Quote:
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Originally Posted by CanAutM3
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boss330
I hope you guys are just joking 
Air to water cooler is a much more efficient way of cooling the charge air than a air to air intercooler.
The cooling capability of water is much higher than air (hence why we also have very few air cooled engines left...). The S55 has a separate water system that has a radiator mounted in the front, electric water pumps that circulate water from the cooler and through the chargecooler, then back to the radiator to cool down the water again.
Does the water in the intercooler system for the M5 really boil? Have never heard any M5 owner report that over on the M5 Boards...
What would be the benefit of a air to air cooler?
-Longer tubing = lag
-Lower cooling capacity than air to water
If using air as a cooling medium was better than water, I'm sure we would see a lot of air cooled engines...
Water cooling adds weight and needs more associated ancilliaries than a air to air intercooler, that's why early turbo cars had simple air to air intercoolers. |
Very well put 
I was about to post the same but you beat me to it  . |
I guess Porsche, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Subaru have all not figured this magic out yet. All of which build turbo track cars and have many mounds more years in turbo gas motors than BMW. My #1 guess is that this was done for product differentiation and nothing else.