Upgrading to Aftermarket Intercoolers

An intercooler is a highly beneficial device that helps in maintaining the efficiency of your car engine and preserve power consistency inside the car by lowering intake temperatures. However, you must obtain adequate information regarding the different types of intercoolers used in Volkswagens to choose the most appropriate one for your car.

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1. Upgrading to Aftermarket Intercoolers What is an Intercooler? An Intercooler is a device that reduces intake temperatures to keep the power consistent and engine reliable within a car. Why do we need Intercoolers? Increased air pressure from compression can result in excessively hot intake charge, significantly reducing performance gains due to decreased density. Furthermore, increased intake charge temperature can lead to worse damage. How does an Intercooler work? Intercoolers increase the efficiency of the induction system by reducing the hot air temperature produced by superchargers or turbochargers, which force more air mass into an engine’s intake manifold and combustion chamber. A decrease in intake air charge temperature allows for more dense air in the engine and more fuel/air to burn per engine cycle, ultimately increasing engine output. Passing hot compressed intake air through an intercooler reduces its temperature and pressure by heat rejection—when hot air is rejected into the atmosphere from the intercooler—and flow restriction from its fins. A properly engineered intercooler will decrease temperature without too much loss in pressure causing a net increase in density. Benefits of an Upgraded or Aftermarket Intercooler Aftermarket intercoolers are generally larger than stock intercoolers, while maintaining extra weight savings. These units have larger inlets and outlets, along with more surface area. They usually also include improved fin design and structure, exposing the core to a greater volume of
2. airflow and allowing for increased cooling effectiveness. Internally, charged air fins can be designed to minimalize pressure drop. Upgraded intercoolers should be able to:  Dramatically lower intake air temperature  Increase horsepower and torque through prolonged performance Different Types of Intercoolers Although most VW’s come stock with side mount intercoolers, various performance intercooler systems can vary in size, shape and design. Here are different types of intercoolers: Front Mount Intercooler (FMIC) Exchanges heat directly with the atmosphere and mounted in the front/center, an area with maximum air flow (i.e., near the front bumper in line with the car’s radiator). There is a EuroCode Tuning FMIC for the B8 A4 that is known to achieve a 35% reduction in air intake temperature through repeated full load runs with horsepower recovery in excess of 20 WHP. Side Mount Intercooler (SMIC) Mounted in the front corner of the bumper in front of one of the wheels to fit with the aesthetics of the car, SMIC units are generally smaller. Top Mounted Intercoolers (TMIC) TMIC’s are located on top of the engine and sometimes suffer from heat diffusion due to proximity with the engine, warming them and reducing their overall efficiency. Now that you know the basics, which one should you choose? It depends on your performance goals and requirements, in addition to the space and design of your car. Most VW’s and Audis come with factory side mount intercoolers. As more power is generated through additional performance mods— for example upgraded turbos, ECU tuning, etc—one must also upgrade intercoolers to keep up with the increase in boost. For example, inlet charge-air heating is not a big deal at low boost pressures like 5 to 7 psi, but as boost approaches 10 psi, charge-air heating can become a serious problem that requires cooling to maintain an optimum system efficiency. You can start with an upgraded side mount intercooler. For example the VW Golf comes with an SMIC, but you can upgrade to a Forge Alloy SMIC, which is larger, drops pressure by 2psi and reduces air temperature by 6-9 degrees Celsius. Some builds even incorporate a dual intercooler setup. But with a more powerful setup and the right space, one may want to consider upgrading to a front mount intercooler. For more information, check in with your local tuner shop.
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