[BrianMN]

Hello all,

So I’ve been MIA on the forums the past few months…partly due to work, partly due to being at the track a lot, and partly trying to keep myself from spending/wasting so many hours on here, haha.

Anyways, I have been testing out some new products at the track recently and have some good info and lessons learned to report.

AR-Design Oil Cooler—Well, it’s a very well made oil cooler with good brackets and hoses. Did it work for me? Not really.
To set the story—every track day this year between BIR and Road America has been 80-90* and humid. Most testing was at Road America, which is a 4 mile very high speed track, which is very hard on engines. The car has full bolt ons, with boost set at 12psi. Car has a stock oil cooler, always with new Mobil1 0w40.
Normal oil temps were usually around 280* about 10 minutes into a 25 minute session. Very hot. Now with the AR Design oil cooler, oil temps were merely reduced to 270*. Still a bit better, but nowhere near the level I’d like to be. This doesn’t mean that the oil cooler didn’t do its job…it’s just that it didn’t do well enough for my needs. Perhaps they should offer another kit with a [much] larger core, as there is plenty of real estate there. (Not worried about covering the radiator)
Driving around town with a few highway pulls here and there, the oil cooler might do a decent job of keeping temps below 250, but in reality 250* oil temp is nothing to be afraid of.
Lessons learned- Good product for the average enthusiast, but if you’re expecting it to keep temps at 250 for track use, you need something bigger and better.


Vishnu PWM Meth Kit- As many others have eluded to, this is phenomenal.

The Obvious: Woh, this meth gives a ton of POWER!
The not-so-obvious- Track abuse without meth: oil temps of 280* Track abuse with meth: 260*

The track is where the PWM system really comes into play. Many people simply get a kick out of a few 3rd gear WOT pulls on the highway…but when you need the engine operating optimally at 40%-75% throttle, the traditional meth kits aren’t the bees knees. Let’s talk about cornering at 40%-75% throttle. With a traditional meth kit you’d be at full flow, say 800ml/min immediately at 8psi. You can see where going through a sweeping corner at 8psi at 800ml/min can lead to boggage and wayyyyy too much meth. See below for a datalog of how the meth responds to different throttle [and boost] input. (note-my unsteady foot is the cause of the wavy boost curve)



Not only was the extra power great (while keeping boost constant at 12psi), the ability to lower oil temps to 255* for 20 minutes straight was amazing. Within a couple minutes of meth running out the oil temps shot up to 280*. This was practically the same between meth mixtures.

Lessons Learned:Meth is almost a necessity for track abuse…keeping the oil temps down and intake charge cooler is very beneficial in terms of a happy engine, as well as a great addition of power.
With the windshield washer fluid tank filled to the top, I went through the tank (a little under 2 gallons) in apx. 20 minutes…Keep in mind the track is very high-speed.

***The low level-sensor should not be relied upon while on the track. With street driving it is somewhat consistent, but nearly every single session on the track the meth would run out before I got the low-level indicator.



Quick guide to tires: I’ve had a wide variety of tires throughout the years, and with this particular car and its weight, it’s been hard to find a grippy tire that doesn’t get greasy. I’ve usually been a HUGE fanboy of Nittos, particularly the NT01s for track use and NT05s for the street. This summer, however I’ve stepped over to first Yokohama A808s, Hoosier R6s and now Continental slicks.
Last weekend I gave a set of Conti slicks a try..and wow is all I can say.
As far as track rubber goes, here’s my opinion:
Pirelli > Continental > Hoosier R6 > Nitto NT01 > Yoko R888 > Yoko A808
“Trackable” Street rubber:
Nitto NT05 > Michelin Super Sports (new) > Dunlop Star Spec > all the other ones.

Things I’ve learned:
Continental Slicks vs. Hoosier R6: In a nutshell, Contis have significantly more grip. When temps/pressures are under the limit, neither of them will get greasy.
Conti Pressures: Keeping the contis under 28psi hot is key…usually started them at 23 cold and they stayed around 27-27.5.
Hoosiers were happy under 38psi hot. Usually started them at 32psi and they’d stay around 37.
Nitto NT01s vs. Hoosiers: A bit different class of tires, but I’m of the opinion that NT01s phenomenal tires and almost as good for peak grip…just get a little greasy when hot.

Brakes:
Hawk DTC-70 vs. Blue I go back between these the most...The obvious: Blues squeak a lot more, but hold up a lot better in high heat; DTC-70s have a little better bite but sometimes have a small amount of fade.

Recaro Pole Positions with Schroth 6 Point ProFI harnesses, and custom harness bar.
The obvious: HUGE increase in enjoyment and comfort. Requires a small amount of effort to get in/out of the car, but nothing that is bothersome.
If I were to do it over again, I would have gone with the Recaro ProFI seats, which are a little bit more aggressive with higher bolsters, tighter torso, etc.
Well, that’s what I’ve got to share so far this year. Stay tuned for more. I’ll likely be fitting a different, larger oil cooler in as well as playing with brakes cooling systems.

Cheers!
Brian

[dzenno]

great review...cool!

[Turkeybaster115]

Brian, 6MT, or 6AT?

[DaFish]

Awesome review - thanks... have you selected your next oil cooler to try?

[dzenno]

Go with the real deal



http://www.evolutionracewerks.com/?q=node/133

[335iLI]

Originally Posted by dzenno

Go with the real deal



http://www.evolutionracewerks.com/?q=node/133

Thats beautiful. Nice write up brian. I wont hold it against you for yelling at me about the clutch. lol

[Turkeybaster115]

Originally Posted by dzenno

Go with the real deal



http://www.evolutionracewerks.com/?q=node/133

Cloth lines have broken on several of us on here. AR design now uses stainless steel.

[Trojan4evr]

^+1. the ER dual oil cooler looks beautiful. They're gonna come up with Carbon Fiber version of those vents. I think they have a series configuration.

[dzenno]

Originally Posted by Turkeybaster115

Cloth lines have broken on several of us on here. AR design now uses stainless steel.

Sure, but that could also be due to install error...in any case, SS is obviously a much safer bet, i'm sure they could change them out when you order..

[Turkeybaster115]

Originally Posted by dzenno

Sure, but that could also be due to install error...

It happened to so many people that it can't be due to install error. Besides, why use cloth lines in a $1,400 Kit?

[dzenno]

Originally Posted by Turkeybaster115

It happened to so many people that it can't be due to install error. Besides, why use cloth lines in a $1,400 Kit?

So many ppl? How many?

As I said, ER is a great company, I'm sure if you point them at the issues with the cloth lines they'd swap them out for SS in a heart beat

[NoQuarter]

Their explanation for them using cloth lines isn't satisfactory?

[dzenno]

oh yea, ppl read that page at ER's site...they have a nice explanation on the lines, these aren't cloth these are nylon braided, stronger than even stainless steel yet lighter

Everything needed to install is included with the kits. No low quality, cheap fittings and lines made overseas used here. High quality Goodrich anodized black AN fittings and high end Goodrich Nylon Braided Lines are used throughout the kit. These high end Goodrich Nylon Braided lines are the new thing to use for oil lines as they have many advantages and no disadvantages (other than higher price) than traditional stainless steel braided lines. The main advantage is that they are lightweight. Nylon is considerably lighter than stainless steel. The second advantage is that Nylon Braided Lines are stronger than traditional stainless steel lines. Third, is that Nylon Braided Lines do not fray. Stainless steel braided lines will start to fray and those who are familiar with stainless steel braided lines know what we're talking about. The stainless steel mesh in the lines start to "fray" or break and thus you get poked with the broken ends. Saves a lot of bloody fingers. Fourth, they are abrasive resistant. Since stainless steel lines will act like a saw when it comes in contact with anything and will eventually cut anything it contacts whereas the Nylon braided lines are soft and pretty much won't ever do it. Fifth, heat resistance. Nylon Braided lines can withstand more heat and retain the heat inside the line better. Stainless steel lines tends to release the heat inside the lines, thus when you touch the lines, they tend to be hot. With all these advantages of the Nylon Braided Lines over stainless steel lines, it's the obvious choice for an Evolution Racewerks product.

[DefactoM6]

Why not the STETT OC? It solves the biggest problem of all...the retarded oil Tstat that BMW put in these cars...

[Turkeybaster115]

Originally Posted by dzenno

oh yea, ppl read that page at ER's site...they have a nice explanation on the lines, these aren't cloth these are nylon braided, stronger than even stainless steel yet lighter

You mean nylon like these:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ign+oil+cooler

The OEM oil cooler, uses rubber, FYI, and has NEVER seen a break.

[jippii ensio]

Originally Posted by Turkeybaster115

You mean nylon like these:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ign+oil+cooler

The OEM oil cooler, uses rubber, FYI, and has NEVER seen a break.

No, the problem in that thread was in AR lines. It says there that had he had ER nylon that would not have happened.

[themyst]

Good info re: PWM meth kit. I am certain there is benefit to the kit at part throttle, but for the average enthusiast living their life in vacuum or WOT, the benefit becomes less obvious.

BTW, how's that FX100 treating you?

[Turkeybaster115]

Originally Posted by jippii ensio

No, the problem in that thread was in AR lines. It says there that had he had ER nylon that would not have happened.

AR lines used to be NYLON.

[Infamous]

a refreshingly different review with some excellent observations

thanks !

[turugara]

Didn't that thread conclude that the issue was a fan hitting the lines, therefore causing the fraying and the issues? If installed correctly, there wouldn't be a problem with fraying.

I thought that was what people were saying based on what I saw in that thread.

[tibra1]

Evolution Oil cooler is definitly the correct solution..that looks like a great product..

upgraded coolant radiator will also help for track..Evo OCs plus aluminum performance radiator..should pretty much guarantee no heating issues

[TurboBimmer]

Originally Posted by DefactoM6

Why not the STETT OC? It solves the biggest problem of all...the retarded oil Tstat that BMW put in these cars...

If you live in a country with low temps in the winter, you need the thermostat. Otherwise it will take too long for the engine to reach operating temps.

My take on the Oilcoolers:

I have the factory OC and firstly added the AR OC. On the track this setup proved to be pretty much useless. A moderate improvement can be noted, but not enough to push the car consistently, especially with a tune.

So I decided to replace the factory OC with the ER Sports OC (which is basically one half of their Competition Series Setup). And this proved to be a huge improvement! I ran the car on a trackday on the Nürburgring (moderate outside temps), with Procede V5 on map 2, and oil temps would stay below 250

So to me it's clear that the factory OC is a major bottleneck.

About the oil lines: due to an install error a line of the ER OC touched the fan housing. This would shred through the line in no time. But if installed correctly the lines would not touch anything, so the use of nylon or cloth lines is ok. But they're definitely not stronger than stainless steel lines, which I now have in my car.

Again, this only happened because I use both the AR and the ER oilcoolers, which required custom fittings in the end. My shop first tried to use the provided lines and fittings, which required to mount the two adapters (which connect the oil lines to the thermostat housing) one below the other. Consequently there was not enough space to route the lines without touching the fan housing.

Right now I'm really happy with my setup