Best Intercooler for Your BMW 335i (N54)

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If you have made a few performance modifications to your BMW already, an aftermarket intercooler should be next on your list. Installing an upgraded intercooler in your BMW 335i, 135i, or 535i will provide a considerable performance bump to your vehicle. With an upgraded intercooler, you get better power delivery out of your BMW N54 or N55 engine.

In this post I’ll explain which intercooler would be best for your BMW, depending on your build. I’ll discuss options that don’t require any trimming or cutting, and other options that require alterations in exchange for even more cooling. With this information, you can choose the intercooler that best fits your build and budget. Don’t forget to read out our ultimate BMW N54 charge pipe guide if you haven’t already upgraded our charge pipe.

Stepped intercoolers (for stock turbos)

Stepped intercoolers are bigger in terms of height and thickness compared to the stock unit and will channel cooler air into the engine. In other words, their core can hold more air, and they cool the air much better. There are plenty of stepped options that will fit your BMW 335i, 135i, or 535i, and I’ll list the best options below. These work well with your stock turbo(s) and can handle up to 500 horsepower.

CSF 5.5” stepped intercooler

This CSF 5.5″ intercooler is the best option if you are looking to step up from the stock option in your N54 or N55-powered BMW. It has a core that is 5.5″ thick, and it’s 8″ tall. This means that you get an extra 1.5″ thickness in the core to handle hotter temperatures as you turn the boost up. The extra 3″ of height increases the surface area, allowing more air to enter into the system. In short, you get what I call the perfect recipe for more efficient horsepower.

The CSF option is $499, which is in the middle of the pack and is well-worth the price. However, there are other alternatives that can offer similar performance for a lesser price.

Shop: CSF 5.5″ stepped intercooler

Wagner 5” stepped intercooler

The Wagner 5″ FMIC is another option for you, but this one is more expensive than the CSF but is slightly larger. It comes at $690, but that price is justified with the amazing build quality and larger surface area over OEM. Interestingly, this cooler holds slightly more air than the CSF, which is a plus. Moreover, it weighs in at 19.85lbs, which is extremely light for this price range.

Shop: Wagner 5″ stepped intercooler

ARM 5” stepped intercooler

A step down in the price bracket gets you the ARM 5” FMIC. This one also comes with a stepped design, allowing more air to cool down before it enters into the engine. This ARM unit will fit with only slight trimming, and is a great bang-for-your-buck option at $367. It is the cheapest option available, while still coming from a reputable company. I’d recommend this intercooler if you’re on a budget, especially over a no-name eBay unit.

Shop: ARM 5″ stepped intercooler

VRSF 5” stepped intercooler                                  

The VRSF stepped intercooler will protect your engine from heat soak. It is an essential upgrade if you are searching for more horsepower from your stock turbo. However, the biggest advantage of this FMIC is that it fits easily with no cutting or trimming required. VRSF provides the essential mounting hardware that is necessary to completely replace the OEM intercooler. The entire kit plus the intercooler costs $380, which makes the VRSF the second cheapest 5” option on this list.

Shop: VRSF 5″ stepped intercooler

Non-stepped intercooler (for stock turbos)

If you want a guaranteed bolt-in option with no cutting or trimming required, a non-stepped 5-inch intercooler is the way to go. The intercoolers below are great options that will get you a slight bump in horsepower as you continue to modify your BMW 335i, 135i or 535i.

Mishimoto 5” intercooler (CARB compliant)

The Mishimoto intercooler is the perfect example, as it fits directly into the stock intercooler’s spot without needing any adjustments. Plus, it is CARB legal, which means you can put it on and not worry about failing the emissions test if your state requires one. Mishimoto gives you extra performance, and is a well-known company that only makes high-quality parts. With top-of-the-line quality and CARB compliance it comes in at $700, but that is a small price to pay to set it and forget it.

Shop: Mishimoto 5″ intercooler

BMS 5” intercooler

If you are running low on cash and still want an easy to fit intercooler for your N54 engine, then look no further than this one by BMS. It works wonders on a 135i or 335i by adding an extra 10 to 20 whp, and it only costs $329. The best bit is that it plugs into the stock setup without needing any extra hardware. It’s a win-win situation!

Shop: BMS 5″ intercooler

ARM 7” intercooler

The ARM 7” intercooler has an incredibly large core to cool down the hot air coming from the turbocharger. It is around 30% bigger than ARM’s 5″ configuration, and it costs slightly more at $387. And getting one is like future-proofing your car for when you want to max out the boost on your stock turbos. However, since this unit is 7″ thick vs. 5″ thick, it will require some trimming to fit.

Shop: ARM 7″ intercooler

Race intercoolers (for upgraded turbos)

Race intercoolers should be considered only when you are ready to upgrade your turbo(s) in your BMW 335i, 135i or 535i. You wouldn’t want to run one on a daily driver unless you care about every bit of horsepower. These intercoolers are heavier and require a significant amount of cutting or trimming, but can stand up to 30+ psi from an upgraded turbo.

ARM 7.5” stepped intercooler

This aftermarket race intercooler by ARM is massive. It comes with a 7.5″ width, with even more space at the top thanks to the stepped design. At $547, it is a great option for the price. ARM claims performance gains up to 42whp and 39wtq from this intercooler that is 270% bigger than stock. It is 1,155 cubic inches and has ultra-dense fin packs, plus it includes a lower hardpipe upgrade that won’t crack.

Shop: ARM 7.5″ stepped race intercooler

BMS 7.5” stepped intercooler

If you want to go slightly cheaper at $529 and get a similar performance, you can choose this well-built intercooler by BMS. It can handle over 1000whp, meaning once you get this huge intercooler, you won’t need another one. The BMW 7.5″ stepped intercooler has larger end tanks and a larger core size than any of the non-race options, and will prevent heat soak so you can do back-to-back pulls without your intake air temps getting out of control.

Shop: BMS 7.5″ stepped intercooler

VRSF 7.5” stepped intercooler

The VRSF race intercooler is made up of high-quality materials that can withstand high levels of boost. You could let the incredibly hot air inside this intercooler, and it would still come out the other end as cold as ice. Metaphors aside, I rate the VSRF 7.5″ highly because it works like a charm on my 750whp BMW 135i. It has a high density bar and plate core, cast aluminum end tanks, and includes a lifetime warranty. Just like the ARM 7.5″ race intercooler, it comes with a lower charge pipe upgrade as well for only $430.

Shop: VRSF 7.5″ race intercooler

Wagner race intercooler

Wagner is a well-known name in the performance industry. You should rest assured, that whatever part you get from them is made of the highest quality. This Wagner race intercooler is no exception, and it shows at first glance. The intercooler costs a whopping $1,286, but it is worth every penny. Understandably though, you should only consider buying this if you regularly race on the track and aren’t sparing an expense with your build.

Shop: Wagner race intercooler

Intercooler Installation

Installing your new intercooler is quite easy and not as complicated as you might think. Perhaps when you are choosing a larger one, where trimming is required, you might need to take things a bit slow. You can watch the video at the top to get a visual idea of what to do.

Tools required:

To begin, you will first need to remove the undertray on the bottom of your car. Normally you would use a hydraulic car lifter for this. But if that’s not available, then a couple of hydraulic jacks should work wonders.

First, you remove the near countless amount of screws that hold the undertray in place. Once they are removed, you can see the exposed intercooler near the front of the bumper. The intercooler is held in place by two T25 torx bits, and if you have an automatic transmission there will be another one holding the gearbox cooler on the fan.

You will have to remove all of those, including the C-clips on each side -that hold the charge pipes in place. I use a pick tool to pull out the c-clips from their position.

Next up, you will have to twist two plastic connectors that hold a plastic protector right below the intercooler.

When all that is done you can yank the intercooler out of place.

For the installation process, you have to first check for clearance. If there is not enough space, you have to trim out some of the plastic on the back using a cutting tool. Use a measuring tape to get to the correct specifications.

Then you can go forward with installing the aftermarket intercooler. Put everything back where it belongs and voila you are done!  

Published by Jake Spence

I'm addicted to N54-powered BMW's.