It's no secret that the engineers at BMW strive to make each level of their M lineup the top tier in each segment. When it comes to the F80 and F82, the twin-turbocharged and liquid-intercooled grunt of the S55 coupled with the agility of the 3-series chassis is a killer combination that rockets these Bimmers to the top of the class. While the duo works on paper, in everyday use there is one aspect that does, quite literally, crack under the pressure the charge pipes.
When it comes to the advancement of intercooling technologies, not much has changed for charged air conduits. Through the marvels of engineering, we have used liquid cooling power to create an intercooler that's a quarter the size of an air-to-air unit while retaining the same, if not better, efficiency. However, we still need some good old-fashioned charge pipes to take the air from the turbo to the intake manifold. When it comes to the pipes equipped on the M3, the concept might be old-fashioned, yet their engineers