The APR Intercooler System is a OEM-location upgrade that dramatically reduces intake air temperature (IAT), minimizes heat soak, and provides increased performance! The system is a direct bolt-on upgrade that requires no trimming and is recommended at every stage of performance.

Quick Facts:

• 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 1.25” – 492.5 in³ – OEM GTI
  24.25” x 16.25” x 1.37” – 541.8 in³ – OEM 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!

Design

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. 

Cycle through the tabs below to learn more!

• Intercooler Core Design
• Intercooler End Tank Design
• Intercooler Placement

Intercooler Core Design

 

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!

Core Style / Internal Fin Structure:

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. 

Internal Fin Structure

Core Styles

Number	Type	Fin Type	Fin Density	Pressure Drop	Cooling Effectiveness	Manufacturing Cost	Comments	Recommended
1	Tube and Fin	Straight Channel	Low	Low	Low	$	Poor Cooling	Not Recommended
2	Bar-and-Plate	Straight Channel	Low	Low	Low	$$	Poor Cooling	Not Recommended
3	Quality Bar-and-Plate	Staggered/Offset	High	Low	High	$$$	Excellent Cooling	Recommended!
4	Overly Dense Bar-and-Plate	Staggered/Offset	High	High	High	$$$	High pressure drop	Not Recommended

Core Size:

APR’s Engineers also paid close attention to the balancing act between core effectiveness, pressure drop and space for end tanks through core sizing. With the core too small, pressure drop decreases dramatically, but typically results in a core incapable of effectively cooling. Likewise, with core size too great, pressure drop can increase, resulting in the turbocharger working harder. However, more importantly, with no space for appropriate end tanks, utilization of the core and overall effectiveness of the system diminishes rapidly, negating the benefit of the larger core. APR’s engineers were able to balance each of these characteristics to deliver maximum performance. 

Core Specs

System	Core Type	Thickness	Width	Height	Volume	% Less Volume than APR
OEM GTI	Tube and Fin	1.250"	24.25"	16.25"	492.5 in³	78%
OEM Golf R	Tube and Fin	1.375"	24.25"	16.25"	541.8 in³	62%
APR	Bar-and-Plate	2.250"	24.00"	16.25"	877.5 in³

The APR intercooler system’s core volume, in terms of external dimensions, is 78% greater than the OEM GTI and 62% greater than the OEM Golf R Intercooler.