BMW E30 Group A / DTM Race Style Oil Cooler (CSF #8218)

CSF #8218 

Designing the ultimate BMW E30 Oil Cooler was not an easy task. While with custom fabrication anything is possible, CSF prides itself on making upgraded products that fit like a factory unit. Fortunately, BMW already did some of the leg work for this in the late 1980s. The new CSF #8218 is based on the race proven and championship winning formula used by BMW.

To give you some history on this topic, we have to go back to 1987. After BMW decided to enter Touring Car and DTM racing, they created what most would consider to be the ultimate E30 M3. In the span of about 5 years, the Group A spec M3 became the most successful touring car of all time. This race spec BMW won two champion’s titles in both the European Touring Car Championship and German Touring Car Championship (aka DTM) along with countless other victories.

Why Upgrade?

While most of the engineering that went into the first M3/3-Series was top of line at the time, there is plenty of room for improvement. The cooling systems on the E30 are fairly adequate for normal to semi spirited driving. However, the factory oil cooler can still struggle to keep up under aggressive driving or track days. The vehicle is also old enough that many of the factory systems really need to be replaced.

While your original system may still be functional, it is likely not in the best shape. Dented, clogged, and weathered coolers just can’t perform like a new cooler. Even then, the old tube and fin design don’t compare to the durability and performance of a bar and plate design.

CSF understands that most owners don’t want to change the look of their Bavarian classics at this point. That’s why the E30 Group A / DTM Oil Cooler was design to fit in the factory location with no custom mounting hardware necessary. The CSF Oil Cooler offers superior cooling capacity, modern technology, and costs less than a genuine OE replacement.

Design & Engineering

When designing this new cooler, CSF wanted to ensure the best possible performance while ensuring the cooler was as durable as possible. As you’ve seen, oil coolers and other heat exchangers can take quite a beating over time. CSF utilizes an extremely rugged and durable Bar/Plate design which can stand up to far more abuse. The CSF “Aero-Flow” Bar design reduces weight compared to other Bar/Plate designs while maintaining maximum strength and air-flow. These “Aero-Flow” bars improve heat dissipation with high density turbulated multi-louvered fins. Turbulation increases the turbulent flow through a tube, effectively increasing heat exchange rates and abilities.

OEM VS CSF

At around 50% larger in size, the CSF #8218 Oil Cooler increases both fluid capacity and core surface area. The overall performance of the Oil Cooler far exceeds the factory cooler’s limits. 100% All-Aluminum construction ensures the best performance and durability. In addition, the black powder coat finish provides extra protection and offers an OEM look behind the grille of your E30.

All Late Model (After 09/87) E30 3-Series equipped with factory oil coolers use these inner mounting locations.

All E30 M3 Models & Early Model
(Up to 09/87) E30 3-Series equipped with factory oil coolers use these outer mounting locations.

All E30 Models come with both mounting location provisions from the factory. You can use either mounting location with the proper hardware. Therefore OEM Hardware can be used to mount the CSF #8218 Cooler whether your car was equipped with one from the factory or not. Note: Factory lines differ between the various models so changing your factory cooler style will require new/custom lines.

E30 M3 with Factory Lines

Here is an image of the CSF E30 Oil Cooler #8218 installed on an E30 M3 using the factory oil cooler lines. As you can see it mounts perfectly with the OEM hardware. There is ample clearance between the oil cooler and the front mount electric fan.

Most aftermarket condenser/auxiliary fans should have similar clearance. While it is unlikely that the a fan will cause a clearance issue with the cooler, it may limit your options on how you run your oil lines. Traditionally, the M20 oil cooler lines run above the cooler, and a large/think protruding auxiliary fan could make running new lines over the cooler more difficult.

Customers running turbo systems with a front mount intercooler (FMIC) maybe also have fitment issues.

Please contact us if you have any questions regarding fitment conflicts with other aftermarket parts.