Here is my Golf R intercooler and AWE 2.0 TSI S3 intercooler hoses review (its long because I'm an engineer!)
-------
Golf R intercooler (1K0145803BP) has replaced the “S3” intercooler on the Audi S3 and TT-S. This appears to have a very similar core to the old S3 intercooler (1K0145803P) but with plastic end tanks. According to ECS tuning the Golf R intercooler had 4 more BARs than a stock GTI intercooler (32 vs 28 I counted) it is thicker than the stock intercooler by about 25% and has better flowing end tanks compared to the S3. I also noticed too that the ports seemed to have a larger inner diameter than either my stock or S3 intercooler. This supposed improvements over the S3 are why I went with the Golf R. I also noticed that the Gold R intercooler was significantly heavier than my stock intercooler. There is an older part out there the BE nobody seems to know what is different between the BE/BP. But there is a $75 price difference and VW rarely revises parts without attempting to improve them. So I went with the current part.
AWE Hose Kit: I know that you can cut your stock hoses to fit the Golf R intercooler. For me I wanted DD total reliability and felt that going with new hoses/clamps was the smart way to prevent blow outs… The kit was of good quality with top notch clamps included and some fairly vague instructions.
Installation:
I followed both the S3 DIY and APR’s intercooler install guides which made the job pretty easy Some quick things I found….
The AWE hoses were a PIA to slip on to the Golf R intercooler. Suggest some lube that will evaporate to help slip them on like W-40 (learned this after struggling). The hoses also seemed to be pretty close to the right length with the turbo side being slightly short, but not an issue. I also found that I couldn’t use one of the supplied clamps from AWE as it was too small to fit on any of the hose fittings so I ended up purchasing a new clamp.
On connector removal, the guides have you disconnecting the Cooling Fan plugs and the A/C condenser sensor. I found unplugging both of these to be unnecessary. Save yourself the time/effort and skip it. You’re not taking the radiators out, only the intercooler.
The whole install took me about 6 hours to complete myself powered by Pandora and with a lot of swearing at the hoses (took me about 45 minutes to get on damn-it) and swearing at the radiator fan connector which I never could get off….. If I had a trick to both of those I could have done the install in about 4 ½ hours, and this was my first time by myself and I hardly consider myself an advanced mechanic.
Do not forget to re-connect the hood quick release cable. It’s not a step in the re-assembly part of either the APR install guide and S3 Installation DIY….
Impressions:
I did some data logging of my car before and after the intercooler install. For Reference I have a 2011 GTI, APR Carbonio Stage 1 Intake, APR K04 Turbo V2.0 non-testpipe tune, APR Downpipe, R8 coil packs and NGK plugs.
My stock intercooler would typically run about 30-35F above ambient running around town. I also did 1 highway pull during 87F weather with A/C on and saw my intake temperatures rise from about 118F to 145F. I also noticed my car always felt “laggy” below about 2700rpm, as there seemed to be little/no boost below 2700rpm. Peak airflow was 271 g/s
Golf R intercooler+Awe Hoses. Now running around town I typically see intake temperatures running at 7-15F above ambient. I also did a 4th gear pull on a 83F day. Starting intake temps were 90F and at redline I saw 95F. Huge improvement. Did not measure peak airflow. I also noticed much quicker spooling. I feel significant torque now at 2200rpm and a very instant response to my throttle at any speed. It almost feels like my car lost 300lbs when moving at slow speeds. The engine also feels much smoother in its pull and more linear in power (improved low end response). I also saw my traction control light kick on a lot more. Definite improvement in throttle response.
Pro’s/Con’s I do notice some additional noise and more turbo whistle… Also GF on her short drive couldn't tell any difference other than the additional noise. So at best these changes are subtle, but if you’re in tune with your car you’ll notice them right away. My GF isn’t exactly an enthusiast driver and is perfectly happy with her stock Chevy Cruze 1.4T. I still want to tune it but she won’t let me near it hahaha (probably smart!)
Conclusion:
Definitely worth while….. Makes me want to try a TOP as well to see if I can make a K04 spool almost like a IHI! Noticeable improvement to a car guy, and significantly lower intake temps. ½ the cost of an APR intercooler and OEM reliability perfect if you need reliable daily transportation. APR is better but is it worth 2x the money….. Possibly but it depends on your car and desires… My big deciding factor is I plan to sell the car (someday) and don’t want to go through the trouble of removing the intercooler. I also wanted reliability so I stuck with OEM or APR as my too preferred solutions. Definitely a good buy for anyone rocking a tune and the stock intercooler.
-------
Golf R intercooler (1K0145803BP) has replaced the “S3” intercooler on the Audi S3 and TT-S. This appears to have a very similar core to the old S3 intercooler (1K0145803P) but with plastic end tanks. According to ECS tuning the Golf R intercooler had 4 more BARs than a stock GTI intercooler (32 vs 28 I counted) it is thicker than the stock intercooler by about 25% and has better flowing end tanks compared to the S3. I also noticed too that the ports seemed to have a larger inner diameter than either my stock or S3 intercooler. This supposed improvements over the S3 are why I went with the Golf R. I also noticed that the Gold R intercooler was significantly heavier than my stock intercooler. There is an older part out there the BE nobody seems to know what is different between the BE/BP. But there is a $75 price difference and VW rarely revises parts without attempting to improve them. So I went with the current part.
AWE Hose Kit: I know that you can cut your stock hoses to fit the Golf R intercooler. For me I wanted DD total reliability and felt that going with new hoses/clamps was the smart way to prevent blow outs… The kit was of good quality with top notch clamps included and some fairly vague instructions.
Installation:
I followed both the S3 DIY and APR’s intercooler install guides which made the job pretty easy Some quick things I found….
The AWE hoses were a PIA to slip on to the Golf R intercooler. Suggest some lube that will evaporate to help slip them on like W-40 (learned this after struggling). The hoses also seemed to be pretty close to the right length with the turbo side being slightly short, but not an issue. I also found that I couldn’t use one of the supplied clamps from AWE as it was too small to fit on any of the hose fittings so I ended up purchasing a new clamp.
On connector removal, the guides have you disconnecting the Cooling Fan plugs and the A/C condenser sensor. I found unplugging both of these to be unnecessary. Save yourself the time/effort and skip it. You’re not taking the radiators out, only the intercooler.
The whole install took me about 6 hours to complete myself powered by Pandora and with a lot of swearing at the hoses (took me about 45 minutes to get on damn-it) and swearing at the radiator fan connector which I never could get off….. If I had a trick to both of those I could have done the install in about 4 ½ hours, and this was my first time by myself and I hardly consider myself an advanced mechanic.
Do not forget to re-connect the hood quick release cable. It’s not a step in the re-assembly part of either the APR install guide and S3 Installation DIY….
Impressions:
I did some data logging of my car before and after the intercooler install. For Reference I have a 2011 GTI, APR Carbonio Stage 1 Intake, APR K04 Turbo V2.0 non-testpipe tune, APR Downpipe, R8 coil packs and NGK plugs.
My stock intercooler would typically run about 30-35F above ambient running around town. I also did 1 highway pull during 87F weather with A/C on and saw my intake temperatures rise from about 118F to 145F. I also noticed my car always felt “laggy” below about 2700rpm, as there seemed to be little/no boost below 2700rpm. Peak airflow was 271 g/s
Golf R intercooler+Awe Hoses. Now running around town I typically see intake temperatures running at 7-15F above ambient. I also did a 4th gear pull on a 83F day. Starting intake temps were 90F and at redline I saw 95F. Huge improvement. Did not measure peak airflow. I also noticed much quicker spooling. I feel significant torque now at 2200rpm and a very instant response to my throttle at any speed. It almost feels like my car lost 300lbs when moving at slow speeds. The engine also feels much smoother in its pull and more linear in power (improved low end response). I also saw my traction control light kick on a lot more. Definite improvement in throttle response.
Pro’s/Con’s I do notice some additional noise and more turbo whistle… Also GF on her short drive couldn't tell any difference other than the additional noise. So at best these changes are subtle, but if you’re in tune with your car you’ll notice them right away. My GF isn’t exactly an enthusiast driver and is perfectly happy with her stock Chevy Cruze 1.4T. I still want to tune it but she won’t let me near it hahaha (probably smart!)
Conclusion:
Definitely worth while….. Makes me want to try a TOP as well to see if I can make a K04 spool almost like a IHI! Noticeable improvement to a car guy, and significantly lower intake temps. ½ the cost of an APR intercooler and OEM reliability perfect if you need reliable daily transportation. APR is better but is it worth 2x the money….. Possibly but it depends on your car and desires… My big deciding factor is I plan to sell the car (someday) and don’t want to go through the trouble of removing the intercooler. I also wanted reliability so I stuck with OEM or APR as my too preferred solutions. Definitely a good buy for anyone rocking a tune and the stock intercooler.
you mentioned you used a different clamp than the ones provided with AWE.. Could you tell me the exact one you bought, since I plan on doing the exact same thing, I don't want to run into any headaches 
