If your supercharged 3.0T feels like a hero on the first pull and a rental car on the third, you have met heat soak. An Audi supercharger intercooler upgrade is how you fix it, and it starts with the two small "bricks" Audi hid inside the supercharger. They cool the charge air fine for a stock car on a mild day. Add a pulley, a tune and a hot afternoon and they run out of breath fast. The quickest bolt-on fix today is our Sehr Gut supercharger intercooler port upgrade kit, and this guide explains the rest of the cooling puzzle, including our ÜberBrick project.
How the 3.0T Intercooler Bricks Work (and Why They Heat Soak)
The EA837 3.0T uses an Eaton Roots-type blower sitting in the V of the engine. Compressing air makes heat, so Audi packed two air-to-water charge coolers, one per cylinder bank, into the lower half of the supercharger housing. Owners call them the bricks. Air leaves the rotors, passes through the bricks and goes straight into the intake ports. Clever packaging, short air path, instant response.
The catch is the coolant side. The bricks are fed by a separate low-temperature loop with a small electric pump and a heat exchanger up front. Every pull dumps heat into that loop. If the pump, ports and front heat exchanger can't shed it before the next pull, coolant temperature climbs, intake air temperature (IAT) climbs, and the ECU pulls timing to protect the engine. Same car, same boost, less power.
Signs your cooling system is the bottleneck:
- ✅ IATs that keep rising pull after pull instead of recovering
- ✅ Noticeable timing pull in logs on hot days or in traffic
- ✅ Power that fades on the second and third run up a canyon road
- ✅ A tuned or pulleyed car that feels no faster than stock in summer
Want to see the numbers yourself? Our guide to the intake air temperature gauge covers what to watch. If you suspect a brick is leaking rather than just hot, read intercooler leak symptoms before you buy anything.
The ÜberBrick: What We Changed Inside the Factory Footprint
Because the bricks live inside the supercharger, you can't just bolt on a bigger core. The outside dimensions are fixed. So the ÜberBrick project, a Vorsprung Autowerk development, attacks everything inside that envelope:
- ✅ 3/4 inch bungs in place of the small factory coolant ports, for more coolant volume and less restriction for the pump
- ✅ A revised internal fin structure to expand effective surface area and improve air-to-coolant heat transfer without a big pressure drop
- ✅ Purpose-built, welded end tanks designed to spread charge air evenly across the core and reduce hot spots
- ✅ Refined coolant channels and port transitions so air and coolant move through the core more efficiently
- ✅ Durability upgrades aimed at the heat cycling a tuned engine throws at the part
- ✅ Same size, same mounting, same supercharger interface, so it drops into the stock location
The goal is simple: slow down the temperature climb so every pull looks more like the first one. The ÜberBrick is still in development and testing alongside our heat exchanger and pump combinations, so it is not a product you can add to cart today. We won't quote numbers until testing is done. What you can do right now is fix the parts of the loop that are already upgradeable.
What to Look For in an Audi Supercharger Intercooler Upgrade
A charge cooling system is a chain: bricks, ports, hoses, pump, front heat exchanger. The weakest link sets your IATs. Before you spend money, check:
- ✅ Port size. Small factory brick ports choke flow no matter how big your pump is.
- ✅ Pump flow. A higher-flow electric pump moves heat to the front of the car faster.
- ✅ Heat exchanger capacity. The front core has to reject the heat, or you are just circulating hot coolant faster.
- ✅ Engine generation. Gen 1 EA837 and Gen 2 CREC engines use different intercooler port designs.
- ✅ Brick condition. A leaking or clogged brick should be replaced, not upgraded around.
Upgrade Options Compared
In short: the dealer fix is a like-for-like replacement, typical name-brand cooling packages bundle a heat exchanger with pump and hoses at premium prices, and the Vorsprung approach lets you open up the restrictions step by step, starting with the intercooler port upgrade kit at $67.67.
| Vorsprung approach | Typical name-brand option | Dealer / OEM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brick ports | Larger bolt-on adapters (Sehr Gut kit) | Usually unchanged | Unchanged factory ports |
| Pump | CWA-100 class pump option | Often bundled in a kit | Factory pump |
| Heat exchanger | GP Ice v2 quad-pass core | Larger core, premium pricing | Factory-size core |
| Buy in stages | Yes | Mostly all-in-one kits | Replacement only |
| Audi Tax | None | Brand premium | Full dealer pricing |
Shop the Sehr Gut Intercooler Port Upgrade Kit, $67.67
✅ Bolt-on adapters with new OE gaskets included ✅ Audi 3.0T fitment help from real EA837 owners ✅ Fast US shipping
Recommended Vorsprung Cooling Upgrades You Can Buy Today
1. Sehr Gut Supercharger Intercooler Port Upgrade Kit ($67.67). Four bolt-on adapters that replace the tiny factory brick ports, plus a set of new OE gaskets. The 18mm outlet works with 5/8 inch hose and clamps or 3/4 inch shrink-fit hose. It is the cheapest way to take a restriction out of the loop, and it is the same idea behind the ÜberBrick's bigger bungs.
2. GP Ice Heat Exchanger v2 ($449.99). A quad-pass, high-capacity front heat exchanger built to reject more heat between pulls. Version 2 adds threaded ports and fitment tweaks for tighter chassis like the S4 and S5. It is currently offered on pre-order, so check the product page for timing. For the background on why the front core matters, see our heat exchanger upgrade guide.
3. Coolant Pump Upgrade, CWA-100 or VWA-100 ($179.99-$289.99). Choose the genuine Pierburg CWA-100 or our VWA-100, both rated around 35 L/min at 0.75 bar. On the EA837 it replaces the smaller factory intercooler pump when paired with our CWA-100 adapter harness (sold separately).
Browse the full Audi cooling upgrades collection for hoses, fittings and thermostat housings to finish the job.
Fitment
The Sehr Gut port kit bolts onto the OEM supercharger intercooler used on Gen 1 (non-CREC) EA837 engines: 2010-2016 B8/B8.5 S4 and S5, 2012-2017 B8.5 Q5 and SQ5 3.0T, 2009-2015 C6/C7 A6, 2011-2015 A7, 2010-2014 D4 A8 and 2009-2015 4L Q7 3.0T. It does not fit Gen 2 CREC cars (2016-2018 A6, A7 and Q7, or 2015-2018 A8), which use a different intercooler and port design. The GP Ice heat exchanger is listed for the B8/B8.5 and C7 3.0T platforms, and the pump fits any EA837 with the adapter harness. Not sure which engine you have? Our Audi 3.0T supercharged engine explainer breaks down Gen 1 vs CREC.
Install and Maintenance Notes
- ✅ The port kit installs on the bricks, so plan it for the next time the supercharger is off. If you are already pulling the blower for a thermostat or PCV job, do it then.
- ✅ Bleed the low-temperature loop carefully after any work. Trapped air in this loop kills cooling performance.
- ✅ Use the correct Audi-spec coolant; our G13 coolant guide explains why.
- ✅ Log IATs before and after so you can see what each upgrade actually did.
- ✅ Adding a pulley or port job? Pair it with cooling. Our Audi supercharger upgrade guide lays out the order.
Audi Supercharger Intercooler Upgrade FAQ
What is an Audi supercharger intercooler upgrade?
It is any change that helps the 3.0T charge cooling system remove more heat: larger brick ports, a higher-flow pump, a bigger front heat exchanger, or improved bricks. The goal is lower and more consistent intake air temperatures.
Where are the intercoolers on the Audi 3.0T supercharged engine?
Inside the lower supercharger housing. The EA837 has two air-to-water bricks, one per cylinder bank, sitting between the blower rotors and the intake ports.
What causes heat soak on a supercharged S4?
Each pull adds heat to the low-temperature coolant loop. When the pump, ports and front heat exchanger cannot reject it fast enough, coolant and intake air temperatures rise and the ECU pulls timing.
Can I buy the ÜberBrick?
Not yet. The ÜberBrick is a Vorsprung Autowerk development still in testing. Today you can upgrade the brick ports, pump and heat exchanger, which address the same restrictions.
Does the Sehr Gut port kit fit a CREC engine?
No. It fits Gen 1 (non-CREC) EA837 intercoolers only. Gen 2 CREC cars (2016-2018 A6, A7, Q7 and 2015-2018 A8) use a different intercooler and port design.
Do I need a tune after an intercooler upgrade?
No. Cooling upgrades work on a stock tune by keeping temperatures down. They matter most on tuned or pulleyed cars, where the stock system runs out of capacity first.
Which cooling upgrade should I do first?
Start with the part that is limiting you. For most cars that means opening up the brick ports when the supercharger is off, then adding pump flow and a larger heat exchanger.
Bottom Line on the Audi Supercharger Intercooler Upgrade
The factory bricks are brilliant packaging and a mediocre radiator. A smart Audi supercharger intercooler upgrade opens up the ports, moves more coolant and gives the front heat exchanger the capacity to keep up, so your 3.0T makes the same power on the fifth pull as the first. The ÜberBrick is where we are taking it next. Start today with the Sehr Gut intercooler port upgrade kit for the Audi 3.0T, then follow our Audi S4 mods roadmap for what comes after.
Shop the Sehr Gut Intercooler Port Upgrade Kit, $67.67
Drive the difference. Drive Vorsprung.
Prices checked September 25, 2026 and subject to change.
