Highlights
CNC Machined OEM Style Quick Connect Fittings
Rounded Bar and Plate Core
Stepped Intercooler Design 
OEM Mounting locations
Direct Plug and Play
Performance and Size
Don’t be fooled by extremely large intercoolers. There are some options available that are 7inches or larger in core thickness. However, bigger is not always better, especially when it comes to proper sizing and performance benefits of a high-performance intercooler. No one should consider hanging off the front of their “performance” car an intercooler that is more than ~30 pounds. When CSF decided on a proper sizing, the biggest intercooler possible was developed with a max weight of 30 pounds. Some larger options on the market are way over 40 pounds! Way too much to hang off the front of the car, the last place you want to add weight in a small performance sedan or coupe like the vehicles the N54 motor is found in. Also, intercoolers with thicker cores or options that say they have a “denser” core are not taking into account the negative effects on airflow into the rest of the cooling system. There is little to no true performance benefit if you have a cooling system with a massive intercooler resulting in very low IAT’s, but with very high water temperatures because of the lack of airflow, often resulting in the engine going into limp mode, especially when driving on the race track. 
 
Intercooler Design
The OEM intercooler is made from plastic end tanks that are crimped on to an aluminum tube/fin core that is ~4 inches thick (105mm core width) and is 5 inches in height (127mm). This may be enough to keep IAT’s in check on a completely unmodified / stock vehicle, but once users to start increase power through bolt-on modifications, tuning, and built engines, the OEM intercooler will become the Achilles heel of the system with IAT’s skyrocketing out of the optimal range and drastically lowering the performance capabilities of the vehicle. 
Enter CSF with their new, stepped core design, bar/plate high performance BMW n54 intercooler. This “drop-in fit” intercooler, which requires no modifications to install, has a bottom / larger section that is 5.5 inches thick (140mm) with a front face that is massive ~8.25 inches tall (210mm). A huge improvement over the OEM unit, and enough to handle even the most advanced n54 engine builds. Good for 1000hp no problem!