BLOG CATEGORIES

Audi A3/S3 Intercooler 2015+

  1. Intercooler Sandwich - Performance Intercooler R&D, Part 7 - Dyno Testing Results

    Intercooler Sandwich - Performance Intercooler R&D, Part 7 - Dyno Testing Results

    Everyone loves a good underdog story. There's just something uplifting about the little guy persevering. If you know anyone who's a Philly sports fan, you're probably never going to hear the end of the most recent underdog story (S'go Birds). The Eagle's run might have cemented them into underdog history, but that's in the past now. The big game for Mishimoto is heating up with the MK7 Performance intercooler, and we feel like the hungry dogs on the block now.

    What exactly makes us the little guy in this story, though? For the most part, it's the placement of the stock unit, and that we're still contending with the proverbial "intercooler sandwich" situation. Though, if you look through our last post, you'll notice we're not going into this entirely

    Continue Reading »
  2. Intercooler Sandwich - Performance Intercooler R&D, Part 6 - Production Sample

    Intercooler Sandwich - Performance Intercooler R&D, Part 6 - Production Sample

    We last left you off with the scaffold and tales of what our new intercooler design would be. Now it's time to put our money where our mouth is since the production sample of our new MK7 intercooler has arrived here at Mishimoto. This arrival gives us the tangible fruits of our prototyping labors.

    MMINT-MK7-15_3

    Typically, these new intercooler production samples show up like a wrecking ball. No, not like a scantily clad Miley Cyrus, but rather with size-doubling volume increases figuratively smashing the stock unit to smithereens. This time around, though, given our extremely tight build envelope, our new design might look mostly the same to some. We can assure you that much like the subtle outward appearance of the MK7 GTI and Golf R, looks

    Continue Reading »
  3. Intercooler Sandwich - 2015+ VW MK7 GTI/Golf R, Audi A/S3 Intercooler R&D Part 3 - Design Plans

    Intercooler Sandwich - 2015+ VW MK7 GTI/Golf R, Audi A/S3 Intercooler R&D Part 3 - Design Plans

    Bigger is better has long since been an unofficial mantra of the automotive world. To go faster or further, you have to go bigger. Either by way of more cylinders, bigger turbos, thicker sway bars, the increase in size helps quench the thirst for speed. The Golf GTI and all its subsequent variants have been showing us since 1974 that sometimes smaller can be just as good, and plenty of speed and practicality can come in a condensed package. The same can be said for our intercooler design for the latest generation of VW's compact chassis. It's not the size that matters, but rather the innovation packed inside.

    031118_NLT_MK7_GEN_WEB_5

    Continue Reading »
  4. Intercooler Sandwich - 2015+ VW MK7 GTI/Golf R, Audi A/S3 Intercooler R&D Part 2 - Piping Stock Review

    Intercooler Sandwich - 2015+ VW MK7 GTI/Golf R, Audi A/S3 Intercooler R&D Part 2 - Piping Stock Review

    When we're talking about cooling the charged air in any forced induction vehicle, the intercooler always steals the show. To be fair, it is doing a majority of the work. No matter if you're still running a stock unit or if there's an all-aluminum core seated in the front of your car, it's the star. However, the intercooler would be nothing without the back-up band, the intercooler piping. Putting in all the effort to cool off the charged air would be useless without a method to transfer it to the intake. If the stock intercooler unit had some shortcomings, the piping was bound to end up with some flaws, too.

    021518_NLT_MK7_GLFR_WEB_7

    The safe passage for your charged air is currently left up to the combination of plastic and rubber construction that makes up the factory piping. It might seem that we're

    Continue Reading »
  5. Intercooler Sandwich - 2015+ VW MK7 GTI/Golf R, Audi A/S3 Intercooler R&D Part 1 - Stock Review

    Intercooler Sandwich - 2015+ VW MK7 GTI/Golf R, Audi A/S3 Intercooler R&D Part 1 - Stock Review

    The Golf GTI has been one of the most revered hot hatchbacks since its inception in the mid-1970s. While it was immediately a hit in Europe, and especially the UK, we didn't get the chance to experience Volkswagen's ingenious combination of efficiency and speed until the early 80's with the "Rabbit" GTI. The MK1's screaming 98 horsepower engine boasting Bosch's latest fuel injection technology, combined with crisp and responsive suspension, was enough to draw in a huge following. With that following came an explosion in aftermarket parts for these vehicles, from wheels to lowering kits, and just about any other trick to squeeze every drop of performance from the naturally aspirated motors equipped through the next two generations.

    Continue Reading »