I have the helix and have been happy with it. It is a must upgrade for a tune.

 

Sounds like i need an ic. Ive been debating on buying one but you guys seem to swear by them

 

That is never a good idea when it comes to mods. Also going the most expensive is not always good. Do good research and talk to real tuners and installers.
I have a Forge FMIC on my MINI, I like it the best.

 

I was talking about the r56 mini intercoolers since this is what thread we are in, not mods in general. I will explain myself. There are only 3 types that are easily available/common in the US also the only ones mentioned in this thread. Forge $700, Helix $750 and Alta Which is around $750-800 I think. Your recommending Forge which is also the cheapest???
I just got the Alta because I got it for $300, it is considered the worst on this forum only because its hard to install not because it performs any different than the others. I had no problems installing it either so I rate it very good.
Everything I have read on here seems to say they all perform the same and only difference is ease of fitting. That’s why I say get whatever you can get the best deal on as far as intercoolers designed for the r56 mini go.
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I do not believe the Alta Cooler is "Stepped", like the Helix and Forge.

The current "Group Buy" at Helix is a great price!!!

 

The stepped core is behind the bumper not receiving much airflow , IAT's recorded on the alta unit had a much bigger temp change in high rpms(and im not an alta fan by any means). Also it is the only of the three which is centered and not offset. Either way they all work good see if you can find a good deal, i grabbed my alta new off the marketplace for 400 which was a steal!

 

Oh? I thought the "Step" was taking the IC back into the space that the OEM IC took up and I really doubt that the stock, OEM, IC is behind the bumper! Look at the front of your R-56, through the lower grill, and see if you can see the Intercooler.

 

For reference of the alta size. About half of the stock intercooler is covered by the lower bumper take a look for yourself. Another point i took into consideration was the smoothness of the end caps.

 

Nice photo of an Alta IC from the front! So what you are saying is that the bottom of the Alta IC is covered by the front bumper, at least 2 inches of it in the area that is fed by the charge pipes?

This is what I see when looking through the front lower grill of my stock 2011 mcs and you can see the different fin density of the IC on the bottom and that is the OEM IC. There must be at least that much below the bumper to be 50% blocked! Amazing!!

Thanks for educating me.

 

Yes, the end caps of the Alta are very smooth, much better than the Forge but on a par with the Helix.

The only thing that bugs me about the Helix & Alta I.C.'s is that there are no mounting tabs on the end of the IC where the Forge has mounting tabs on the ends in the stock location as well as one on top of the IC that connects to the crush bumper. I would consider that as a plus!

I still have a Helix on order...

 

Either way they are all good, was just giving my points on my decision. The alta has about 1/2 an inch below the bumper, i specifically went with it because of its exposed surface area thats all. In my opinion if the helix was centered it would be the best looking as it has a polished finish.



PS: only aftermarket intercooler i would never reccomend is the ARC unit... straight junk stock replica

 

i personally went with the alta b/c it was available in black (and for all the other reasons you mentioned), and also b/c i got it new from the market for a pretty good price. i just picked up a garmin with ecoroute. i'll finally be able to see what my IATs are when i get the OBDII bluetooth connector, altho i won't have a baseline to compare it to. =/

 

I too like the black look! Either this Thread or another one discussed Heat Dispersant Paints that are relatively new and high tech, and commensurately expensive.

I have an email into Helix about coatings and as yet no reply. Maybe a call would be in order!

 

I also forgot the tyrol soprt intercooler, looks great and works well supposedly but its really expensive.

 

VERY EXPENSIVE!!!

I went with the Helix because of the Group Buy pricing(hard to beat that price), AND RMW seems to really like them for tuning.

 

No one is judging you


we all know helix is good too... but dont get ahead of yourself with tuning statements

 

IMO any of these 3 "competing" FMICs are going to be little to no difference. With my "smaller surface area" helix I see 4-5*F above ambient when cruising, 10-13*F when WOT through 2 gears, or, rather 5 below ambient when WOT with meth injection, lol. But regardless, with no additional means of cooling (ie w/m injection), you'll never see below ambient. And while cruising anything under 10*F ambient is more than acceptable imo. Seeing 10-13*F above ambient on a 75*F day while WOT is wayyy better than seeing 140-150*F on the stock fmic. Granted these are street tests, and not endurnace track tests. That encompasses a small % of those here anyways, so take my opinion for a spirited street driver opinion lol.

Having said that, with my grill on, you do not see the "off center" look of the helix through my grill, though, i can't really see the FMIC regardless, so that could be why. JCW aerokit btw.

You can see the size of the stock FMIC compared. Also, the plastic end tanks play a large part in why they heat soak so easily.

 

No one is slandering the Helix... calm down

 

I didn't think anyone was judging me for being cheap, frugal or overly analytic. As long as I am not sitting in front of 12 folks, who are judging me, then all is good

No, Tuning was, and is, not my priority, but keeping the intake air cooler is a good thing As far as I know there are not any aftermarket Tunes(through the OBD2) for the N-18 engines so it is not in the equation.

Have I commented about your R-56? Very cool looking Ride

 

Thank you sir!

I totally understand being frugal... good to wait and be able to get 2 goodies instead of one.


I was just teasing about the judging, some folks tend to get sensative and over protective when they feel their used products are being bashed

 

Here are the 3 most popular IC's and how they physically look. I have been trying to figure out what is best to add when the bumper cover is off while installing the IC..Ideas?

 

na i don't feel like anyone is intruding on anything, i just wanted to share my photos of my install =p

side note........ I've seen (on jcw aero) the grill=less lower with fmic, seen the cut out the mesh and leave the solid ends of the lower grill with fmic, but has anyone seen the brake ducts with no mesh and open FMIC?? I haven't seen the brake ducts in person up close, and not positive how they mount/if they need the full grill to do so.

 

I actually dig the tyrol sport setup, just too expensive when you get similar like benefits from the inexpensive competitors

 

they dont fit... Id have to cut the ducts. I have the grille and duckts if anyone wantssssss it

 

The 2011 Brake ducts look like this. I have a photo of inside the wheelwell & will add to this Post as soon as I can find it! Found it.