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Has anyone tried an air to water intercooler on a 7?
I'm strongly leaning that way for a few reasons :

The packaging is smaller
Won't block the radiator
Can have the heat exchanger in the trunk
Less pressure drop

Previously I was concerned that it would be a problem for road racing but after BMW and many other oems started using it- it can't be that bad.

Any thoughts? I think air to air is ideal but packaging is tough

Good points:

Better heat exchange per volume

No ducting needed to/from core like air/air system

Can be "super cooled" with ice for additional performance

Bad points:

Heavier

More expensive

Less reliable

More parts (intercooler heat exchanger, hoses, pump, reservoir, on top of front-mounted radiator)

Power requirement from additional pump

Consumes more space

Still needs an air/water radiator in the airflow to get rid of the heat. If one reason to add the system was not having room for a traditional intercooler ahead of the radiator, where is the air/water radiator going to go?

Adding ice only works for a very short time.

Requires ducting to above radiator.

The worst aspect, however, especially for road racing, is heat-soak. The coolant heats up faster than it is cooled, resulting in higher charge temperature, lower performance, and moves the engine closer to detonation.

I decided it wasn't worth all the overhead for what it provides.

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Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/