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Monthly Archives: May 2015

  1. Get rid of the plastic! Mishimoto's Subaru 2008-2014 WRX Aluminum Expansion Tank R&D

    Get rid of the plastic! Mishimoto's Subaru 2008-2014 WRX Aluminum Expansion Tank R&D

    Interested in picking up this awesome aluminum expansion tank? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

    Mishimoto Subaru WRX Aluminum Coolant Expansion Tank

    Last year we released an aluminum expansion tank for the 2004-2014 STI and 2002-2007 WRX. We received a ton of awesome feedback from customers and enthusiasts regarding this component, as well as recommendations to produce such a tank for 2008-2014 WRX owners.

    While we normally highlight our development process in multiple installments, for this Expansion Tank we wanted to give you everything in one quick shot.

    Stock Expansion Tank

    Although we don't see quite as many failures with the 2008-2014 expansion tank, we can assume it will incur some wear over time. This tank sits relatively close to a very hot turbocharger/exhaust and handles coolant with temperatures

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  2. Dropping Focus ST Oil Temps! Mishimoto Oil Cooler R&D, Part 3: Product Testing

    Dropping Focus ST Oil Temps! Mishimoto Oil Cooler R&D, Part 3: Product Testing

    Interested in picking up our Focus ST oil cooler kit? Check out our product page for more details.

    Mishimoto Ford Focus ST Oil Cooler Kit

    With a solid cooler mounting location in place, it was time to hit the road and collect some much needed data. In the past, we've had great results with our oil cooler kits in terms of temperature reduction, so we have no reason to believe this kit would perform any differently.

    Testing Setup and Conditions

    Before jumping in the car, we needed to set up our data collection equipment. We use AEM software and sensors to record temperature data for our oil cooler kits. We also use inline pressure sensors to ensure that we are retaining factory-like pressures.

    Recording the stock system was easily done with our NPT sandwich plate adapter, as shown below.

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  3. Keep Your Intake Clean! Ford Focus ST Catch Can R&D, Part 2: Bracket Fabrication and Final Design

    Keep Your Intake Clean! Ford Focus ST Catch Can R&D, Part 2: Bracket Fabrication and Final Design

    Interested in picking up this awesome catch can system? Check out our product page for more details.

    Mishimoto Ford Focus ST Baffled Oil Catch Can Kit

    After making mockups for our initial setup and evaluating short-term testing data, our team came to a few conclusions. First, we would be incorporating our catch can into the PCV line only. Our brief accumulation test showed that we had substantial fluid accumulation with the PCV line, while the CCV can ended up dry. Second, our mounting location was really subtle and created a factory-like fitment with no visible lines. Last, the ST produces quite a lot of contaminants even in a short period of time, so a catch can is going to be a great upgrade in terms of preventive maintenance.

    Bracket Fabrication

    Next on our to-do list was final bracket fabrication. Something more stout and aesthetically pleasing were our targets. We would also

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  4. A new Mishimoto BRZ/FR-S Intake, Part 3: Product Testing and Final Product

    A new Mishimoto BRZ/FR-S Intake, Part 3: Product Testing and Final Product

    Interested in purchasing our new BRZ/FR-S intake system? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

    Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S Performance Air Intake

    After solidifying our product design we needed to capture data to verify the design and determine if any changes were necessary. We strapped our test vehicle to the dyno and began making pulls! Check out a compilation video from the dyno testing. The audible difference in intake tone and volume is quite noticeable when comparing the stock setup with the Mishimoto prototype.

    Testing Results

    On to the important part, results from our tests. Intake upgrades generally

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  5. Dropping Focus ST Oil Temps! Mishimoto Oil Cooler R&D, Part 2: Prototype Completion

    Dropping Focus ST Oil Temps! Mishimoto Oil Cooler R&D, Part 2: Prototype Completion

    Interested in picking up our Focus ST oil cooler kit? Check out our product page for more details.

    Mishimoto Ford Focus ST Oil Cooler Kit

    Continuing with our progress last time, we were set on constructing a prototype bracket so that we could fully install our system and collect some on-road data.

    Cooler Bracket Fabrication

    When we left you our team had selected an appropriate cooler location and had started making a bracket template for the heat exchanger. Once we had a general idea of the size, bends, and hole location, we started making a bracket from plate steel.

    Oil cooler bracket fabrication
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  6. Keep your intake clean! Ford Focus ST Catch Can R&D, Part 1: Initial Prototype and Project Direction

    Keep your intake clean! Ford Focus ST Catch Can R&D, Part 1: Initial Prototype and Project Direction

    Interested in picking up this awesome catch can system? Check out our product page for more details.

    Mishimoto Ford Focus ST Baffled Oil Catch Can Kit

    Ford Focus ST test vehicle
    Ford Focus ST test vehicle

    As you may be aware, our engineering team has been wrenching away on this Focus ST to develop a slew of awesome products for the community. Our oil cooler development is underway, and alongside this project we began to experiment with a direct-fit oil catch can system. Now, you may be wondering exactly how necessary such a product is.

    Discussions around the community have covered the impact of oil within the intake system and its effect on valve buildup. In short, the

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  7. A New Mishimoto BRZ/FR-S Intake, Part 2: Box Fabrication and 3D Prototype

    A New Mishimoto BRZ/FR-S Intake, Part 2: Box Fabrication and 3D Prototype

    Interested in purchasing our new BRZ/FR-S intake system? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

    Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S Performance Air Intake

    We left off last time with an explanation of our intentions with this intake system and some initial design work to create an induction route to our planned airbox. Now it was time to finish designing this intake system so that testing could be conducted.

    Airbox Fabrication

    We started developing our airbox with simple metal fabrication. The plan was to put our idea into a physical object and then transfer this to a 3D model. Once in Solidworks, we could solidify the final design and features and use our 3D printer to construct a final prototype for test fitting.

    Fabrication begins! A simple box was drawn up and templates printed for our bends and mounting point locations.

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  8. Mustang EcoBoost Intercooler Pipe R&D, Part 3: Final Pipe Design and Test Fit

    Mustang EcoBoost Intercooler Pipe R&D, Part 3: Final Pipe Design and Test Fit

    Interested in picking up our Mustang EcoBoost Intercooler Pipe Kit? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

    Mishimoto Ford Mustang EcoBoost Intercooler Pipe Kit

    After putting some final touches on our pipe design in 3D modeling software, we concluded the design phase of this project. With only inspection of our final prototype and final test fitting on the agenda, this project was nearly complete.

    Final Prototype Pipe Kit

    Check out a look at the final prototypes we worked up!

    Mishimoto hot-side (left) and cold-side (right) intercooler pipes
    Mishimoto hot-side (left) and cold-side (right) intercooler pipes

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  9. Watch an Intercooler Change Colors!

    Watch an Intercooler Change Colors!

    We are always trying out new testing methods and conducting really different kinds of R&D here at Mishimoto. A few weeks back, we performed quite a cool test to evaluate heat transfer on one of our upcoming intercoolers.

    What we did!

    We have been seeking ways to evaluate the transfer of heat through intercooler cores that we design. Although we have a variety of software programs that can reveal air dispersion and flow, additional data points are always helpful, especially if we can see the changes as they occur.

    At some point we stumbled across thermochromic paint additives. This interesting powder has been around for quite some time. It is simply added to a paint clear coat, and it tints the clear to your color choice, in our case, black. Then, once the painted object reaches 86°F, the tint becomes translucent, revealing the base color.

    Now, if you are like me, you are already online looking for this paint additive and making plans to

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  10. 2015 Mustang Expansion Tank Project, Part 2: First Prototype Test Fit

    2015 Mustang Expansion Tank Project, Part 2: First Prototype Test Fit

    Interested in picking up our aluminum coolant expansion tank? Check out more details on our product page linked below.

    Mishimoto Ford Mustang EcoBoost/V6/V8 Aluminum Coolant Expansion Tank

    Last time we gave you some insight into the internal and external design of our expansion tank, and now we have our first prototype! Keep in mind, this prototype was constructed to verify fitment and functionality. We selected our standard polished finish, but we are certainly keeping in mind all the feedback regarding the finishes and colors everyone would prefer.

    Mishimoto Expansion Tank Prototype

    No more stalling, check out our prototype tank!

    Mishimoto expansion tank prototype installed</body> " width="300" height="200">
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