I've been looking into finally getting a new FMIC for my mini. I looking at the obvious choices and stumbled upon a YouTube vid (forgot the username) who said he got his intercooler from Aliexpress and mentioned they are the ones who manufacture the forge intercoolers but these come generic. I found a link if anyone can tell me how stupid it would be to get this or if it's not a bad idea.

http://m.aliexpress.com/item/32603564335.html

 

I watched the video and agree that it looks the same. I haven't had the guts to pull the trigger to find out.

 

I saw that FMIC too it looks a lot like the helix IC.
I would like to know if behaves good and keeps the temps low like the name brands IC.

 

I bought this same cooler from the same seller on Ebay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Front-mount-intercooler-BMW-Mini-Cooper-S-R56-R57-FMINTR56-2007-2012-Alloy-/201511109334?vxp=mtr&hash=item2eeaff82d6 1. It works great! It keeps my temps 2-3 degrees above ambient when in boost. Keep in mind I'm in Michigan and we haven't have hot weather yet so that could change. 2. There is a flaw with these coolers and you can see it in the pictures. The openings have a lip inside from where the ends are welding on. I removed the lip with a die grinder and smoothed out the inlet. Make sure you flush it out after. I used a shop vac to blow air out as I was grinding. 3 Shipping was quick. Took a week and was well packed so no worries there. 4. For 200 bucks I'm happy as hell.

 

WOW that is great!!!! I saw the lip on the picture. What about fitment? do you had any issue?

 

Fits perfect. No mounts needed, when connected to the hoses it doesn't move.

 

What does hold it in place? Is it just sandwiched so tightly that it cannot move? I am just concerned that it may rub on something enough to damage itself on the rubbed-upon pieces, or damage what it does contact. Any insight?

 

The nipples fit through small holes in the core support. Once the hoses are connected it can't move. There is nothing for it to rub against. Take a look at the early Helix cooler, this is a damn near copy.

 

The ebay company claims they are the manufacturer, and you are right about that this is an exact copy of the early helix IC

 

I have the forge FMIC and it's a great fit! little tight but nothing you cant handle! if you have the founds i would go with the forge or helix !

 

It is a direct copy of our first version of that cooler. Despite our best efforts to stop the Chinese manufacturer and their sellers in the US, they have continued to sell this stolen design. We have since updated the design twice, with improved performance from each generation.

If you look at all the development work, time and money that goes into our coolers, you would understand how frustrating this is for a specialist company like Helix. These counterfeiters are always a step ahead of our ability to stop them. The only way we can continue developing excellent parts for MINIs--a relatively small market--is if we get a return on our efforts. By buying the cheap knock-offs, you do get a product that looks, if not performs, like the real deal, but you jeopardize future development of real, effective performance parts for our niche market.

 

So true ..... very very very niche market!!! i wish there was more performance with the cooper's in the u.S.a.. One of the most over look car on the market i would say... you have place's like Lohen but getting any thing from them is hard .

 

From my experience, 99% of the time you get what you pay for. When I was younger and on a tighter budget, I tried a lot of those cheap ebay knockoffs to save money, but they just end up costing more in the long run through repairs, replacements, failures, etc.
Do yourself a favor and get the real Helix IC. I couldn't be happier with mine. The fit, performance, and quality are top notch. You wont get near the fin density with those cheap chinese knockoffs either. Spend the extra couple hundred of $$ and you will be much better off in the long run. Besides, supporting the real companies that support our cars is the right thing to do.

 

I'm out on a cruise. Steady 60 mph

 

It seems that is doing its job!! how about in hard acceleration?

 

2-3 degrees higher temps when getting on it hard. I just plan on going with a Stage 2 tune so this will work just fine for me.

 

2-3 or degree is average for an average FMIC at slow steady speed or idle. Under boost and load with a tune, you can hit 60-70F over outside temps. I'm a big believer in Meth and will see a drop in IAT's by 100F.

mQubed Motorsport, Manic Tuning Dealer

 

I would run E85 before I went through a the trouble of hooking up a Meth system. I'm not looking to go all out for max HP. Just want to keep things simple and reliable. I've even considered just going with a Stage 1.