APR Intercooler System - MQB/MQB EVO 1.8T/2.0T (6MT/DSG)

Features:

• Dramatically lowers intake air temp (IAT)
• -- Increases horsepower while minimizing power-robbing heat soak!
• -- Effectiveness tested to over 500 HP!
• -- 21 horsepower gain over the factory system!
• Massive core size
• -- Use of the OEM-location allows for a massive intercooler core.
• -- 24.25" x 16.25" x 1.16" - 457.1 in³ - OEM MK7 Golf/Tiguan
• -- 24.25" x 16.25" x 1.25" - 492.5 in³ - OEM MK7 GTI
• -- 24.25" x 16.25" x 1.37" - 529.8 in³ - OEM MK7 Golf R
• -- 24.00" x 16.25" x 2.25" - 877.5 in³ - APR
• Intercooler installed in the best location for this platform
• - Utilizes factory air dams for exceptional airflow across the core.
• - 100% compatible with the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) system.
• Highly effective core design
• -- Bar-and-plate core with staggered and louvered fins.
• -- Rigorous testing determined core style, fin density, and size.
• -- Low pressure drop + highly effective cooling = high performance!
• Smooth cast end tanks
• -- Engineered for low turbulence/restriction and maximum flow.
• -- Organically shaped to promote airflow across entire core.
• -- Pressure tested to prevent power robbing boost leaks.
• -- No hidden labor costs or permanent modifications
• No trimming, cutting, or other costly modification required.
• -- No modification to the Adaptive Cruise Control System required.
• -- Full directions and APR world-renowned customer support included.
• Designed by engineers with lasers
• -- With the best equipment and smartest engineers, it just works!

APR pioneered the OEM-location direct-replacement intercooler system in 2006. Unfortunately, to the untrained eye, many intercooler designs appear the same. However, effectiveness of the system and overall performance are greatly determined by several key metrics. Alloy selection, end tank design, construction type, fin style, fin density and overall core dimensions must be analyzed and balanced accordingly to deliver class-leading performance. While the OEM’s goal is to create a lightweight, easy to manufacture and inexpensive to produce, cross-platform design capable of supporting factory power levels, APR’s intercooler must be capable of supporting more than double the factory output. Achieving this goal took a multi-step approach focused around intercooler core selection, end tank design and install location.

The APR Intercooler core is a large bar-and-plate design featuring densely packed staggered and louvered fins. This design offers exceptional cooling while balancing pressure loss across the core, and maintaining critical airflow to the components behind the intercooler system. The core size was appropriately matched to the platform, minimizing pressure drop while leaving adequate space for appropriately designed end tanks. To APR’s mechanical engineering experts, the design represented the ultimate in performance, far exceeding the capabilities of the factory intercooler. To the driver, the result is simple: Repeatable performance, even in the most demanding of situations!

APR’s Engineers paid close attention to the balance between core effectiveness and pressure drop through the core, core style and fin density. With fin density too low, pressure drop decreases dramatically, but typically results in a core incapable of effectively cooling. Likewise, with fin density too great, pressure drop increases dramatically, resulting in the turbocharger working harder, and hotter, to produce the same level of airflow. By fine tuning this often unseen balancing act, as illustrated below, APR’s Engineers were able to maximize performance.

Back-to-back stress testing on the dyno help to further prove APR’s intercooler upgrade's effectiveness compared to the factory unit. Tests were first conducted with an APR Stage 2 MK7 GTI using the factory intercooler, then the slightly upgraded Golf R intercooler and finally APR’s Intercooler system. Each dyno pull lasted 12 seconds with 5 seconds of dwell between runs. Raw sensor data was collected using APR’s ECU Explorer high resolution data logging system. The tests quickly proved the long sought after OEM “upgraded” cooler (factory Golf R intercooler) showed minimal improvement over the standard GTI unit. However, the APR intercooler saw a dramatic difference that made a positive impact on performance. The factory GTI and Golf R intercoolers saw a starting IAT of 43 °C and 42 °C which climbed to as high as 71 °C and 66 °C, respectively, by the end of only the first pull. In contrast, the APR intercooler system saw IAT’s drop to 40 °C! The APR system effectively rejected heat soak and by the end of the sixth run saw a final IAT of 49 °C whereas both the GTI and Golf R intercoolers struggled to keep up, resulting in a final performance robbing IAT of 84 °C and 82 °C. This translated to a final gain of 21 WHP over the GTI intercooler and 18 WHP over the Golf R Intercooler!