop-in replacement. It's been tested to flow 30% more than the factory unit and requires no modification. My oil temps have been rock solid during hard driving so far, which is awesome. I'll be headed to the track soon and can take some logs of both coolant and oil temps.

Oil cooler also dropped in easily.

Oil cooler retails for $599, part number 8042 - http://csfrace.com/bmw-radiator-splash/

I did not know that -very cool, I will likely look that direction in the future. I have the CSF radiator on my car and it made a huge temp difference in the AZ heat -very pleased with it.

Great post, thanks for sharing.

Chris

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by berns

Quick update for you guys. Had the car out at a track day at Autoclub Speedway. It was pretty awesome. I was really impressed with the car after all the changes I've made. First time running that track. It's a no bull$#@!, big boy's course. Hard on tires and brakes for sure, especially with six 20-minute sessions. I only did 5 of them. Best time of the day was a 2:00.539, which I was pretty pleased with considering the other factors.

CSF radiator and oil cooler did their job. Water temps were ROCK SOLID all day. Barely budging, as I can see from the JB4 gauge hijack that shows me water temp on oil temp at full throttle.

Oil temps climbed but didn't go over until the last and hardest session of the day, after 15 minutes of hard driving with the least traffic of the day. Car went in and out of limp mode (I think?) where boost would dip to 5psi and then back up to 15ish. I also ran low on fuel halfway through the day. This is the problem with gauge hijacking, and me not paying enough attention. Hard left hand turn, exit on full throttle and backfired hard. Thought I blew a coilpack, limped it off track in 2nd gear and realized I was really low. I had an e40 blend in the car, then had to fill up with 91 for the rest of the day.

I actually just realized I was throwing a code for the intake vanos solenoid, so I replaced both intake and exhaust which is an easy 30-45 minute job. Got the parts from ECS tuning. No more CEL on acceleration, randomly, and the car feels way better.

Additionally, I tightened the preload on my rear turbo wastegate the night before, which got rid of some of the terrible rattle, but this caused the car to overboost running map 2 on JB4. I think duty cycles hadn't changed or adapted, which gave me an engine light and no power for my first session. The rest of the day was spent on Map 1. Even still, I was hitting 145 on the oval with ease and close to 120 on the other straights. You'll all be happy to know, I blew past several e9x M3's during my sessions, but definitely had trouble keeping pace with some F80's. Let's not discount driver mod, here. I ran in the novice group here because there were way less people in it.

Biggest takeaway and changes needed after yesterdays shakedown: I need brakes. This car is already way too fast for the current setup. I was experience lots of fade, and today, my brake pedal feels like mush. I believe the previous owner did stainless lines on this car, I haven't checked in a while and forgot, so I'll have a look. Otherwise it's PowerSlot rotors with Hawk HPS 5.0 pads and new BMW fluid. Rather than get new rotors and replace the fluid with some track-appropriate Motul or the like, I'm going to keep my eyes open for a used front BBK setup.

those downshifts before the first corner..

nicely done.