[nukezero]

First, I want to thank the following people for assisting me with my install questions and ultimately deciding on buying the Wagner FMIC:

Venom
Suds
mundo74
rmw04c

These people all have the same Wagner IC and have their own reviews as well.

I'm not going to go into detail on the install process as others have covered it. What I will share with you however, is perhaps my 2 cents and try to convince you why you should buy this intercooler if you are an average daily driver. If you're constantly on the track, maybe you'll want the super duper Active Autowerke intercooler.

Originally, I wanted the Cobb intercooler since it looked real clean and it was stepped core. But it cost $855 and wasn't complete direct fit.

Let's speak about the positives of the intercooler:

1. Low, low price!! I got it for $596.45 (out the door) with free shipping and no tax from www.etektuning.com. This is an even better price than their groupbuy. They just changed their price now back to $690 this week. Oh well. Wait till they drop the price again I guess.

-Excellent packaging from Wagner. Double boxed with foam packing. No bent fins and paint is very even and spread.

2. Absolutely zero cutting, zero dremeling, zero trimming, and zero modification. The instruction was a piece of paper just showing you a picture how to place the washers for either 135i or 335i. There was no instructions because it didn't need one! Literally DIRECT swap and fit!

3. Utilizes the stock charge pipe connectors and C-clamps. Believe it or not, the reason why I like the stock plumbing is that they are very reliable. No boost leak or hoses popping off.

4. Anodized Black. It is very nice!

5. Stepped core and cast end tanks.

6. Install took less than 1 hour. if you have 2 people, it will make your life a whole lot easier. Otherwise, it is difficult on ramps since you have to push it up, then hold it up with your elbow while you mount it. You'll also want to use a jack.

7. It came with a set of special stud, one end is machined tap screw that's the same thread as the factory screw. The other end is used for a washer/nut. I totally love this design! If you think about it, the more times you unscrew/screw the plastic mounts, it really wears out the threads. With the stud design, you just unscrew the nut each time you want to drop the intercooler.

8. Ability to revert back to stock immediately for warranty reasons or for vehicle sale.

9. Fitment was perfect and it does not touch the radiator or condenser.

10. It weighs in at around 19.5 lbs, so it's about 4 times heavier than the stock intercooler.

Now let's talk performance. I wasn't able to datalog it myself, but there are plenty of data logs to show how it performs, and it does great. The IATs never really increase, in fact, a strange thing happens which I noticed on my Cobb as well. Essentially, when you floor it in gear, the IATs will drop by 3-5 degrees, then slightly climb back to the temperature you started at. It's very strange, but I suspect it has to do with the way the air is getting cooled initially.


Conclusion (recap):

For the money I paid, it was extremely easy to install. Cobb Stage 1+ is awesome now. Quality and fitment was perfect. No modifications. Awesome, awesome price, shipping and delivery! Love the stud/nut design so it doesn't wear out the threads. IATs are stabilized.

One thing I want to mention why I really don't want to buy a big fat intercooler and start trimming the bumper. You see in one of my picture, I took a pic of the underbody tray. I have a factory M-sport bumper and the M-sport bumper as you may not be aware, has a lot of plumbing and vents for cooling to the brakes, oil cooler, tires, wheels, and what not. The undertray has these special vents which goes underneath and into the M-sport bumper. I suspect these "vents" appear to be some kind of aerodynamics to direct air down and below as the air enters the bumper grill.

So if you start modifying and cutting the bumper grills and what not, you may start to change the airflow characteristics. Again, this is just on my e92 M-sport car. Other videos and pictures that I saw did not have these aerodynamic vents and that's because they are either E90s or they were early builds.

The Datalog is from "Suds" review. I don't have datalog since it would be crazy for me to do 120MPH in California highways. I'd go straight to jail !! But it is legit from comparing with others.

[335iJWC]

nice review!

[Leroi]

1. Low, low price!! I got it for $596.45 (out the door) with free shipping and no tax from www.etektuning.com. This is an even better price than their groupbuy. They just changed their price now back to $690 this week. Oh well. Wait till they drop the price again I guess.

Great price! Too bad it's now $690

[Venom]

glad you like it!