njfast07
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- Central Jersey
update
So as is mentioned below, my car is stage 1. I really went for a cruise tonight, some fast areas, some slow, took some turns...the whole shebang...everything that has needed to adapt has most likely adapted by now, so the point of this was to see what the real gains were from this mod. In all honesty, my butt dyno feels a bit of a loss in power. I would be lying if I told you I wasn't expecting this...the intercooler is huge, and is more suited for more powerful mkv's. it even says on APRs website that it's not a recommended product until stage 2 or higher. Its not like my car is at stock levels now...by all means it still pulls like hell, it's just not as strong as it was. I feel as though once I do actually get my exhaust installed and go stage 2+, this intercooler will really be put to use and all will be well and good. I have no data or logs to back any of this up, its just what I felt tonight. So basically, if you're stage 1 or stock, this product is most likely overkill for you, but by no means is it bad. The thing is obviously doing its job, just too well for my car at its current power levels. Everything will be dialed in perfectly, I'd think, once my exhaust is installed and I go stage 2+. Once that happens, I'll drop in for another update! All in all though, I'm very happy with it, so please don't confuse this update with disappointment!
/update
so I planned on installing my RSC exhaust and the intercooler today (weather was perfect, garage bay was free, and my friends were available) but DBC performance hasn't emailed me a tracking number yet for the exhaust and I was supposed to receive that 2 weeks ago. So instead, I decided to just get the intercooler in first, which turned out to be a good decision, cause it took a while.
install took about 7 1/2 hours with a pizza break and some BSing around and using the wrong clamps on one of the APR hoses and having to uninstall it and switch it.
Install was performed by my two friends and I. They're awesome and are always willing to help me when I need to work on my car, so big thank you to them :thumbsup:
Before even starting the install, I opened the APR directions and was very disappointed to find a typo in the first or second line
. get that fixed APR! :thumbsup:
Install went smoothly for the most part. taking things apart was very straightforward...and as you're taking all the parts off, all you can help but think is "how the shit am I going to put all this back together?" But putting it back together is the easy part haha Just make sure you have tons of plastic bags to hold all the screws, and label them with bolt size, number of bolts, where theyre from, etc etc. it makes things ten times easier.
despite popular belief there is actually a TINY bit of trimming needed for this intercooler, and I mean TINY haha you just need to clip off two pieces of plastic. you'd never know they were gone, and theyre behind the bumper support, so no big deal. the trimming is one of the steps in the instructions.
we finished up with 3 extra torx screws from somewhere in the belly pan. My friend swears he screwed in all of them, but there were 3 left over. its still secure so whatever.
oh and as a side note, my 4X4 ride hight came in handy, I didn't even need to jack up the car or put it on stands :lol: But I'm sure it wouldn't have hurt. I did need the jack at one point, though, to support the intercooler/AC condensor/radiator once the radiator support was removed. you could use wood or something but the jack worked for us.
RESULTS AFTER INSTALL
we started the car, and my dash looked like a christmas tree, obviously, since the battery had been disconnected for a while. I let it idle for about 7 minutes before we went cruising, and I was about to leave when I remembered I needed my license. I walked over to the other side of the garage and the car started surging a bit, like someone was reving a bit up and down and it started to get a bit more rapid. I yelled to my friend to cut it out because I actually thought his foot was on the accelerator. they said they werent doing it so I ran over and quickly shut the car off. It sounded like it might stall or something similar. We broke out the flashlight and checked all the hoses and connections...no leaks, it all looked good. started it again and everything worked fine.
so aside from that hiccup, it was all good. all the warning lights went off, my MFD freaked out for a bit and then settled back to normal, and I lost my one-touch-up/down windows for a while. those came back, along with my vag-com to open/close them with the key fob. Thank God I did not lose my APR flash even though my battery was disconnected for so long. everything looked good.
the cruise
There is definitely an increase in sound of the spool as well as an increase in boost. Instead of peaking at 21-23 psi I'm now peaking at 23-25 psi. The car is just so amazing...I'm still enjoying the wonders of stage 1, so I'm sure stage 2+ will blow me away when the exhaust finally gets here and I can install itaddle:
My list of mods, for reference:
APR stage 1 fully loaded ECU
APR Carbonio intake (for FSI)
APR intercooler
APR HPFP
Here are some pictures of my car in shambles. Overall my friends and I had a great time, it was a fun way to spend a nice afternoon. KUDOS TO APR ON A WELL DESIGNED PRODUCT!!!
stock intercooler still in
bumper support that came off
me workin on some hard to reach screws. brian doing nothing as usual. haha jk, he did most of the work!
stock intercooler:
there was some oil in it.
comparison shots:
some parts. my stock intercooler on the floor
hoses compared. I think you know which is stock:
compared to my friends mazdaspeed 3 top mount intercooler:
installed:
my door jam says otherwise:
one of the hoses installed
and my stock car...on the outside :wink:
So as is mentioned below, my car is stage 1. I really went for a cruise tonight, some fast areas, some slow, took some turns...the whole shebang...everything that has needed to adapt has most likely adapted by now, so the point of this was to see what the real gains were from this mod. In all honesty, my butt dyno feels a bit of a loss in power. I would be lying if I told you I wasn't expecting this...the intercooler is huge, and is more suited for more powerful mkv's. it even says on APRs website that it's not a recommended product until stage 2 or higher. Its not like my car is at stock levels now...by all means it still pulls like hell, it's just not as strong as it was. I feel as though once I do actually get my exhaust installed and go stage 2+, this intercooler will really be put to use and all will be well and good. I have no data or logs to back any of this up, its just what I felt tonight. So basically, if you're stage 1 or stock, this product is most likely overkill for you, but by no means is it bad. The thing is obviously doing its job, just too well for my car at its current power levels. Everything will be dialed in perfectly, I'd think, once my exhaust is installed and I go stage 2+. Once that happens, I'll drop in for another update! All in all though, I'm very happy with it, so please don't confuse this update with disappointment!
/update
so I planned on installing my RSC exhaust and the intercooler today (weather was perfect, garage bay was free, and my friends were available) but DBC performance hasn't emailed me a tracking number yet for the exhaust and I was supposed to receive that 2 weeks ago. So instead, I decided to just get the intercooler in first, which turned out to be a good decision, cause it took a while.
install took about 7 1/2 hours with a pizza break and some BSing around and using the wrong clamps on one of the APR hoses and having to uninstall it and switch it.
Install was performed by my two friends and I. They're awesome and are always willing to help me when I need to work on my car, so big thank you to them :thumbsup:
Before even starting the install, I opened the APR directions and was very disappointed to find a typo in the first or second line
. get that fixed APR! :thumbsup:Install went smoothly for the most part. taking things apart was very straightforward...and as you're taking all the parts off, all you can help but think is "how the shit am I going to put all this back together?" But putting it back together is the easy part haha Just make sure you have tons of plastic bags to hold all the screws, and label them with bolt size, number of bolts, where theyre from, etc etc. it makes things ten times easier.
despite popular belief there is actually a TINY bit of trimming needed for this intercooler, and I mean TINY haha you just need to clip off two pieces of plastic. you'd never know they were gone, and theyre behind the bumper support, so no big deal. the trimming is one of the steps in the instructions.
we finished up with 3 extra torx screws from somewhere in the belly pan. My friend swears he screwed in all of them, but there were 3 left over. its still secure so whatever.
oh and as a side note, my 4X4 ride hight came in handy, I didn't even need to jack up the car or put it on stands :lol: But I'm sure it wouldn't have hurt. I did need the jack at one point, though, to support the intercooler/AC condensor/radiator once the radiator support was removed. you could use wood or something but the jack worked for us.
RESULTS AFTER INSTALL
we started the car, and my dash looked like a christmas tree, obviously, since the battery had been disconnected for a while. I let it idle for about 7 minutes before we went cruising, and I was about to leave when I remembered I needed my license. I walked over to the other side of the garage and the car started surging a bit, like someone was reving a bit up and down and it started to get a bit more rapid. I yelled to my friend to cut it out because I actually thought his foot was on the accelerator. they said they werent doing it so I ran over and quickly shut the car off. It sounded like it might stall or something similar. We broke out the flashlight and checked all the hoses and connections...no leaks, it all looked good. started it again and everything worked fine.
so aside from that hiccup, it was all good. all the warning lights went off, my MFD freaked out for a bit and then settled back to normal, and I lost my one-touch-up/down windows for a while. those came back, along with my vag-com to open/close them with the key fob. Thank God I did not lose my APR flash even though my battery was disconnected for so long. everything looked good.
the cruise
There is definitely an increase in sound of the spool as well as an increase in boost. Instead of peaking at 21-23 psi I'm now peaking at 23-25 psi. The car is just so amazing...I'm still enjoying the wonders of stage 1, so I'm sure stage 2+ will blow me away when the exhaust finally gets here and I can install it
addle:My list of mods, for reference:
APR stage 1 fully loaded ECU
APR Carbonio intake (for FSI)
APR intercooler
APR HPFP
Here are some pictures of my car in shambles. Overall my friends and I had a great time, it was a fun way to spend a nice afternoon. KUDOS TO APR ON A WELL DESIGNED PRODUCT!!!
stock intercooler still in
bumper support that came off
me workin on some hard to reach screws. brian doing nothing as usual. haha jk, he did most of the work!
stock intercooler:
there was some oil in it.
comparison shots:
some parts. my stock intercooler on the floor
hoses compared. I think you know which is stock:
compared to my friends mazdaspeed 3 top mount intercooler:
installed:
my door jam says otherwise:
one of the hoses installed
and my stock car...on the outside :wink:
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