# Intercooler Discussion – Looks can be Deceiving



## [email protected] (Jul 29, 2008)

In 2006, APR began development of the APR Front Mount Intercooler System for VW's 2.0T engine. This came after being commissioned by Volkswagen of America to create the ultimate performance hardware for their R-GTI Concept car. A North American Nation Wide Tuner Challenge was held by VW and participation was extended to APR and other tuners in the industry. The results, which were overseen by the SCCA and several automotive magazine editors and journalists, proved APR powered vehicles set the bar by a large margin in all performance categories and the APR prototype intercooler and Stage III turbo system were made available to the public. 

In recent years, many intercoolers similar in appearance have entered the market. This came shortly after several overseas companies began copying designs and selling them for pennies on the dollar with any company's name on the hoses and end tanks. Many of these items can be found online using APR's own product photography, but the actual product is a far cry from the original in almost every way, shape and form.

The purpose of this thread is to address the differences between APR's intercooler in terms of performance, quality, fitment, support and more. This will not only help you to spot a fake being passed off as an APR intercooler, but also see the quality and fitment differences of the USA-manufactured APR Intercooler and the competition's overseas-manufactured intercooler. Our testing data will further illustrate the impact on performance, which proves looks can be deceiving. 

*Intercooler Performance Testing:* 

To measure the performance difference between two intercooler cores, APR conducted back-to-back testing, on the same day in order to control data as tightly as possible. The test vehicle was fitted to APR's dyno with the room's exhaust and coolant fans set to a controlled value. Six dyno tests were conducted while data logging various engine variables in real-time using APR's ECU Explorer software. Data not available from the vehicle's ECU, such as the pre-intercooler boost and temperature, were collected with extra sensors installed before the intercooler's inlet. 

*Starting Conditions (APR Intercooler vs “Similar Looking” Intercooler):*



*Ambient Temp:* 84.9 °F vs 81.1 °F

*Ambient Baro:* 29.3 in-HG vs 29.3 in-HG

*Ambient Humidity:* 36% vs 35.3%

*IAT in the Intake Manifold:* 94.1 °F vs 86 °F

 

Starting conditions were nearly as identical as possible. However, the "Similar Looking" Intercooler core tests were conducted in more ideal conditions with an intake air temperature 8.1 degrees less. Ambient temperature was also 3.8 degrees cooler. 

*Testing Information:*



*Dyno Run Length:* 12 seconds

*Time Between Runs:* 5 seconds

*Number of Runs:* 6

*APR Testing Time:* 3:38:47 PM

*Competitor Testing Time:* 5:18:09 PM

 

The APR Intercooler was tested first. Upon completion of the tests, the vehicle was removed from the dyno and taken to the workshop. The APR Intercooler was removed and the competitor's intercooler was installed. Finally the car was reconnected to the dyno and testing continued. 

*Results:* 

The APR intercooler core preformed dramatically better than the cheaper alternative. 

By 7,000 RPM, on each of the six runs, intake air temperature was no greater than 6 °F from the starting IAT of each run and during three runs were actually 4.05 °F LESS than the starting temperature of each run. The competitor's core didn't fair so well, seeing as high as a 17.55 °F increase in intake air temperature from start to end on a single pull. _See graphs posted below for IAT during each pull._ 

  

By the sixth back-to-back run the APR Intercooler had no problem reducing post IC intake air temperature at 7,000 RPM. Temperature dropped from as high as 330.4 °F down to 103.55 °F. However, the cheaper alternative struggled to reduce intake air temperature below 120 °F by the third dyno run, despite better starting and ambient conditions. 










A six run average showed the APR Intercooler starting with IAT's at 103.55 °F, which dipped as low as 100.175 °F around 5,000 RPM, with a final temp of 104 °F by 7,000 RPM. The competitor's intercooler showed a six run average starting IAT of 103.33 °F which rapidly increased to 114.35 °F. 










The graphs below show the post-IC intake air temperature for the APR intercooler and the competitor's intercooler from each dyno pull.

      

*Manufacturing, Material and other Specifications:* 

The all aluminum investment cast end tanks of the APR Intercooler are cast in the USA to ensure a repeatable design, high tolerances and direct access to our casting partners should an issue ever arise. The raw end tanks are each machined in house at APR. The inlet and outlet pipes on the APR intercooler are much larger than stock and larger than our competition's. 

The long and smooth neck on the inlet and outlet allow for a clean mounting surface to avoid boost leaks. 

 

APR machines unnecessary aluminum from the side mounting points to lower the intercoolers weight as much as possible. The end tank castings were designed not only for fitment and airflow, but also weight savings. This is why the APR intercooler's end tanks are sharp and geometric compared to the rounded generic design of the competition's intercooler. The APR Intercooler is around 5 LBS lighter than the competition's. 










The APR intercooler core is manufactured in the USA to APR's exact specifications. In this application a staggered and louvered fin design is the best choice, which is backed up by our internal testing of several core designs. When selecting core fin density, pressure drop must be considered. Increasing density will result in more pressure drop across the core, which means the turbo will work hard to create the same pressure in the manifold compared to a freer flowing core. 

Through testing of several different densities, APR found a balance between cooling and pressure drop to achieve the best possible results. A dense core was most beneficial in this application due to the intercooler core’s dimensions as well as the end tank design. Through CFD analysis, APR’s engineers designed end tanks which promote use of the entire intercooler core, rather than the first few rows. This was further backed by the density of the core, which promotes filling of the entire end tank plenum for even charge air distribution. Intercooler width was carefully selected to maximize surface area without disrupting end tank design as a wider core design showed less even distribution of charge air across the upper portion of the intercooler. 

The APR intercooler core is 16.25" tall, 2.25" thick and 23.2" wide. 

*Core Thickness Comparison*

  

*APR Intercooler Core Overview* 



*APR Intercooler Core Ambient Air Path* 



*Competitor Core Front Ambient Air Path* 



*APR Intercooler Core Charge Air Path* 



Small manufacturing anomalies and defects in the massive intercooler core's surface can lead to small boost leaks which left untested are extremely difficult to locate. APR guarantees leak proof operation, as each assembled unit is pressure tested to 30 PSI.

The specific design of the APR intercooler hoses allows for smooth airflow into and out of the intercooler. The multi-ply hose material will not swell under boost and the stepped APR Easy-Flow Silicone hose design allows for a smooth airflow transition from one pipe to the other. The competition's hoses typically do not feature this design addition, resulting in turbulent airflow as seen below.


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*Casting Quality:* 

Words cannot describe the absolutely tremendous difference in quality between the castings of the APR Intercooler and the competition's. Every edge and surface of the APR intercooler is razor sharp and free of defects while the competition's is riddled with casting flaws, loose tolerances, voids, extra casting pieces ready to fall off and enter your engine at a moment's notice and other strange casting attributes associated only with the worst practices in the industry. Expect the inside of an APR intercooler end tank to be smooth and specific for routing intake air while our competition's are littered with extra mounting knobs producing into the design which disrupts smooth airflow.





*Competitor Core End Tank Casting Issues*

  



Poor casting quality extends beyond just looks. It impacts all of the following:



*Performance* – Airflow through end tanks

*Fitment* – Poor tolerances

*Weight* – Extra unnecessary casting attributes

*Leaks* – Casting voids are prone to leaking

*Engine Safety* – Casting flack can easily break free and enter your engine



Competitors have attempted to hide these defects from customers through painting, power coating, sanding and polishing end tanks, but this only superficially mask the issues. 



  

*Fitment:* 

The APR Intercooler fits perfectly. The competition’s is not even close. The following areas are known issues with the competition’s intercooler:



Every mounting point

Every screw hole

 

The competition's intercooler will loosely fit into each mounting point while other factory components must be bent to line up with the screw holes. In some cases, the screw holes are so far off or filled with excess casting material, they have to be retapped before they can be installed increasing labor costs and reducing the shop's profitability which will have to be made up in other areas. 

 

All mounting points and screw holes on the APR intercooler are in the correct location. They are machined in house to ensure proper sizing and proper thread pitch. 

With very little communication or factual exchange of information between our competitor's and their overseas suppliers, fitment issues will pop up all the time. There's no fixing the issue either as the competitors don't own the tooling used to cast each piece. They are simply purchasing parts from random vendors, many of whom have actually copied bad design, further pushing tolerances out of spec. Depending on the factory pumping out the parts, it will either fit one way or another way. 



  

*Support:* 

Included with every APR Intercooler System is a printed and spiral-bound instruction manual covering each step of the detailed install. Most competitors include no directions at all. If you ever run into a problem, you can simply call APR for support as we currently staff more employees who have installed an APR Intercooler than many companies employ in their entire company. 


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The APR Intercooler also comes with a lifetime warranty which is an important aspect often not discussed. Many companies have the ability to offer "lifetime warranties" but many of these companies do not stay in business for long periods of time. Once they're out of business, you'll have no way to get a replacement part should you ever need one. It's not uncommon to hear of a customer getting into an accident and in the process ripping a hose or damaging some other component. In those cases, we can quickly and easily ship the customer a new hose to aid in the repair but for the companies out of business or the ones purchased through cheap EBay outlets, there are no replacement parts when the need arises.

Finally, if the install is not for you, no worries! APR's vast dealer network makes installation at a local shop easy. For those who don't have an APR shop in town, our included instruction manual makes the process a walk in the park, saving you money spent on unnecessary labor.

*Power:*

A performance intercooler system needs to dramatically lower intake air temperature to a level that’s acceptable for creating safe and reliable power. It needs to continue doing over a long period of time without “heat soaking.” Heat soak is when an intercooler becomes so hot it’s unable to cool the intake air effectively. 

There will be many who will look past casting quality, fitment flaws, lack of support and so on simply to save a few dollars and many may be under the impression the data we've shared above does not translate to any real world differences in power. 

During our testing on the dyno, we were able to prove without a shadow of a doubt that the performance differences are massive. As mentioned above in the testing notes, each intercooler was tested back to back without a cool down period to measure temperature changes, vehicle operating variables and most importantly, power loss. Analyzing the average power losses after the turbocharger spooled showed an incredibly small 6.8 WHP loss across the power band with the APR intercooler system. However the other core lost an average of 30.1 WHP across the power band.










On average, the APR intercooler was able to retain 23.3 WHP over the cheaper alternative which throws it into the same league as a major upgrade even though it's being compared to what many would already consider an "upgrade."










This industry is filled with many trick and gimmicks but you will not find this when you purchase APR products. This is why you often hear the bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten.


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## stainlineho (Aug 20, 2011)

People just have to decide if they want quality or qrap.


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## LEBlackRob (Feb 1, 2012)

Is that the SPM intercooler that you guys are comparing to yours to. Just looking at those imperfections and cringing.


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## grahamwright1 (Jun 26, 2012)

stainlineho said:


> People just have to decide if they want quality or qrap.


Quality please, and I ordered mine from APR in November - still waiting for it to be delivered though!


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## [email protected] (Jul 29, 2008)

grahamwright1 said:


> Quality please, and I ordered mine from APR in November - still waiting for it to be delivered though!


Backorders are clearing rapidly as we've moved more of the process internally to APR.


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

LEBlackRob said:


> Is that the SPM intercooler that you guys are comparing to yours to. Just looking at those imperfections and cringing.


Those comparison shots are on a gti or gli, not on a beetle. So the a/c condensor lines are different and we do not have that bracket they show misaligned. 

Remember also it all depends on your environment how different intercoolers will work. If you live in a relatively cool environment the differences between them probably won't be as dramatic or even felt. But in warmer climates they will be more noticeable. The APR intercooler is great if not thr best on the market but as usual ridiculously overpriced in my opinion.

posted by Tapatalk


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## [email protected] (Jul 29, 2008)

Anyone worried about the backorder need not worry any more. Here's a couple hundred intercoolers in production. Each box holds quite a few cores oh and when they ship out to you, we don't pack them in peanuts, we now use specifically cut foam to ensure it's not damaged during shipping. 

Boxes of Intercooler Cores (use your imagine to count the number of cores in each box):


































End Tanks:


























Welding:










Units up for cleaning and testing:










End Tank cutouts for shipping:










Several units headed out the door:


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## grahamwright1 (Jun 26, 2012)

[email protected] said:


> Backorders are clearing rapidly as we've moved more of the process internally to APR.


Excellent - it's going to be worth every cent when the FL heat and humidity kicks in this summer


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## LEBlackRob (Feb 1, 2012)

drtechy said:


> Those comparison shots are on a gti or gli, not on a beetle. So the a/c condensor lines are different and we do not have that bracket they show misaligned.
> 
> Remember also it all depends on your environment how different intercoolers will work. If you live in a relatively cool environment the differences between them probably won't be as dramatic or even felt. But in warmer climates they will be more noticeable. The APR intercooler is great if not thr best on the market but as usual ridiculously overpriced in my opinion.
> 
> posted by Tapatalk


The thing that scares me is the quality of the casting. Last thing you want is to up grade to a bigger cooler. Then destroy your block because its sucking up metal shavings from lower quality materails that where used to cut over head costs. I just want to know if the cooler that they are comparing is the SPM. Since that is the one that comes to mind that looks exactly like the APR one. Since the first post I have done some thinking and have a feeling that APR is going to avoid answering my question. Form business stand point its understandable, but still would like to keep friends from crappy product.


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## ridgemanron (Sep 27, 2011)

Pricey, yes! But during the super high humid days I experienced last summer, this unit
performed beautifully, rewarding me with no 'heat soak' which I used to experience on 
similar type days when I had my Lotus Elise.


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## grahamwright1 (Jun 26, 2012)

[email protected] said:


> Backorders are clearing rapidly as we've moved more of the process internally to APR.


Not sure if Arin helped push the process along, but I just got my shipping confirmation a couple of minutes ago.

Looking forward to this!


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## [email protected] (Jul 29, 2008)

grahamwright1 said:


> Not sure if Arin helped push the process along, but I just got my shipping confirmation a couple of minutes ago.
> 
> Looking forward to this!


:thumbup:


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

LEBlackRob said:


> The thing that scares me is the quality of the casting. Last thing you want is to up grade to a bigger cooler. Then destroy your block because its sucking up metal shavings from lower quality materails that where used to cut over head costs. I just want to know if the cooler that they are comparing is the SPM. Since that is the one that comes to mind that looks exactly like the APR one. Since the first post I have done some thinking and have a feeling that APR is going to avoid answering my question. Form business stand point its understandable, but still would like to keep friends from crappy product.


I agree about Arin avoiding it, he wouldn't be too smart if he let that out lol. But I promise you that competitor they show is NOT SPM. I've seen the quality in person and I assure it is top notch. That intercooler they show as a competitor is bottom of the barrel junk, you can tell.

And yes I would be nervous about the quality as well, however after seeing the quality of SPM parts and installing one of their units myself, I will say that the quality of the materials being used and quality of the welds will not be an issue. Is it as good as the APR one performance wise? I'm sure its not, however only a dyno knows for sure. But APR's intercooler core itself is larger, and I'm sure they've put quite a bit more development into theirs. Time, dynos, and races will tell.

posted by Tapatalk


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## [email protected] (Jul 29, 2008)

When people display an intercooler at shows, I'm confident they pick the "best" example. 

Look at actual customers results and compare them to my photos. You'll be surprised. :laugh:


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## ridgemanron (Sep 27, 2011)

[email protected] said:


> :thumbup:


Arin, as I stated previously, your intercooler is 'top notch'. Would hope to be able to say
the same about your K04 if you ever get one built to fit in the 2012/13 Turbo Beetle. Your
thoughts, concerning the feasibility of it becoming a reality in the near future, would be 
appreciated.


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## [email protected] (Jul 29, 2008)

It fits! We've even installed stage 3+ in a beetle for a customer. 

Heck, we've even installed stage 3+ and an all wheel drive system into a beetle! :laugh:


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## ridgemanron (Sep 27, 2011)

[email protected] said:


> It fits! We've even installed stage 3+ in a beetle for a customer.
> 
> Heck, we've even installed stage 3+ and an all wheel drive system into a beetle! :laugh:


I was under the impression, from one of the site members, that his attempt to install the
K04 was thwarted by the firewall on the Beetle coming out a bit too much. He said that he wound 
up having to take it out and transfer it to a GLI. It is great news if your K04 isn't any problem
with regard to fitment in the Beetle.


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

ridgemanron said:


> I was under the impression, from one of the site members, that his attempt to install the
> K04 was thwarted by the firewall on the Beetle coming out a bit too much. He said that he wound
> up having to take it out and transfer it to a GLI. It is great news if your K04 isn't any problem
> with regard to fitment in the Beetle.


I was told this by APR 

posted by Tapatalk


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## ridgemanron (Sep 27, 2011)

drtechy said:


> I was told this by APR
> 
> posted by Tapatalk


Sure hope we get some clarification on this.


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

ridgemanron said:


> Sure hope we get some clarification on this.


They do list the stage 3 turbo kit as an option for the beetle but not the k04. Can it really be only the k04 has a problem fitting and a big turbo doesn't?

posted by Tapatalk


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## VuickB6 (Aug 4, 2006)

Sure would be nice to have a K04 kit from APR that works on these vehicles, along with a cat-back exhaust.


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## ridgemanron (Sep 27, 2011)

The site member who reported the K04 not fitting in his TB stated that he removed it
because of the fit problem and installed it in a GLI if I'm not mistaken.


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## LEBlackRob (Feb 1, 2012)

ridgemanron said:


> The site member who reported the K04 not fitting in his TB stated that he removed it
> because of the fit problem and installed it in a GLI if I'm not mistaken.


Yea the guy that owned this one.


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

LEBlackRob said:


> Yea the guy that owned this one.


Right, he said for his K04 to fit he had to change the direction of the hot or cold side outlet (can't remember which one he said) from the turbo in order to fit.


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## [email protected] (Jul 29, 2008)

Stage 3 is much larger, so I don't see why the K04 wouldn't fit.

Looking online, we've sold tons of Beetle K04 software too.


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> Looking online, we've sold tons of Beetle K04 software too.


Strange, as usual stories are getting mixed up somewhere.


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## Dscot8r!2 (Dec 18, 2012)

[email protected] said:


> Stage 3 is much larger, so I don't see why the K04 wouldn't fit.
> 
> Looking online, we've sold tons of Beetle K04 software too.



Thank you Arin, I'm very interested in the KO4 as well. I've bee running a Stage3+ on my GTI for over 7 years now, and it's just :laugh: when it gets to leave the garage. If you need a Turbo Beetle beta for the KO4, I'm less than 2 hours away, and it's already Stage2... Just sayin' :wave:


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

Dscot8r!2 said:


> Thank you Arin, I'm very interested in the KO4 as well. I've bee running a Stage3+ on my GTI for over 7 years now, and it's just :laugh: when it gets to leave the garage. If you need a Turbo Beetle beta for the KO4, I'm less than 2 hours away, and it's already Stage2... Just sayin' :wave:


bastard! lol I wish I was that close to APR


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## Dscot8r!2 (Dec 18, 2012)

Arin - Are you who we thank for this? Or is someone a jokester.


APR Screen by Dscot8r!2, on Flickr


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## [email protected] (Jul 29, 2008)

I updated the site. 

There are a lot of models. Sometimes I forget to add them to the list.


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