Intercooler for VW Golf MK8/Audi S3/Cupra Formentor and Leon
Intercooler for VW Golf MK8/Audi S3/Cupra Formentor and Leon
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*** IMPORTANT NOTE: Order processing can take up to 3 business days. Shipping timeframes start after the order processing has been completed. ***
Refund & Returns Policy
Refund & Returns Policy
Carrot Top Tuning ("we" and "us") operates (https://www.carrottoptuning.com) ("Website"). By placing an order through this Website, you agree to the following terms, which are intended to establish a legally binding agreement that protects and clarifies the expectations of both parties regarding our services.
1. Returns & Refunds
1.1 Return Due To Change Of Mind
To initiate a return or exchange, please email us at support@carrottoptuning.com to obtain a Returned Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number. The customer is responsible for all shipping and associated costs incurred in returning the product. Initial shipping charges, shipping insurance are non-refundable. If the order had free shipping and the product is returned, the original shipping cost incurred by us is non-refundable. All returns are subject to a 30% restocking fee, and the returned product must be in unused, original condition.
Returns or exchanges will not be accepted after 30 days from the date of sale. Used products or those returned with missing parts are non-returnable and non-refundable. We reserve the right to reject any return or exchange. Refunds will be processed within 7-10 business days of receiving the products, credited to the original form of payment.
NO RETURNS/REFUNDS ON CUSTOM ORDERS, NON-STOCKED, SPECIAL ORDERED ITEMS. NO RETURNS ALLOWED ON ELECTRONIC ITEMS SUCH AS, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, WIRING HARNESSES, HARDWARE, OR SOFTWARE TUNERS.
1.2 Warranty and Other Returns
Carrot Top Tuning will honor valid warranty claims submitted within 60 days of receiving items. This policy applies only to products purchased from our store. Customer expenses related to purchased products, including installation labor, additional freight costs, rental vehicle costs, etc., will not be covered.
Customers must pre-pay return shipping for warranty claims, with reimbursement upon successful claim. Upon receiving items for a warranty claim, Carrot Top Tuning will process the claim within 7 days. Once confirmed, customers can choose between a replacement item (if available) or a store credit refund.
Products must be in like-new condition. Items showing significant signs of use, modifications, or alterations will be subject to a standard 30% restocking fee or refusal of return at our discretion.
1.3 Immo Defeats & Tuning Services
ECUs sent in that cannot be IMMO Defeated for any reason will incur a 50% Labor Fee, deducted from the total IMMO Defeat Service price. In-house tuned Plug n Play ECUs will also be charged a 50% Labor Fee.
1.4 ***PLM SPECIFIC RETURNS & REFUNDS POLICY***
Customers are responsible for all shipping and associated costs for returning PLM products. Initial shipping charges are non-refundable. Returns are subject to a 30% restocking fee, and the product must be in unused, original condition. Returns or exchanges will not be accepted after 30 days from the date of sale. Used products or those returned with missing parts are non-returnable and non-refundable.
Refunds will be processed within 7-10 business days in the form of store credit, unless otherwise communicated via email.
***For Private Label Mfg (PLM) products, clients must contact PLM customer support for warranty queries, using the contact methods provided on their website. If an invoice is required, we will provide it upon request.
1.5 ***JNC WHEELS SPECIFIC RETURNS & REFUNDS POLICY***
Effective January 23rd, 2023, all orders are considered final, and no refunds, exchanges, or warranty claims will be entertained, without exceptions.
If within the 14-day return policy, a 35% restocking fee applies for unsatisfied purchases. Customers are responsible for return shipping costs, and the initial outbound shipping fee will be deducted from the refund amount.
Review your order carefully before payment to ensure correctness. We do not offer warranties, exchanges, or refunds for shipping damages. We will assist in UPS/FedEx claims but do not guarantee refunds or replacements until the claims process is completed.
1.6 Shipping Insurance
At Carrot Top Tuning, we offer shipping insurance powered by Captain Insure to provide added protection for your shipment against loss or damage during transit. However, it is important to note that the cost of shipping insurance is non-refundable, even if you choose to return your item. In the event that your package is lost, damaged, or stolen during delivery.
We have a claims process in place to help resolve the issue quickly without hassle.
Shipping & Delivery Policy
Shipping & Delivery Policy
Carrot Top Tuning ("we" and "us") is the operator of (https://www.carrottoptuning.com) ("Website"). By placing an order through this Website you will be agreeing to the terms below. These are provided to ensure both parties are aware of and agree upon this arrangement to mutually protect and set expectations on our service.
1. General
We strive to keep accurate stock information on our website, but occasionally, stock discrepancies may occur. If we are unable to fulfill all items in your order at the time of purchase, we will ship the available items and contact you regarding your preference to either wait for the backordered items to restock or receive a refund for them.
Please note that some products on our platform are shipped directly from third-party suppliers, and not all items are stored at our location. We work with an extensive fulfillment network across the United States, including third-party logistics (3PL) warehouses and services, to ensure timely delivery for our customers.
2. Shipping Costs
Shipping costs are calculated during checkout based on weight, dimensions and destination of the items in the order. Payment for shipping will be collected with the purchase.
This price will be the final price for shipping cost to the customer. Unless otherwise stated with a follow-up communication for oversized items.
2.1 Shipping Insurance
At Carrot Top Tuning, we offer shipping insurance powered by Captain Insure to provide added protection for your shipment against loss or damage during transit. Our shipping insurance policy covers up to 75% value of the ordered items for the order. However, it is important to note that the cost of shipping insurance is non-refundable, even if you choose to return your item. In the event that your package is lost, damaged, or stolen during delivery.
We have a claims process in place to help resolve the issue quickly without hassle.
To file a claim:
Please fill out and submit this form. Click Here.
Required Information:
a. First Name, Last Name
b. Order Number
c. The issue with your order delivery
d. Brief description of your issue
Once we receive your claim, our team will review and once approved. You will then have the option to choose either a refund or a reshipment of your package. We aim to provide exceptional customer service and will work with you to resolve any issues that may arise during the shipping process.
Please note we may ask you for additional information in regards to the claim, if the claim reasons are unclear.
3. Delivery Terms
3.1 Transit Time Domestically
In general, domestic shipments are in transit for 2 - 7 days
3.2 Transit time Internationally
Generally, orders shipped internationally are in transit for 4 - 22 days. This varies greatly depending on the courier you have selected. We are able to offer a more specific estimate when you are choosing your courier at checkout.
3.3 Dispatch Time
Orders are usually dispatched within 3 business days of payment of order
Our warehouse operates on Monday - Friday during standard business hours, except on national holidays at which time the warehouse will be closed. In these instances, we take steps to ensure shipment delays will be kept to a minimum.
3.4 Change Of Delivery Address
For change of delivery address requests, we are able to change the address at any time before the order has been dispatched.
3.5 P.O. Box Shipping
Carrot Top Tuning will ship to P.O. box addresses using postal services only. We are unable to offer couriers services to these locations.
3.6 Military Address Shipping
We are able to ship to military addresses using USPS. We are unable to offer this service using courier services.
3.7 Items Out Of Stock
If an item is out of stock, we will dispatch the in-stock items immediately and send the remaining items once they return to stock.
3.8 Delivery Time Exceeded
If delivery time has exceeded the forecasted time, please contact us so that we can conduct an investigation.
4. Tracking Notifications
Upon dispatch, customers will receive a tracking link from which they will be able to follow the progress of their shipment based on the latest updates made available by the shipping provider.
5. Parcels Damaged In Transit, Lost, or Stolen
Unless shipping insurance has been purchased the item is not covered in the event of loss, or theft. In regards to product damage claims depending on the item cost, the payout for a damaged item without purchase of additional shipping insurance will not be the full amount, but the amount of which the default included carrier insurance pays. Please see section 2.1 for Shipping Insurance information. It is the clients responsibility to provide secure delivery locations, to prevent these types of issues.
Carrier default Included Insurance:
• USPS First Class Mail - No Insurance provided
• USPS Priority Mail - Up to $50 Reimbursement
• UPS Ground - Up to $100 Reimbursement
• Other selected shipping methods, please contact support at support@carrottoptuning.com (Amounts will vary).
6. Duties & Taxes
6.1 Sales Tax
Sales tax is applied to the price of the goods during checkout as displayed on the website.
6.1 Import Duties & Taxes
Import duties and taxes for international shipments may be liable to be paid upon arrival in destination country. This varies by country, and Carrot Top Tuning encourage you to be aware of these potential costs before placing an order with us.
If you refuse to to pay duties and taxes upon arrival at your destination country, the goods will be returned to Carrot Top Tuning at the customers expense, and the customer will receive a refund for the value of goods paid, minus the cost of the return shipping. The cost of the initial shipping will not be refunded.
7. Cancellations
If you change your mind before you have received your order, we are able to accept cancellations at any time before the order has been dispatched. If an order has already been dispatched, please refer to our refund policy.
8. Insurance
Parcels are insured for loss and damage up to the value as stated by the courier.
8.1 Process for parcel damaged in-transit
We will process a refund or replacement as soon as the courier has completed their investigation into the claim.
8.2 Process for parcel lost in-transit
We will process a refund or replacement as soon as the courier has conducted an investigation and deemed the parcel lost.
9. Customer service
For all customer service inquiries, please submit an inquiry at support@carrottoptuning.com
FMINT24 is a performance intercooler for the MQB platforms with the EA888 GEN4 Engine. Produced, designed, and tested, at our headquarters in Gloucester UK. Throughout the development process we have strived to improve the efficiency and performance of the EA888 GEN4 engine. Our project brief was to develop an intercooler that utilised all of the available space in the original position of the OEM intercooler, and to ensure the inlet air temperature is reduced, without any negative effects on the boost pressure or engine and transmission cooling.
In the MQB chassis the intercooler housing is particularly restricted and confined to a small amount of space, due to it not only housing the intercooler, but also the radiator and air conditioning condenser. The front panel in theory is a sandwich pack that houses the auxiliary cooling components. This means in order to increase the size of the intercooler without paying detriment to the performance of the surrounding items, and with also having very little extra space available, that it can be very difficult to execute the perfect blend of a high flow intercooler within such a close proximity.
Our research and development engineers started with a brief to fit our existing intercooler (FMMK7FMIC) that was for the MK7 platform, to our development VW MK8 Golf R. Upon installation, we then tried to establish if we could re-engineer the intercooler with an increased inlet and outlet size along with increasing the volumetric capacity to increase flow along with future proofing the design to work well with highly tuned stage 3 plus EA888 Gen 4 engines.
Using a combination of scanning software and traditional measuring methods, the design was created. This was then fine-tuned by our flow dynamics simulations programs (CFD), and the end tanks were initially created by 3D printers. This enabled us to ensure the fit was perfect on the vehicle before any prototype castings or machined billet end tanks were produced ready for dyno testing.
Several baffle configurations were designed, and flow simulated to ensure the maximum performance was obtained to keep the core working at its optimum, along with ensuring all its cooling capabilities had been upheld, and that the total volume of the core internal is utilised for optimum performance.
With an increase in inlet and outlet sizes, we then turned our attention to the design of our silicone hoses. With flow in mind, we have created a step within the hose so where the hose meets the hot and cold side of the inlet and outlet junctions the transition is seamless, this helps to lesson any disturbance to the airflow and prevent unwanted turbulence. To further aid with flow, the inlet and outlets have been increased to 76mm from the OEM size of 63mm which equates to a 45% increase in surface area.
The consideration of space and our clever design has led us to produce several intercooler cores with different fin configurations and internal capacities. Depending on the core design, testing results led us to choose a bar and plate design with over 83% more volume than the OEM intercooler, and with a frontal area increase of 10%.
Why do we test different cores?
Here at Forge Motorsport, when developing an intercooler, we will test several different cores for each application. For example, a bar and plate style core, a tube and fin style core along with different fin pitches and heights, as well as changing the internal fin pitches/shapes and density within the tube; thus enabling us to fine tune the amount of pressure drop the intercooler produces. Pressure drop is not always a bad thing, as our testing and research has proven on various projects. This is because the pressurized air velocity is being stalled by the pressure drop within the cooler thus allowing more time to cool the air within the cooler itself, as air passes through the non-pressurized face of the core, that is open to the atmosphere.
Too much pressure drop can of course have a problem on the higher performance engines as the intercooler reaches its maximum efficiency the turbo has to work a lot harder to force the air through the core. This in turn creates higher inlet air temps (IAT’s) due to the turbo creating more heat as it is over stressed and worked harder. No pressure drop can also prove to be inefficient as the cooler will not lower the charge temperature again resulting in higher inlet air temperatures.
Dyno Results
Testing was completed using Performance Remap in Gloucester with their VTEC 4-wheel drive dynamometer. This was to ensure all our data has been achieved with results as accurately as possible by an independent tuner. As you can see from the dyno results below, peak power was increased from stock by 11bhp and 20nm of torque at 5500RPM with the Forge Motorsport performance intercooler installed.
The best news is that there are significant torque gains throughout the rev range, meaning that the car power will pick up quicker and pull the whole way through to redline, including an impressive gain in BHP from 5000 RPM TO 6500 RPM. Gains on vehicles with re calibrated software and further hardware performance parts can be expected to be a lot higher due to the substantial drop in IATS when FMINT24 is installed.
During our extensive testing, we let the car heat soak on the dyno until the radiator fans tripped on and off (which gives an inlet temperature of around 40°C). We then did a dyno pull from this point which gives a more consistent result and reflects real-world driving conditions more accurately. You can easily see the Forge intercooler cools much quicker and delivers a much greater drop in temperature compared to OEM.
After more than six pulls on the dyno we still had super safe IAT’s, and the Forge Motorsport intercooler gave results of 34°C at 6548 RPM giving a reduction of 58% over the factory’s intercooler intake temps from 58°C at 6508 RPM. These tests took place in relatively hot conditions with an ambient dyno cell temperature of 23°C proving how inefficient the stock intercooler is.
In the summer months, the stock intercooler along with higher inlet air temperatures will have a hugely negative impact on the e
