Basic Performance Upgrades, or BPUs, are the parts we enthusiasts primarily pursue. Most folks don’t do engine building, honing, boring, fabrication, and extensive custom work themselves, and certainly not on their daily drivers. No one is going to break any records with BPUs, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth it. The simple formula of increasing airflow, decreasing air temperatures, and increasing fuel that creates more power doesn’t need a full build to happen. You aren’t going to be upset with some BPUs in your daily driver. That’s why we pride ourselves on our ability to offer you the best in bolt-on upgrades for your MQB platform Volkswagen, like our new MQB Cast Aluminum Intercooler Upgrade.
I’d be lying if I told you this intercooler needs to be your first upgrade, but it should be on the list of the first things you do to your MK7 GTI, R, or Audi 8V S3/A3/MK3 TT. The list should be intake, exhaust, software, suspension, and intercooler. Ideally, you do all of that at once for the biggest difference in power. But why intercooler?
In turbocharged engines, a heat exchanger known as an intercooler performs the function of cooling the charge air after it is pressurized by the turbocharger before it is fed into the engine. A cold air intake, like our Luft-Technik intake system, provides cooler air to the intake side of the turbo. That air is then pressurized by the compressor. What happens when you put air under pressure? It heats up. We don’t want to undo all that work the cold air intake does to provide cold and dense air, do we? No. We don’t. That’s where the intercooler comes into play.
The stock intercooler does a fine job of dropping the charge air temperatures down before introducing them to the engine. If you want to make more power by pushing in more air, though, it turns into a weak point. With our new in-house designed Cast Aluminum Intercooler Upgrade, which is a massive 24.5” x 16.5” x 2.0”, your air volume increases 39% over the factory GTI intercooler. That means more air, cooled more efficiently, forced into you system at 90 degrees cooler than stock.
What does all this mean? With 22% better cooling efficiency thanks to our design, you can expect 20HP gains and 18WTQ at 5,750RPM with just this simple upgrade. Paired with our intake, an upgraded downpipe, better flowing exhaust, and a tune, you’re looking at serious power. But that’s not the point. It’s not about adding power, it’s about supporting that power reliably. That’s why cooling is so important and why we think our upgraded intercooler should be on your first BPU list for improving your MQB platform for a better driving experience and a new attitude.
