BimmerWorld/C&R Racing E36 Oil Cooler

This oil cooler comes directly from our GRAND-AM racing program and is the best solution for an under-radiator cooler

Your E36 didn't come with an oil cooler, but if you drive it on the track and want to extend the engine life as long as possible, adding this protection is critical.  Often, we see big rectangular coolers in front of the radiator to cool the oil - this heats up the engine by blowing the now-hot air leaving the oil cooler into the radiator, losing power.  A plate-type oil cooler also lacks the true capacity needed to cool an engine except in a very large size (which we use, but are hard to mount and not commonly used).  The Euro E36 cooler is a decent-enough solution for adding an oil cooler to your car, but it is not a performance-focused part - we can do better. 

We have partnered with C&R Racing, the leading US manufacturer of cooling systems for the Motorsport industry, to bring you the best E36 replacement cooler on the market. Filled with features, this piece just plain works:

Capacity - Yes, we have doubled the cooler capacity, but capacity isn't the key to cooler oil. It helps, but this is a minor point.

Counterflow Two-Pass Design - The stock Euro oil cooler is a good design - a long, cooler under the radiator. Oil flows from one end to the other and gets cooler as it goes. The best way to add capacity is to add more length, but we only have as much room to work with as the factory provides, and the same goes for the next best option - height. Unfortunately, every two-pass cooler currently on the market divides the height (and efficiency) in two, send the oil across the top and then returning it on the bottom (or vice-versa). The worst way to attempt to get more cooling is to add depth - this adds capacity but the thermal efficiency greatly decreases as the air flows through the cooler, heating up along the way. What's left? By stacking coolers front to back, we can strategically cool the oil in stages, achieving almost double the effect of the factory (or even high-capacity aftermarket) design. Oil first flows through the back of the cooler through warmer air (warmed from the second pass), but still with a significant delta of air vs. oil temp. Then, the second cooling stage routes the oil through the front cooler, through the fresh, ambient air, again with a significant delta of air/oil temperature.

Core - The casual observer sees a radiator or oil cooler as some sort of core that the air flows through with differences in end tanks and finishing - some competitors even polish their cooler to give an appearance of performance or quality. Unfortunately, polished coolers don't win races and it is the insides that matter in the business-end of a performance oil cooler - the core. All cores are not the same. Due to the space constraints and desired cooling efficiency, we chose the best core available for this cooler, which has an aerodynamic tube design, spaced specifically to maximize cooling for this application and is fully furnace brazed with no epoxy. The tubes are extruded to withstand higher pressure which is extremely important for cold start up. Turbulators are located inside the tubes to agitate the oil as it passes through - air passes across the top and bottom contact surfaces of the tube and the oil flowing along the sides is cooled, but without these turbulators to stir and mix the surface flow with the rest of the oil, you are only cooling the oil on the surface and efficiency is not maximized.

Mounting - This custom piece utilizes two mounting tabs and included fastners to secure directly and easily to either your stock US radiator or our C&R performance radiator.   No fabrication or additional brackets required (unlike the Euro cooler). Slight trimming for air duct fitment may be required.

Plumbing - We offer this cooler with two plumbing options - either a direct-fit for your stock oil cooler hose (E36 specific) or a pair of -10AN fittings if you prefer to run braided stainless lines for additional abrasion protection.

Size approximately 28.5"L x 3.5"H x 3.5"D.

As with all C&R Racing products, this piece is manufactured completely in the USA and individually tested.