Feeler Aluminum quick connect fittings & DIY auxiliary radiator kit

[Asbjorn]

DEADLINE November 1, 2019

Relevant models

N54/N55 E-series:

• 1' E88   (11/2006 — 02/2010)
• 1' E82   (11/2006 — 02/2010)
• 3' E90   (03/2006 — 09/2008)
• 3' E90 LCI   (07/2007 — 12/2011)
• 3' E91   (03/2006 — 08/2008)
• 3' E91 LCI   (07/2007 — 05/2012)
• 3' E92   (06/2005 — 02/2010)
• 3' E92 LCI   (11/2008 — 06/2013)
• 3' E93   (10/2005 — 02/2010)
• 3' E93 LCI   (11/2008 — 10/2013)
• Z4 E89   (01/2008 — 08/2016)

Detailed info:

RealOEM.com - Part Search

Products as described in this thread

Is anyone able to source aluminum quick connect fittings for the coolant lines ?

Title says it all. Is anyone able to source aluminum quick connect fittings for the coolant lines ?

bmw.spoolstreet.com

A) Top set in red color (set of two fittings), USD 100 excl shipping, import etc from China. (If you prefer another color, please indicate which)



B) Complete DIY auxiliary radiator kit including top and bottom fittings, one custom high performance aux radiator w/22mm inlets, all needed silicone hoses, clamps, Y-fittings and DIY mounting brackets, red color scheme. USD 700 excl shipping, import etc from China.



C) Same as B), but with blue fittings, and matching accessories.

If anyone just wants to update the radiator size from the 1M / ppk kit please feel to enquire as well.

I am not a vendor, and I am not doing this for profit. I just want to let other people benefit from all the sourcing and experimenting I have done for my own car with great help from spoolstreet members over the past year.

If more than 10 people sign up before November 1, I will consider taking orders via paypal and start production in my spare time, shipping out before end of November.
If a vendor wants to purchase 10pcs or more of any of the above, I can have them made with custom logo and color, and a volume discount.

If interested, please reply below or PM me with your country, email and if you want product A, B or C and how many.

 

[doublespaces]

Can we get photographs of the fittings in Option A by themselves? Uninstalled? I may be interested in a black set, simply to upgrade my current parts as I'm sure they will go bad eventually.

If I understand it,

Option A is just a replacement for the stock fittings and Option B and C are like an upgraded PPKv2 kit?

More information such as the cooler dimensions and install location would be helpful.

 

[Asbjorn]

If I understand it,

Option A is just a replacement for the stock fittings and Option B and C are like an upgraded PPKv2 kit?

Yes sir, spot on.

Here are some pictures of the uninstalled fittings with and without color. The type without color is obviously for a different series.

We can even do this type, but I did not include them above, as I don't think they are necessary.



As for the PPKv2 kit, the radiator will be a slightly updated version of the one I use, with cross flow and B-tube technology. The core is 23x23x5cm or 9x9x2in with 18 rows and runs with 22mm ID hoses in parallel with the main radiator.

If you are running the CSF radiator, this aux rad increases the total frontal area by 24% percent.

It is significantly larger than the PPK cooler, and runs slightly larger ID lines. The total cooler area of this setup is 2600cm2 which can be compared to the 3200cm2 of the S55 and 2100cm2 of the nonPPK N54.

Many drivers do the CSF radiator and upgraded oil coolers that cost waaay more than this kit, and I myself was doing exactly this in the beginning. My best advice, which is based on all the data provided in the cooling thread: Don't.
Keep the stock oil cooler and stock radiator, save the money, and install a large auxiliary radiator like this one as step number 1. In the end, if you take this setup on track in very hot and humid conditions, and remember we have some of the hottest and most humid tracks in China, I bet you will still hit power reduction due to water temps first. Not oil. And if I am wrong, it is easy enough to upgrade the stock location oil cooler. I just wouldnt touch it unless I absolutely had to, especially due to the risk of oil leaks and loss of oil pressure. And the money is better spent on other things that might overheat sooner, such as brakes, tires etc. Anyway this applies to track day type of driving only. Those who drag race only need a different setup.

Installing the PPKv2 is similar to installing the PPK. It mounts on the driver's side, and requires a good amount of effort to fit. Besides all the trimming, on mine we also had to relocate the horns and anti-theft alarm. What is most time consuming though is making a proper duct, so that the radiator actually works. It is impossible for me to say exactly what is required on various M-sport and non-M sport versions of the 1/3/Z-series, but I will include enough hoses and brackets to allow for plenty of flexibility. This is the best I can offer and I strongly believe it is worth the effort and the right thing to do for those who wants to track their N54.

 

[aus335iguy]

Sorry to complicate ... May I suggest also that the ppkv2 option fittings be an option on there own?
I would be willing to part with 100 usd for a set of those

 

[aus335iguy]

Secondly, a complete aluminium replacement of ALL of the plastic fittings in the cooling system would be ...ahem RAD.

 

[Asbjorn]

Secondly, a complete aluminium replacement of ALL of the plastic fittings in the cooling system would be ...ahem RAD.

You mean besides the top set, also offer the bottom set separately, as well as offer all four (as included in the ppkv2 kit) separately?

Well almost everything is possible if the demand is there. I just made the suggestions above based on what I thought would be the most interesting/popular bundles.

 

[aus335iguy]

I’m saying I would (if I was not under financial constraints) be interested in a set that replaces as many stock plastic pieces as possible. Aux cooler is for racers and are a smaller subset of an already small market. Something like what I mentioned may have broader appeal

 

[houtan]

Thanks for offering this.

From your pictures, it looks like you are running an aftermarket oil cooler as well. If so, what size are you running?

Just trying to get an idea of all of your cooling mods.

 

[Asbjorn]

Thanks for offering this.

From your pictures, it looks like you are running an aftermarket oil cooler as well. If so, what size are you running?

Just trying to get an idea of all of your cooling mods.

Here's the overview.

Oil coolers:

Radiators:

Everything (picture taken while installation was in progress, and is without air scoops)

But again, I know first hand that it is possible to hit 118C water temps while oil is only around 125C if you run only a CSF radiator with dual oil coolers.

 

[F87Source]

Are you willing to sell the TEE you custom made for the radiator?

 

[Asbjorn]

Are you willing to sell the TEE you custom made for the radiator?

Do you mean types like these?

 

[F87Source]

Do you mean types like these?

View attachment 32655

So had four of these custom made

View attachment 27566

With these we now have the option to run either a parallel or straight series setup with the two aux radiators. The T-coupler is complete with BNKS internals:

View attachment 27565

Pretty excited about how those turned out.

This from your other thread.

 

[Asbjorn]

This from your other thread.

Ooh those with the AN10 fittings you can have for free - I obviously don't use them anymore. Just send me a PM. If you need new ones custom made it may require some work, but again, let me know the details in a PM.

 

[houtan]

Here's the overview.

Oil coolers:


Radiators:

Everything (picture taken while installation was in progress, and is without air scoops)


But again, I know first hand that it is possible to hit 118C water temps while oil is only around 125C if you run only a CSF radiator with dual oil coolers.

Woah! Thanks for the picture. That is very cool and for me a great lesson on what needs to be done to control temps.

Did you keep the DCT heat exchanger or is that gone? Also, are you running the factory oil thermostat or an external one?

 

[Asbjorn]

Woah! Thanks for the picture. That is very cool and for me a great lesson on what needs to be done to control temps.

Did you keep the DCT heat exchanger or is that gone? Also, are you running the factory oil thermostat or an external one?

I just run the oem 110c thermostat for engine oil. I used to have the 95c / stuck open mod, but oil wouldn't heat up properly when freezing outside. Also it didn't benefit on track. So I uninstalled it again.

And yes, the dct heat exchanger is still there to help heat up the gearbox on cold starts. I might install a ball valve next time to test if turning it off on track makes any difference.

 

[F87Source]

Ooh those with the AN10 fittings you can have for free - I obviously don't use them anymore. Just send me a PM. If you need new ones custom made it may require some work, but again, let me know the details in a PM.

I see, what is the new method that you use?

Because on my m2 the cooling system is a little bit different where the aux rads are fed off of the bungs on the main rad. But I wanted a bit more flow so I thought maybe tapping the lines directly would yield a better result.

 

[Asbjorn]

Quick update. In the end there was only limited demand for the above products, so I decided not to not spend time on it in November.

I see, what is the new method that you use?

Because on my m2 the cooling system is a little bit different where the aux rads are fed off of the bungs on the main rad. But I wanted a bit more flow so I thought maybe tapping the lines directly would yield a better result.

I converted from AN10 to 22mm ID hoses for the auxiliary coolers to allow for more flow, and because I learned that using oil coolers for coolant wasn't a good idea. Oil coolers typically use AN connections.

AFAIK the M2 (N55) has an aux radiator, booster pump and coolant-to-engine oil heat exchanger all sitting in parallel with the main radiator. This was also what initially inspired me to run a booster pump for the aux radiators on my own car. I eventually determined that overall coolant flow wasn't the root problem with my setup. My problem at the time was that although the coolant went through no less than four radiators/coolers, it was barely cooled down at all. And so I removed the booster pump again, and converted to a thinner/less overlapping setup which also had a larger total frontal area. This so that I would get more air flow through the remaining coolers, and increase the effectiveness of the system by having lower temperature coolers sitting in front of higher temperature coolers etc.

Anyway, if I were to take the M2 (N55) on track, I would simply upgrade the DCT oil cooler, FMIC and maybe enlarge the aux radiator if possible. I probably wouldn't touch the main radiator or engine oil cooler setup. We have a guy here running an M2 on track with WMI only (stock power) and when his car overheats it is typically due to the DCT tapping out.

 

[derekgates]

Quick update. In the end there was only limited demand for the above products, so I decided not to not spend time on it in November.

My apologies for this. I am interested in bullet proofing my cooling system but got quickly overwhelmed by your wealth of knowledge. I was planning on replacing hoses for my cooling system and getting rid of plastic where I can, but you have tempted me with more cooling with aux radiators. Unfortunately, the price goes way up with that! (and how to handle DCT refilling?)

 

[Asbjorn]

My apologies for this. I am interested in bullet proofing my cooling system but got quickly overwhelmed by your wealth of knowledge. I was planning on replacing hoses for my cooling system and getting rid of plastic where I can, but you have tempted me with more cooling with aux radiators. Unfortunately, the price goes way up with that! (and how to handle DCT refilling?)

What is your concern regarding DCT refilling? I did not include any DCT upgrades in the kit above.

Regarding pricing, unfortunately the aluminum fittings aren't cheap to produce compared to other common components. Out of curiosity I did some price research:

Product - price - my (unpopular) opinion
New OEM hose with plastic fittings: USD 50-60 (which will be fine for years if you don't install aux radiators)
Aluminum fittings, top set: USD 100 (only really makes sense if you like the bling)
Aux radiator kit: USD 500 (which actually improves cooling), add USD 200 for top and bottom aluminum fittings (becomes a must with the aux kit).
CSF radiator: USD 529 (which you don't want to buy)
VRSF 7.5HD: USD 549 (which is definitely needed on track)
Stett dual oil cooler kit: USD 899 (which you don't want)
SSP DCT oil cooler kit: USD 2199 (which you actually need on the track)

 

[Asbjorn]

My apologies for this. I am interested in bullet proofing my cooling system but got quickly overwhelmed by your wealth of knowledge. I was planning on replacing hoses for my cooling system and getting rid of plastic where I can, but you have tempted me with more cooling with aux radiators. Unfortunately, the price goes way up with that! (and how to handle DCT refilling?)

btw just saw you are running a DCT cooler. Which one do you have?