GOLFMK8
GOLFMK7
GOLFMK6
GOLFMKV

IE Intercooler

mfrench2022

Ready to race!
Location
Mass
Car(s)
mk7.5 r
Does anyone have a review on this? I have searched throughout the forum and doesn't seem to be much information on it or intercoolers in general.
 

odessa.filez

Autocross Newbie
Location
Roswell, GA
Car(s)
2016 GSW 1.8tsi auto
check out mygolfmk7.com

this guy does bench flow and temp tests across a wide selection of intercoolers, including IE. He's also done some real-world street testing for a smaller set, but I think IE is included here as well. he has a master list of core dimensions, weight and other specs as well. Great resource.
 

mfrench2022

Ready to race!
Location
Mass
Car(s)
mk7.5 r
check out mygolfmk7.com

this guy does bench flow and temp tests across a wide selection of intercoolers, including IE. He's also done some real-world street testing for a smaller set, but I think IE is included here as well. he has a master list of core dimensions, weight and other specs as well. Great resource.
Thanks. Very interesting information. It appears its not the best but does very well compared to a lot of them.
 

RudyH

Go Kart Champion
Location
Kitchener, ON
Thanks. Very interesting information. It appears its not the best but does very well compared to a lot of them.
well I m not sure ... I personally think it's the best according to his research, and if you want to save some cash the CTS Turbo worked quite well, maybe the APR. Usually the 'magic quadrant' is the mirror of this, which might have caused confusion

https://mygolfmk7.com/mk7-gti-intercooler-test/

I think unless you are going with some of the much larger turbo the CTS Turbo / APR will be fine
 
Last edited:

mfrench2022

Ready to race!
Location
Mass
Car(s)
mk7.5 r
Ahh must have read it wrong. Thanks for clairfication. I feel like any towards the top will work. I went with IE to match downpipe which has really good quality to it.
 

odessa.filez

Autocross Newbie
Location
Roswell, GA
Car(s)
2016 GSW 1.8tsi auto
iirc his bench testing suggests Mishimoto is best for temp control but IE is close. But he hasn't done real world testing (installed on car) on Mishimoto yet.
 

IanCH

Autocross Champion
Location
MA
Car(s)
'20 GTI
There is literally hundreds of pages of discussion on intercoolers in a few threads on here, it has been beat to death.

Tldr is if you are staying stock turbo fmic is better. If you are eventually going bigger turbo then get apr intercooler...
 

GTI_Owner

Go Kart Champion
Location
USA
Car(s)
2016 GTI
There is literally hundreds of pages of discussion on intercoolers in a few threads on here, it has been beat to death.

Tldr is if you are staying stock turbo fmic is better. If you are eventually going bigger turbo then get apr intercooler...
It has been discussed a lot, very little conclusive information results though.
FMIC is better for an IS38 because?
 

j255c

Drag Racing Champion
Location
New York
Car(s)
2018 Golf R Manual
I run a Majesty EBay Cooler and track my car. It does a great job at maintaining IATs 10-15 above ambient pull after pull. This unit is pretty much a Wagner clone - it’s probably the same factory that produces Wagner coolers 1/2 the cost.
 

JettiGLI

Go Kart Newbie
Location
LA
IE V2, Do88, APR, Wagner and Unitronic.
Then you have Mishimoto, AMS, HPA, Forge, etc etc.
Finally you have knockoffs like Majesty.
 

ego7.5R

New member
Location
Chicago-ish
Car(s)
'18R FBO E85
Cools well, flows well. Not the best priced and one of the heavier options, being bar and plate.

I'd recommend, in this order:
  1. do88: the best option all around: biggest core, highest flow, and relatively non-existent pressure drop. Multiple users have reported quicker spool too.
  2. Wagner: the best tube/fin option: big core, lighter weight than any bar/plate options, great cooling/flow/pressure drop, though do88 bests it in those regards.
  3. AMS: the other tube/fin option: the lightest @ 17lbs., high flowing core that can support plenty of power, and very easy install.
The other options are mostly respectable, though there are a few I'd skip, including the Unitronic and Burger/BMS.
I took a long time researching and comparing before choosing do88.
 

GTI_Owner

Go Kart Champion
Location
USA
Car(s)
2016 GTI
Cools well, flows well. Not the best priced and one of the heavier options, being bar and plate.

I'd recommend, in this order:
  1. do88: the best option all around: biggest core, highest flow, and relatively non-existent pressure drop. Multiple users have reported quicker spool too.
  2. Wagner: the best tube/fin option: big core, lighter weight than any bar/plate options, great cooling/flow/pressure drop, though do88 bests it in those regards.
  3. AMS: the other tube/fin option: the lightest @ 17lbs., high flowing core that can support plenty of power, and very easy install.
The other options are mostly respectable, though there are a few I'd skip, including the Unitronic and Burger/BMS.
I took a long time researching and comparing before choosing do88.
1. is the best option and 2. is the best tube/fin option, but 1 is also tube and fin. Also, IE's V2 is a larger core than do88.

3. flows like a stock GTI IC based on the test at mygolfmk7.
 

RudyH

Go Kart Champion
Location
Kitchener, ON
Going through the same ordeal as yourself, however I am kind of on the fence about upgrading - or upgrading to a different drivetrain all together. I think because I spent a lot of time on it this week, this is more of a more information then you are likely asking post...

That said one of the largest challenges I also faced is everyone has an opinion in a post, but no one has any real facts / results, so I narrowed it down to really 2 posts you have to weed through

These should be kind of pinned to the top
https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/intercooler-performance.328211/
https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/intercooler-types.332643/

Honestly, this is very useful to see not only benchmarks but street comparisons too
https://mygolfmk7.com/mk7-gti-r-intercooler-comparison/
https://mygolfmk7.com/mk7-gti-intercooler-test/

IMO, if you go with do88, APR, IE, Wagner, you should be fine - I would just weight them based on budget, and if you can get a good deal even from the FS section
Unitronic is definitely top 5, but I leave it out as it might not perform with a turbo upgrade as you would expect
CTS and Mishimoto I am struggling with, and I think is just safer to skip. I think there is a budget consideration that would put them on a list
 
Last edited:

odessa.filez

Autocross Newbie
Location
Roswell, GA
Car(s)
2016 GSW 1.8tsi auto
I guess I'd like to know if a given aftermarket intercooler will be completely compatible with the mk8 GTI or R. Would be great if all the stock locations are.
 
Top