Introduction:
As hinted to by the title I am going to be reviewing the BMS F series N55 intercooler for my 2017 bmw m2 with a 6 speed manual transmission. Before we begin I have to extend a shout out to BMS for giving me a discount to review this intercooler, but like always I will be writing an unbiased review.
Credit:
All images in this review were taken by me.
Disclaimer:
Any technical advice, installation instruction, or product installation, decision to purchase a product is done so at your own risk I will not be responsible for personal injuries, injuries to others or any living being, any damage to your car, or any property damage.
Customer Service:
As per usual BMS customer service is absolutely top notch, you will always get in contact with a human and most of the time within minutes of your email - like it is fricken shocking how fast they reply I literally just put down my phone and I instantly get an email back. Props to BMS on this from they are extremely good at reply times, like I cannot commend them enough for how fricken good their response rate is, even on weekends too 1000/10 BMS. (Unlike another intercooler company who never got back to me ever, just an auto reply from their email server and that was it).
But fast reply times are no good if the customer support is not knowledgeable or rude. Well I must inform you BMS customer service is insanely knowledgeable and insanely patient, no matter how many questions were asked they will always reply promptly and never hint that they are getting frustrated with you. Again 10/10 BMS your customer service is impeccable and should be the benchmark of bmw parts vendors.
Shipping:
So lets begin with a quick discussion regarding the shipping of this intercooler:
1) Shipping/Processing: this intercooler was shipped via Fedex from California to Canada and it was incredibly fast taking only a couple of days to arrive. Processing time was about 1-2 days after placing the order which was also incredibly quick compared to other bmw parts vendors. The intercooler also arrived undamaged and in perfect condition which is always nice.
2) Packaging: The packaging is exceptional with a thick cardboard box on the outside and incredibly thick but soft foam that was cut out to be a clam shell where the intercooler would sit inside a perfect cut out for it. Overall the packaging is very nice and there literally would be no way for it to be damaged (even from a drop or abusive handling) unless it was punctured by a really long object.
Credit: F87source
Overview:
Now lets move onto the overview of this intercooler and take a look at some of the images of the exterior.
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
The exterior of the BMS intercooler is extremely nice. The welds are great - there are no welding stalactites that I could see inside the intercooler. The exterior finish coating is nice and smooth, and does not have any scratches. The fins were straight and unbent and the intercooler step also had the air deflectors inside on the hot side. The intercooler inlet and outlet to the charge pipe ends were smooth, polished, and did not have any deformations. The interior of the end tanks were also clean of any casting abnormalities. Also like all aftermarket intercoolers the metal end tanks and inlet/outlets are very nice for users looking to push high horse power levels and alot more boost than stock, this should increase reliability and durability over stock. Speaking of durability the BMS intercooler was absolutely solid it felt sturdy and tough, the core itself likely due to its bar and plate design felt extremely ruggeded and likely able to take more punishment without damage from road debris compared to the stock intercooler. Overall this is a really nice intercooler for the $329 price, and certainly feels like it is more premium than the price suggests.
Stock intercooler vs the BMS intercooler (Dimensions):
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Core dimensions:
Stock (LXWXH): 49.5 cm X 10 cm X 14.5 cm
BMS (LXWXH main core, LXWXH step): 51 cm X 12 cm X 15 cm, 51 cm X 4 cm X 6.5 cm
So a quick summary on this section we see that the bms intercooler has a negligibly longer core (can’t go too much longer than stock or you compromise fit and end tank design) but nonetheless it is longer. The BMS intercooler is also 2 cm wide than stock which increases the volume of the intercooler allowing for a higher thermal capacity before heat soaking, the bms intercooler’s main core section has the same height as the stock intercooler, but it does include a step adding and extra 331.5 cm2 of surface area and 1,326 cm3 of volume which will aide in cooling. The bms intercooler is also significantly heavier than stock, I could not get a measurement of weight but it was atleast 3X heavier than stock. Overall the BMS intercooler offers more surface area, volume, and weight compared to the stock intercooler.
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Stock intercooler inlet and outlet: Inner diameter = 54 mm, outer diameter = 61 mm
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
BMS intercooler inlet and outlet: Inner diameter = 54 mm, outer diameter = 61 mm
So just looking at the inlet and outlet diameters they are the same on the BMS intercooler and stock intercooler so there shouldn’t be any fitment complications on this regard.
As hinted to by the title I am going to be reviewing the BMS F series N55 intercooler for my 2017 bmw m2 with a 6 speed manual transmission. Before we begin I have to extend a shout out to BMS for giving me a discount to review this intercooler, but like always I will be writing an unbiased review.
Credit:
All images in this review were taken by me.
Disclaimer:
Any technical advice, installation instruction, or product installation, decision to purchase a product is done so at your own risk I will not be responsible for personal injuries, injuries to others or any living being, any damage to your car, or any property damage.
Customer Service:
As per usual BMS customer service is absolutely top notch, you will always get in contact with a human and most of the time within minutes of your email - like it is fricken shocking how fast they reply I literally just put down my phone and I instantly get an email back. Props to BMS on this from they are extremely good at reply times, like I cannot commend them enough for how fricken good their response rate is, even on weekends too 1000/10 BMS. (Unlike another intercooler company who never got back to me ever, just an auto reply from their email server and that was it).
But fast reply times are no good if the customer support is not knowledgeable or rude. Well I must inform you BMS customer service is insanely knowledgeable and insanely patient, no matter how many questions were asked they will always reply promptly and never hint that they are getting frustrated with you. Again 10/10 BMS your customer service is impeccable and should be the benchmark of bmw parts vendors.
Shipping:
So lets begin with a quick discussion regarding the shipping of this intercooler:
1) Shipping/Processing: this intercooler was shipped via Fedex from California to Canada and it was incredibly fast taking only a couple of days to arrive. Processing time was about 1-2 days after placing the order which was also incredibly quick compared to other bmw parts vendors. The intercooler also arrived undamaged and in perfect condition which is always nice.
2) Packaging: The packaging is exceptional with a thick cardboard box on the outside and incredibly thick but soft foam that was cut out to be a clam shell where the intercooler would sit inside a perfect cut out for it. Overall the packaging is very nice and there literally would be no way for it to be damaged (even from a drop or abusive handling) unless it was punctured by a really long object.
Credit: F87source
Overview:
Now lets move onto the overview of this intercooler and take a look at some of the images of the exterior.
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
The exterior of the BMS intercooler is extremely nice. The welds are great - there are no welding stalactites that I could see inside the intercooler. The exterior finish coating is nice and smooth, and does not have any scratches. The fins were straight and unbent and the intercooler step also had the air deflectors inside on the hot side. The intercooler inlet and outlet to the charge pipe ends were smooth, polished, and did not have any deformations. The interior of the end tanks were also clean of any casting abnormalities. Also like all aftermarket intercoolers the metal end tanks and inlet/outlets are very nice for users looking to push high horse power levels and alot more boost than stock, this should increase reliability and durability over stock. Speaking of durability the BMS intercooler was absolutely solid it felt sturdy and tough, the core itself likely due to its bar and plate design felt extremely ruggeded and likely able to take more punishment without damage from road debris compared to the stock intercooler. Overall this is a really nice intercooler for the $329 price, and certainly feels like it is more premium than the price suggests.
Stock intercooler vs the BMS intercooler (Dimensions):
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Core dimensions:
Stock (LXWXH): 49.5 cm X 10 cm X 14.5 cm
BMS (LXWXH main core, LXWXH step): 51 cm X 12 cm X 15 cm, 51 cm X 4 cm X 6.5 cm
So a quick summary on this section we see that the bms intercooler has a negligibly longer core (can’t go too much longer than stock or you compromise fit and end tank design) but nonetheless it is longer. The BMS intercooler is also 2 cm wide than stock which increases the volume of the intercooler allowing for a higher thermal capacity before heat soaking, the bms intercooler’s main core section has the same height as the stock intercooler, but it does include a step adding and extra 331.5 cm2 of surface area and 1,326 cm3 of volume which will aide in cooling. The bms intercooler is also significantly heavier than stock, I could not get a measurement of weight but it was atleast 3X heavier than stock. Overall the BMS intercooler offers more surface area, volume, and weight compared to the stock intercooler.
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
Stock intercooler inlet and outlet: Inner diameter = 54 mm, outer diameter = 61 mm
Credit: F87source
Credit: F87source
BMS intercooler inlet and outlet: Inner diameter = 54 mm, outer diameter = 61 mm
So just looking at the inlet and outlet diameters they are the same on the BMS intercooler and stock intercooler so there shouldn’t be any fitment complications on this regard.