[Mad335]

Basically my problem is that I want to know which upgraded intercooler on the market one can use with the standard front bumper (not the M-package one) without having to do more cutting.
A guy from a tuning shop told me installing the code3 with standard bumper would involve a lot more cutting than installing it on a car with M-tech front bumper.
AA and VK Motorwerks claim plug'n'play with no cutting involved, is this also true for me?

Does anyone have upgraded intercoolers installed on an E93 with strandard bumper?

Thanks for your help!

My Car: E93 with auto trans and no M-tech bodykit

[Spydeputy]

good question, i also would like to know about upgraded intercoolers w/ a OEM bumper cover. i have an E90

[lamia2super]

i have the AA intercooler with the oem bumper and everything is fine the only thing i noticed was the their are two screws tht cant be screwd in but everything fits good and nothing is loose or anything

[Former_Boosted_IS]

I have the AA and all you need to cut is the plastic shroud behind the bumper. Nothing at all on the bumper needs to be cut and everything screws back in like stock. I just did the install a week ago.

[GAMEOVR]

Imma do AA also... Was gonna do helix but AA I feel more comfortable, since I have some parts from them already.

[Former_Boosted_IS]

Originally Posted by GAMEOVR

Imma do AA also... Was gonna do helix but AA I feel more comfortable, since I have some parts from them already.

GAMEOVR, you will absolutely LOVE the AA unit and the difference on the car is night and day. You can drive and drive the car with out any decrease in performance. It is just awesome!

If you need any help with the install, just send me a PM.

[Mad335]

Sounds like really convincing. Did anybody notice andy difference in response of the car, i.e. longer time to bild up boost, lag or such, which could theoretically result from the increased core volume?

[scottp999]

Originally Posted by Mad335

Sounds like really convincing. Did anybody notice andy difference in response of the car, i.e. longer time to bild up boost, lag or such, which could theoretically result from the increased core volume?

THe first VK Motorwerkes intercoolers are shipping this week. While I think the Helix, AA, and others are good, I am waiting to see some of the testing done by the first customers of VK. The VK is direct bolt on, no cutting. If it performs well, then I am leaning that way.

The vedict on it should come shortly and I recommend you wait a couple of weeks to see what people say before making a final decision.

[Panoz]

I see no more references to the RPi Intercooler. Isn't this a good one or is it too expensive so everyone strafes to Helix & VK??

[Former_Boosted_IS]

Originally Posted by Mad335

Sounds like really convincing. Did anybody notice andy difference in response of the car, i.e. longer time to bild up boost, lag or such, which could theoretically result from the increased core volume?

If you haven't read my AIT review on the AA intercooler vs. the Stock intercooler, I highly recommend it. It is very revealing on how back the stock IC really is. In my car there is zero difference in the time it takes to build boost and an average of 38 degree cooler AITs!

I don't think VK really is trying to compete with AA or Helix in terms of performance. Their target buyer clearly is the plug and play customer who is looking for the easiest install and uninstall. The performance probably won't compete because the core volume, fin number, and surface area are less than the other two mentioned. That doesn't mean it won't be a big improvement over stock because I am sure it will.

[Former_Boosted_IS]

Originally Posted by Panoz

I see no more references to the RPi Intercooler. Isn't this a good one or is it too expensive so everyone strafes to Helix & VK??

Helix and AA blow away the price of RPI. Helix and AA both have group buys right now.

[RMA]

I have Spearco & abslutely love it. If I had not have purchased it already I would have jumped in on that Helix GB.

[bubbletea 4 me]

Helix would be a great option. the revised version that's on the GB makes it a true plug and play tooo..no cutting needed. Helix FMIC has been out quite some time and there are peroformance tests out there you can find.. i be totally confortable with them.

AA is a great option too but a bit pricier.

[Former_Boosted_IS]

Originally Posted by bubbletea 4 me

Helix would be a great option. the revised version that's on the GB makes it a true plug and play tooo..no cutting needed. Helix FMIC has been out quite some time and there are peroformance tests out there you can find.. i be totally confortable with them.

AA is a great option too but a bit pricier.

In fairness to AA, it is the only intercooler that includes a shroud to focus air to the intercooler. Also the AITs are the coolest ever measured on a 335i on a long gear pull.

[TurboBullett@Ambient Thermal Management]

Originally Posted by Former_Boosted_IS

In fairness to AA, it is the only intercooler that includes a shroud to focus air to the intercooler. Also the AITs are the coolest ever measured on a 335i on a long gear pull.

the factory has a shroud that direct air to the intercooler and the Helix fits snugly up against it The entire system is obviously working as we get only a 5 degree rise in AIT's from 2nd thru 4th gears at a sustained 15 psi boost pressure!

AIT data taken from an Independant customer(sniz)

[TurboBullett@Ambient Thermal Management]

Heres all the data and info on the Helix FMIC!


Core Design-
Prior to this stepped core design you had the option to either go Taller or thicker with the cores. In my design process I measured the captive areas in the front of the bumper in both depth and height and went about designing an intercooler that took up all of this area, yet still retained the all important seal to the back of the fan shroud so the radiator fan could still draw ambient air through the core. The end result is an intercooler with 56% more frontal area as well as core volume. now about the core I was not constrained to an off the shelf core in regards to ambient and internal fin count as we custom spec'd the core to this application the core in the helix FMIC is a single unit stacked up to our specifications in regards to ambient and charge row height and internal and external fin count. since our core has more volume I could increase the internal fin count to remove more temperature and still meet the targeted air flow and pressure drop for this application. as you see by the AIT data logs the intercooler works amazingly well



Endank design- all endtanks are not created equally, air likes to flow in a smooth curved radius as you can see the Helix FMIC has rounded endtanks that are cast. Another thing you will noticie is we opted not to utilize the factory O-ring connectors even though we could have easily implemented them in this design. Our reasoning was simple the factory connectors are THE flow restriction in the charge side as they shrink down to less than 2 inches in diameter at the inlet and outlet.



Pic of the revised endtank design to allow perfect fitment on the 335i and alot less trimming for the 135i.




Install:
Fits in stock location- YES
requires NO cutting,removal and/or permanent modification- Yes on 335i, No on 135i
Can it be installed without removing front Bumper- YES
Utilizes factory mounting points- Yes
Design:
More core volume than stock- Yes 56%
More Ambient face than stock- Yes 56%
More charge rows than stock(8)- Yes 13
Bar and Plate construction- Yes
Removes restrictive stock O ring connectors- Yes
Seals to factory radiator fan shroud so air is drawn through when car is not in motion- Yes
Performance:
Helix intercooler at 13.5psi 63 degree ambient temps:
372whp +22whp
turbo outlet temperature 228 degrees F(estimated using a 63 degree ambient and 65% compressor efficiency at 13.5 psi)
AIT temp- 75 degrees F - 54 degree drop over stock
pre and post intercooler temp drop- 153 degrees F
Intercooler efficiency- 93% - 33% improvement in efficiency over stock
Core pressure drop spec is .5psi at 450hp(600cfm) airflow
Price: $969

STOCK 2-4 gear


Independant AIT test through 2nd-4th gears-Incredible AIT control!



Independent testing and comments on the Helix FMIC:

“I've been testing the Helix FMIC and it keeps IATs within a couple degrees of ambient. Pretty ridiculous. In a good way, of course. And it doesn't block too much of the radiator either. That would be my recommendation.”
Shiv

“I've tested 3 different aftermarket FMICs in my car and the Helix unit performed the best in terms of cooling efficiency and pressure loss. I don't see things getting much better than that to be honest.”
Shiv

“I will attest that this intercooler will help your cars. I have had it on since early winter/last fall and have seen little to no decrease in power with the warmer weather or after repeated hard runs that would have heatsoaked the tiny stock intercooler in no time.”
Sniz

[Former_Boosted_IS]

TTBullett, proven the best on the market? You testing shows from customer's car to have nearly identical AIT values as AA. Your AIT is 110 degrees F on a customers car run and I tested 102 degrees on my car. You have a great product, AA has a great product. Both are tested and both have proven to do a good job.

You can make simple posts without trying to dominate the thread. I am no coming into everything posting my AITs for the testing I did. No one wants a bully in the IC market now like we have in the tuning market right now.

[TurboBullett@Ambient Thermal Management]

Originally Posted by Former_Boosted_IS

TTBullett, proven the best on the market? You testing shows from customer's car to have nearly identical AIT values as AA. Your AIT is 110 degrees F on a customers car run and I tested 102 degrees on my car. You have a great product, AA has a great product. Both are tested and both have proven to do a good job.

You can make simple posts without trying to dominate the thread. I am no coming into everything posting my AITs for the testing I did. No one wants a bully in the IC market now like we have in the tuning market right now.

sorry that was a cut and paste from our GB thread(removed), BUT... Id love for a vishnu customer with the AA to datalog it 2nd thru 4th gear at 14-15psi for a direct comparison with the vishnu logging software. Your a techie like me I'm sure you agree

lastly our numbers from your testing dont match ours, you had a temp rise of 29 degrees from the starting point where our temps only rose 5 degrees. am I missing something?

heres the data you posted here:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=243939

"Testing Procedure

The car was driven very lightly until it reached operating oil temperature. At this point, the AIT was noted. As you can see below the AIT was 73 degrees F at a stand still as testing began or 14 degrees F below initial testing. Everything was done identical to the last testing with identical mods other than the new Active Autowerke Intercooler. These were all long gear pulls like the last time.



Results

Run 1 maxed at an AIT of 102 degrees F or 38 degrees F colder than the stock intercooler."

[Former_Boosted_IS]

Originally Posted by TTurboBullett

sorry that was a cut and paste from our GB thread(removed), BUT... Id love for a vishnu customer with the AA to datalog it 2nd thru 4th gear at 14-15psi for a direct comparison with the vishnu logging software. Your a techie like me I'm sure you agree

Ok, fair enough. For the record, I am a fan of yours as well. I think you and AA lead the pack in the IC race for those that are looking for the most effective cooling. I don't think it means others don't do a good job, but far and away the fin number/surface area mix are headed my you two companies.

Oh, and the 102 degree F versus 110 degrees is customer's car versus customer's car. There is no better testing than that to the community.

[Septro]

Boosted has it right. This all means we have two great options for ICs between AA and Helix. You really can't go wrong with either. I'm just glad I got on the Helix GB.

[Mad335]

Boosted has it right. This all means we have two great options for ICs between AA and Helix. You really can't go wrong with either. I'm just glad I got on the Helix GB.

Yep, this sums it all up nicely. I will probably go with the AA because of the design and the RAM air shrouds.

[Juicer]

Originally Posted by TTurboBullett

the factory has a shroud that direct air to the intercooler and the Helix fits snugly up against it The entire system is obviously working as we get only a 5 degree rise in AIT's from 2nd thru 4th gears at a sustained 15 psi boost pressure!

AIT data taken from an Independant customer(sniz)

I believe Sniz was also running UR cold air intake at the time of this test.