The fan has been done via duct work. Recovery times for the conventional flat, top mount intercooler are very quick with the vehicle in motion and as stated previously, once moving the fan’s blades become restrictions. So yes the fan would help for the first few seconds after a complete stop, but not by much. The supercharger produces little added heat until the bypass valve closes and boost stacks which requires most of the initial moments during acceleration.

In static state such as a dyno pull, a well placed fan makes a lot of difference.

 

bad news folks... here is a copy of an e-mail that i recieved...

looks like no one will be getting GP parts excpet for GP owners... be prepaired to provide registration for proof of ownership... looks like the GP cars maybe worth something in the future afterall...


]On another note - GP parts are listed on EPC if you enter a GP VIN.

Many Dealers are trying to retro fit these GP parts onto non-GP cars (aero kits, wheels, rear wing), so I have most of these parts on lock down. I do not have all of the parts in stock at this time, but I am working on this problem.

NT=Arial][SIZE=2][FONT=Arial]Currently I am checking for backorders and then calling the Dealers to get GP VIN’s and a good story
]Example: I had a Dealer call with a GP VIN and wanted 4 GP wheels???? I requested pictures of the damaged ones – I’m still waiting.

The following parts are on hold and blocked from Direct Ship.

17 51 7 565 302 = Charge-Air Cooler[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
17 51 7 565 345 = Cover for Air Cooler[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
36 11 6 774 581 = Wheel[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
41 62 7 187 939 = Trunk Lid[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
51 11 7 182 621 = Primed Front Bumper[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
51 11 7 182 622 = Center Spoiler[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
51 11 7 182 623 = Front Bumper Grid[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
51 11 7 182 627 = Left Cover[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
51 11 7 182 628 = Right Cover[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
51 12 7 182 603 = Spoiler Center[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
51 12 7 182 605 = Spoiler Left
51 12 7 182 606 = Spoiler Right
51 12 7 192 764 = Rear Bumper
51 14 7 183 831 = Decal
51 14 7 183 832 = Decal
51 14 7 183 833 = Decal
51 14 7 183 834 = Decal
51 62 7 182 676 = Roof Spoiler Center
51 62 7 189 309 = Roof Spoiler Left
51 62 7 189 310 = Roof Spoiler Right
51 77 7 182 561 = Left Rocker
51 77 7 182 562 = Right Rocker]
If any Dealer needs a part they are welcome to call me direct or just call the Parts Hotline.
If you have a better solution for this problem, please e-mail me.
Thank you

i deleted the name for obvious reasons.

hope you guys like all the part numbers... even though they are useless

 

The car is limited edition so I assume the reasoning must be they made a limited number of spares to cover all the cars produced... if they sold GP parts to us non-GP owners then when one of the real ones breaks down and if MINI isn't making more then they would be SOL...

-e

 

I don’t have any does-it-work data yet but here are some observational comparisons. The core fins on the GP intercooler are the same as the standard’s intercooler; another JCW marketing myth that doesn’t hold up to the light of day.


The GP has two rows welded on to a standard intercooler.


The expensive GP intercooler cover is well made and well matched to the underhood duct and has a hood at the back redirecting flow over the last three rows. On my standard cover/hood duct interface the duct foam cover the openings at the back blocking flow. If the foam is moved back far enough to clear the openings it falls off the back when the engine rocks negating the positive pressure effect when it is needed most. With careful positioning of the foam I can provide a few openings partial flow but nothing like the GP cover. What this means for me is the usefulness of three extra rows of fins instead of two.


There will be more to come in regard to retrofit later. I've made a few trimming modifications to the duct and massaged the hood insulation to avoid rubbing issues found on early released GPs.

 

I was a bit puzzled by the cover over the last 3 rows. It's flat and seems it would have flowed better if there were an angle or radius to it.

Not bad for the price though.

 

Nice pics!

-e

 

Same here. K-huevos pic shows the difference that you can't see in other pictures - there is a pretty good curve at the back of the cover. This IC looks like it could be the solution for the auto-xer, maybe the occassional street fight, lite, thin & small enough to be quite efficent.
I like it

 

...and I'm hoping that it will hold promise for the road racer as well because I am still searching. GRS???

 

This sounds exactly like what I have heard from some dealers...Want GP parts, send pictures of the bad peices they will be replacing...

 

We'll need to start another thread, not wanting to hijack this 1. I am running a Forge, pretty satisfied, this is the third IC for El-Gato.... The GP could be better.
Obehave has a GRS, maybe he could chime in - he has done quite a bit of data collecting

 

Yes, the cover is flat over the last two rows but the small hood ahead of that space would capture the breeze well enough to create positive pressure under that end of the cover. The last rows also have a better opportunity for air evacuation from beneath.

I looked at a GP in a dealership showroom and it had under-hood rubbing issues from the intercooler cover so it appears that rubbing problem was not confined to the early released models.

 

that is the edict from MINIUSA

 

they could order up a bunch of these parts and make a mint from folks like us who what to hack our cars. I can't understand this at all.

But I didn't notice the Al trailing arms on that list..... Hmmmmmm

Matt

 

You should't have a problem ordering these shortly if they are indeed production pieces from the R56.

 

LIke Steve mentioned, I've had the GRS for over a year and done a bunch of measurements with it.

I've posted the dimensions somewhere in the path but I couldn't find them.
I'll be glad to give you what info I can. Measurements, fin count etc.

 

Please forgive me for getting off topic and some of you will say I’m overstating the obvious but differences in intercoolers will not give someone the edge in competition or street going face-offs.

I enjoy micro analyzing products and most of the discussions surrounding their use. I like the easy way my car can pass other vehicles and drive out of corners in normal driving situations, for that I have some product or service to be thankful for; but, when the challenge gets extreme, it’s always my skill level that lets me down. Tires usually are the second biggest factor and suspension compromises follow. An inch or two in intercooler dimensions bar & plate vs. tube & fin, horizontal or vertical placement, will not provide the magic escalator to the top for the majority of us.

 

Yes and no.
The trouble while road racing is IATs north of 180 deg F. I have been searching for an answer for an entire track season with no luck. Pretty much all I have not tried are the GP and GRS top mounts. Maybe an air-to-water system will work but I am skeptical concerning road racing applications.

 

I like the fit between the bonnet duct and the intercooler cover; it's big improvement over the original early model. The hood insulation required some indentions to accommodate the IC cover during engine movement and one of the duct mounts needed some trimming, but other than that, retrofitting the JCW GP intercooler is not a problem.

 

...looks a lot tougher with the GP IC (at least from the pics I saw in this thread). Good reason for dealers to jack up $$ on plug service.

Also, since these GP ICs are MCS + 2 welded on, might BMW figure they might be in short supply (as replacements) if they started selling them to just any old non-GP owner, since the 02-06 engine is no more?

 

but the Tritec lives on in the cabriolet for a while.... I don't understand why they don't just mint money by selling the parts....

Matt

 

The GP may not be the bullet some are looking for, but you got to love the fit. Good choice IMHO. The GP has a lot to offer ( other than the cost ), fitment, cosmetics, weight & size. I hope that it will be more than you expected, I think it will.

"I don't understand why they don't just mint money by selling the parts...."
Matt, they do, just go around to the back door.......

 

One of the advantages to the JCW GP intercooler retrofit is the well designed bonnet duct which does a good job of redirecting flow evenly across the IC’s finned surface.


In my second hand communications with MINI parts USA, eventually when in house stock is large enough (ETA fall 07) the parts will be available for retrofit to the general population, in the mean time I sense some frustration from them just getting adequate inventory to fulfill current legitimate need.

stevecars60, the “more than you expected” is I notice a difference without a sensor telling me.

 

"I notice a difference without a sensor telling me."
That's the way it should be.

Hey, the new bonnet duct looks like a great big improvment, this is the first time I'v seen the part.

 

Steve: the corollary of that being: Sensors tell me things I could never notice!

cheers,

 

Paranoia is just extreeme awareness.

This summer I spent a lot of time with sensors, I hear exactly what you're saying..... It's sometimes, way, better when the whole story is untold.

I'm going to say that k-huevo will relay all the data he can collect. He wants to know just the same as the rest of us with our own maddness. I swore I wasn't going to touch this car.... What happened???? My wife says this happens with everything, the house to the lawn mower........ I haven't fooled with the toaster or for that any toaster, must be a good sign......

In the mean time............