[pal]

I finally got around to installing the Evolution Racewerks (ER) intercooler and charge pipes on my M2 this weekend. This intercooler install is a bit more involved than your common stepped units and requires removing the bumper, crash bar, replacing the black brace with a trimmed unit that comes with the intercooler, and bolting two steel braces on top of the intercooler to the crumple beams that the crash bar bolts onto. The last bit does require a second person and a couple of mock up attempts to get it perfectly aligned and bolted up. Thanks to bentom2 for the help with this.

Car jacked up and front wheels removed



Front half of the wheel liner removed from both sides. This gives nice visibility and access to the bumper bolts, the headlight washers, the horn connectors (one on each side) and the external temp sensor (driver side only).





Removing the headlight washers involves pushing the front of the washer mechanism from behind the bumper so it pops out of the bumper. Then I carefully pried off the painted caps off it. These are loosely held onto the washer by two tiny posts on either side.





The headlight washer can now be removed from behind the bumper. It's held on by two plastic locking arms - one above and one below - and located by a clip in the center. I carefully pushed the arms while pulling the washer away from the bumper. Once out, I left it hanging until the bumper was pulled.







On the driver side you can see the temp sensor by the fender and the horn connector in the foreground.



Edge of bumper by fender has 3 long screws that hold the two together. I used a short 1/4" wobble extension with a 8mm to remove these.







There are plastic locator tabs on the bumper for the interface with the fender. I carefully pulled the bumper away from the fender just a touch.


Top torx bolts are the last to come off. Ready the floor for the bumper.





With a second person, carefully pull the bumper away from the car. Before placing it on the floor, remove the headlight washer rubber hose from the locating tabs on the bumper. Then I simply slid the assemble with the hose and the two washers under the passenger side wheel and behind.











Intercooler couplers and torx screws



There is a plastic rectangular "C" connection that is holding the intercooler to the car. Gently pry those plastic pieces and the intercooler is free and can be carefully angled down and out.







Weight of I/C: 7 lbs



ER vs stock



Weight of ER: 22lbs 13oz



Charge pipe from the top - disconnect the MAP sensor and vacuum connector from the pipe. There is also a bracket and a rubber grommet holding the upper charge pipe. I removed the bracket altogether since the rubber grommet is hard to get off the pipe.





Charge pipe off throttle body. Then its a wiggle/rotate cycle from under the car to get it out.





Transfer MAP sensor over to the ER charge pipe. And the rubber O-rings on either end of the charge pipe to the ER pieces.







Crash foam and bar come off next.







Black triangular brace comes off next. 6 bolts.





Plastic stock intercooler shroud comes off and stays off.



Shroud weight: 14 oz (almost a lb)


Brace weight: 1lb 9oz


New brace weight: 1lb 3oz



Upper ER charge pipe installs next, with the silicone coupler tightened down with supplied t-bolt clamp.



Onto the intercooler. The ER intercooler has 2 steel plates on top that are bolted to a threaded hole in the crumple frame bar on the car. These provide added support to hold the intercooler in place. We had to Dremel the inner holes (that bolt to top of intercooler) into an oval to allow some side to side play on the intercooler to allow for centering and locating.










This Dremel bit made quick work of extending the hole in the steel plates.



With the help of bentom2, we lined the bumper back up to the car and carefully aligned the corners to the fender. Loosely started the top 6 tors bolts so the bumper wont slide off.



Re-install in reverse order of removal. Underbody panels are all in.



Wheels on, bolts torqued and car back on the ground

[vrooooom]

oh wow that looked like a lot of work. How long did it take you? I wanted to get the ER coz of the frontal area but I didn't want to mess w/ the bracket and removal of the bumper. So I purchased the CSF. Did you install the ER bracket that came w/ the IC?

[Oktom2]

That is a very nice quality tutorial!

[VisualEcho]

Epic post, thank you!!

[pal]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

oh wow that looked like a lot of work. How long did it take you? I wanted to get the ER coz of the frontal area but I didn't want to mess w/ the bracket and removal of the bumper. So I purchased the CSF. Did you install the ER bracket that came w/ the IC?

Since I couldn't find a how-to, I kinda figured things out as I went. It took me most of Sat (about 6-8 hours) to get everything apart and intercooler and charge pipe installed. And a couple hours on Sunday to get things behind the bumper back on and splash shields etc back in.

Yes, the brackets on top of the ER do bolt onto the car into a pre-threaded hole in the crumple beam that comes out of the frame of the car. The front crash bar attaches to these beams. I have pictures above.

[IMG]https://media.fotki.com/2v2aHTFTjxu6LVA.jpg[/IMG]

[mike@x-ph.com]

Very helpful, thank you for sharing

[pal]

Originally Posted by mike@x-ph.com

Very helpful, thank you for sharing

Thanks for the great price and service getting this intercooler out to me. Feedback for ER is the kit was missing 2 M8x1.25 bolts that are needed to attach the top brackets to the car.

[bentom2]

Nice write up Pal (can’t take due to short name...)!

This will be a nice reference if I go this route next year. Was happy to lend a hand. It’ll be interesting to compare max IAT between you (ER), Alex (CSF), and me (stock) this summer.

While I wasn’t there start to finish, my perspective of the install was that it was just some pretty straightforward unbolting of the bumper cover and crash bar vs the CSF on Alex’s car. The bolts were all unique and fairly easy to get to. You definitely need a second pair of hands to heft the IC into place and to ensure you don’t damage the bumper when getting it back on.

The more fiddly bits were similar to other intercoolers I’d imagine- getting the charge pipe and inlet pipe locked in place, etc.

When we get to it, if the IAT values are notably better with the ER than the CSF on the same day, then I’ll happily take the additional time and effort to pull the bumper on my car as well. Especially with a hand from Pal when the time comes.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by pal

Thanks for the great price and service getting this intercooler out to me. Feedback for ER is the kit was missing 2 M8x1.25 bolts that are needed to attach the top brackets to the car.

My pleasure, and thank you for the feedback. I'll let them know

[pal]

I drove down from Seattle to Thunderhill Raceway Park on Friday (679'ish miles). The last couple hundred miles in California were 85-105°F ambient. A few 5th and 6th gear pulls for about +20-30mph would end in IATs in the 7-10° over ambient. The interesting bit was how quickly the IATs drop as soon as I start to roll into the throttle.

Yesterday was about 90'ish miles on track with the afternoon ambient temps in the 90-100°F range. The Evolution Racewerks Intercooler worked well. In the afternoon when ambient was reading in 98-100°F range, my IAT for the entire session stayed in the 120-131°F range. If the ambient dropped by 1-2°, peak IAT would drop by 3-5°F. A buddy in a F80 M3 (competition pack) was in the 122-125°F range for his IATs on the stock air/water S55 intercooler for comparison. He's a bit more conservative as a driver than I am. Overall, I am pretty happy with the ER. And I shudder to think what the stock IC would do …

[ZM2]

Nice.

Results sound similar to when I stress tested my Evo3 Comp (pushing around 420whp on the tune version in this log): https://www.bootmod3.net/log?id=5f11...729b5ec78a69a2

Pros: The ER is cheaper and lighter. Possible Cons: Increased fin density impacts throttle response more so than the less fin dense (but more surface area) Evo3.

Good IC, either way! Let’s both post up some hot summer track logs when we’ve got them.

[pal]

How are you logging? I can't have a laptop in the car and I don't have a tune. The OBD Link app does not seem to have a logging function for the Bluetooth MX+ dongle.

[ZM2]

Originally Posted by pal

How are you logging? I can't have a laptop in the car and I don't have a tune. The OBD Link app does not seem to have a logging function for the Bluetooth MX+ dongle.

I’m using my iPhone and BM3 to get session long logs while on track, which is very helpful to review on my laptop when back in the paddock.

I’m unsure of the logging solutions available when not utilizing one of the tuning platforms.

[AmuroRay]

MHD allows you to buy the logger software separately, and it's about $99 - I think it now works with Iphone as well.
Actually, I just checked, it does! You'll need a wifi adapter to use it with an Iphone, or if it's an Android tablet or phone (ugh) you can use the cable.

Any comparison to the guy who was using the CFS?

[pal]

ZM2 - cleaned up some messages, so we can move back there. When you say seals, do you mean the dust boots on the pistons?

AmuroRay - I'll look into the MHD logging solution. I will be using a iPhone.

[ZM2]

Originally Posted by pal

ZM2 - cleaned up some messages, so we can move back there. When you say seals, do you mean the dust boots on the pistons?

AmuroRay - I'll look into the MHD logging solution. I will be using a iPhone.

Yup, dust boots/seals. Didn’t want to spend cash rebuilding an unsustainable solution for my needs, so I got the APs.

[AmuroRay]

Originally Posted by ZM2

Yup, dust boots/seals. Didn’t want to spend cash rebuilding an unsustainable solution for my needs, so I got the APs.

Can you detail this more - were the stock brakes not adequate? I just moved over to Feredo DS2500 and Motul RBF 600 fluid for dual duty until I become more track focused (if ever.) But I never considered that the brakes wouldn't hold up.

[ZM2]

Originally Posted by AmuroRay

Can you detail this more - were the stock brakes not adequate? I just moved over to Feredo DS2500 and Motul RBF 600 fluid for dual duty until I become more track focused (if ever.) But I never considered that the brakes wouldn't hold up.

If you end up tracking very much, you’ll need a solution to make the brakes hold up. There are several threads, but this is probably the best place to start: https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1404878

I run the DS2500s on the street and they’re great, just dusty.

[gphung]

Originally Posted by AmuroRay

Can you detail this more - were the stock brakes not adequate? I just moved over to Feredo DS2500 and Motul RBF 600 fluid for dual duty until I become more track focused (if ever.) But I never considered that the brakes wouldn't hold up.

Regarding dust boots in particular, they're put in place to protect the caliper pistons from the elements; in theory. For a daily driver that sees salty roads in the winter, dust boots might be a good idea.

On the track, the brakes will see extremely high temps to the point where dust boots may begin to fail. They may melt/burn, and you are left with a bit of a mess. BBKs like the Essex AP Racing kit omit dust boots altogether, which is why it's a non-issue. Some who stay on OEM calipers often take off the dust boots before the track, or even permanently if they don't drive their cars through the elements as much. There are also higher temperature aftermarket dust boots, but I haven't seen any success stories with those.

There's a decent amount of info from Essex themselves here: https://www.essexparts.com/cp9449-2s...nodized-2934mm

[ZM2]

Originally Posted by AmuroRay

Can you detail this more - were the stock brakes not adequate? I just moved over to Feredo DS2500 and Motul RBF 600 fluid for dual duty until I become more track focused (if ever.) But I never considered that the brakes wouldn't hold up.

Probably a better thread since it’s more track focused with actual results & feedback: https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1366784

[pal]

Replacing dust boots a couple times a year doesn't bother me. I did that for a few years in my TT RS's Brembo 4-pot fronts, so got somewhat of a system down. Replaced two outer boots on the M2's front calipers that were cracking before this weekend at Thunderhill. I also removed the dust shield before this event and replaced it with a carbon half shield with a receiver for a cooling hose. I could get a host fitted for my liking before the event so ran as-is. Brakes performed fine in upto 100°F ambient temps for 20-25 min sessions. The tires and the driver were tired before the brakes

[ZM2]

Originally Posted by pal

Replacing dust boots a couple times a year doesn't bother me. I did that for a few years in my TT RS's Brembo 4-pot fronts, so got somewhat of a system down. Replaced two outer boots on the M2's front calipers that were cracking before this weekend at Thunderhill. I also removed the dust shield before this event and replaced it with a carbon half shield with a receiver for a cooling hose. I could get a host fitted for my liking before the event so ran as-is. Brakes performed fine in upto 100°F ambient temps for 20-25 min sessions. The tires and the driver were tired before the brakes

I hear ya, but if I had to do it over again (and even the OP on one of those threads and other folks I know that track the stock brakes agree), I'd put the stock brakes on the shelf, but on some AP's or Alcon's and save all the time, money, effort wasted on questionable cooling parts, and rebuilding stock calipers that are still going to discolor over time, essentially making them worthless if you sell the car.