# Gravity Intercooler this seems a good deal or not ? updated



## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

Hi i was just on the bay and these have popped up they seem like a good deal what do you think? has anyone on here got these? 
ALUMINIUM ALLOY FRONT MOUNT INTERCOOLER FMIC KIT FOR AUDI TT 8N 1.8T 225 98-06








ALUMINIUM ALLOY FRONT MOUNT INTERCOOLER FMIC KIT FOR AUDI TT 8N 1.8T 225 98-06 | eBay


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INTERCOOLER BOOST CROSSOVER HOT HARD PIPE FOR LEON CUPRA R AUDI TT MK1 1.8T 225








INTERCOOLER BOOST CROSSOVER HOT HARD PIPE FOR LEON CUPRA R AUDI TT MK1 1.8T 225 | eBay


Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for INTERCOOLER BOOST CROSSOVER HOT HARD PIPE FOR LEON CUPRA R AUDI TT MK1 1.8T 225 at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.



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## Delta4 (Jun 19, 2015)

For the price i would'nt expect any better, it's up to you if you want a better flowing IC have a look at hg motorsport's high flow IC's, cheap IC kits are cheaper for a reason.


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

Iam looking at that one aswell as the airtec its one of those things where you just want to fit once


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## Sandy (May 5, 2014)

Delta4 said:


> For the price i would'nt expect any better, it's up to you if you want a better flowing IC have a look at hg motorsport's high flow IC's, cheap IC kits are cheaper for a reason.


 Nothing wrong with this as the welly started off as cheap Chinese bar IC’s and were used by and still are used by many. I had one on my Tfsi and made 353ft lbs on stage 2+ with additional mods although could of had more.


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## desertstorm (Apr 25, 2017)

Probably wouldn't want to pay the undiscounted price of nearly £400. Looks like a reasonable plug and play option and should be good for 400+ bhp.


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## desertstorm (Apr 25, 2017)

chrisj82 said:


> Iam looking at that one aswell as the airtec its one of those things where you just want to fit once


Badger 5 haven't had very good results with the Airtec intercoolers.


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

So do we think this is worth a go For the money?


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## DC240S (Sep 24, 2014)

It cant be worse than the OE twin SMIC. I have considered this one myself - I like the mounting solution. Is it value for money - what else is there at this price?

Gravity have some question marks over quality of manufacturer - I found the alloy charge pipe to be poor (however its cheap) - but had no issue returning for a full refund.


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

I just bought the black charge pipe should have it tomorrow.but don't know if to bite the bullet on the fmic I bought the car with a full turbo back milltek exhaust with sports cat and has a ramair induction kit and revo stage 2 map.check out my vids on my channel yiu can see the car there


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## Delta4 (Jun 19, 2015)

Sandy said:


> Nothing wrong with this as the welly started off as cheap Chinese bar IC’s and were used by and still are used by many. I had one on my Tfsi and made 353ft lbs on stage 2+ with additional mods although could of had more.


I did'nt say that anything was wrong with it, what i was getting at is better flowing and constructed IC's are worth a look, then suppose it depends on how fussy you may are.


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## Delta4 (Jun 19, 2015)

chrisj82 said:


> I just bought the black charge pipe should have it tomorrow.but don't know if to bite the bullet on the fmic I bought the car with a full turbo back milltek exhaust with sports cat and has a ramair induction kit and revo stage 2 map.check out my vids on my channel yiu can see the car there


The benefit of a fmic won't be realised until the summer anyway so you have plenty of time to think about it


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

that is true but I don't know how long it will be at this price


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## Delta4 (Jun 19, 2015)

That buy it now button is calling you


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

Clicky clicky.... 


It'll be good to report back whether those beautiful hard pipes fit neatly without any interference with the bumper etc.... and the 70mm doesn't hit an unmodified crash bar, or bumper.. also does the radiator need to be removed to fit the mounting brackets?


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

None of those questions are doubts, they are just interesting points for a solution. 

My FMIC is 64mm wide with 64mm inlet / outlet... so I'm surprised these are 60mm for 70mm wide....

And their figures of the miniscule 2% or 3% increase in power shouldn't be focused on, as a good FMIC will do much better than that, as it will stop intervention and allow a more aggressive map.


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## mk1chopper (Jan 14, 2021)

I believe the original intercooler that welly fitted on his S3 was 76mm deep and fitted between the crash bar and rad. The one the parrot bros on you tube fitted was 76mm I believe to so this being 70mm should fit fine. The mounting solution looks good, I'd like to know if it retains the aliens and if the bumper grills/inserts need trimming. That's the cheapest ive seen it go down to on ebay.


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## davebowk (Aug 16, 2019)

I looked at these when i was buying one, They said the aliens could be retained. What put me off was the possible id of the inlet/outlet due to the thickness of the casting.
I went with a creations motorsport 76mm that gave no reduction in in id compared to the pipework


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## Delta4 (Jun 19, 2015)

chrisj82 said:


> I just bought the black charge pipe should have it tomorrow.but don't know if to bite the bullet on the fmic I bought the car with a full turbo back milltek exhaust with sports cat and has a ramair induction kit and revo stage 2 map.check out my vids on my channel yiu can see the car there
> [/QUOTE


Just watched the vid on the mk1, the car looks to be a nice example that only needs minor fettling


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## Sandy (May 5, 2014)

Delta4 said:


> I did'nt say that anything was wrong with it, what i was getting at is better flowing and constructed IC's are worth a look, then suppose it depends on how fussy you may are.


Didn’t mean anything by my reply mate 😊 just saying nothing wrong with it as in worth the purchase and straight fit without cutting the bumper support or fitting with piping to make them fit like the welly coolers did. 👍🏽


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

mk1chopper said:


> I believe the original intercooler that welly fitted on his S3 was 76mm deep and fitted between the crash bar and rad. The one the parrot bros on you tube fitted was 76mm I believe to so this being 70mm should fit fine. The mounting solution looks good, I'd like to know if it retains the aliens and if the bumper grills/inserts need trimming. That's the cheapest ive seen it go down to on ebay.


The S3s have a different crash bar to the TT that needs trimming to fit a 64mm FMIC. The posh fitments are the upside down installs.

The thing I like about this kit is the preformed hard pipes, I probably spent over 200 quid on buying the wrong or rubbish fitting kits, cheap silicon etc... but I have a load of alloy pipping now..


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

cheers mate should be on the road very soon i just want to do a few things to it first before i get a mot and start using it 👍


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

Delta4 said:


> Just watched the vid on the mk1, the car looks to be a nice example that only needs minor fettling


cheers mate should be on the road very soon i just want to do a few things to it first before i get a mot and start using it


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

ok so I just bought it 👍for the money I think it was worth a go and I will do a vid on fitting it along with the intercooler cross over pipe. I have a dyno sheet from the previous owner when he had revo stage 2 done so it will be interesting to see if it adds anything and keeps things cooler


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

What are you videoing with reference to the intercooler cross over pipe?


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

StuartDB said:


> What are you videoing with reference to the intercooler cross over pipe?


the quality and fitment of it I will do a separate vid for the cross over pipe and fmic I'm also going to be putting the cloude 9 catch can kit along with large proram induction kit and badger tip.i want to get this all done while the car is off the road along with some other things


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

So glad I ordered it yesterday for £271.99 as its now £339.99


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

So its here does look ok but let's find out how well it fits


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## grahamtt225bam (Aug 18, 2021)

Im sure it will be fine


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

I think im going to fit it this weekend if it doesn't rain


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## desertstorm (Apr 25, 2017)

Take some pictures of the internal core down the inlet . Hairspray is good to keep boost hoses on, I use Silverkrin extra hold .


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

So its on and the vid is up on installing it 👍🏻


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## Delta4 (Jun 19, 2015)

Well done for getting stuck in considering that it's a tad chilly outside, The TIP and fmic will make a noticeable difference to how the car performs.


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## DC240S (Sep 24, 2014)

Looks good! I'd have to ditch those clamps though.

Does the piping clear the washers?


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

DC240S said:


> Looks good! I'd have to ditch those clamps though.
> 
> Does the piping clear the washers?


The video will answer a lot of questions people have on it.


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## DC240S (Sep 24, 2014)

chrisj82 said:


> The video will answer a lot of questions people have on it.


Answer only requires yes or no! 

Is this forum just a signpost/clickbait to your youtube channel then? We answer your questions here and you answer ours on youtube?


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

DC240S said:


> Answer only requires yes or no!
> 
> Is this forum just a signpost/clickbait to your youtube channel then? We answer your questions here and you answer ours on youtube?


I have over 1200 posts and been on here for nearly 10 years so i think not. i had to remove them and altered other things too the vid just shows what I had to do.


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

It's a shame the FMIC doesn't keep the aliens, I managed to keep mine with some slight modifications, it needs more effort on the passenger side. Those P clamps are not really as good as 7mm / 8mm stainless jubilee clips, they are too wide to get a decent pinch behind the flared ends on hard pipes, and the 10mm nut just keeps on tightening down. I still have a couple on mine though, mainly due to losing the Jubilee Clips due to the 1bar actuator hitting 35psi+ whilst street mapping.

Did the kit say you lose the head light washers?

I understand your hobby is to YouTube your modifications and appreciate it is a lot of work editing etc.. I hope you're getting the parts free.

I would be interested to see how it is mounted to the car, there are those stepped brackets, rather than connecting to the plastic shroud or crash bar.

I was looking for a post I saw where someone was selling their B5 mounted intercooler onto the crash bar. But then I got distracted with original cup holders for £100 - Jesus it's worth more than the seats


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## junaid_akh (Jul 13, 2021)

_I have bought the same intercooler but it’s been too too cold lately to fit 
Hopefully on a good day I will get it fitted _


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

junaid_akh said:


> _I have bought the same intercooler but it’s been too too cold lately to fit
> Hopefully on a good day I will get it fitted _


See if there's a way of getting the bumper fitted retaining the aliens / head light washers.. Otherwise, it's just more work... maybe getting 30 or 45 degree intercooler to hard pipes connectors, probably more on the passenger side, as that's where the pipe splitter, non return valve is.


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## junaid_akh (Jul 13, 2021)

StuartDB said:


> See if there's a way of getting the bumper fitted retaining the aliens / head light washers.. Otherwise, it's just more work... maybe getting 30 or 45 degree intercooler to hard pipes connectors, probably more on the passenger side, as that's where the pipe splitter, non return valve is.


Aye, when I give it ago, I’ve been told that it’s 50/50 from other buyers 
My pipe to the headlight washers are bust 
Whenever I use them all the water in the washer leaks out


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

StuartDB said:


> It's a shame the FMIC doesn't keep the aliens, I managed to keep mine with some slight modifications, it needs more effort on the passenger side. Those P clamps are not really as good as 7mm / 8mm stainless jubilee clips, they are too wide to get a decent pinch behind the flared ends on hard pipes, and the 10mm nut just keeps on tightening down. I still have a couple on mine though, mainly due to losing the Jubilee Clips due to the 1bar actuator hitting 35psi+ whilst street mapping.
> 
> Did the kit say you lose the head light washers?
> 
> ...


no it didn't say anything about that you needed to remove them, there is no instructions with the kit.
It is a shame that you cant keep the aliens but mine didn't work anyway so wasn't much of a problem for me.
The clamps seem to be holding at the moment but I might change them.
yes YouTube is a hobby for me I enjoy showing what I'm doing and may help others when doing the same or similar , unfortunately I don't get parts for free I pay for everything myself.


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

junaid_akh said:


> _I have bought the same intercooler but it’s been too too cold lately to fit
> Hopefully on a good day I will get it fitted _


allow the whole day as it gets dark early


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## junaid_akh (Jul 13, 2021)

chrisj82 said:


> allow the whole day as it gets dark early


if only they was someone out there that would do it for me for a little bit of cash 😭😭😭😂

I’ll have a look at the YouTube video


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

junaid_akh said:


> if only they was someone out there that would do it for me for a little bit of cash 😭😭😭😂
> 
> I’ll have a look at the YouTube video


Where are you based ?


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## Stefz (Aug 14, 2020)

You really need to see a picture of what the core design is like. I have an extruded tube and fin design, 600x300x76. 
I spent a while looking at product images ..

I paid £90


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## junaid_akh (Jul 13, 2021)

chrisj82 said:


> Where are you based ?


Great YouTube video btw just watched them all! It got me motivated to do it but I’m scared il end up breaking something 
And West Yorkshire, Bradford


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## Delta4 (Jun 19, 2015)

The brackets for fitting the IC is neat, much better than drilling the crash bar to fit brackets to, you won't feel the extra midrange grunt until your out on the road giving it some beans in 3rd/4th best hang on to that steering wheel as torque steer
can be a bit rude on some roads


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

junaid_akh said:


> Great YouTube video btw just watched them all! It got me motivated to do it but I’m scared il end up breaking something
> And West Yorkshire, Bradford


a bit far from me mate. Its not about the problems its about the solutions 😁


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## junaid_akh (Jul 13, 2021)

chrisj82 said:


> a bit far from me mate. Its not about the problems its about the solutions 😁


Il try to give it ago, but damn it’s annoying! The only trouble il be getting is the front bumper 😂 everything is just too tight


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

You will get quite a lot of new tools over the coming years.. you'll need a 10mm deep socket and a bunch of extenders.. and be cautious removing the headlights the plastic brackets break easily.


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

StuartDB said:


> You will get quite a lot of new tools over the coming years.. you'll need a 10mm deep socket and a bunch of extenders.. and be cautious removing the headlights the plastic brackets break easily.


mate i got so many tools i just rented a little workshop to put this car in with my tools


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## gedu (Sep 2, 2021)

The video you made and managed to shoot through the core of IC.... well, it looked bad, like really bad


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## desertstorm (Apr 25, 2017)

I watched the video this afternoon and It does like a well sorted kit apart from the intercooler. I did say to take a picture down the core because I have seen several Gravity intercoolers with those cores that have no turbulators. So although the pressure drop across the core will be next to nothing it won't do a very good job as an intercooler.A lot of the hot air just blows straight through without touching the intercooler at all.
It's a pity they don't sell the piping kit on it's own they would probably sell a lot of those as they would be good for a lot of FMIC upgrades.


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

desertstorm said:


> I watched the video this afternoon and It does like a well sorted kit apart from the intercooler. I did say to take a picture down the core because I have seen several Gravity intercoolers with those cores that have no turbulators. So although the pressure drop across the core will be next to nothing it won't do a very good job as an intercooler.A lot of the hot air just blows straight through without touching the intercooler at all.
> It's a pity they don't sell the piping kit on it's own they would probably sell a lot of those as they would be good for a lot of FMIC upgrades.


they don't show any pics of it when you buy it but we will see how it is and if no good I can just change the cooler and keep the pipe work 👍🏻


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## desertstorm (Apr 25, 2017)

chrisj82 said:


> they don't show any pics of it when you buy it but we will see how it is and if no good I can just change the cooler and keep the pipe work 👍🏻


Assuming it's 600x300x76 with 76mm hoses which it looks like the Toyosports Type B is tried and tested and good for 4-500bhp.








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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

I'm not sure Karl, the specs on the advert say inlet and outlet are 58mm not 76mm





















The irritating part of the advert is most 'hobbyists' want to see a graph of IATs not an extra 5% in BHP. And dyno IATs are no good either, as they can blow 70mph of wind at the car when it is only driving 10mph.

You need a real world of -
1. Get up to running temperature.
2. Driving for 10 minutes at 20mph
3. Get into 3rd gear coming up to the national speed limit sign at about 1750rpm
4. Start log
5. Foot flat until 6500rpm or however brave you are.
6. Stop log


You want to look at how quickly the heat soak leaves the intercooler, even if your boost is 28psi it should drop once you're doing like ~45mph... If it continues to climb its no better than stock.


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## gedu (Sep 2, 2021)

a quick snip from video... that "tube" really is a tube, nothing else DD


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## Stefz (Aug 14, 2020)

A fmic to avoid..


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## grahamtt225bam (Aug 18, 2021)

Better paying the extra and getting a good 1


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

so as you can see its not the best designed core and I said that in the vid.i will see how it works out and change to maybe a welly cooler and keep the pipe work if its that bad.I have also been talking to gravity and shown the the pic and they are going to speak to their workshop about it and hopefully improve it.Im glad i did get it so others can see and avoid if need be and lets see if gravity can do a better job i keep you updated.I found this pic of another tube and fin on the left and you can clearly see the other little fins


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

so I finally got the tt out on the road last Friday after the mot and did have a look at intake temp and it got to 16c and the outside temp was 11c I wasn't flooring it but let the turbo spool up


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

So I wasn't happy with the core from gravity so I went for a wellycooler from toyo sports and made some brackets up the only thing I kept from the gravity kit was the hard pipes.i also replaced every hose with a creation motorsport black silicone and added a forge de baffled charge pipe.just got to put the car back together on Monday 👍🏻


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## IPG3.6 (Sep 5, 2015)

woohoo! nice work! had you been logging inlet temps on the previous setup to be able to compare with the wellycooler setup?

Also how is the piping from the gravity kit comparible in size to the OEM piping. Is it a good fit that you keep thexenon washers? anything else that needed tweaking to fir that piping?


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

So badger 5 have tested the gravity and has basically said its a really bad core an I totally agree here is a pic of a gravity core as you can see its tube and fin without much fin you can see straight through it and here is a pic of a wellycooler from toyo sports which is bar and plate and is recommended by most tuners as the best cooler for a 1.8t


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## desertstorm (Apr 25, 2017)

Good shout in changing the core from the Gravity item. The Toyo intercooler is a well proven item and will do a much better job of cooling the intake charges. You really don't need the aliens they don't do a very good job of cleaning the headlights and they aren't needed for an MOT.


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

desertstorm said:


> Good shout in changing the core from the Gravity item. The Toyo intercooler is a well proven item and will do a much better job of cooling the intake charges. You really don't need the aliens they don't do a very good job of cleaning the headlights and they aren't needed for an MOT.


defiantly mate 👍I had to remove the aliens for the gravity one and they didn't work anyway just had to get some 90 hoses 76mm - 63mm to adapt from the wellycooler to the gravity pipe work


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

You should maybe update the title of the thread...


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## desertstorm (Apr 25, 2017)

chrisj82 said:


> So badger 5 have tested the gravity and has basically said its a really bad core an I totally agree here is a pic of a gravity core as you can see its tube and fin without much fin you can see straight through it and here is a pic of a wellycooler from toyo sports which is bar and plate and is recommended by most tuners as the best cooler for a 1.8t
> View attachment 491469
> 
> View attachment 491468


Not all Tube and fin IC's are bad, you find a lot of factory race cars and top line race cars use tube and fin IC's . I used a Boost products 600x300 tube and fin item and it did work pretty well. But as you can see it has similar internal fins to the Toyo and not the open drain pipes of the Gravity IC. The Gravity IC will have low pressure drop across the core but very poor cooling as a lot of the air just passes through without actually contacting anything.


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

StuartDB said:


> You should maybe update the title of the thread...


I think your right 👍


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## chrisj82 (Jun 15, 2012)

desertstorm said:


> Not all Tube and fin IC's are bad, you find a lot of factory race cars and top line race cars use tube and fin IC's . I used a Boost products 600x300 tube and fin item and it did work pretty well. But as you can see it has similar internal fins to the Toyo and not the open drain pipes of the Gravity IC. The Gravity IC will have low pressure drop across the core but very poor cooling as a lot of the air just passes through without actually contacting anything.
> View attachment 491482


I absolutely agree with what you are saying the pic you have put up shows a decent tube and fin core unlike the gravity one


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