[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

I’m thinking of getting the FMIC + Charge pipe .... and high flow catted DP. Does it sound like I’m headed for stage 2? BM3 too. I’ve never done “tuning” before. Closest I’ve been was a drop-in KN filter.

Mike, I thought the CSF was PNP also and just had the washers as issues which is now included in the pack.

So the CSF is thicker but it’s also taller right? AA is 8.5” on your website, what’s the CSF’s height?

That’s what worries me a bit that the larger volume FMIC might have perceptible lag.

Got a deal on the catted DP?

I dont have the exact dimensions, i can get them but will need some time as we are currently running behind.

In short, the CSF intercooler is a much larger than AA.

If you are going with stage 2, you won't get a lag with CSF.

[AmuroRay]

Originally Posted by cecaa850

I had the larger intercooler. I believe it was the Race one. I was told it was plug and play and basically I didn't know what I was doing. The issue was that it would not fit between the condenser and the front brace. To get it in you needed to force it in using a floor jack and it rubbed the brace and the condenser. It would have rubbed a hole in short order and scarred everything up during the install. I sent them measurements proving there wasn't enough room and they insisted I was wrong. VRSF states they have a lifetime warranty and guarantee fitment yet they wouldn't credit me 100% of my money due to the fact that it had been installed and scratched during the install. Well duh. The whole process took weeks and my vehicle was undriveable the entire time. They would go days without answering my e-mails which is their only method of communication. It was extremely frustrating.

You had the Race? That's 11" tall, so it would make sense. I think VRSF started sending out washers to space out the front brace from the IC (per their response to you) I don't have a M2, so it's difficult to comment on the fitment.

I did reach out to VRSF about the IC I purchased recently (Competition) - I wanted to trade it up for the larger Race, they basically said 'No' but got back to me quickly. The rep I spoke to did not know the dimension of the IC, just the box it came in.

I ended up selling it (Just this weekend)to another member here for a nice loss on my end. Never installed it either.

[cecaa850]

Originally Posted by AmuroRay

You had the Race? That's 11" tall, so it would make sense..

It wasn't the height it was the thickness of the top portion of the intercooler. I could go up farther with it if necessary but it was too fat to fit without modification. I actually asked if it would fit prior to purchasing because I didn't want to cut or remove the brace.

[AmuroRay]

Originally Posted by cecaa850

It wasn't the height it was the thickness of the top portion of the intercooler. I could go up farther with it if necessary but it was too fat to fit without modification. I actually asked if it would fit prior to purchasing because I didn't want to cut or remove the brace.

We are saying the same thing. The upper portion is thicker on the larger cores

[vrooooom]

Where would the CSF fit in the lineup? Between 2 & 3?

[cecaa850]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

Where would the CSF fit in the lineup? Between 2 & 3?

It looks similar to the competition but has no clearance issues.

[AmuroRay]

Originally Posted by cecaa850

It looks similar to the competition but has no clearance issues.

This is likely the case. It's a 5.5" intercooler vs the 5" for the VRSF pictured and 6-6.5" VRSF.

I'd guess the step is likely 2" or so.

[cecaa850]

Originally Posted by AmuroRay

This is likely the case. It's a 5.5" intercooler vs the 5" for the VRSF pictured and 6-6.5" VRSF.

I'd guess the step is likely 2" or so.

8 and 1/4" tall. For some reason 2 and 3/4" top step sticks in my mind but don't quote me on that. It's been a while since I researched it and I think I called CSF for the dimensions.

[vrooooom]

I was online chatting with CSF the other night and the person on the other side didn’t know. Roll eyes.

But at least I’m not hearing fitment issues. Except for the charge pipe connection which is supposedly not lined like the OEM. Is that intentional? I don’t remember know it was but the person thought there may have been a boost leak. Recently I came across another that also had the same “alignment” issue. Is this an install problem or product?

[AmuroRay]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

I was online chatting with CSF the other night and the person on the other side didn’t know. Roll eyes.

But at least I’m not hearing fitment issues. Except for the charge pipe connection which is supposedly not lined like the OEM. Is that intentional? I don’t remember know it was but the person thought there may have been a boost leak. Recently I came across another that also had the same “alignment” issue. Is this an install problem or product?

It’s the way the IC inlet/outlets are angled I believe, try to ask Mike what CP worked well for most people. FTP and ER were the go tos.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

I was online chatting with CSF the other night and the person on the other side didn’t know. Roll eyes.

But at least I’m not hearing fitment issues. Except for the charge pipe connection which is supposedly not lined like the OEM. Is that intentional? I don’t remember know it was but the person thought there may have been a boost leak. Recently I came across another that also had the same “alignment” issue. Is this an install problem or product?

Originally Posted by AmuroRay

It’s the way the IC inlet/outlets are angled I believe, try to ask Mike what CP worked well for most people. FTP and ER were the go tos.

FTP, MAD, BMS, Active Autowerke, CTS Turbo all guaranteed to fit with the CSF intercooler. ER fits as well, tight clearance but once connected its there forever

[koastal]

Originally Posted by mike@x-ph.com

FTP, MAD, BMS, Active Autowerke, CTS Turbo all guaranteed to fit with the CSF intercooler. ER fits as well, tight clearance but once connected its there forever

FTP charge and boost pipe didnt fit with the CSF intercooler, due to the different angle of the CSF inlet and outlet ( to std intercooler) nothing that a few weeks of trying different shops and $600 worth of custom pipework couldnt fix

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by koastal

FTP charge and boost pipe didnt fit with the CSF intercooler, due to the different angle of the CSF inlet and outlet ( to std intercooler) nothing that a few weeks of trying different shops and $600 worth of custom pipework couldnt fix

$600

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by koastal

FTP charge and boost pipe didnt fit with the CSF intercooler, due to the different angle of the CSF inlet and outlet ( to std intercooler) nothing that a few weeks of trying different shops and $600 worth of custom pipework couldnt fix

Jesus, why is it so hard for some aftermarket companies to make parts fit like OEM and why do we accept this mediocrity?

[tx_M2]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

Jesus, why is it so hard for some aftermarket companies to make parts fit like OEM and why do we accept this mediocrity?

Agreed 👍

[vrooooom]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

Jesus, why is it so hard for some aftermarket companies to make parts fit like OEM and why do we accept this mediocrity?

Exact thoughts came to my head. There's a post that FTP is plug-n-play and then a week later BOOOM!

Supposedly there's no lag on CSF FMIC and then I came across a thread where it actually made the 0-60 slower. Hard to pull the trigger w/ all these info.

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

Exact thoughts came to my head. There's a post that FTP is plug-n-play and then a week later BOOOM!

Supposedly there's no lag on CSF FMIC and then I came across a thread where it actually made the 0-60 slower. Hard to pull the trigger w/ all these info.

Totally agree. I've been modding my cars since the 1990s and have wasted thousands on ill fitting and underperforming parts.

What I've learned over nearly 3 decades is the following:

- Just because the OEM part might look restrictive, chances are it's not. A lot of money went into engineering the part and rarely do automakers leave lots of power on the table with mediocre parts.

- You get what you pay for most of the time. Cheap often means poor fitting.

- Do your due diligence. Research and learn before pulling the trigger. Reviewers will often hype the positives of the mod and understate the negatives like drone, increased NVH, driveability quirks, lag, etc. I've been suckered so many times.

- Trust but verify.

[AmuroRay]

Heard from whom?
BeePee is very active on here, ask him.

https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...1493305&page=2

[vrooooom]

Originally Posted by AmuroRay

Heard from whom?
BeePee is very active on here, ask him.

https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...1493305&page=2

BeePee has Stage 2 bolt-on upgrades.... could those upgrades like downpipes masked/resolved the lag that may be evident against all stock?

The consensus is that the larger FMIC (like CSF) will introduce lag and that the additional DP, CP, inlet, BM3 tune etc should make that lag negligible.

You can't be running those upgrades w/o a FMIC that's bigger. Correct?

[3t3p]

Forge CP fit with my DO88 FMIC for what it's worth.

[PackPride85]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

Exact thoughts came to my head. There's a post that FTP is plug-n-play and then a week later BOOOM!

Supposedly there's no lag on CSF FMIC and then I came across a thread where it actually made the 0-60 slower. Hard to pull the trigger w/ all these info.

0-60 time is not at all the proper way to measure intercooler efficiency. There's so many things wrong with that I don't know where to begin.

[AmuroRay]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

BeePee has Stage 2 bolt-on upgrades.... could those upgrades like downpipes masked/resolved the lag that may be evident against all stock?

no.

Originally Posted by Bee Pee

I ran typical stg 2 bolt-ons (Fspeed 200 cell DP/AFE dry drop in filter/ER boost pipes/CSF cooler) with stock tune for a while and no noticeable increase in lag but I also have pure hi inlet pipe & GFB dv+. Both these add ons help throttle response over stock with stock tune. Then, with remap, car punches harder everywhere & much more resilient/stable in mid & upper rev range.

This is BeePee’s post. I found another post making reference to lag, but it was attributed to the GTS transmission software

Originally Posted by vrooooom

The consensus is that the larger FMIC (like CSF) will introduce lag and that the additional DP, CP, inlet, BM3 tune etc should make that lag negligible.

You can't be running those upgrades w/o a FMIC that's bigger. Correct?

Who said that? I posted a review of the multiple cores, that’s not a rule - especially on this platform.