One of our most popular products is the Cold-Air Intake System kit, enabling cold, dense air from outside the engine bay to reach the fuel metering unit more efficiently for 2.0 ‘TFSI’ turbo engines in Golf 5 GTI models.

The RacingLine Cold-Air Intake System replaces the standard factory intake with a complete, high-efficiency, high flow intake system. Developed for use in our Volkswagen Racing cars, the system delivers really impressive airflow gains – as much as 9% higher at peak power than that of the original intake system. By reducing turbo spool by up to 500rpm in some cases through the enhanced efficiency of the system, lightning fast turbo response is guaranteed.  In our experience, no other intake kit gives the gains on a high-power GTI that our one does.

CONSTRUCTION

The Intake filter is hand-constructed in the UK from a TriFoam™ triple-layer laminate of open-cell polyurethane foam, which gives an exceptionally high level of filtration to protect the engine from contaminants in the air down to well below 5 microns, whilst not greatly restricting airflow. This same filter material is used by F1 teams around the world due to its excellent filtration and airflow properties. In our experience, cheaper (and single-layer) foam filter materials are unable to deliver the same flow and filtration meaning a potentially very risky compromise for your engine.

The end result of our development is the exact Cold-Air Intake System that we use in our race cars, which also makes for one of the most popular modifications for a road car.

AIRFLOW

Through keeping intake temperatures as low as possibly, and greatly improving airflow into the engine, more power is produced, turbo lag is reduced and better fuel economy is achieved. To really get the most from the intake, its fitment should be combined with a reputable ECU upgrade.

The results can be quite significant.  The system can deliver as much as 9% more effective peak power at the wheels of a standard car, and in some cases at 500rpm less revs in doing so.

Our testing has demonstrated increases of up to 30 wheel horsepower on a remapped big turbo (K04) Golf GTI such as the Edition 30 versus the standard factory intake system.

DESIGN

The intake uses a fully-enclosed black-anodised aluminium spinning which contains the high flow triple-layer cone filter. The silicon hose joining the turbocharger and the intake system features a formed internal lip, resulting in a smooth transition into the turbocharger, and a sophisticated hose clamp allows for continuous clamping pressure around the entire hose. This intake replaces the original factory engine cover.

The intake uses only the highest quality materials, all built and hand-assembled in the UK.  Stainless steel or plated screws, nuts and washers are used throughout the kit to enhance both appearance and durability – and of course to enhance the engine bay appearance.

As a ram air style intake, it draws cold, dense air directly from the front edge of the front panel under the bonnet’s leading edge. Meanwhile, the fully-enclosed filter housing means that intake air is only drawn from outside the engine bay – not the hot air from the engine bay that can affect non-enclosed intake designs.

An optional recirculation bung allows customers with upgraded turbochargers to reroute compressed air from the factory location found on vehicles such as the Golf R, Scirocco R, S3, TTS and Cupra R.

SOUND QUALITY

Make no mistake, you will hear the rich induction noise from this race-bred intake system as soon as you accelerate hard for the first time!  With the increased airflow from this system, you will also not miss the sound of the diverter valve opening when you lift between gears.  However, as a fully-enclosed intake, volume levels are well-contained compared to the sort of noise that an open-element system would generate, and the sound quality is music to the ears of any enthusiastic driver!