Stage 2 - Intercooler

Tricepz

Active Member
Dec 11, 2014
48
1
Hi Guys,

I searched the intercooler debate on stage 2, and i was able to find useful information mentioning that it's not a MUST but it is very recommended.

I am currently running for 6 months stage 2 REVO, i have of course DP + air intake, muffler delete, inlet pipe, and all of those good things.

The car pulls very hard the Revo stage 2 software file has a peak boost of 1.9 / 2.0 bar which of course is quite high, and we are coming to the summer time, i am not doing tracks, and only on occasions i am meeting with some friends and we drive aggressive.

The question is, would you still invest (it's a pretty costy upgrade here) in an intercooler? what do you guys think?

happy to hear your thoughts and comments.

Thanks and let's stay safe during these times.
 
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JackB

Active Member
Jan 18, 2020
100
60
It really depends on how you drive the car, the intercooler won't gain you much power - but it will reduce the amount of power you lose when demanding maximum performance for extended periods of time - particularly in hot weather.

If you are just flooring it up to moderate speeds (say, on a motorway slip road) and enjoying some back roads, you may not be putting enough strain on the car to really see a benefit from it that matches the cost.

I was speaking to Rick at Unicorn Motor Developments (well respected tuner in the UK) a while ago before I had decided exactly what I was going to do with my car, one of the things that came up was that he would recommend an intercooler even for a Stage 1 mapped car if the purpose was track use.

So it really depends on how the car is driven and how hot the ambient temps are.

As an additional note, I can see your car is a Facelift... just an FYI that fitting bigger intercoolers designed for MQB cars will require some significant cutting to the front panel, its not visible externally after it is done - but does drive up the complexity and work involved (this is not required on Pre facelift). You may also need to break your Air-conditioning loop which will then require re-gassing afterwards.
 

Hazkirby

Active Member
Nov 16, 2018
44
10
So what are the min requirements for stage 2?

I'm stage 1 and looking at stage 2
 

JackB

Active Member
Jan 18, 2020
100
60
So what are the min requirements for stage 2?

I'm stage 1 and looking at stage 2
Intake (or stock intake mod) and downpipe is the bare minimum.

Need to consider your clutch if manual.

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paddy6789

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Aug 31, 2016
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Preston, Lancs
Everything @JackB has said is spot on.

Intercoolers will always benefit the car, whether it’s stock, stage 1 or stage 2. It would be crazy for anyone to go stage 3 without one.

I’m told by a few people that the Revo intercooler is the best fit with the least cutting required. Wagner and RacingLine require a fair bit of cutting. I’ve had both the first gen and second gen RacingLine intercooler and the guys at Progressive Parts managed to save the air con :)

If you’re already Revo stage two, maybe speak to the place you got Revo put on your car and get their advice. They would see MQB cars coming in and out all the time and will see cars that do and don’t have the intercooler with various levels of other mods. So their advice will be great in helping you.

Speaking to Rick at Unicorn or Mark at Progressive Parts (if you’re local to them) would also open your eyes to what good upgrades do for the car.


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