Intercooler Opinions/Options?
 

Thankfully there is a good amount of intercoolers in the market for F56.

They are all about the same price. Airtec being the cheapest.

Which one should I get? Looking to buy sometime this year.

1) Helix Intercooler
http://store.helix13.com/helix-3rd-g...c-intercooler/

2) Forge Motorsport Intercooler
https://www.forgemotorsport.com/Forg...uct--1430.html

3) Airtec Intercooler
http://www.airtec-cooling.co.uk/prod...-f56-cooper-s/

4) Wagner Tuning Intercooler
http://www.wagner-tuning.com/product...0001076-1.html

5) Evolve Automotive Intercooler
https://www.evolveautomotive.com/blo...tercooler.html

6) HG Motorsport Intercooler
https://www.hg-motorsport.de/shop/pr...per-S-F56.html

Have no idea what that last one is lol.

Any opinions? So many options...... And so many good reputable companies.

The AIRTEC looks for me as the only option, which will take it up with the OE JCW intercooler.

The rest imho optical tuning, what I really love are versions for the cooper S plug and play meaning using the small in/outlet.

AIRTEC doesn't have a JCW version. i believe only Forge has the JCW version.

personally, i want to get the Airtec but shipping is a PITA...test results are great and i prefer the taller/slimmer design. it accounts for more surface area exposure to a better temp. drop.

I'm in NY and would love it if someone felt like going in on a bulk purchase to get the airtec.

Airtec Intercooler
 

I'm also interested in the Airtec........add me to the growing list.

Hoopty

I'm happy with my Helix.

If you say the don't have a JCW Version, does that mean that they all base their In/outlets to match the Cooper S charge hoses ?

Marco, you can find the Airtec on eBay with international shipping of less than 100 bucks. I think even with shipping they are still cheaper than the competitors.
I like how they've incorporated shrouding and the thinner core on their unit.

I'm not happy with my Helix and most likely will switch to Airtec or Forge.

by looking at the pictures, it seems they match the OEM charge hoses but go larger...

yeah i noticed that. there is a small disclaimer that "import fees may apply" which means it will apply :)

i'll reach out to airtec, see if i can do a deal for a few of them shipped stateside. otherwise ebay may be the answer.

For performance imho the size of the diameter is not unimportant.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...1&d=1503576570

The use of an intercooler for B38/48 can be considered for non JCW versions, even if not necessary. Anyhow for the Cooper S the Airtec is certainly worth a look !

I also prefer to use the HEN System so the OE charge hoses make sense. They don't offer a JCW, what underlines above.

In years of purchasing car parts, camera gear, and musical instruments from overseas, I can count on one hand the number of times I was charged any fees beyond the actual shipping costs.

Only one single time I had to pay duty. That was it. On a guitar I bought from Japan.

i had ~$2000 of parts coming from japan that i got hit with import fees. it was only $60 so no biggie...but still...maybe ebay will be my best option.

Marco

What makes you unhappy about your Helix? Out of curiosity.
Looking to buy soon.

Best for you to email Helix because they are aware of the problems.
For my application and climate, the DDC is performing worse than the OEM intercooler. The DDC is a quality built product but IMO the design is flawed.

What problems. I'm a little hesitant to call the company and ask "what's wrong with your intercoolers?". I've had mine installed since MOTD 2016 and haven't noticed any problems. If you personally have experienced problems I would appreciate it if you could tell me what to look for. I have searched on line for negative reviews/information and have found none. If you can take the time to criticize the part you should at least explain why.

If you have a way to do OBD IAT logging, try to do a comparison between DDC vs stock. Not just intermittent readings from scangauge but a proper log.
I'm seeing higher IATs with DDC vs stock.
Would be nice to get another comparison since I'm not the only one experiencing this issue.
My personal assessment is that the ambient side of the intercooler is too dense. Combined with the majority of charge air choosing the path of the least resistance, the result is higher IAT vs stock especially in daily driving. Your result might vary if you exclusively track your car where there's enough boost to overcome the dense core plus there's enough airflow to penetrate the ambient side.

Helix has stopped responding to my email, hence I do not know if they have made changes to the design. Mine was one of the first batches since I took advantage of the preorder pricing.

I just installed the Forge intercooler about a month ago. Build quality and packaging is excellent as expected from Forge, no bent fins or dents. It's pretty damn heavy since it's all metal instead of plastic end tanks.

Installation is a pain in the ass. I'd rate it as annoying as installing a downpipe in the Mini. I don't know if I did it a hard way but the way it fits, the AC condensor and radiator sit in a slot on the intercooler and the intercooler sits in a slot on the frame. So without two people I don't even know if it's possible installing alone since one has to pull up like crazy on the radiator/AC while the other wiggles the intercooler in.

Other than the PITA install, it runs perfect. No boost leaks thankfully and only the about 1 PSI drop in boost which is normal with a larger intercooler. You will feel less of the torque since it'll take a bit longer for the turbo to spool up but power will be consistent even in hot humid days.


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...aa2ffb9ea8.jpg

so as a follow-up to this, i ended up reaching out to Dervtech, as Airtec had used them as the "proof" of how great the airtec IC was. in what caught me offguard, Dervtech felt the Forge out-performs the Airtec. that killed me...i was set on buying the Airtec and then they tell me that. still up in the air. i have to get an IC that i know for sure...just can't decide.

Andrew, have you done any data logging. curious how quickly temps drop when you go WOT. currently on my stock IC i drop about 7 degrees.

gave in. bought the forge. had some "rewards" dollars saved up on outmotoring's website. that coupled with a discount code made the decision a lot easier. let's hope it's the right one!

Any update? How do u like the forge? Share the discount code! haha

So two people on this thread have installed the Forge cooler. Let's wait for some real world unbiased IAT logs. I know Marco will have some good "real" data at some point.

Marco, my next purchase is either Forge or Airtec depending on your results.

Just out of curiosity, have anybody actually heard anything from Helix? Vetsvette, have you managed to log your DDC or spoken to Helix?

google outmotoring coupon...that's all :)

i installed it yesterday but unfortunately my schedule doesn't allow me much time to test it out FULLY. i do have a track event on Oct. 12th and 13th so i'll be able to do some serious testing there.

as for the install, i had already done it a few times. i will say that IMO forge's instructions is WAY too much. they make you take off TOO many things that seem unnecessary to take off. while it's possible do it alone, the weight of it makes it harder to hold up when it's time to attach it to the radiator. that's where you need someones help for 2 minutes. and that's what i did. when i got to that point, i grabbed my neighbor and he held it up after i lined it up so i could screw it in. otherwise, everything else can be done alone. install was a perfect fit and it lines up perfectly with everything (from the bottom it lines up with the lowest support bar and from the bottom it ends just below the bumper support.

i did go quickly to the supermarket this morning just to see how it was. ambient was 75F and it did not move from 77F. when i left the supermarket it had gone up to 87F and when i started moving it dropped down to 83 immediately and then settled at 80F. but again, this means nothing as i would like to drive it for > 30Minutes to really show what it's capable of. the track event will really lay it out there.

attaching some picture porn for anyone interested...
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...8f42e947e6.jpg


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...7e33ca34f6.jpg

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...1c3be35730.jpg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...198deb52cb.jpg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...22225bbbc9.jpg

Wow your intercooler and condenser are pretty chewed up. Was that from normal NYC traffic or debris at the track?
The bar and plate Forge should withstand the debris better.
Have fun at the next track day and please update us with some logs, thanks!

Update: Did some long driving yesterday throughout NY, which of course includes traffic as that is all that exists in NYC. the intercooler works 100% better than stock.

yesterday at WOT my ambient was 75.2 Degrees while my IAT was 87.8 Degrees. a differential of 12.6 Degrees. (Screenshot attached)

at cruising speed of 60MPH: Ambient of 77.0, IAT of 104.0 (Screenshot attached)
at cruising speed of 75MPH: Ambient of 75.0, IAT of 96.8 (Screenshot attached)

by the end of the day, my average Ambient/IAT differential was 20 degrees @ WOT and @ cruising speeds, a differential of about 25-40 degrees.

while certainly not the best comparison, at my last track event, i had an ambient of 87 degrees with an IAT of 131, a differential of 44 degrees. problem here is that i was running all day long so the car is beyond heatsoaked. a true comparison will be next week but wanted to give an update.

P.S. for those curious, Ambient is collected via a temp sensor attached to the driver side brake duct.

Cruising @ 75MPH
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...b6ecd5045c.png

Cruising @ 60MPH
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...0af8c34515.png

WOT
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...07965de665.png

Finally took her to the track. i'll put it simply, the intercooler is working as expected. while the temperatures were different, this is what i can say.

June Event @ NJMP Thunderbolt: Ambient: 84.2F, IAT: 120.2F...Difference of 36F
October Event @ NJMP Thunderbolt: Ambient: 62.6F, IAT: 80.2...Difference of 17.6F

more than double improvement. i was shocked at how much it kept up. again, it isn't an exact comparison because 63 degrees is a pretty cool day, but still after running hard all day, it still was pulling great numbers. for those interested, here is a video of my best lap of the day: