The primary purpose of an aftermarket intercooler hose is to replace the stock intercooler hose with a better flowing unit. Airflow testing indicates 14.2% better flowing capacity than the OEM piece. It can also decrease intake temperatures, increase reliability, and dress up the engine compartment.

HP gain is 5HP. This figure is highly debated as different manufacturers use different dynos with different cars with different levels of mods.

Which manufacturer is best? This topic is highly debated. There have been no reported consistent “bad” intercooler hoses on the market. Obviously, there may have been bad hoses sold, but not enough to report as “bad” overall. The current manufacturers of intercooler hoses that fit the OEM intercooler are:

a. APS: “Y” hose only
b. Perrin: 3 hose set
c. Prodrive: “Y” hose only
d. Samco: 3 hose set
e. Vishnu: 3 hose set
f. GP Moto: 3 hose set

What intercooler hose material is best? Intercooler hoses are made from silicone and cast alloy. There is no irrefutable evidence that one material is better than the other. Obviously, heat soak levels are higher with the cast alloy model.

Which intercooler hose construction method is best?
There is no irrefutable evidence that one design is better than the other. With regard to the number of silicone plys, here is a breakdown:

Perrin= 5 ply
Prodrive= unknown ply
Samco= 3 ply
Vishnu= 3 ply
GP Moto= unknown ply