Evolution Racewerks N54 Sports Series Oil Cooler Upgrade Kit

  

 

It's well known that the N54 and N55 engines runs very hot.  Turbos that build a lot of heat and a small radiator play into why this engine runs so hot.  A quick look at your gauge cluster on your dash after a few minutes of "spirited" driving, you'll notice oil temperatures over 250 degrees.  Considering that most cars don't even exceed 230 degrees tells you quite a bit.  As oil temperatures get too high, thermal degradation occurs.  This is when the oil starts to lose viscosity due to heat and start to break down and becomes more susceptible to "shearing" or oil breakdown. An internal combustion engine like the N54/N55 engine, imparts high shear forces on the motor oil, which is sandwiched between two rotating or sliding forces under load and heat.  "Shearing" is when the molecular structure is essentially torn apart by these mechanical shear forces.  Lower your operating oil temperature will greatly reduce this.  Thus your motor oil is in better shape to protect the bearings in your car's engine, thus improving longevity.

 

The 135i/335i comes from the factory with a small oil cooler with a core size of 8.75"x4.75"x1" (222mmx121mmx26mm) which comes out to 41 cubic inches of core.  The Sports Series Oil Cooler system features a large 11"x8"x2" (280mmx203mmx51mm) oil cooler with a core size of 9"x8"x2" (229mmx203mmx51mm).  The Sports Series Oil Cooler comes out to 144 cubic inches  of core which is 3.5 times larger than the factory unit each! 

 

The Sports Series Oil Cooler mounts to its own box enclosure.  Louvers on the backside of the box enclosure ensures airflow through the oil cooler while protecting the oil cooler from road debris, especially debris kicked up from the front tires.  During initial testing, our box enclosure had a big window (open hole) in the back for airflow.  However, throughout the race season, it took so much abuse from rocks, tire and other debris kicked up from the front tires that we had to replace the oil coolers on our Time Attack 135i.  Thus, instead of a big hole for airflow to flow through, we used louvers instead to protect the back side of the oil cooler.  This effectively solved the issue without any affect on performance.  Oil temperatures as well as oil temperature deltas stayed the same.

 

 

Everything needed to install is included with the kits.  No low quality, cheap fittings and lines made overseas used here.  High quality Goodrich anodized black AN fittings and high end Goodrich Nylon Braided Lines are used throughout the kit.  These high end Goodrich Nylon Braided lines are the new thing to use for oil lines as they have many advantages and no disadvantages (other than higher price) than traditional stainless steel braided lines.  The main advantage is that they are lightweight.  Nylon is considerably lighter than stainless steel.  The second advantage is that Nylon Braided Lines are stronger than traditional stainless steel lines.  Third, is that Nylon Braided Lines do not fray.  Stainless steel braided lines will start to fray and those who are familiar with stainless steel braided lines know what we're talking about.  The stainless steel mesh in the lines start to "fray" or break and thus you get poked with the broken ends.  Saves a lot of bloody fingers.  Fourth, they are abrasive resistant.  Since stainless steel lines will act like a saw when it comes in contact with anything and will eventually cut anything it contacts whereas the Nylon braided lines are soft and pretty much won't ever do it.  Fifth, heat resistance.  Nylon Braided lines can withstand more heat and retain the heat inside the line better.  Stainless steel lines tends to release the heat inside the lines, thus when you touch the lines, they tend to be hot.  With all these advantages of the Nylon Braided Lines over stainless steel lines, it's the obvious choice for an Evolution Racewerks product.