I know this has been said many times before but the Urban Cooling Kit does much more than just cool in heavy traffic. It isn't the most attractive thing but it does do quite a good job of keeping the temperatures within limits and getting some cooling air to the back of the engine when on the move. High temperatures and hot spots will kill your engine. You also get an ECU flash to operate the fan that has the benefit of a better fuel map, all for about £150.
I run a Garage 56 ECU (plus exhausts and air intake). The ECU was the one for no cooling kit and I don't know if that can be re-flashed. As the car never comes back to the UK, that would mean I would need to send it back to G56 to get it re-flashed, if it is possible. Given that mine is a 2012 car, it almost certainly does not have the wiring loom ready to hook up the fan and thermostat.
I really dislike the appearance of the urban cooling kit, which my brother has on his Mk.2 M3W. To try and keep the engine cool and wear free, I have put on high flow neoprene lined Aeroquip 150º oil lines and run expensive oil (Motul 300V Le Mans full synthetic 20W60). This oil is rated to 165ºC before any film break down occurs. I would doubt the back of the cylinders ever gets that hot.
I put a tyre temperature thermocouple gauge (left over from when I did European Hill Climb Championship in a Ralt F2 car) on the back of the barrels just under the head on the exhaust side, before and after fitting the G56 kit and after a long fast run. Pre G56, it was reading at the top of its scale at 148º and pinking like mad. Post G56, it was only reading 122º with no pinking. I only do around 1500km a year, so I am confident that the engine will easily last me for a long time. If you talk to people in the USA who have done big mileages in S&S powered bikes, where the rear sides of the cylinders don't get much air either (especially the rear cylinder), they have had no problems with wear.
Wilson
