[Ramos]

Hey guys,

Can someone provide an overview for us newbies out there on what the difference is between a FMIC and the high capacity oil coolers?

How do these mods work in terms of providing more cooling? and if you had a limited budget for mods and do not want to go crazy (leased car) which one would you chose? The $595 offer from V.K Motorwerks for the oil cooler seems hard to beat... Any suggestions, technical info on these mods that we can all learn from?

[e90AW335i]

Get both from VK Motorwerks for the price of one "other" aftermarket intercooler!

[Ramos]

I'm thinking about that, however my 335 is a lease and I'm not going crazy with aggressive mods.. I am tracking the car though maybe once or twice a year and am concerned about over heating.. That's why I'm trying to learn more about these two mods, how they work and which one is more effective on its own

[vegasspeed]

They are totally different in uses. An oil cooler is there to help with heat soak for a turbo system. If you are in a warmer climate than it is even more important. Put it this way, if you are going to have problems overheating the oil than buy one of these. If you have a stock oil cooler than it may not be necessary.

The Intercooler will do nothing for you unless you get a chip or flash. The idea is that when you push the pressure of the turbos up(more air going through the pipes) the upgraded intercooler allows you to cool the air effectively for higher boost levels. Otherwise you will get higher pressure boost with a chip but you will also have higher than normal temperatures going into your car. The stock system is setup for specific pressure, air flow and temperature. The each do something completely different. The intercooler is more about getting your car to run the turbos more effeciently. The oil cooler is there to keep things running cool around the engine NOT the charged air going into the engine.

[Ramos]

I see... Would you agree that with a mild to middle of the road tune such as SSTT or Dinan stage 2, an upgraded oil cooler is more important that the IC?

I am basing this on the fact that Dinan recommends their upgraded oil cooler with their stage 2, and do not require the IC unless you go more aggressive with stage 3

Is that an accurate statement?

[Vince@ V K Motorwerks]

Originally Posted by vegasspeed

They are totally different in uses. An oil cooler is there to help with heat soak for a turbo system. If you are in a warmer climate than it is even more important. Put it this way, if you are going to have problems overheating the oil than buy one of these. If you have a stock oil cooler than it may not be necessary.

The Intercooler will do nothing for you unless you get a chip or flash. The idea is that when you push the pressure of the turbos up(more air going through the pipes) the upgraded intercooler allows you to cool the air effectively for higher boost levels. Otherwise you will get higher pressure boost with a chip but you will also have higher than normal temperatures going into your car. The stock system is setup for specific pressure, air flow and temperature. The each do something completely different. The intercooler is more about getting your car to run the turbos more effeciently. The oil cooler is there to keep things running cool around the engine NOT the charged air going into the engine.

Nicely said.

[wrh3]

Even for those running stock boost, in my experience an intercooler upgrade offers more consistent/linear performance as the OE intercooler is usually more susceptible to heat soak that you can feel in the way of power/performance drop off.

I plan to do both, I opted for the VKM oil cooler first- I think the oil cooler is a weaker OE component and the OE intercooler will suffice until VKM brings their product to market.

[ChaneRZ]

i'd get an IC.

[Beer Goggles]

If you don't have an oil cooler get one.

Also if you're worried about "modding" and a lease. You do know that ORGANIZED racing is an instant deal breaker right?

[Ramos]

I am not RACING the car, I am going to a HPDE with the local BMWCCA chapter and I have the stock oil cooler (READ before you post)

[BaLLzZz]

I have a stock oil coooler and rpi fmic and love the gains with no tune yet just my 2 cents. I DiD downpipes and fmic and dvs so that when i do get the tune all the supporting mods are in place HAHAhah

[alee335]

I've noticed immediate seat of the pants performance increases on two previously owned turbo cars ( 911 Turbo, 300ZX TT) without any other mods done when intercooler was upgraded.
Oil cooler will delay limp modes when oil temps get too hot. Only a problem if you drive hard long enough to get the temps that high.

[leftcoastman]

Originally Posted by Ramos

I'm thinking about that, however my 335 is a lease and I'm not going crazy with aggressive mods.. I am tracking the car though maybe once or twice a year and am concerned about over heating.. That's why I'm trying to learn more about these two mods, how they work and which one is more effective on its own

What's your driving skill level? If you're a beginner, with only one/two schools a year, you likely won't be driving the car hard enough to overheat the oil. it helps that you have a 6MT.

[ac1208]

Originally Posted by vegasspeed

They are totally different in uses. An oil cooler is there to help with heat soak for a turbo system. If you are in a warmer climate than it is even more important. Put it this way, if you are going to have problems overheating the oil than buy one of these. If you have a stock oil cooler than it may not be necessary.

The Intercooler will do nothing for you unless you get a chip or flash. The idea is that when you push the pressure of the turbos up(more air going through the pipes) the upgraded intercooler allows you to cool the air effectively for higher boost levels. Otherwise you will get higher pressure boost with a chip but you will also have higher than normal temperatures going into your car. The stock system is setup for specific pressure, air flow and temperature. The each do something completely different. The intercooler is more about getting your car to run the turbos more effeciently. The oil cooler is there to keep things running cool around the engine NOT the charged air going into the engine.

if i get a jb3 when that comes out, would an IC be a good choice?
i mean the aggressive tunes are probably pre-29.2/mds81 right? i think i have 29.2 and mds81, then i can't run very aggressive tunes.

i've read somewhere than an IC will benefit most if you're runing >14psi
is that true??

[Former_Boosted_IS]

Originally Posted by ac1208

if i get a jb3 when that comes out, would an IC be a good choice?
i mean the aggressive tunes are probably pre-29.2/mds81 right? i think i have 29.2 and mds81, then i can't run very aggressive tunes.

i've read somewhere than an IC will benefit most if you're runing >14psi
is that true??

The truth is it is all about how hard you drive the car. Realistically the IC is more and more important when you drive the car hard for longer durations. If you are the occasional floor through the gears guy, then neither would benefit you. If you are a road racer or cone racer, then the IC would be a huge benefit. There are two that are logging over 200 degree IATs on the stock IC and if that is true, then we have a major problem! The IC should solve that and lessen the heat soak that is occurring.

On a side note, if you go JB3, it does have boost decay based on IATs, so an IC will give you higher boost levels for longer durations. That is a "feel" difference for sure.

[StarrDlux]

i suppose there are two shops of tuning. more boost and less timing, less boost and more timing.

alot of people need big boost peniz and would rather be running no timing so their boost gauges are bigger

[Ramos]

Originally Posted by leftcoastman

What's your driving skill level? If you're a beginner, with only one/two schools a year, you likely won't be driving the car hard enough to overheat the oil. it helps that you have a 6MT.

Thank you, best response so far.. and makes sense
I might consider an IC now

[longodj]

Originally Posted by leftcoastman

What's your driving skill level? If you're a beginner, with only one/two schools a year, you likely won't be driving the car hard enough to overheat the oil. it helps that you have a 6MT.

<- got limp mode on my first HPDE day Gotten limp mode every session of every day since.

<- getting VK Motorwerks as soon as it's released

<- Also looking for VK intercooler as anything with the word "cool" in it is very appetizing to me right now

I think the reality of it is that if you have some balls and put your foot on the ground in a straight on track, you will overheat, regardless of transmission. I mean I guess I've been doing some more fancy heel/toe lately and I was stupid with gearing on my first day...but these cars just warm and warm and warm until they die. And they always seem to drop power as you have a Corvette climbing up your ass.