Intercooler upgrade options - MY24 Leon V (e888 evo 4)

[Michael_LeonV]

So now after almost a year of ownership, the brake upgrade is doing fine, and finally about to take the plunge with a JB4 Module for the car to allow me to enjoy the Adelaide Hills a bit more every now and then.

Being a bit of a tech head, I'd also like to upgrade the intercooler to help get the best out of the JB4, and thought I'd see if anyone can point me in the direction of potential intercooler upgrades that will fit without too much drama.

Fire away with links, hints, or even better, examples that have worked and what was involved

Cheers

Michael

 

[FromTheShire]

Hi Michael,

Which car do you have? Hatch or Estate? FWD or AWD?

Interested to know what brake upgrade you did? Just the pads or more?

Have you considered either the RacingLine or Race Chip tunes as an option? [Maybe they are not available down under.] I'm eagerly waiting for the brand new RacingLine tune box for the EA888 gen 4 with 333ps. Should be out summer / autumn.

Not great on intercoolers tbh but I'm sure someone will be along soon

FromTheShire

 

[Michael_LeonV]

Hi FromTheShire,

It's a Leon Hatch FWD.

The issue with any of the other suppliers at the moment, including Racing Line & Race Chip, they don't have the tune for the Leon engine specifically, and only Race Chip have one for the Audi A3 8V (2012-2020) 2.0 TFSI (190 HP/ 140 kW) and is similar to the JB4 Option.

I'll follow-up with Race Chip again re the finer details, but so far, the JB4 team in the USA have been really responsive and seem to be highly regarded as well. BTW, this is the JB4 option Group 17 JB4 for VW EA888 Gen4 on MK8 VW GTI

Re the intercooler, some snooping last night found that this was the only specific IC option Intercooler for VW Golf MK8/Audi S3/Cupra Formentor and Leon but it aint cheap or simple to fit. Shipping is also a real killer, but following that up.

 

[FromTheShire]

Hi FromTheShire,

It's a Leon Hatch FWD.

The issue with any of the other suppliers at the moment, including Racing Line & Race Chip, they don't have the tune for the Leon engine specifically, and only Race Chip have one for the Audi A3 8V (2012-2020) 2.0 TFSI (190 HP/ 140 kW) and is similar to the JB4 Option.

I'll follow-up with Race Chip again re the finer details, but so far, the JB4 team in the USA have been really responsive and seem to be highly regarded as well. BTW, this is the JB4 option Group 17 JB4 for VW EA888 Gen4 on MK8 VW GTI

Re the intercooler, some snooping last night found that this was the only specific IC option Intercooler for VW Golf MK8/Audi S3/Cupra Formentor and Leon but it aint cheap or simple to fit. Shipping is also a real killer, but following that up.

And your brake pad upgrade! Interested to hear more

 

[Michael_LeonV]

And your brake pad upgrade! Interested to hear more

AUS 2024 Leon V upgrade path - folly or smart .....

Hiya, Just took delivery of my new 2024 Leon V Tribe Edition. Loving the car, as it's my 1st new car ever ! Magnetic Tech colour looks great with the Copper highlights. Would have loved the VZ's extra power, but budget didn't stretch that far, especially when you add the heated seats ! Tribe...

www.seatcupra.net

Detailed here. Basically upgraded to Golf Mk7.5 R Performance Pack brakes.

 

[Michael_LeonV]

As a bit of an update, there appears to be multiple options, although it is somewhat confusing as not many specifically mention the 'V' model, so awaiting some confirmation back from suppliers.
Also, confusing, missing and clashing data makes it even more confusing ...... and also whether Mk3 fitment and Mk4 fitment are the same/similar enough.

So far, there appears to be two main suppliers sold through a variety of stores at a variety of costs ;

Forge Motorsport (part # FMINT24) : https://do88.com.au/shop/by-vehicle...di-seat-skoda-vw-1-8-2-0-tsi-mqb-intercooler/

and

do88 from Local Aus supplier (Part # ICM-300-S) : https://do88.com.au/shop/by-vehicle...di-seat-skoda-vw-1-8-2-0-tsi-mqb-intercooler/

They ALL look virtually identical, but the cheapest Forge option is A$1,920 delivered and the do88 one is $A$1,607.

I did find another do88 one (Part # BIG-340-3-S) with additional inlet pipework (https://www.vaggarage.com.au/produc...mqb-performance-intercooler-1-8-2-0-tsi-dq250) but this only lists Leon Mk3 compatibility ..... and ends up at A$2,285

I also need to factor in installation, as beyond my tight shed space and Commander in Chief line of sight ....

Fingers crossed .....

 

[Michael_LeonV]

Updated update :

Confirmed that virtually only two options seemingly exist - The Forge FMINT24 and the do88 ICM-380-S.

The Forge one can be delivered to Aus for prices ranging from A$1,496 (Demon Tweeks) to A$1,734 (Turbokits.com), whilst the do88 option ranges from A$1,900 (from EMS Carparts) to $2,108 from (Aus Performance Distributors).

I found some info on MyMk7Golf.com that suggests the do88 ones flow better than the Forge, but have to take with a grain of salt, as they don't mention what models were tested - but there was a significant difference. https://mygolfmk7.com/2020/04/forge-intercooler-flow-test/

One thing I CANNOT get is a direct comparison of what the core dimensions are (LxWxH) and the Outlet ID/OD (either 63.5, 70 or 76mm, but don't state ID or OD) are as they state a % core volume increase, but do not say what it is in reference to !!!

One thing I did find out though (from the JB4 Forum), is that the intercooler on the Mk4 Leon is the same as the Golf R (#5Q0145803AB/AC/AE), and the core on that measures 620 W x 398 H x 30 Thk, with 60mm OD outlets.

 

[Michael_LeonV]

A response from Forge has created more confusion, as people don't believe that the DNNA engine is a Gen 4 ea888

They've responded that the 'correct fitment' is the FMINT32 which is the Gen 3 ea888. So have gone back to confirm which one .... I'd hate to order it and then find out during fitment that it's the wrong one and be without a car until it's sorted.

Anyway, they did confirm the core size is 655 W x 425 H x 60 Thk (volume of 16,702 cm3) vs the Standard one at 620 W x 398 H x 30 Thk (7,402cm3), which equates to more than double the volume.

Outlets were also confirmed at 76mm OD

 

[Michael_LeonV]

A response from Forge has created more confusion, as people don't believe that the DNNA engine is a Gen 4 ea888

They've responded that the 'correct fitment' is the FMINT32 which is the Gen 3 ea888. So have gone back to confirm which one .... I'd hate to order it and then find out during fitment that it's the wrong one and be without a car until it's sorted.

Anyway, they did confirm the core size is 655 W x 425 H x 60 Thk (volume of 16,702 cm3) vs the Standard one at 620 W x 398 H x 30 Thk (7,402cm3), which equates to more than double the volume.

Outlets were also confirmed at 76mm OD

Finally got some more info back from Forge. They confirmed for the 2024 Leon V with the DNNA engine, the Forge FMINT24 is trhe correct one. No idea of what the difference is though ?

Anyway, the car had it's 1st service last week, and now I'm ready to install the JB4 to see the differences. Will do some runs and see the times before and then for each of the map settings, but busy busier than a one legged man at an arse kicking contest lately, so dragging my heels a bit.

One thing though, is that the seemingly absolute lack of simple performance updates for the DNNA engine Leon setup is a real bummer, and most places either provide little, incorrect info on their sites or don't respond to queries when asked

 

[Loadmaster748]

So now after almost a year of ownership, the brake upgrade is doing fine, and finally about to take the plunge with a JB4 Module for the car to allow me to enjoy the Adelaide Hills a bit more every now and then.

Being a bit of a tech head, I'd also like to upgrade the intercooler to help get the best out of the JB4, and thought I'd see if anyone can point me in the direction of potential intercooler upgrades that will fit without too much drama.

Fire away with links, hints, or even better, examples that have worked and what was involved

Cheers

Michael

The Adelaide Hills? You must know Hahndorf.

 

[Michael_LeonV]

The Adelaide Hills? You must know Hahndorf.

Yep,sure do

 

[Loadmaster748]

Yep,sure do

Lovely little town, with a German theme. We were there a few months ago and just happened to experience a regular classic British car run which seemed to go on for ever.

 

[Michael_LeonV]

Lovely little town, with a German theme. We were there a few months ago and just happened to experience a regular classic British car run which seemed to go on for ever.

For us real German's, it's far from a german theme. Much like a fake Irish pub.
Some great roads in the area though.