ETS vs AMS Intercooler

[jscheiner.09]

Anyone have a preference for intercoolers? I know with the AMS you will need to cut but is it the same with the ETS?
Thanks!

[135Pats]

Almost all 7” cores require some cutting, that’s just the way it is. I’d really hope you don’t make this decision based on how much plastic needs to be trimmed away.

Good news is that both of those front mounts are very good. High efficiency cores with large frontal surface area, the AMS end tanks are the standard on this platform IMO. You can’t go wrong either way, people with AMS will argue AMS, those with ETS will argue ETS etc.

[jscheiner.09]

Alright cool thanks. I don't mind cutting. I have heard AMS is occasionally overpriced but knowing what I know now I could do either. Thanks!

[Freon]

AMS was on sale over the summer. And you can also always look in the classifieds to save some bucks. Intercoolers have no moving parts so they're generally pretty reliable short of physical damage (rocks, birds, being dropped, etc).

AMS end tank design is much better than the ETS, and I don't think that should be overlooked. Sharp edges are bad for flow.

[1Pirate]

I've been happy with my ETS FMIC. It was fairly easy to install and required no cutting since it is the 5" version.

[BMJ]

Originally Posted by jscheiner.09

Anyone have a preference for intercoolers? I know with the AMS you will need to cut but is it the same with the ETS?
Thanks!

I have an ETS 5inch love it...

[BMist371]

Bought an ER setup during their Black Friday sale. Their intercooler/chargepipe/piping/type III black anodized. So excited to get it thrown on tues or weds! It's a 6" core. Happy trade off from cutting alot and cutting none. Plus its anodized and stronger! I was gonna buy a downpipe and intake, but $700 saved is $700 saved!

[mike@x-ph.com]

I have the ETS 7" on my car and i could not be any happier
We sell a lot of ER and AA FMIC too and they are top notch

[BMist371]

Intercooler installs are no joke :-/. Seems like a 2-3 day project after work just using ramps. More time consuming than anything. Using ramps vs a lift seems to make it harder as well!

[jscheiner.09]

Well thank you for info! I will take all the suggestions into consideration.

[jturboawd]

Both intercoolers above are quality parts. I opted for the eBay vs kit, it came with a nice shroud, good end tanks, mandrel aluminum piping with meth bung for 400 bucks. I'm in Houston and have seen much lower iat than before the kit. Just another option if you don't have the funds.

[jscheiner.09]

Thanks Jturbo, got a lot of options now.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by mike@x-ph.com

I have the ETS 7" on my car and i could not be any happier
We sell a lot of ER and AA FMIC too and they are top notch

That is a pretty solid endorsement right there.

Thank you!

When I do my upgrade, will probably go ETS 7" with the matched charge pipe. Get rid of all the stock plumbing.

I also like that the piping is all stainless and not aluminium, and can be supplied all black.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

That is a pretty solid endorsement right there.

Thank you!

When I do my upgrade, will probably go ETS 7" with the matched charge pipe. Get rid of all the stock plumbing.

I also like that the piping is all stainless and not aluminium, and can be supplied all black.

I installed the Evolution Racewerks on my car couple weeks ago. Best FMIC FMIC i have seen so far. It also looks amazing.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by mike@x-ph.com

I installed the Evolution Racewerks on my car couple weeks ago. Best FMIC FMIC i have seen so far. It also looks amazing.

So, how does it compare to the ETS cooling wise? Does it replace ALL the plastic tubing as well?

Complete all aluminum intercooler piping, replaces all OEM rubber hoses with hard piping for improved throttle response and faster boost spool up.

Or do I still have to order the charge pipe on top of that? (2013 N55 135i)

http://www.x-ph.com/er-e-chassis-n54-n55-intercooler/

Nice that it comes with the "hump" style hose connections. Less chance of them pulling off.

[darkrom]

Both are high end companies and both made intercoolers that cooled down BEASTS of evo x's.

I grabbed a local AMS one for sale that will be getting installed very soon. I would have gotten the ETS if it were local too, either one will be more than enough for any 135i I've ever seen. These companies make RACE products. Can't go wrong with either.

I'm trolling the forums right now to see if anyone has the AMS intercooler installed so I can see pics. I hope it looks a little more agressive. I'm also trying to find installation instructions for my buddy so he knows what to trim while installing it etc. He will figure it out, but I'd love to save him the time.

[Freon]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

So, how does it compare to the ETS cooling wise?

Keep in mind you are asking a very objective question and good testing rarely happens... You shouldn't take anyone's word for it, nor is a few quick log snippets sufficient. It requires testing with several extra sensors that the car does not come with to get proper data.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

So, how does it compare to the ETS cooling wise? Does it replace ALL the plastic tubing as well?

Originally Posted by Freon

Keep in mind you are asking a very objective question and good testing rarely happens... You shouldn't take anyone's word for it, nor is a few quick log snippets sufficient. It requires testing with several extra sensors that the car does not come with to get proper data.

Freon Not sure if you are familiar with how we do business as a company. We are give our honest opinion about any part whether we sell it or not and that's what got us into trouble with lots of companies

MightyMouseTech Waiting for it to get warmer to do some pulls and post results. But from what i have been seeing on my gauges, it is doing a phenomenal job !!

[Freon]

Originally Posted by mike@x-ph.com

Not sure if you are familiar with how we do business as a company. We are give our honest opinion about any part whether we sell it or not and that's what got us into trouble with lots of companies

This is exactly why I was pointing out that "opinion" on objective questions is useless and shouldn't be considered. Especially, as in this instance, there was a specific question of how well intercoolers performed. That's not a question of opinion, that's a question answered by a proper test and data. It seems this completely flew over your head.

A vendor saying X or Y performs better or worse, or good, is really completely useless. Even a simply data log from a car is really poor because it isn't sufficient to normalize against ambient conditions. "Doing some pulls" means all of jack crap.

Just something that would pass muster in a high school lab science class is extremely rare, unfortunately.

[darkrom]

Yes bust out the beakers to test if intercoolers are cooling or not...




They all perform better than the stock one. Unless you are running upgraded turbos there is really no need to stress so much IMO. Get one that fits well and is priced well. The bigger the better usually. Not much else to it. You can run FBO on the stock intercooler acceptably, so really any of the upgraded ones will do the job.

[AB M2C]

I'm not sure about this platform but for evo's AMS really know what they're doing. Their pressure drop in their intercooler (2 PSI I believe) is substantially less than any other company's. On that fact alone I would go AMS for intercoolers over pretty much any other brand.

[cky751]

I noticed a lot more power when I put my intercooler in. I only had jb4 and dci at the time and it made a huge difference. My butt dyno said at least 20+ whp. My car tuns roughly 20-10 degrees cooler depending on how hard i push it. I cannot get it to go past 250 when pushing the car really hard.