[DC2RtoCT9Atof87]

In a freak happenstance, a large piece of metal pierced the front end of my f87 on the highway and damaged my intercooler and radiator (but some how largely missed my bumper). The car runs fine, doesn't appear to leak at all (yet).

I never intended to mod my car, but now I'm thinking I'll need to replace these parts. What are some good radiator and intercooler options that won't require any tuning and is of good quality/reliable? Or should I just stick with finding stock replacements (seems like a waste to spend a lot of money just for stock parts)?

I'm out of warranty as well.

[F87source]

If it didn't leak are you sure you punctured the radiator and not the ac condensor? Because the AC condensor sits in front of the radiator.


Ok here is what I recommend:

1) Get an aftermarket intercooler, if you are on a budget the BMS intercooler or VRSF intercooler are great options. I personally have the BMS intercooler, but a word of warning the stock charge pipes will not fit it (because it is a bit too short and the C-clip will not snap in) and you have to bend the driver side tab out to get it to clear the radiator fan shroud but nothing too major. The BMS and VRSF intercoolers both have insanely high fin density and cool way better than a stock intercooler - I would not spend money to get another stock intercooler as they are absolutely garbage and insufficent to keep your car's IATs cool even stock. There is a caviot - unless you are on a really tight budget and find a really cheap stock intercooler ~$50 or less I would not recommend going stock.

2) Get charge pipes as well because you might as well replace those while the intercooler is out and this will prevent you from having issues in the future.

3) For the radiator I recommend either DO88 or CSF or even stock depending on what is cheapest. If it is cheaper for you to go aftermarket go aftermarket as you'll get better cooling performance if you ever decide to track your car, reliability shouldn't be an issue with radiators.

None of these require tuning.

[DC2RtoCT9Atof87]

Originally Posted by F87source

If it didn't leak are you sure you punctured the radiator and not the ac condensor? Because the AC condensor sits in front of the radiator.


Ok here is what I recommend:

1) Get an aftermarket intercooler, if you are on a budget the BMS intercooler or VRSF intercooler are great options. I personally have the BMS intercooler, but a word of warning the stock charge pipes will not fit it (because it is a bit too short and the C-clip will not snap in) and you have to bend the driver side tab out to get it to clear the radiator fan shroud but nothing too major. The BMS and VRSF intercoolers both have insanely high fin density and cool way better than a stock intercooler - I would not spend money to get another stock intercooler as they are absolutely garbage and insufficent to keep your car's IATs cool even stock. There is a caviot - unless you are on a really tight budget and find a really cheap stock intercooler ~$50 or less I would not recommend going stock.

2) Get charge pipes as well because you might as well replace those while the intercooler is out and this will prevent you from having issues in the future.

3) For the radiator I recommend either DO88 or CSF or even stock depending on what is cheapest. If it is cheaper for you to go aftermarket go aftermarket as you'll get better cooling performance if you ever decide to track your car, reliability shouldn't be an issue with radiators.

None of these require tuning.

GREAT information. Thank you!

Again, freak kinda hit to my car. AC condenser only?

Upon closer inspection, it looks like my FMIC is minimally damaged (some fins are bent) and my radiator looks untouched.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by DC2RtoCT9Atof87

GREAT information. Thank you!

Again, freak kinda hit to my car. AC condenser only?

Upon closer inspection, it looks like my FMIC is minimally damaged (some fins are bent) and my radiator looks untouched.

No problem.

Judging by the images yes it does look like it is AC condenser only, there is also a small gap between the AC condenser and the radiator so I believe your radiator should be safe but it is hard to tell.

Either way you will have to pull the bumper to change the AC condenser and at that moment you will know if the radiator is damaged. Since there is no coolant leaks (keep an eye on your expansion tank) I would suspect that the radiator is intact and if there is damage it would be very minor bending of fins.

[Anthony1s]

I'm not sure upgrading the radiator is the best idea if you're not racing and getting the car hot. Car would take longer to warm up. And the piston rings expand when the car is warm, causing a better seal. OEM radiator is like $375. Upgraded aftermarket one is like $600

For the intercooler, if you never plan on tuning, probably the Wagner Evo1 is good. It's $700. OEM intercooler is $460. But also not 100% sure how worthwhile of an upgrade that is if you never plan on tuning.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by Anthony1s

I'm not sure upgrading the radiator is the best idea if you're not racing and getting the car hot. Car would take longer to warm up. And the piston rings expand when the car is warm, causing a better seal. OEM radiator is like $375. Upgraded aftermarket one is like $600

For the intercooler, if you never plan on tuning, probably the Wagner Evo1 is good. It's $700. OEM intercooler is $460. But also not 100% sure how worthwhile of an upgrade that is if you never plan on tuning.

That's actually not entirely accurate. If the weather is cold the car will see that both as ambient air temps, and the fact that the coolant temps after passing the radiator is getting too low. As a result the car will close the thermostat and recirculate all of its coolant back preventing any warming up issues.

I know this is the case because when I washed my m2 for storage a couple of days ago the ambient temps were 2ºC and when I sprayed the radiator with ice cold water I noticed the coolant temps went from 90ºC to 105ºC and this was with the car idling in sport + mode. This means the car must have been closing the thermostat to prevent over cooling. Even when I sprayed the oil cooler directly it was still able to sustain the oil temps through the use of the coolant heat exchanger. So if you retain the thermostat you will be fine even with an upgraded radiator, just let the car idle a bit before you drive it.


In regards to an intercooler it is always better to have an upgraded intercooler, even on the stock tune it will help you avoid loosing power through ignition retardation during hot summer days.

[Caduceus]

That air conditioning condenser is gone. It has probably dumped the entire load of refrigerant.

At least three baby seals and a dozen penguins will die as a result of the larger hole in the ozone layer.

It need to be replaced.

[mr_lab_rat]

The IC looks fine but that AC heat exchanger looks rough.

One option that hasn't been mentioned is looking in classifieds, lots of people have the stock IC just sitting at home after they upgraded and most likely would let it go for cheap.

But since you are in Cali I think you would benefit from upgraded IC even if you don't tune your car.

[akkando]

Originally Posted by mr_lab_rat

The IC looks fine but that AC heat exchanger looks rough.

One option that hasn't been mentioned is looking in classifieds, lots of people have the stock IC just sitting at home after they upgraded and most likely would let it go for cheap.

But since you are in Cali I think you would benefit from upgraded IC even if you don't tune your car.

Yeah actually I have a stock IC sitting around. probably not worth the trouble to uninstall my Wagner Evo comp 2 even if I sell the car so I can't imagine using the stock one again.

[DC2RtoCT9Atof87]

As an update for you all. Car was torn down, ac condenser and radiator had to be replaced. The freon recharge was RIDICULOUSLY expensive.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by DC2RtoCT9Atof87

As an update for you all. Car was torn down, ac condenser and radiator had to be replaced. The freon recharge was RIDICULOUSLY expensive.

Oh dang that is rough.

[cecaa850]

Originally Posted by DC2RtoCT9Atof87

As an update for you all. Car was torn down, ac condenser and radiator had to be replaced. The freon recharge was RIDICULOUSLY expensive.

Wasn't an insurance claim?

[dtmurf]

Originally Posted by DC2RtoCT9Atof87

As an update for you all. Car was torn down, ac condenser and radiator had to be replaced. The freon recharge was RIDICULOUSLY expensive.

I'm assuming you had a shop to the work? Was the recharge more than the parts? After you hook up the lines, there isn't much actual labor going on during the recharge unless you count sitting around BSing while the equipment pulls a vacuum.

[cecaa850]

Originally Posted by dtmurf

I'm assuming you had a shop to the work? Was the recharge more than the parts? After you hook up the lines, there isn't much actual labor going on during the recharge unless you count sitting around BSing while the equipment pulls a vacuum.

R1234YF is around $16 to $20 an oz. The new machines take forever to charge and will leak test, test purity partial charge, remove , vacuum, etc. Tech has to constantly check and interact with the machine. Takes 3 to 4 times longer than it used to.