To fit, or not to fit? (aftermarket intercooler and catch can at stage 2)

[Bee_GEE_B2]

Hello,

I am in a big dilemma of whether to install a racingline intercooler and catch can ( at the time of stage 1+ or stage 2) or not. (on an OPF 2.0 EA888)

Basically I have done a lot of reading on the topic of catch cans and intercoolers, and I am about to do a bit of modding soon, but I couldn't find an exact answer whether it is worth fitting these with a relative low output change mod.
I have seen catch cans full of gunk, but am not sure if a PCV delete and catch can is of any benefit on a car thats on or below stage 2, and not tracked every weekend. (i.e. does it really save the engine from coking up, more so would it coke up that badly without one). Looks like a bigger bite to fit this, but if there was a confirmed real benefit to it in 'everyday life', i would put it.

Same with the intercooler, will it heat soak at stage 2 with the factory one badly? Or it is ok with that (most people say intercoolers and oil coolers are only required at stage 3)

 

[Legojon]

Can't really comment on the MK3 ... but on my MK2, the Intercooler was about the best upgrade I purchased. It doesn't really add power. But what it stops is losing power when the air temps get hot. With turbo engines we especially notice this in summer. If your planning on going Stage 2 at some point and have the cash, you might as well get it fitted anyway. But I'd say it's one of those upgrades you don't notice you have because it just works. But you'd miss it if it wasn't there.

Catch can I'm not a fan of for the MK2. Especially as a lot of manufacturers recommend removing it in winter as (so they say) if you have a dip in the pipes, it can trap small amounts of water and during winter months freeze.

Best person to ask for an opinion would be @paddy6789.

 

[Damo H]

As @Legojon has said, the intercooler isn’t about more power but keeping power, and I d also say engine longevity too.

Hotter air temps will lead to hotter engine and engine knock. So for stage 2 a decent intercooler and decent octane fuel is even more important.

 

[paddy6789]

I’m running stage 2 on mine, with the RacingLine intercooler and oil management kit. I have pretty much everything RacingLine on mine haha.

The oil management is mainly for hard accelerating, hard cornering and hard breaking. These engines are prone to oil starvation under those conditions and this is a solution to get round the problem. It also catches all the water vapour in the system, hence the white gunk on the dipstick of the catch can. You could just put a proper baffled oil sump on the car to resolve the oil starvation issue instead of the catch can. Both are around the same price I believe.

As for the intercooler, as @Legojon states, it’s one of those mods that you don’t notice, but would miss. For stage 2, it’s not a requirement but it is a recommended upgrade. Some people swear by the Chinese eBay Majestic intercooler for like £200. Some stage 3 setups are running that. Unfortunately when it’s on the car, you won’t see it, and you will only notice maybe on warmer days or when you’ve been driving hard, the power may seem to fade a bit maybe due to higher temps around the engine.

One mod I’ve got which I visually see a difference in is the oil cooler - my oil temps sit between 85-92, even under a hard driving session. The downside is that it takes longer to warm the oil so you have to wait longer before really accelerating hard


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Bee_GEE_B2]

I’m running stage 2 on mine, with the RacingLine intercooler and oil management kit. I have pretty much everything RacingLine on mine haha.

The oil management is mainly for hard accelerating, hard cornering and hard breaking. These engines are prone to oil starvation under those conditions and this is a solution to get round the problem. It also catches all the water vapour in the system, hence the white gunk on the dipstick of the catch can. You could just put a proper baffled oil sump on the car to resolve the oil starvation issue instead of the catch can. Both are around the same price I believe.

As for the intercooler, as @Legojon states, it’s one of those mods that you don’t notice, but would miss. For stage 2, it’s not a requirement but it is a recommended upgrade. Some people swear by the Chinese eBay Majestic intercooler for like £200. Some stage 3 setups are running that. Unfortunately when it’s on the car, you won’t see it, and you will only notice maybe on warmer days or when you’ve been driving hard, the power may seem to fade a bit maybe due to higher temps around the engine.

One mod I’ve got which I visually see a difference in is the oil cooler - my oil temps sit between 85-92, even under a hard driving session. The downside is that it takes longer to warm the oil so you have to wait longer before really accelerating hard


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thanks man,
Finally, real food for thought here : ) I think I'll try the stage 1 first, with the plug and play things, then if I get power hungry again go in with all the parts (downpipe+cooler+can).