The X is my first turbocharged car,so please bare with me on this.
Heres my question though. What benefit does a larger aftermarket intercooler have when hooked up with the stock turbo unit?
To me, it seems that the stock intercooler unit is big enough already. And perhaps changing just the intercooler pipes. To ones slightly bigger would be more cost effective, and all thats needed...

WM

 

Depends on how hard you pound on your car and how hot the exhaust gases created by the turbo is. The theory is the larger the intercooler, the more efficiently it can cool the air down by the time it routes back to the intake manifold....

Do you need it? as a daily driver, probably not. Do you track the car? Not a bad idea to go bigger...

 

big is not better, however what you say is partly correct,

efficency is the key

 

not worth it on the stock turbo unless you live in FL or Texas sort of climate

 

On stock boost you wont see much difference, but if you boost more or get a bigger turbo you will want one.

 

i recommend ARC for efficiency and quality.

 

The OEM intercooler heat soaks in States other than Florida and Texas. It needs to be replaced. See the thread below that discusses this issue at length:
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...tercooler.html

Later, Ken

 

Keep in mind you do pick up some efficiency and the upgraded units have less pressure drop so your turbo is working less to make the same boost which means more power even in colder climates. From the dyno charts I have seen it seems worth it and with big turbos definately worth it. I'm still running my Red on stock IC because waiting for it to ship. Grrrrrrrr.