[hotchicken]

Ordered an ARM intercooler that arrived today. Looked at the old vs new intercooler. Looks like the new one will obstruct quite a bit of the radiator by coming up way higher than the stock IC. How is that not a problem?

[KennyFSU]

Originally Posted by hotchicken

Ordered an ARM intercooler that arrived today. Looked at the old vs new intercooler. Looks like the new one will obstruct quite a bit of the radiator by coming up way higher than the stock IC. How is that not a problem?

Air passes all the way through, you're fine.

[hotchicken]

Originally Posted by KennyFSU

Air passes all the way through, you're fine.

Gotcha. I assumed it was OK or they would not put it out there. But it is unusual that it stacks so high instead of going deep. I think there might be two or 3 inches of radiator not covered.

Thanks.

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by hotchicken

Gotcha. I assumed it was OK or they would not put it out there. But it is unusual that it stacks so high instead of going deep. I think there might be two or 3 inches of radiator not covered.

Thanks.

If it's a bar and plate IC (most aftermarket ICs are), it will pose more of a flow-through restriction than the stock tube and fin IC or a Wagner Competition type IC (tube and fin too) which have better air flow through them. It's larger why factory engineers go with those styles plus they tend to recover from high heat quicker. The taller IC will also block more of radiator as well as you noted. However, I don't recall anyone saying their bar and plate IC has resulted in radiator cooling issues. It might make the system work a bit harder though to maintain temp.

[AmuroRay]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

If it's a bar and plate IC (most aftermarket ICs are), it will pose more of a flow-through restriction than the stock tube and fin IC or a Wagner Competition type IC (tube and fin too) which have better air flow through them. It's larger why factory engineers go with those styles plus they tend to recover from high heat quicker. The taller IC will also block more of radiator as well as you noted. However, I don't recall anyone saying their bar and plate IC has resulted in radiator cooling issues. It might make the system work a bit harder though to maintain temp.

Please, I’ve been very very VERY cordial when speaking to other members, but enough is enough. This is one of those matters that’s so cut and dry, I don’t understand how it got to this point of pure misinformation.

Most of what you said is outright false:
- flow through restriction isn’t the same as pressure loss. More dense fin packs mean that less air can pass from front of the intercooler to behind it. I’d be curious to find out if anyone has this data. As you said, I’ve yet to see anyone have issues with coolant temperature because of a larger intercooler.

- pressure loss is the alleged loss of boost through the IC because of added restriction. Bigger doesn’t always mean more lag, and Wagner advertises that they have LESS restriction on the Evo 3 vs the Evo 2. VRSF say the PSI drop on the race intercooler is .85psi, which is less than stock.

This makes sense when you consider the RACE core was able to increase peak power (with the tiny PWG turbo) over the stock IC all over the RPM range for this user

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1343126

So really good reading on ICs here - including how Higher PSI can lead to higher temps, pressure loss and efficiency:

http://www.enginebasics.com/Advanced...20Test%20.html

- there is no evidence that Tube and Fin intercoolers drop temperatures quicker. I can recall 3 intercooler tests on this platform, including one by a member here, and I’ve never seen the stock, or Tube and Fin styler Intercooler ‘cool down’ quicker than another style of intercooler. OEMs use tube and fin because they are cheap to produce, and are light.


oP, you should be ok. As stated before, I’ve yet to hear anyone talk about increased coolant temps, but you might might to log before and after, just to be safe.