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do88: Full Cooling Kit review and install notes

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    do88: Full Cooling Kit review and install notes

    As we are building a DCT E90 M3 track car, we thought it would be best to upgrade the entire cooling kit.

    The 'big pack' do88 sells comprises of
    -DCT/6MT cooler
    -PS cooler
    -Engine oil cooler
    -Water radiator

    do88 announced their goodies on the forum a while ago and we knew we had to get this.
    We have data acquisition on the car but dogbone already did a before and after comparison. So we'll just leave it at install impressions.

    Up to now we've tracked E46 M3s on stock cooling systems and never had an issue.
    The last two years we tracked our E92 M3 6MT with the stock cooling system and didn't have an issue either, although with slicks you could get up to 3/4 of the temperature needle.

    We've heard the DCT car runs hotter than the 6MT and remember, we double-track the car which puts huge demands on the brakes and cooling system.

    This isn't a DIY as, for once, do88 sends very clear and extensive install notes. If you've ever looked at the one page of instructions you get with some things you buy you will certainly appreciate these guy's attention to detail.
    Still, it wasn't perfect. Nothing is included for the PS cooler although we figured it out eventually and we also got the hoses, but ended up not installing them.
    Silicone hoses would be nice, but apparently the install requires you to cut the OEM hoses and keep the OEM end adaptors, which for me defeats the whole point of stronger hoses!
    Other vendors take note, THESE are proper install instructions



    Here is a gratuitous shot of the Z54 PFC BBK



    When you remove the wheel well liners you see the puny DCT cooler



    The do88 DCT cooler comes with a new, massive shroud. It's CF! Very cool piece



    Check out how massive the new DCT cooler looks



    You have to remove the bumper. After removing bumpers from E46 M3s in the past you really appreciate how incredibly simple it is to remove these on the E9X generation


    The front of the car looks interesting without the bumper... weight loss ideas?



    One difference that's immediately apparent between the OEM DCT shroud and the do88 one is that, besides the huge size difference, the do88 one provides a much cleaner path for air to enter the radiator.
    The OEM one diverts most of the air, the do88 allows air to directly hit the radiator without bending first









    The OEM radiator is held on with security torx bolts instead of regular torx. Fortunately I have these as well, but this could be a problem for the unsuspecting DIY'er which was not covered in the instructions



    Size envy













    Lots is said about changing DCT fluid and whether it's necessary. The fluid on the left is brand new. The one on the right comes out of my DCT and it has 40k miles on it.
    Pretty good if you ask me! Regardless, we will replace DCT fluid before long



    With that installed we move on to the engine oil cooler. The do88 one is larger although the difference isn't as massive as with the DCT radiator







    Then we go on to the water radiator. This one is a similar size to OEM, but is 100% aluminum





    And finally, the power steering cooler. This one is massively larger than the OEM, it's an incredible difference.
    Hopefully with this we'll be good and won't have any more boiling fluid







    Finally, some parting shots where you can see the DCT cooler with the bumper reassembled





    That's all folks!

    #2
    Update after 2017 season:

    So, we've (my brother and I) put 20 double track days (=40) on the car this season. The car runs for around an hour at a time as our run groups are consecutive every time.

    Regardless of the temperature outside it was impossible to overheat the oil/water or DCT. Trust me, we tried

    The DCT with OEM GTS software works flawlessly every shift. You can redline 6x a lap and still have zero issues.

    This year we only ran sticky street tires (NT01, R888R, RE71R). Next year we'll run some R1's so I'll update again.

    For the record, we are both PCA instructors and run in red/black, the two fastest PCA groups.

    Comment


      #3
      Update after 2019 season:

      So now the engine is upgraded to a 4.6L stroker with 500whp and runs BFG R1 tires. The temps are still under control and won't pass 3/4.

      Really happy with the setup!

      Comment


        #4
        Thanks for the pics and write up. Would you mind sharing any before/after data logs for the same track? Also, I'm interested on how you know that you boiled the steering fluid. Is there a sensor/diagnostic service sensor for it somewhere?

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by mik325tds View Post
          Thanks for the pics and write up. Would you mind sharing any before/after data logs for the same track? Also, I'm interested on how you know that you boiled the steering fluid. Is there a sensor/diagnostic service sensor for it somewhere?
          I doubt I could find data logs that are sufficiently comparable to get good data conclusions. Dogbone in another forum has done that with the do88 dct cooler, with the expected good results.

          You know you boil the steering fluid when it leaks all over the engine bay. The bimmerworld steering reservoir fixed that problem, but i figure lowering the operating temp with twice the radiator space was a good option

          I'm now in the 2021 season, the car can do two consecutive sessions at WGI hitting laptimes in the 2:04.x range without issues.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by SYT_Shadow View Post

            I doubt I could find data logs that are sufficiently comparable to get good data conclusions. Dogbone in another forum has done that with the do88 dct cooler, with the expected good results.

            You know you boil the steering fluid when it leaks all over the engine bay. The bimmerworld steering reservoir fixed that problem, but i figure lowering the operating temp with twice the radiator space was a good option

            I'm now in the 2021 season, the car can do two consecutive sessions at WGI hitting laptimes in the 2:04.x range without issues.
            Oh, I thought the reservoir was just leaky and had some pressure increase by the fluid warming up. Yes, that Bimmerworld reservoir is a good solution. Totally agree to have better steering fluid cooling would be good, but I'm just not sure if it is really necessary.
            WGI? I'm instructing for BMWCCA in Watkins Glen in August. See you there?

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by mik325tds View Post

              Oh, I thought the reservoir was just leaky and had some pressure increase by the fluid warming up. Yes, that Bimmerworld reservoir is a good solution. Totally agree to have better steering fluid cooling would be good, but I'm just not sure if it is really necessary.
              WGI? I'm instructing for BMWCCA in Watkins Glen in August. See you there?
              I mostly do PCA events, but once or twice a year I'll do a BMWCCA one. My next event is WGI Zone 1

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by SYT_Shadow View Post

                I mostly do PCA events, but once or twice a year I'll do a BMWCCA one. My next event is WGI Zone 1
                2:04 at WGI is very respectable, BTW. We turned 2:19s on a E36 M3 on TW200 tires during the AER a couple of weeks ago. What a fun track that is. Do you have any video of your 2:04s? Always interesting to see others.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by mik325tds View Post

                  2:04 at WGI is very respectable, BTW. We turned 2:19s on a E36 M3 on TW200 tires during the AER a couple of weeks ago. What a fun track that is. Do you have any video of your 2:04s? Always interesting to see others.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Very nice! Smooth hands, brake and throttle inputs and good momentum around the corners. Only advice I'd have is to avoid downshifting mid corner. If the revmatching fails, that could seriously destabilize the car.

                    Comment

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