[E92TiAg335i]

So I know people will tell me to "USE THE SEARCH BUTTON!"

WELL,

I already did... I have found very few thread and it's more of people just blabbering to each other without FACTUAL PROOF OF LOGS...
Also to note, most of those threads were for F30's with N55's and NOT the e92!

I really feel like intercooler is extremely important to me as I live in South Florida where we have 2 seasons: Hot and Hotter.

Anyway, is the VRSF 7inch actually any good?

I've heard crazy differences in deltas with the ETS and ER intercooler, but the only reason why I've heard that VRSF is good is purely because it's 400 dollars cheaper than the next reputable intercooler.


Anybody want to chime in and give their .02 cents?

[Tiago@VRSF]

Our intercooler is currently featured on the world record holding highest HP N54 (860whp).

It's pretty good

[E92TiAg335i]

Originally Posted by Tiago@VRSF

Our intercooler is currently featured on the world record holding highest HP N54. It's pretty good

Damn it, Tiago...

My 3 Closest friends have your intercooler on their N54's and N55 and I have another friend with a big single 6466 turbo Silver Grey 335, who bought my old m3 (no names mentioned ), with your intercooler... They all love it...

I'm pretty convinced to get yours now...

[Tiago@VRSF]

If you're going to run a larger turbo setup we also have a couple new race variants arriving in the next few weeks

[Cory S]

VRSF....No need for any other.

[E92TiAg335i]

How about anybody with the ETS 7 inch intercooler?

[Turbod]

I'm not sure if you came across my review in your search so I linked it here. If you do not plan to return the car to stock I would recommend this intercooler. The couple hiccups I had during the install were frustrating but IMO completely normal when installing aftermarket parts.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1172354

[CantCatchMe]

VRSF all the way, especially the 7".

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by E92TiAg335i

How about anybody with the ETS 7 inch intercooler?

I had that intercooler on my car, its a great FMIC

We offer over 10 different intercoolers for this car and VRSF 7" is our most popular choice

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

VRSF would be the most popular.

[Cory S]

My stepped 5" VRSF works fanatastic. Rarely see IAT's much over 20-25* over ambient, even on a 15-18psi 4 gear run to 115mph.... Would never need to go bigger.

[f30luxline]

Originally Posted by Cory S

My stepped 5" VRSF works fanatastic. Rarely see IAT's much over 20-25* over ambient, even on a 15-18psi 4 gear run to 115mph.... Would never need to go bigger.

I see similar results with my 7". I really wish I had logging capabilities stock to be able to make a direct comparison.

The 7 did require a small amount of trimming. I feel most people exaggerate this, it is really minimal and shouldn't deter people away as I have seen.

I had an ER on my F30 and can honestly say the VRSF performs very similar when comparing logs. BUT I can also say all the ER products I had were very high quality, far superior to VRSF.....this superb quality is what raises the cost in any product.

My e92 is fully outfitted with VRSF products, DP, CP, FMIC. I am very happy with all of them considering the price point. Just a tid-bit of info, I was able to sell my used host (fbo) of ER parts from my f30 and be able to buy all new VRSF parts for my e92.

[Cory S]

With intercoolers, the quality VS marketing bullshit is comical.... They are pretty much all the same. Aluminum, tube+fin or bar+plate.

End tank designs change a little from unit to unit/brand etc, but these things are all pretty much the same.... I purchased and installed well over 50 intercoolers in the past 20 years, and I could not tell you one was a better "Quality" over an another.... Most all of them are entirely manufactured overseas. There is actually only about 4 intercooler core manufacturers...

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by Cory S

With intercoolers, the quality VS marketing bullshit is comical.... They are pretty much all the same. Aluminum, tube+fin or bar+plate.

End tank designs change a little from unit to unit/brand etc, but these things are all pretty much the same.... I purchased and installed well over 50 intercoolers in the past 20 years, and I could not tell you one was a better "Quality" over an another.... Most all of them are entirely manufactured overseas. There is actually only about 4 intercooler core manufacturers...

Not sure if you are serious or trolling?

The quality of the welds, end tank design and core can all differ greatly between companies.

For someone who has installed "well over 50 intercoolers", this statement comes very surprising.

Perhaps you are just not looking at the details.

[Cory S]

Originally Posted by Jeff@TopGearSolutions

Not sure if you are serious or trolling?

The quality of the welds, end tank design and core can all differ greatly between companies.

For someone who has installed "well over 50 intercoolers", this statement comes very surprising.

Perhaps you are just not looking at the details.

OK, to be more specific. Welds can differ yes, but I have never seen a weld seam fail on any intercooler I have installed. This includes overseas units (CX Racing, etc). Most all have very thorough acceptable welds. I have worked with Bell, Treadstone, Garret etc... Most use Bell/Garret Bar + plate design, with vertical flow cores better suited for supercharged applications, and horizontal flow (more pressure drop) for turbo applications.

End tank design has nothing to do with quality. It's simply placement for different applications. Manufacturers still boast marketing bloats for certain end tank "design".

Just because I don't run an online distribution business, doesn't mean I must be trolling, or pulling knowledge out of my ass Jeff.

[JETmn]

Originally Posted by Cory S

OK, to be more specific. Welds can differ yes, but I have never seen a weld seam fail on any intercooler I have installed. This includes overseas units (CX Racing, etc). Most all have very thorough acceptable welds. I have worked with Bell, Treadstone, Garret etc... Most use Bell/Garret Bar + plate design, with vertical flow cores better suited for supercharged applications, and horizontal flow (more pressure drop) for turbo applications.

End tank design has nothing to do with quality. It's simply placement for different applications. Manufacturers still boast marketing bloats for certain end tank "design".

Just because I don't run an online distribution business, doesn't mean I must be trolling, or pulling knowledge out of my ass Jeff.

Jeff is correct, you aren't looking at the details. There are HUGE differences in the intercoolers, especially inside. The cheap ones don't even have turbulators, they just have holes punched in the fin pack in the core. End tanks can also have an effect on flow, so yes there is a difference.

[AX75F92]

Compare a Japanese manufactured IC from HKS, Greddy, A'PEXi, ARC, etc to China spec like VRSF and you'll see the difference in quality. However you'll be comparing a $400 product to a $1500-2000 one. Will you notice a difference in performance on your street car? Prob not. You will most def notice an aesthetic difference, if that's important to you. Obviously budget is a big factor and although VRSF gets the job done at a great price point it's not an example of beautiful craftsmanship. I have the VRSF 7" on my car and for $400 I think you can't go wrong...

[JETmn]

Originally Posted by AX75F92

Compare a Japanese manufactured IC from HKS, Greddy, A'PEXi, ARC, etc to China spec like VRSF and you'll see the difference in quality. However you'll be comparing a $400 product to a $1500-2000 one. Will you notice a difference in performance on your street car? Prob not. You will most def notice an aesthetic difference, if that's important to you. Obviously budget is a big factor and although VRSF gets the job done at a great price point it's not an example of beautiful craftsmanship. I have the VRSF 7" on my car and for $400 I think you can't go wrong...

Exactly, most of us go for "bang for the buck" in our upgrades. If I can get 90% of the performance for 40% of the price, that is winning

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by Cory S

OK, to be more specific. Welds can differ yes, but I have never seen a weld seam fail on any intercooler I have installed. This includes overseas units (CX Racing, etc). Most all have very thorough acceptable welds. I have worked with Bell, Treadstone, Garret etc... Most use Bell/Garret Bar + plate design, with vertical flow cores better suited for supercharged applications, and horizontal flow (more pressure drop) for turbo applications.

End tank design has nothing to do with quality. It's simply placement for different applications. Manufacturers still boast marketing bloats for certain end tank "design".

Just because I don't run an online distribution business, doesn't mean I must be trolling, or pulling knowledge out of my ass Jeff.

End tank design has nothing to do with quality? A poor flowing, sheet metal end tank is the definition of poor quality. What makes an end tank high quality? High flowing cast end tanks would be one example.

What defines acceptable welds? Because it holds pressure? This is why I'm having trouble taking you seriously. You tell me there are only 4 manufacturers of cores in the world and because the weld holds and doesn't leak it's acceptable?

Next you are going to tell us that cut rate $200 ebay intercoolers perform the same as ETS and Wagner Evo II?

If you are trying to say there are some DECENT options available without spending $700-1000, I can believe that but to say they are the same in EVERY WAY of options 2x more would be a blatant lie. This is not from a vendors stand point or a sales pitch. I actually make more money on the cheap stufff a lot of times. (Thanks China).

The blanket statements and leading newbies on to believe they aren't paying for anything better is what I'm having trouble with.

Lets get away from the blanket statements and stick with facts. I've been on forums for 15+ years and these types of arguments go nowhere.

Originally Posted by JETmn

Jeff is correct, you aren't looking at the details. There are HUGE differences in the intercoolers, especially inside. The cheap ones don't even have turbulators, they just have holes punched in the fin pack in the core. End tanks can also have an effect on flow, so yes there is a difference.

[RMNB]

I have a Wagner IC... seems fine to me. No issues, runs cool...235ish.

[AirbusPilot]

I don't think an IC needs "military grade" assembly, welds or material to do its job. Cool if you want it, but not worth the price premium. I'm not saying to buy the cheapest, but VRSF is perfectly fine.

[AirbusPilot]

BTW, I have the VRSF 7" installed and it has high quality welds and nice looking cast end tanks, and the car runs better and more consistent.