At what point do you think it’s necessary to go to a larger intercooler? Or should I say up to what hp can the stock IC handle?

 

The stock intercooler can do just fine for most "normal" applications. You could probably do just as well with a stock intercooler and meth injection in term of temperature versus a GP intercooler on its own. Heat is the enemy and you want efficiency over size.

I have the GP on mine, but it's pricey as hell now. You can do a bunch of things to add power for $2k.

 

There's no need to upgrade your I/C with the M45 S/C's boost levels, unless you're thinking of tracking the car.

The real benefits of a better performing I/C are less heat soak and quicker recovery. These two qualities are what will help keep intake temps in check. Which is what makes it a better track modification.
The only way to positively effect intake temps with a physically larger I/C, would be to use something so much larger that it would have to be front mounted, and then you loose boost by having to compensate for the extra volume of air created by the I/C and piping, since the M45 S/C will only create a finite amount of boost. Unlike a turbo system that can compensate for the extra volume of needed air with wastegate or turbo size adjustments.

 

^^ This ^^
I've used both the stock and GPIC, and only saw a 5-10° drop in temps under WOT, W/M is actually far better than that.

 

Well I bought a expensive Airtek 60 mm no where near the price of a GP and haven’t really noticed anything. However it does seem I lost a pound of boost so I’m thinking of switching it back. My mods are 16% sc pulley, 2% ATI crank pulley, 380 cc injectors, Miltek header and full exhaust and a CAI.

 

Right,bigger intercooler mean lost of boost.Engine ECU strategy use MAP sensor data located before intercooler.Best intercooler is JCW or JCW GP, same part only different cover.Less boost mean less torque.

 

what’s the difference between the JCW and regular intercooler? I know the JP is the best but not willing to spend $1900 for a few more hp.

 

The GP is the highest rated intercooler but followed up by that are the GRS (quickest recovery) and Forge intercoolers, with Airtec having great flow as well but really heavy.

I want a GRS but they're expensive and as others have stated the money is better spent elsewhere on other mods.

 

I've heard the only one worth a crap, over the stock one, is the GP intercooler.

 

Something to think about.
MOST aftermarket coolers do NOT flow air as smoothly as the OEM design. Despite any temperature differences, look for a cooler that has "flow directors" at the entrance to each tube.
Otherwise, move on to the next candidate.

At least that what I'd do, and have done. So far, the original intercooler is still in its proper location.

Mike

 

Actually there isn't one, there are only 2 OEM options, standard and GP.

 

Well I reinstalled the original I guess I’ll try to sell the Airtek.

 

Many agree the GP intercooler is "best", however the GP is NOT the same unit as the JCW intercooler. The GP intercooler is two rows taller/larger than the JCW unit (core is 18% larger). This extra size is all in the firewall direction which makes it more time-consuming to change sparkplugs, as the GP intercooler must be removed to do so. Both are made by Behr, and the cover for the GP intercooler is larger to match.

The standard R53 intercooler is the same part number as the JCW (non-GP) intercooler. The diverter/covers for these two are functionally the same, just different color.
A decade ago several folks on NAM instrumented these two intercoolers as well as aftermarket units, and the numbers said that the MINI OEM intercoolers recovered much more quickly than the typically heavier aftermarket units. So for track use they are superior to anything other than FMIC. (Results might be different on dragstrip or dyno with the much shorter duration of full-power "pull", and less heat-soak.)



Relatively stock looking engine bay, with GP intercooler & JCW intake.

(There is a GP intercooler currently for sale (not mine), and if you scroll down the listing to post #19, you can see a picture that shows how Behr basically spliced two more rows onto the stock intercooler to create the GP unit, here's a link:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4481859)

 

Thanks some interesting information that has been shared.

 

I went with the GRS Motorsport one because I wasn't going to spend the money for a GP one. I knew it would lose 1lb of boost but recover faster and since I am running a 17% pulley I felt one offset the other.

 

GRS makes a great one as we carry it, the GP version used to be the go to until MINI raised the price sky high.

 

How much boost are you running? I’m running 16 psi and that’s with a 16% sc pulley and a ATI 2% crank pulley.

 

how does that compare to the Airtek?

 

I'm around 15-15.5 at WOT but I do also have a "race cam", BVHead and shorty header that together decreases the amount of PSI

 

It's better than there Airtec.