The next supporting modification for our COBB down pipe installation will be the charge air cooler. We decided to go with the APR intercooler. This unit features a very efficient bar and plate core with cast end tanks to aid in efficient air flow in and out of the core. The quality of this intercooler is absolutely phenomenal and worth every penny of the hefty price tag. This intercooler will set you back around $900 USD.
You may be wondering if you can simply add the downpipe without also changing out the factory Golf R intercooler and the answer is yes. You will, however, see a big hit in power once the factor intercooler becomes heat soaked and can no longer effectively reject the additional heat load incurred with running additional boost pressure. We were already starting to see slight increases in intake temp after a few loaded runs on the stage 1 map. Adding more heat load would definitely lead to even worse intake temp increases with the factory intercooler. The factory Golf R intercooler is unique to the Golf R and features a thicker core with more heat rejection capacity than the unit found on the GTI.
APR did a great job on this intercooler. Their cast end tanks have a lot of CFD design work into them which has led to this flow optimized design. The core is 2.25″ thick and boasts 62% more volume than the factory intercooler and can effectively drop temps across the intercooler by up to 203*C. This unit is rated up to 500 HP and should have no problem cooling down the increased pressures from the factory IS38 turbocharger. Perhaps later on down the road, we might be able to test the limits of this intercooler.
The installation of the APR intercooler is definitely a lot more involved than changing out the spark plugs and requires a complete removal of the front end. One of the good things about this install is that once you are all done, the intercooler you just took apart your entire front end to install is completely invisible. Ok, so maybe having the intercooler sandwiched between the AC condenser and the radiator making it completely obstructed from view is a bummer since it is such a nice part, but at least the car looks bone stock from the outside and under the hood.
I was actually pretty happy I was able to take the front end completely off because the Golf was hit in the parking lot at a store. The damage was very minor and only required a front bumper cover and left fender replacement. The good thing is that I was able to get the car in and out of the shop in about 7 days.
If you look really closely in the engine bay, you can barely make out the APR logo cast into the end tanks of the intercooler. This thing is really sandwiched in there which is great for the stealth vibe, but not so great if you want to show off your super badass intercooler to your car friends.
8 comments
I would suggest painting your intercooler black for better effectiveness.
I did think about doing that, but the intercooler was just too pretty. Also, the emicivity gains from the black paint job sort loose effectiveness once you start to have air flowing across the heat exchanger.
how much more boost does the stage 3 tune tune? very surprised you only picked up 15 peak hp and 30lb ft with a hotter tune and big downpipe/intercooler. I suspect that if you get the TCU tuned, the numbers will jump up to where they ought to be. Also, any concern not having apples/apples because you changed the load parameters on the dyno between runs?
Can anyone explain a couple of things?
The MK7 Golf R is rated at 292hp at the crank from the factory. Generally speaking a AWD system will loose around 20% of power thru the drivetrain but….
1. This Golf doesn’t have the Haldex system hooked up on the dyno?!
2. If the 20% loss in power is a realistic number; that means that without the COBB downpipe/ APR IC and the COBB tune this Golf would only make around 210whp?
If 210whp is a realistic number, that means that this Golf R (or any stock Golf R for that matter) have a drivetrain loose of about 29%?
That is a HUGE % loss in the drivetrain considering this car is fairly new.
As Billy pointed out above, I believe we will see even more power when we update the TCU. Also, the motoiq in house dyno does read low. I’m not a dyno expert, so I’m not exactly sure what difference the change to the dyno made to the power readings.
Our dyno does read low, the power numbers don’t matter, they change from dyno to dyno, what matters is the difference in power when comparing to stock or prior mods.
Thanks Isaac. I understand that the TCU has to be updated but my concern was about the fact this bone stock MK7 Golf R has a drivetrain loss of roughly 29%…..
As Mike said, dyno numbers are not very important as each dyno read differently and temp/ humidity and other factors play an important role of how the ECU response…..but I’m still baffled a can this new can loose that much.
I wish Cobb would release an option for S3 owners. I’ve been holding out, hoping they come around, but if they don’t I’ll likely get something from 034 Motorsports.