[CanadianM2]

Car is likely staying stock tune for awhile, just a weekend driver.. no track time or racing. Will eventually try out stage 2 or upgraded turbo a few years down the line I think but for now I’m between a few options I’ve picked out, being in Canada I had to shop around a little bit to find better value.

Firstly I am considering the BMS stepped IC & BMS CP combo. (Cheapest option)

Secondly I am looking at the ARM IC & ARM CP combo. (Most expensive and would ship out of USA)

Third I combined the Active Autowerke IC with the BMS CP. (Middle ground pricing)

All of these are within $100 so it’s not a concern of price, just want to see what others would go for in this scenario. Thanks 🙏

[AmuroRay]

Originally Posted by CanadianM2

Car is likely staying stock tune for awhile, just a weekend driver.. no track time or racing. Will eventually try out stage 2 or upgraded turbo a few years down the line I think but for now I’m between a few options I’ve picked out, being in Canada I had to shop around a little bit to find better value.

Firstly I am considering the BMS stepped IC & BMS CP combo. (Cheapest option)

Secondly I am looking at the ARM IC & ARM CP combo. (Most expensive and would ship out of USA)

Third I combined the Active Autowerke IC with the BMS CP. (Middle ground pricing)

All of these are within $100 so it’s not a concern of price, just want to see what others would go for in this scenario. Thanks ��

D - none of the above.

The ARM would perform the best, and it should be cheap - check the XHP webpage or ARM directly. Very Similar to the ER (in shape and profile) but it will require you to modify the brace (using an M235 or cutting it)

On your list, the ARM at 18Fins per inch will have the frontal area of a Race Intercooler (VRSF Race, BMS Race, MAD Race, CTS Race) though not perform as well as some of the top choices (Again, ER and CSF tier)

The BMS is a standard 5" core (depth), 16 fins/inch in the same class as the MAD 5", VRSF 5" and will work decently. It will require no modifications to fit, but has lower headroom compared to the ARM.

The AA would perform the worst. It's 4.5" in depth and something like 13-14/fins/inch. There is no reason to buy this intercooler.
If it were me, I would just buy the MAD Race and be done with it. Almost as good as the VRSF R (which I own and run) - zero turbo lag on my Race intercooler, awesome IAT control, and it's not too expensive. Wrap the charge pipe with reflective tape too for better performance.


Edit:

Race intercoolers:
VRSF, BMS, MAD, Wagner Evo 3

Intermediate:
ER, ARM, CSF

Standard "Stage2 Core"
VRSF, BMS, MAD 5" cores, Wagner Evo 2, etc.


The performance gap gets smaller between steps, but between the lowest and best it can be massive. I can get within 1-3F over ambient for the first few miles - within 7F on a few pulls and 11F on extended pulls on hot days.

[mike@x-ph.com]

I recommend a race, dual-core intercooler for the best results now and definitely once you upgrade the turbo.

BMS/MAD are the best value options for this combo.

[Info@mad-us.com]

The members above are not wrong! Please give our intercoolers and charge pipes a look below.

All of our products include lifetime warranty + free shipping to the lower 48 states and all forum members can use a code at checkout..

MAD F body Charge pipe
https://mad-us.com/mad-n55-charge-pi...-435-rwd-only/

MAD 5 inch stepp core with High density fins.
https://mad-us.com/mad-bmw-5-stepped...55-1-2-3-4-m2/

We also have HD Race intercooler
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