Unitronic Intercooler Upgrade | VW Mk8 GTI/Golf R | UH023-ICA

Unitronic’s philosophy in designing Performance Hardware begins with a complete analysis of the OEM component(s) in various street and track environments to determine overall performance characteristics and shortcomings when exposed to performance demanding scenarios. After platform constraints and OEM components are all 3D scanned in-house, all data is imported into our engineering and modeling software, where we can observe and interact with the parameters to design upgraded performance products to fit the OEM constraints perfectly, while ensuring the technical aspects relating to performance and engineering principles are deployed. These elements combined allow for less development prototyping, faster validation, and strict quality control.

Unitronic’s bar and plate intercooler core is constructed of T5052 Aluminum featuring a unique staggered and louvered fin configuration to maximize efficiency, significantly reducing charge air temperatures allowing for cooler, more dense air to be ingested by the engine; ultimately resulting in an increase in engine performance. When intake air temperatures reach a specific threshold, the engine control unit begins to compensate to account for the air temperature, resulting in a decrease in performance. Unitronic’s core has 60% more volume than stock measuring 23.5” x 2” x 16.5”, allowing for a greater volume of air to exchange heat, which, combined with a proper fin configuration, allows for maximum efficiency and reduction in heat-soak thresholds without producing a significant pressure drop.

These graphs shows the Inlet and Outlet Air Temperatures for both the OEM and Unitronic Intercoolers, individually after 9 runs. Despite the higher ambient temperature during the Unitronic Intercooler runs, and increased inlet temperatures, Unitronic’s Intercooler upgrade provided significant reductions in outlet air temperatures resulting in a cooler, denser charge air being ingested by the engine, resulting in increased performance. Its resistance to heat soak means that the core retains its cooling abilities, even though the most rigorous of conditions.