Best Intercooler Option for 135i

[VALAS135i]

Hey guys, I am a new 135 owner just got it this week. I see there are tons of companys out there that sell fmics and I don't know which ones are reputable or not. What would my best option be for a fmic kit.

The ones I am looking into:
HPF
AA
Evolution racewerks
Helix

I do like the Evolution racewerks because it comes with the piping and shrouds.

What do you guys reccommend?

[instag8tr]

I have the er set up . I went with them since it replaces the piping , track tested , and they have a great rep with products for other car models. Hpf is my second choice and will be a great set up when they come out with the rest of it. With hat being said all of the ones on your list are good just depends on how much you want to spend and which company you feel he most comfortable with. In the end do your homework.

[bryce]

pointless thread is pointless.





everyone is just going to recommend the one they bought. do a little research, read this thread (even though it's a little biased for helix):

[RimasRS]

Anyway better is bigger, and that's it. Simple.... I know that many of you will start talks about better flow and else. But still bigger = better.

[JBW]

I have the HPF and am perfectly happy with it. While I don't have IAT stats, I can tell you that I immediately had a nice drop in oil temp. During mid-summer (hot) I had a drop of about 10 degrees F on average from stock. I did not exceed 250 degrees F this past summer at all. I usually ran around 240. Now, approaching mid-December the oil temp. does not exceed 230 degrees F. That's a 20 degree F drop from last winter, prior to installation. This tells you for sure that the HPF works in terms of cooling things down.

The one thing I will tell you is that you need to cut away significantly more plastic than what the video installation suggests. They use a 3 in the video. The 1 requires more work for sure. It's still relatively easy to install, but takes a little more time than a 3 install.

[GaryS]

I think we've had this thread about 800 times. No one has ever done a comparison test, so it's all just people's guesses. HPF is shiny. AA has a super cool looking shroud. CP-E has an oil cooler. ETS has some kind of cool core design. Helix is really big. Big Tom is even bigger. Dinan also has some kind of cool core and it apparently has the least pressure drop. Anyway, I chose cp-e because I care more about the oil cooler.

[bryce]

Originally Posted by GaryS

I think we've had this thread about 800 times. No one has ever done a comparison test, so it's all just people's guesses. HPF is shiny. AA has a super cool looking shroud. CP-E has an oil cooler. ETS has some kind of cool core design. Helix is really big. Big Tom is even bigger. Dinan also has some kind of cool core and it apparently has the least pressure drop. Anyway, I chose cp-e because I care more about the oil cooler.

[SlicktopTTZ]

HPF.


Highest volume besides Big Tom. Can get it with or without the stock C-clip couplers. Cast end tanks that don't angle sharply. Mounting tabs. Good company.

[dlbrooks18]

I'd go with HPF without a doubt

[BMW86]

+ 1 on some of the other guys posts. This topic has been discussed many times before.

I don't have a FMIC yet but I'm going with HPF when they release the rest of their kit. I really like their design and the use of the Synapse BOV. I wouldn't hold your breath though as they're coming back to it next Spring due to other commitments. If I had to buy today I would get the HPF with the ER Charge pipe and probably keep the stock piping.

[Hind]

Dont forget ETS

[mineo77]

Somebody Please Shoot Me If This Thread Keeps Going On!!! How Many Times Are We Going To Have To Do This Again...whats Up With All My Caps...well It Is Because I Hope It Annoys You As Much As These Threads Do!!!

[InsaneSkippy]

Originally Posted by mineo77

Somebody Please Shoot Me If This Thread Keeps Going On!!! How Many Times Are We Going To Have To Do This Again...whats Up With All My Caps...well It Is Because I Hope It Annoys You As Much As These Threads Do!!!

Thank God for vBulletin's CAPS spam feature then

[1speedbike]

I haven't upgraded mine yet, but I'm either going for the HPF one because everyone who has it seems to love it. Not a single bad review. It has a decent amount of increased area, and it's well built. Also it fits in relatively easily, no cutting except some inner-plastic that isn't much.

Either that or the ETS one. It's not MUCH bigger than stock in terms of raw size from what I see, but definitely big enough for a noticeable improvement. I say ETS because not as many people have fitted intercoolers behind their Aero bumpers (like I'm getting installed) so I don't wanna buy something that won't fit, so I'm going with something that's not obviously plus-sized, but still larger. Other than that, it's still well built, lighter than the HPF one, and it'll help

Also, ETS changes up the pipes and makes them less restrictive, makes the angles of the bends in the pipes be less (a 30 and a 60 degree angle together instead of a single 90 degree angle) which would make the pipes themselves less restrictive, which I like.

But then again, I don't have either of them. And everyone loves their own brand. Soooo... who knows!?

[Hind]

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=433930

[1speedbike]

Originally Posted by Hind

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=433930

It's bigger than stock than I thought! Nice thread. It's a definite improvement over stock

However, compared to some of the other suggestions it's smaller, but still effective. Take a look at Big Tom vs ETS