• CSF’s Racing & High-Performance Division strives to build and engineer the most advanced, efficient, and reliable cooling systems for demanding enthusiasts and racing platforms.
• The CSF Charge Air Coolers help modified M SUVs successfully cope with the byproduct of their performance—power-sopping heat—in pursuit of four-figure horsepower numbers.
• BMC Air Filters produces the world’s highest-quality air filters for motorsport applications and street use.
• Its drop-in filters set for the F95 X5 M Competition is one of the easiest modifications to perform and adds valuable airflow into the engine without sacrificing important filtration.
• Thompson Performance Group (TPG), Thompson BMW’s mod-centric service division, helped us install our latest X5 M Competition mods flawlessly.

How much more performance does a 617hp SUV need? Depending on who you ask, that answer can vary widely. For us, a 2.75-ton vehicle that can defy the laws of physics to a 3.7-second 0-60 blast is certainly “enough” but that level of grunt comes with a certain level of responsibility. That’s why we chose to hone our focus on improving the M SAV’s robustness, recovery, and cooling instead of shooting for the moon with four-figure horsepower.

COOLING EXPERTS

It’s almost impossible to dissociate CSF from BMW—the two are duly linked as performance-minded brands—and over the last few years, CSF has paid immense attention to the marque’s SUV lineup to assess its opportunities. “20 years ago people could only dream of a BMW M engine in an SUV,” recalled Ravi Dolwani, CSF Cooling’s owner. “Sharing an engine with the M5 and M6 means these SUVs—X5M, X6M, XM—have power potential and we’ve supplied their saloon equivalents with CSF Charge Air Coolers (#8178) for years. It was finally time to create a bespoke version (#8315) for the M SUVs.”

CSF took all of the details that made its M5/M6 Charge Air Coolers successful and integrated them into this new design. Both versions tout ~100% volumetric core increases, TIG-welded cast end tasks, and a single-piece cast housing and charge pipe combination. This uninterrupted design creates a stronger system that can handle much higher boost pressures. It also eliminates the glued-on factory (plastic) charge pipes—a failure waiting to happen—while smoothing out and increasing airflow through the cooler.

These pieces were designed to give X5 M Competition owners a much higher ceiling of robust performance. For M SAV owners who want to push the limits of the platform,  dual 1/8 NPT ports are located on both outlet side air tanks for aftermarket methanol/nitrous injection systems.

MORE AND LESS

It’s a funny thing when a mod gives you both more and less but that’s exactly what these BMC drop-in panel filters do for the Turn 14 Distribution x BMW CCA F95 X5 M Competition—less airflow restriction and more efficient filtration. Calling this a performance filter is accurate; the company has made that its calling card for street use and motorsport applications since it started. If Formula 1 knocks on your door looking for air filters, you have to be doing something right.

Similar to CSF, BMC also adds peace of mind. The filters are produced using a “full molding system” that enables the brand’s characteristic red filter to be formed from a single mold, thus avoiding easy breakage. The filter element is a multi-layered cotton gauze. BMC soaks it in a low-viscosity oil before covering it with an epoxy-coated alloy mesh, which protects it from petrol fumes and oxidization. Like most pre-oiled filters, BMCs can be washed and “revitalized” using a BMC regeneration kit. This is the last filter you’d need to buy for years.

THE INSTALLATION

After unboxing the CSF and BMC parts to check them out in detail, we passed the baton over to Mikey, our trusted Thompson Performance Group tech, to get everything installed properly. Off came the X5 M Competition’s belly pan, a slew of bracing, factory air filter housings, hoses, and fittings. At this stage, the engine bay looked like a roost of “un-doneness”—a maze that would fluster amateur wrenchers (like me)—but Mikey knew exactly what he needed to do to fit the CSF Charge Air Coolers with ease.

After the M SAV’s coolant was drained, the CSF units were slotted into place—plug-and-play as promised—with one caveat: we still needed to install the supplied radiator relocation kit.

Before you jump down our throats about it not being plug-and-play, CSF includes everything you need to do this in the kit. Considering these add an immense volumetric increase over the OE intercoolers, the relocation is justified; the kit moves the radiator fore about an inch or so to provide adequate clearance to the radiator, especially under load. The first photo shows how close the CSF intercoolers sit to the fan shroud before the relocation kit was installed.

Before buttoning things up, Mikey performed a smoke test for leaks. True to CSF’s reputation for top-tier quality, no issues were found and Mikey was able to resume restoring the X5 M Competition’s engine bay to its prim and pristine condition—including the factory housings that had our BMC drop-in filters installed.

After Mikey pressed the engine cover into place, it was gratifying to see how OEM the bay looked despite its notable improvements. I attribute a lot of that sentiment to CSF’s classy, wrinkle-black finish. Frankly, subtlety is a lost art in an era that more often rewards the bold and brash; the only giveaway of our X5 M Competition’s new ceiling is the CSF logo on the charge cooler housing, a small nod to those in the know.

As we alluded to at the start of this article, we didn’t set out to achieve 1,200 horsepower here, but it’s good to know that the CSF Charge Air Coolers and BMC drop-in filters would be up to the task if we were. Whether you’re pushing factory power or titanic numbers, these mods add long-term robustness that any owner can appreciate—including the lucky BMW CCA member who will ultimately park the Turn 14 Distribution x BMW CCA F95 X5 M Competition in their garage. Did you get your raffle tickets yet?

Thank you to Akrapovič, BMC, CSF, Future Classic, H&R, Thompson BMW, Genie Company, Vossen, and XPEL for contributing to this year’s grand prize build. We are excited to give this X5 M Competition away to one lucky BMW CCA member soon.

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