Wagner Evo 3 Intercooler Review Coming Soon

[matreyia]

Some pics. View attachment 26403View attachment 26404View attachment 26405View attachment 26406View attachment 26407View attachment 26408View attachment 26409View attachment 26410View attachment 26411View attachment 26412View attachment 26413View attachment 26414

Around 29 lbs. Tiny but heavier than Dinan...probably 4 lbs heavier. Hold them back to back you can barely tell.

No throttle lag at all. Rpms stable through entire band. So no worries about lag. Very impressed. Driving around town, feels like stock car....until you slam that pedal and pee your pants.

 

[martymil]

Still to heavy, they should have made the end tanks from pressed sheet metal as they look cast alloy.

A step in the right direction but still room for improvement.

 

[matreyia]

Still to heavy, they should have made the end tanks from pressed sheet metal as they look cast alloy.

A step in the right direction but still room for improvement.

There's always room, no matter who makes what.

 

[Asbjorn]

So if I were to say the best PnP N5x FMICs currently available are:

Stepped: Wagner evo 3
Non-stepped: VRSF 7 HD

(Assuming track use, hybrids, 400-500hp, cost no object)

Would anyone disagree?

 

[Rob@RBTurbo]

Glad to see OP has great things to say for this IC!

IMO this is going to be the best quality high production IC available for those serious about their setup and are not too hung up on the cost.

 

[matreyia]

Glad to see OP has great things to say for this IC!

IMO this is going to be the best quality high production IC available for those serious about their setup and are not too hung up on the cost.

I'm just glad there is a bonified Dinan vs. X review. I was so tired of the Dinan marketing and nobody did actual logs to show anything so people were perpetually in the dark or just talking theory. I only used Dinan upgraded due to the fact that my car was under warranty. After learning how to work on the car and expiration of warranty...I naturally went apeshit on more superior upgrades at even lower prices than the inflated Dinan prices.

I am thinking of upgrading big brakes from Prodigywerks and the Pure Cast turbos and doing those reviews by end of year or so.

 

[matreyia]

Still to heavy, they should have made the end tanks from pressed sheet metal as they look cast alloy.

A step in the right direction but still room for improvement.

The Wagner Evo 3 is 4 lbs lighter than the VRSF stepped intercooler of the same size.

 

[matreyia]

So if I were to say the best PnP N5x FMICs currently available are:

Stepped: Wagner evo 3
Non-stepped: VRSF 7 HD

(Assuming track use, hybrids, 400-500hp, cost no object)

Would anyone disagree?

Neither of these units are plug and play. There is extensive cutting and ridiculous labor in drilling through the steel bumper support. Be advised if you are not a mechanic or don't know how to work on cars.

 

[KevinC39]

I'm running an ER Competition FMIC in the Z4. Curious if others run them in the 1 and 3 series cars?

Filippo

I don't really know many people that have it either. I have one in my E90 but I'm still stock turbo N55 and don't track the car so it doesn't really get put to work.

 

[Asbjorn]

I'm just glad there is a bonified Dinan vs. X review. I was so tired of the Dinan marketing and nobody did actual logs to show anything so people were perpetually in the dark or just talking theory. I only used Dinan upgraded due to the fact that my car was under warranty. After learning how to work on the car and expiration of warranty...I naturally went apeshit on more superior upgrades at even lower prices than the inflated Dinan prices.

I am thinking of upgrading big brakes from Prodigywerks and the Pure Cast turbos and doing those reviews by end of year or so.

Just wanted to comment that you probably don't need big brakes unless you really care about brake feel, weight and/or looks. You seem like a data-driven guy, and in most cases, there isn't much to be gained from upgrading calibers and rotors. What most people really need is the right pads and brake fluid for their application. I was looking at some data from my last track session, and I personally still need to work on my braking skills. I compared my lap data to a stock 1M coupe running stock brakes and EBC yellowstuff pads (awful track pad btw) and to my surprise he was actually gaining on me in some of the braking zones. If you are like me, you have more to gain from working on your braking skills than from a BBK.

If you do decide to swap calibers and discs, please make sure you know what is happening to your brake bias and pedal travel. Attached is what I did to calculate my BBK vs OEM together with my vendor. Also do check out some of the better calipers on the market - this just so you know what you are missing out on with the prodigywerks kit. For inspiration see this.

 

[martymil]

Glad to see OP has great things to say for this IC!

IMO this is going to be the best quality high production IC available for those serious about their setup and are not too hung up on the cost.

Best production yes but definetly not the best ic available for this platform and definetly not the lightest.

 

[Rob@RBTurbo]

Best production yes but definetly not the best ic available for this platform and definetly not the lightest.

As I am just not sure what would be the weight of any other IC option that is comparable here?

 

[matreyia]

Just wanted to comment that you probably don't need big brakes unless you really care about brake feel, weight and/or looks. You seem like a data-driven guy, and in most cases, there isn't much to be gained from upgrading calibers and rotors. What most people really need is the right pads and brake fluid for their application. I was looking at some data from my last track session, and I personally still need to work on my braking skills. I compared my lap data to a stock 1M coupe running stock brakes and EBC yellowstuff pads (awful track pad btw) and to my surprise he was actually gaining on me in some of the braking zones. If you are like me, you have more to gain from working on your braking skills than from a BBK.

If you do decide to swap calibers and discs, please make sure you know what is happening to your brake bias and pedal travel. Attached is what I did to calculate my BBK vs OEM together with my vendor. Also do check out some of the better calipers on the market - this just so you know what you are missing out on with the prodigywerks kit. For inspiration see this.

At the moment... the car is not equipped with good enough brakes. On stock power levels it was fine... not anymore. Downright dangerous.

I will ask each company to give quotes for matching set. No need to Frankenstein things.

 

[matreyia]

Just wanted to comment that you probably don't need big brakes unless you really care about brake feel, weight and/or looks. You seem like a data-driven guy, and in most cases, there isn't much to be gained from upgrading calibers and rotors. What most people really need is the right pads and brake fluid for their application. I was looking at some data from my last track session, and I personally still need to work on my braking skills. I compared my lap data to a stock 1M coupe running stock brakes and EBC yellowstuff pads (awful track pad btw) and to my surprise he was actually gaining on me in some of the braking zones. If you are like me, you have more to gain from working on your braking skills than from a BBK.

If you do decide to swap calibers and discs, please make sure you know what is happening to your brake bias and pedal travel. Attached is what I did to calculate my BBK vs OEM together with my vendor. Also do check out some of the better calipers on the market - this just so you know what you are missing out on with the prodigywerks kit. For inspiration see this.

Fyi... when I ditched my stock rotors and switched to ECS light rotors, the difference was immediately noticeble. Faster acceleration, less fuel consumption and more agility on same roads.

 

[Asbjorn]

At the moment... the car is not equipped with good enough brakes. Onnstock oower levels it was fine... not anymore. Downright dangerous.

I will ask each company to give quites for matching set. No need to Frankenstein things.

Honestly that makes no sense @matreyia I feel like you have been misled by BBK marketing. What pads and tires are you using? In what situations do you experience inability to brake properly? Even with stock power these cars are able reach 250km/h.

 

[matreyia]

Honestly that makes no sense @matreyia I feel like you have been misled by BBK marketing. What pads and tires are you using? In what situations do you experience inability to brake properly? Even with stock power these cars are able reach 250km/h.

Dude.... you have no idea how I drive. I know my car. I have not ready any marketing from any company. Anything is better than stock calipers.

I barely stopped in time yesterday and almost rear ended someone after acceleration in traffic.

 

[martymil]

As I am just not sure what would be the weight of any other IC option that is comparable here?

The plazmaman ic which is the lightest ic available for this platform and it replaces the inadequate power steering cooler

But this is not a production model but a custom job and its only 18 pounds

 

[Asbjorn]

Dude.... you have no idea how I drive. I know my car. I have not ready any marketing from any company. Anything is better than stock caliper.
I barely stopped in time yesterday and almost rear ended someone after acceleration in traffic.

Fact is you dont get better braking in the scenario above by changing calipers. For better cold braking at low speed first you need better grip, then you need optimized brake bias. With ABS you can largely ignore the latter. Also you don't want to change brake bias by changing calipers, as it alters the brake pedal. You want to keep the total piston size about the same as oem. See the excel sheet I shared.

Also, in your case OEM pads are fine. In fact most pads will be fine except for the highest rated race pads that don't bite when cold. Then you really can't brake in traffic.

So back to increasing grip... look at tires, tire pressure etc instead to accomplish that. Not bbks.

Im just trying to help. Sorry for going off topic, I just hate seeing smart people waste money. So many people buy bbks for the wrong reasons.

 

[matreyia]

Fact is you dont get better braking in the scenario above by changing calipers. For better cold braking at low speed first you need better grip, then you need optimized brake bias. With ABS you can largely ignore the latter. Also you don't want to change brake bias by changing calipers, as it alters the brake pedal. You want to keep the total piston size about the same as oem. See the excel sheet I shared.

Also, in your case OEM pads are fine. In fact most pads will be fine except for the highest rated race pads that don't bite when cold. Then you really can't brake in traffic.

So back to increasing grip... look at tires, tire pressure etc instead to accomplish that. Not bbks.

Im just trying to help. Sorry for going off topic, I just hate seeing smart people waste money. So many people buy bbks for the wrong reasons.

I drive with nothing but the most highly rated Michelins. Either AS 3 Plus or Super sports. And I never let them go bald. Yeah, many people buy bbk for the wrong reasons. My reason is 490-500 whp is too much for the way I drive to stop safely. At 300 crank stock...they work fine.

If you change brakes, never do it in pieces, always get recommended sets so that brake bias is not all over the map. KNOW your new brake bias on the new kit and make proper driving adjustments. Every modification requires changes on your part. You cannot expect to be as safe as before if you modify your car each time and you don't modify your driving technique. So if get upgraded brakes, you better know what you are doing and how they will be different from stock.

 

[matreyia]

The plazmaman ic which is the lightest ic available for this platform and it replaces the inadequate power steering cooler

But this is not a production model but a custom job and its only 18 poundsView attachment 26449

So there is nothing actually available to compare to evo 3. Anyone can customize anything to make it better. Is there any IC that compares to Evo 3 on sale that people can order, not secret projects or unreleased customized rigs.