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I was wondering which FMIC is the best or gets the most bang for the buck. what are the major differences between Alta's, Helix's, and Forge. Does one perform better than the others or is one more efficient? Is there another company that you guys can recommend that is better than these?
The other two are much easier to install and perform a lot better.
+1
__________________ 2006 MINI Cooper S JCW GP--GP#1599 -Stock...I think?? 2008 MINI Cooper S R56--Astro Black/White--Gone -JCW Turbo | Aquamist HFS-3 Meth injection | RMW AP Tune | Helix FMIC | DDM CAI | Riss Racing Catless DP+Invidia Exhaust
FYI People get annoyed on here when ppl ask questions that have been answered already in the forums. The search is your friend. Good luck on your decision buddy.
I personally would say Forge. Not only does it work, fit, and make power but the thing is a work of art. It also includes a new grille for the bumper to give you extra clearence. There isn't many $700 parts I keep on the shelf, but this is one I have no problem stocking.
Heres all the data and info on the Helix so you can make an informed decision:
Helix R56 Stepped Core Intercooler
Prior to the 335i and the R56 Mini 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. The end result is an intercooler with 53% more frontal area as well as 50% more core volume. now about the core, we were 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.
Install:
Fits in stock location- YES Requires no cutting,removal and/or permanent modification-Yes
Design:
More core volume than stock- Yes 50%
More Ambient face than stock- Yes 53%
More charge rows than stock(5)- Yes 12
Bar and Plate construction- Yes
Performance:
STOCK turbo outlet temperature 245 degrees F(estimated using a 65 degree ambient and 65% compressor efficiency at 15 psi
Temp drop from 245f to 111f(peak temp) in 4th gear run = -134f degree drop
HELIX TEST turbo outlet temperature 253 degrees F(estimated using a 71 degree ambient and 65% compressor efficiency at 15 psi
Temp drop from 253f to 89f(peak) in 4th gear run = -164f degree drop, 21% better cooling than stock
AIT temp- 30 degree drop over stock
pre and post intercooler temp drop- 164 degrees F
Intercooler efficiency- 80% - 21% improvement in efficiency over stock(59%)
Core pressure drop spec is .5psi at 250hp(400cfm) airflow
Installed Pics:
Independant thoughts on the Helix FMIC
"After about six months and 21 days on the track with the Helix IC, I think the Helix IC is fantastic. I took a chance being part of the first group buy way back when and could not be happier with it." Slinger 688
"Ok, install done...and wow. I recommend this IC 110%!!! After installed, I took it for a drive not expecting to feel too much of a difference, especially considering its 110+ here today. But wow, the difference is very noticeable!" Thumper MCS
"So after some more driving around...in 117 degree heat. I continue to be impressed. What Arnel said in his post about IAT's actually going DOWN as you go WOT...they do. I thought he was a little crazy when he said that, but mine does it too. IAT's will hover about 5-7 degrees above ambient when cruising, then if you floor it WOT they will drop to nearly ambient ( I actually saw 2 degrees BELOW ambient on a few runs...not quite sure how or if thats even possible, but very interesting none the less). They will stay there until up high in the rev range where they slowly climb to 7-10 degrees above ambient. VERY impressive." Thumper MCS
"so a couple days ago i installed my intercooler. the fmic looks like a beast compared to stock . heres is what my butt dyno told me, -turbo does spool quicker -when rpm hits around 3, boost kicks in even more than before, ( normally the boost will run out at certain rpm, but it felt as if the boost kept up) -with stock intercooler, after driving for about 20-30, the hood scoop turns burning hot (crack and egg on it and it will cook), after helix ic, hood was WAYYYY cooler (i can place my hand on the hood scoop without burning my hand) overall i am super pleased with helix's fmic, good investment" StinkyTofu
"after intercooler`14.86@94.3 60' 2.3 81deg ambient, humidity was super high felt like it was 100 out and i was sweating tits.
before 15.3@92 60' 2.04 ran in this configuaration over 100 passes didnt matter if it was 60deg outside it still ran 15.3.
i would say this is a significant gain but was struggling off the line, the track was complete garbage and im sure i can get a better pass. it rained like 30 min before i started running and then they had to dry it off. then at the end of the night the track got even worse at the top of first it kept blowing the tires off. i love the intercooler. thanks helix" eg0911
