Background:
The Mabotech “Race” bicooler intercooler for the Mk7 was provided to me by Mabotech to conduct a flow test with.
Dimensions of the core and weight of the intercooler are:
| Specifications | Mabotech “Race” Bicooler |
|---|---|
| Weight – lbs. | 20.2 |
| Length – in. | 24.0 |
| Height – in. | 7.5 |
| Depth – mm. | 100.6 |
| Charge Row Height – mm. | 7.9 |
| Charge Rows | 10 |
The Mabotech “Race” FMIC is a large intercooler as shown by the comparison with the G-Plus intercooler below.
The Bicooler is tested as a FMIC and also paired with the Mabotech stock location intercooler to measure airflow when configured as a bicooler.
Test Procedure:
The PTS Design flow bench is first calibrated and then an adapter is installed that enables measuring the airflow through the external fins (shown below).
After measuring the airflow through the external fins a different adapter is attached to the flow bench that connects to a silicone coupler. The Mabotech bicooler is then attached to the silicone coupler.
A second coupler is attached to the opposite end tank and a bell mouth is installed into the coupler.
The airflow through the internal fins of the core is then measured.
Next, the Bicooler configuration is assembled. The Mabotech stock location intercooler is paired with the Race FMIC and airflow through the paired cores is measured.
The bicooler is joined with a throttle body side charge pipe and the charge pipe is attached to the flow bench.
The charge pipe is used because of the location of the silicone hose outlet on the discharge side of the intercooler. This hose cannot be attached directly to the bench.
Airflow measurements through the external fins are taken at 10″ of H2O and the internal airflow measurements are taken at 28″ of H2O.
Test Results:
The external airflow measurement was 401 CFM @ 10″ of H2O.
This result is shown on the chart along with all other intercoolers, FMIC and stock location, that have been measured.
The airflow through the internal fins was 210 CFM @ 28″ of H2O. This is shown on the chart.
Airflow through the Mabotech Bicooler configuration was 308 CFM @ 28″ of H2O.
This measure is not included on the chart because the bicooler configurations on the chart include only pairings with the stock GTI intercooler.
Conclusions:
The Mabotech “Race” Bicooler was the subject of a series of airflow tests.
External airflow through the Mabotech FMIC is 401 CFM @ 10″ of H2O which is in the top 20% of all intercoolers that have been tested.
Internal airflow through the Mabotech FMIC is 210 CFM @ 28″ of H2O. This is less than only the Treadstone TR8C and the no longer available PTE FMIC.
In the Bicooler configuration, the Mabotech pair flows 308 CFM @ 28″ of H2O.