AWE Porsche 991 Turbo Intercooler Review (2014-2019)

The AWE Performance Intercooler Kit is the premium charge-air cooling upgrade for the 2014–2019 Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S (991 and 991.2), and it solves a very specific problem that owners in warm climates like our home base of Tampa, FL run into fast: heat soak. Porsche's 991 Turbo pairs a 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six – 520 to 580 horsepower depending on model and year – with compact factory intercoolers that warm up quickly under sustained boost. When intake air temperatures climb, the ECU pulls timing and the car quietly gives back power. This review breaks down exactly what AWE's ColdFront intercoolers change: core size, measured temperature drops, real dyno numbers, fitment across the 991 and 991.2, and how to build around them.

Why the 991 Turbo Needs a Better Intercooler

The 991-generation 911 Turbo is one of the most devastatingly quick cars Porsche has ever sold. The 991.1 Turbo S (2014–2016) makes 560 hp and 553 lb-ft, and the 991.2 Turbo S (2017–2019) climbs to 580 hp on larger turbos, launching to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds and running to a 205 mph top speed through its 7-speed PDK and all-wheel drive. That performance leans hard on the intercoolers, and the factory units are sized for packaging and cost, not for repeated wide-open pulls.

Here is the core issue: as a small intercooler absorbs heat from the compressed intake charge, it eventually saturates. Intake air temperatures rise, knock risk climbs, and the engine management trims boost and timing to protect the motor. On a canyon road, a drag strip, or a hot Florida track day, a stock 991 Turbo can feel noticeably softer on the third and fourth pulls than it did on the first. A larger, more efficient intercooler is the fix – it stores and rejects more heat, so intake temps stay low and the power stays repeatable.

What the AWE ColdFront Intercoolers Deliver

AWE's ColdFront intercoolers use a high-flow bar-and-plate core design in place of the factory tube-and-fin units. Bar-and-plate construction packs more thermal mass and stands up to boost pressure better, which is why the AWE cores measure 523 cubic inches versus the stock 448 cubic inches – a 17% volume increase – while also improving pressure resistance through the core by roughly 50%. The result is up to 32°F cooler intake air temperatures and about a 20% reduction in charge-air temps under load.

The engineering details matter on a car like the 991 Turbo. The kit uses precision cast end tanks for smooth, low-restriction airflow, carbon-fiber ducting to channel cool air into the cores, and thick-wall 6-ply silicone hoses with gentle bend radii so they will not balloon or burst under the flat-six's boost. Everything mounts in the factory locations, so the ColdFront cores look purposeful without looking out of place behind the Turbo's rear intakes.

Real Power and Temperature Gains

Here is the honest picture on power. On the dyno, AWE recorded max gains of 26 hp and 21 lb-ft at the crank on a 991 Turbo S – but that figure is measured with the full AWE system: the ColdFront intercoolers working alongside the AWE Performance Exhaust and S-FLO carbon intake. The intercooler by itself is not a big-peak-number part on a single cold dyno pull.

What the intercooler delivers on its own is consistency. Because intake air temperatures stay up to 32°F lower and the cores resist heat soak, the 991 Turbo holds its power run after run instead of tapering off as the stock units saturate. On a hot day, back-to-back pulls, or a track session, that repeatable power is worth far more than a one-time peak reading – and it is exactly why cooling is the smart first forced-induction upgrade before you chase a tune or bigger turbos. The 50% improvement in pressure resistance also means the cores are ready for the added boost that comes with future modifications.

Fitment and Installation

The AWE Performance Intercooler Kit (part number 4510-11050) is a direct-fit upgrade for the 2014–2019 Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S across both the 991.1 and 991.2 facelift. It replaces the factory intercoolers in their original locations using the supplied silicone hoses, ducting, and hardware, so no cutting or tuning is required, and it is covered by AWE's No Check Engine Light Guarantee. Most shops complete the install in a few hours; because the intercoolers sit in the rear quarters, the rear bumper and intake ducting come off during the job.

One important note: this kit is not CARB-compliant and cannot be shipped to California. For customers in the other 49 states it installs and performs exactly as intended. At NLP Performance we recommend confirming your model year and Turbo versus Turbo S trim at checkout so you receive the correct hardware the first time.

Complete the 991 Turbo Build

Cooler, more consistent charge air is the foundation; from there, two upgrades pair naturally with the AWE intercoolers on a 991 Turbo. The first is the Akrapovic Slip-On titanium exhaust – the same exhaust family AWE dyno-tests its intercoolers alongside – which sheds weight and wakes up the flat-six's voice. The second is suspension: whether you want fully adjustable ride height or a simple lowering spring, there is a plug-in option that keeps the Turbo's factory front-lift system.

For suspension, here are the three 991 Turbo options we stock most often, from a fully height-adjustable spring system down to a straightforward performance lowering spring – all engineered to retain the factory front-lift function.