A90/91 Toyota Supra & BMW G-Series High-Performance Heat Exchanger

After six months of development and testing with some of the best Supra tuners across the world, CSF is proud to announce its new high-performance all-aluminum charge cooler Front Mount Heat Exchanger upgrade for the A90/91 Toyota Supra (including some BMW G-Series fitment).

Since the vehicle was released in 2019, enthusiasts have been looking for performance upgrades to unleash the full potential of the BMW-sourced B58 engine. It didn’t take long for weak points of the vehicle to become chatter across the internet, in Facebook groups, and at race tracks. One of the most apparent problems (and one that was quickly identified by anyone taking the car to a track day): the liquid-cooled charge air cooler system would quickly heat soak with no ability to recover. This would cause the intake air temperatures (IATs) to spike, resulting in the ECU cutting the power output of the vehicle, and eventually putting the car into limp mode.

CSF engineers witnessed the overheating issue first-hand as they were in attendance at the Global Time Attack Finals at Buttonwillow Raceway in November 2019. Several new heavily modified Supra racecars could barely go two or three laps in moderate ambient conditions without having the car go into limp mode, forcing drivers to take a cool down lap (or two), with some even coming into the pits to have their front mount heat exchangers sprayed down with cold water.

Since then, many aftermarket tuning companies have developed bolt-on performance upgrades, software tunes, as well as upgraded hybrid-turbos. Several companies have already pushed the limitations of the engine introducing fully upgraded turbo kits, with some pushing close to 800whp. The increase in horsepower also tremendously increases the heat generated from the engine, and puts further stress on an already flawed charge-air cooling system. When upgrading the vehicle’s power, the ECU can also start to pull timing and decrease the car’s power output – even just during spirited driving, not necessarily only on the track.

How the Charge Cooling System Works

Because of CSF’s industry-leading reputation and deep knowledge of high-performance BMW cooling systems, its engineers immediately knew what had to be fixed in order to maximize and maintain consistent performance with the B58 engine. The engine is very similar to the S55 in the latest F8X M3/M4 – both feature a liquid-to-air charge cooler mounted on the top of the engine, along with a front mount heat exchanger (water radiator) that first cools the fluid that then cycles through the charge cooler, dissipating heat from the charge air before it enters the engine.

The difference is that the B58 liquid-to-air charge cooler is integrated into the intake manifold, rather than being a stand-alone unit that can be easily replaced (like in the F8X S55 variant). Because the charge cooler is built into the manifold, it’s extremely difficult to replace with a high-performance solution, with currently no aftermarket support available. The only solution to keeping intake air temperatures in control on a modified or track-ready Supra is to upgrade with the CSF Front Mount Heat Exchanger.

CSF’s Asian distributor and R&D partner, Unlimited Performance, took their stage-2 track-spec G29 BMW Z4, fitted with a prototype unit, to Tianma Raceway in Shanghai to help validate the performance of CSF’s B58 High-Performance Heat Exchanger. The report back from our development team was that IATs remained consistently 10-15°F (5.5-8.3°C) lower than with the stock heat exchanger installed, with maximum temperature delta proving a 40°F (22.2°C) reduction between the CSF and OEM cooler. Most importantly, the test Z4 was able to stay on the track longer due to maintained IATs, as well as the CSF Heat Exchanger helping improve airflow to the rest of the cooling system for both lower engine water and engine oil temperatures.

High-Performance Heat Exchanger (CSF#8154) Features:

• Significantly Reduces Intake Air Temperature (IAT) for Maximum Performance (with Faster Heat Soak Recovery)
• Improves Air Flow to the Rest of the Cooling System for Both Lower Engine Water and Engine Oil Temperatures
• 2-Row, 42mm Ultra-High-Performance Core
• 6.5mm Tall Multi-Louvered Fin with CSF’s Exclusive B-Tube Technology
• CNC Machined Mounting Brackets and OEM Style “Quick Connect” Inlet/Outlet
• 100% All Aluminum TIG-Welded Construction
• Includes Rock Guard & Transmission Oil Cooler Mounting Kit (Industry Exclusive)
• “Drop-in” Fit
• 2-Year Limited Warranty
• Smooth Satin Finish
• Tested and Proven by CSF’s Global Network of R&D Partners, Including Leading Time Attack Teams, Tuners, and Turbo Kit Manufacturers

Fits:

• 2020+ Toyota Supra (A90/A91)
• 2018+ BMW G29 Z4 20i, 30i & M40i
• 2022+ BMW G42 2-Series (M240iX)
• 2018+ BMW G20 3-Series (320i, 330i, 330iX, M340i, M340iX)
• 2018+ G21 3-Series Touring (330i, 330iX, M340iX)

• OEM#: 16400-WAA03 & 17118666811
• MSRP/MAP Pricing: $699.00 USD

The CSF Advantage – Proven Performance

OEM 25mm 1-Row Core with Crimped Plastic Endtanks vs. CSF 42mm 2-Row Core with CSF’s Exclusive B-Tube Technology (100% TIG-Welded All-Aluminum Design)

Left: OEM rock guard & transmission cooler vs. right: the CSF improved design, included billet transmission cooler mounts, and metal rock guard with improved airflow characteristics. CSF is the only company to include a rock guard and incorporate OEM transmission cooler mounting points for a true plug-and-play “drop-in” fit (minor trimming to OEM plastic transmission cooler mounting is required to accommodate the additional capacity design of the CSF High-Performance Heat Exchanger).

Before releasing this product, as CSF does with all new products, we made several prototypes and worked with some of the best race car teams, tuners, and experts in the industry to help with testing to ensure perfect fitment as well as extensive performance validation. Below is a summary of the five key partners that CSF chose to help with launching…

Evolve Automotive (United Kingdom)

Evolve Automotive’s road testing further enforced the track testing that Unlimited Performance had given to CSF three weeks prior. The log above also indicates a consistent 10°F (5.5°C) reduction in IATs during a third through fifth gear wide open throttle (WOT) pull, even in higher ambient conditions, when testing the CSF cooler.

We did another set of road logs and that was a third, fourth, and fifth gear pull. Even though the ambient was slightly higher when we tested the CSF, at the beginning of the third gear pull, the IAT is 1.5°C (2.7°F) lower. By the end of the fifth gear, that is reduced to 4.5°C (8.1°F). So the CSF Heat Exchanger is working pretty well, and the more you put it under load, the more efficiently it’s working.
When we bought this car, it was one of the things we raised pretty early on during our tuning and data logging sessions, that the IATs on this car were pretty high and we were waiting for CSF to come along and make a product that actually worked on the Supra. So, from our testing, it shows that it works really, really well.

Imran Arshad, Owner of Evolve Automotive

Billet Design (USA)

The first tester to get their hands on a CSF prototype heat exchanger was Marco, owner of Billet Design in Miami, Florida. Expert tuner and turbo kit manufacturer, Marco was the perfect person to help data log street driving (including WOT pulls), to be able to simulate real-world driving conditions, as well as provide dyno testing results to round-out the comprehensive testing of the heat exchanger before public release.

In addition to the above testimonial, Marco emailed CSF engineers with the following feedback:

What I notice is that the temps stay lower cruising, whereas with the stock heat exchanger it cruises higher and takes more time to cool down after a pull. So, the continuous pulls make more of a difference.

Marco, Owner of Billet Design

Twisted Tuning (USA)

Initially, CSF had reached out to R&D partner and BMW N54 specialist/turbo kit manufacturer, Doc Race, to help with testing and validation of a prototype heat exchanger. Unable to help due to scheduling conflicts, CSF was introduced to Justin, owner of Twisted Tuning – who happens to be the current world-record holder for highest power A90 Supra in the world. This drag race/street car was the perfect vehicle to really test the limits of the charge-air cooled turbo system of the B58 engine.

In addition to street driving and road course testing, this drag race testing helped solidify the results that had already been proven in different types of performance driving and motorsports. During this test, CSF’s engineers along with Justin, discovered the limitations of the manifold charge-air cooler to heat soak at levels of 750+ horsepower. Stay tuned for CSF’s upgraded intake manifold with upgraded charge cooler plus high-performance side radiators to help round-out a complete cooling solution for the B58 engine platform – to be introduced at SEMA 2020.

Titan Motorsports (USA)

After experiencing perfect test fitment and performance validation, long-time CSF dealer and world renown Toyota Supra specialist Titan Motorsports, has selected CSF as the go-to high-performance heat exchanger provider for their TMS800 Performance Package.

Unlimited Performance (China)

Due to the Spring 2020 shutdown in the United States because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), CSF was able to continue its R&D process by working with a development partner and exclusive Chinese distributor, Unlimited Performance. Them having a company-owned G29 Z4 stage-2 demo car (which is the BMW equivalent of the Toyota Supra) gave us the opportunity to test this product both on the dyno as well as on the race track.

Dyno Results

DYNO – DYNOJET
AMBIENT TEMP – ~60ºF/~15ºC

OEM Heat Exchanger

• Fully stock Z4 tuned on Bootmod3 (BM3) w/ lower boost target (20 psi)

CSF High-Performance Heat Exchanger

• Stage 2 tuned on ECUTEK w/ higher boost target (29 psi)

I’ve overlaid the data and it does seem as though the CSF HE has made a max difference of 7ºC (12.6ºF) vs. the stock HE. All of the data is overlaid, so you can see the various different temps, etc.

Justin Cheng – Unlimited Performance

Analysis

Keep in mind, this comparison was done between a stage 1 tune (20 psi boost target with OEM heat exchanger) vs. a stage 2 tune (29 psi with CSF High-Performance Heat Exchanger). From the logs that were sent to CSF, it’s clearly evident that the CSF High-Performance Heat Exchanger is performing much better and is able to withstand heat soak at a higher threshold than the OEM, even under higher load (i.e. extreme driving conditions and engine modifications).

More Supra Cooling Products

While the heat exchanger is a great first step on the road to proper cooling for your Supra, CSF offers additional products and packages.

Complete Cooling Packages

Our full suite of high-performance coolers can now also be purchased as a complete package to solve cooling issues no matter the environment. More importantly, to help racers stay on the track longer and compete at higher levels, without cool-down laps or falling into “limp-mode.”

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