BMW F80/F82/F87, M3/M4/M2c Top Mount Intercooler Upgrade

Take the heat out of your S55 with this Top Mount Intercooler Upgrade — a direct replacement charge cooler for the BMW F80 M3, F82 M4 and F87 M2 Competition, with far more core and coolant volume than the factory unit.

The S55 uses a water-to-air charge cooler sitting on top of the engine, and it is the single biggest limit on a tuned car. The factory core is compact because it has to be, and on a hot day or a second hard run it saturates: coolant temperature climbs, intake temperature follows, and the ECU pulls timing and boost. The car does not break, it just gets slower, run after run.

This unit replaces it with a much larger cast and welded alloy core, holding significantly more coolant and presenting far more surface area to it. More volume takes longer to heat and more surface sheds it faster, so the charge cooler recovers between runs instead of stacking heat.

Key Features:

Greatly Increased Core Volume
A far larger internal core than the factory charge cooler, with the thermal mass to survive back-to-back runs.

Cast and Welded Alloy Construction
Alloy end castings TIG welded to the core, with machined outlet faces rather than pressed steps.

Retains Every Factory Connection
Coolant ports, sensor bosses, mounting points and charge pipe outlets are all in the original positions.

Attacks Heat Soak, Not Peak Power
The gain is consistency. A standard car is quickest once; this one holds its timing run after run.

Direct Bolt-On Fitment
Sits in the factory location under the intake. No cutting, no relocation and no custom plumbing.

Essential Above Stage 1
The stock charge cooler is the first thing to give up on a tuned S55, before the turbos and well before the fuel system.

Dimensions:

Core body: 12.6" (320mm) wide × 7.28" (185mm) deep
Charge outlet: 3.3" (84mm) outside diameter
Charge inlets: 2.25" (57mm) outside diameter, two off
Coolant ports: 0.86" (22mm) outside diameter, two off
Secondary port: 0.5" (13mm) internal diameter
Drain: 0.37" (9.5mm) outside diameter
Fasteners: M6 × 16 and M6 × 12

Manufacturing tolerance +/- 0.08" (2mm).

Performance Benefits:

Substantially lower charge air temperatures under sustained load

Far less timing pulled on a second or third hard run

Consistent power on a hot day instead of a car that fades

Greater coolant volume, so the circuit takes longer to saturate

More surface area, so it recovers faster once it does

Headroom for a Stage 2 tune to be worth what it claims

Vehicle Fitment:

BMW F80 M3 (2014-2020)

BMW F82 M4 (2014-2020)

BMW F87 M2 Competition (2019-2021)

3.0L Twin Turbocharged S55 Engine

Please Note:

The charge cooler circuit must be drained and correctly refilled and bled on installation. Professional installation is strongly recommended — air trapped in the circuit will undo everything this upgrade is for.

This unit is heavy and is shipped in a dedicated carton. Freight is quoted separately where required.

Why Choose Proven Performance Parts:

We specialise in high-performance parts for European vehicles — Volkswagen GTI & R models, Audi S/RS platforms, BMW M cars and Mercedes-AMG. Every product we offer is carefully selected for its quality, fitment, and real-world performance — tested by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts.