[ahnh77]

from audi/vw standpoint....1.8t stock with a kkk k03 turbo 150 bhp....with ecu upgrade with almost double the boost to 15 psi at ~190 hp a larger intercooler did little or nothing for "improvement"......with ecu upgrade with turbo upgrade to a kkk k04 turbo with almost double stock boost to 15 psi and exhaust upgrade and little more gave ~240 hp a larger intercooler again did little or nothing for "improvement".....now...with a garett t28 turbo upgrade, an intercooler was necessary....

unless you are upgrading to a significantly larger turbo....larger intercooler isn't always necessary....but definitely...larger turbo will need larger intercooler to match and will require lower boost......stock intercooler are usually meant for the stock intercooler..higher boost doesn't always mean it needs a larger intercooler.....

you'll get more result spending your money on the exhaust...spending your money on fabricating a high flow random technology cat into a turbo car...larger (2.5" ~ 3") complete piping exhaust...would probably give you more bang for your buck...just the cat upgrade alone on a turbo car is mindblowingly different...car just moves and feels lighter...

Originally Posted by Driver72

You guys are probably correct, for the stock turbos, the intercooler is probably sufficient with just 8.5 psi's pushing through them.

However, I was thinking more along the line of when you install the Xede or similar.
Pushing 10+ psi into 3 cylinders each has got to produce quite a bit more heat and is actually quite a bit of boost for 1.5 liters in each of 3 cylinders.

It would be interesting to see if some manufacturer does make a larger or more efficient intercooler for this car. Bumping up the boost then would surely keep it cooler and ward off heat soak in 100+ degree hot summer days here in the southwest.

Maybe by summer someone will have a nice easily swappable intercooler.
We'll see.