Is this to big?

[T70_Tsi]

@gearhead

Yes, the differences are easy to pick out, but when it comes down to the cores, there are nearly zero companys that manufacture their own.

When have you seen a core that differs from this design:

They are all the same. If you are picking up 75hp, then I’ll bet the inlet outlet positions and designs are the difference. In that, it’ll create different pressure drops, changing your manifold pressure, helping to give you more hp. 75hp on a 600hp setup isnt hard to find… 75hp on a 300hp setup is different. When I find an intercooler that does that, then i’ll buy it. Until then, the $100 ebay cores work just fine

the difference comes from the type of aluminum used and the amout of heat it can dissipate. as well as the number of fins in the cores. MOST of the ebay cores are manfuactured in China as knock-offs using cheaper aluminums that do not dissipate heat as well. My ex-buddies ebay core fell apart from sitting a winter and oxidizing, he took a regular hose to it and all the fins in the first 3 rows fell off.

There’s a reason it’s cheap and it’s not because of supply/demand. China is knocking off everything now, even certain well-known vendors are shipping OEM parts to china to have them duplicated.