Monthly Archives: June 2015

Interested in purchasing our F30 intake system? Check out our product page for more information!

Mishimoto BMW F30 Performance Intake!

With testing and data collection complete, we assembled our final prototype BMW F30 air intake to confirm that the full kit fits flawlessly prior to starting production. We have been pretty excited to see this unique kit come together. Check it out in its final form!

Final Intake Images

Our final prototype BMW F30 intake was cut from a sheet of metal using a waterjet. Once we had the template cut to our drawing and model specs, we bent each piece appropriately.

First, the base of our airbox.

Final prototype BMW F30 intake airbox base

Final prototype airbox base

Next we tacked up the airbox lid!

Final prototype BMW F30 air intake airbox lid

Final prototype airbox lid

Once everything was in proper position this unit was fully welded.

Final prototype BMW F30 air intake airbox lid

These welds were then ground down for a smooth finish.

Final prototype BMW F30

So far this Fiesta ST has had an interesting life with Mishimoto. The very same day that we drove it off the lot, it was rolled into our development facility and fitted for its first modification: a prototype baffled catch can kit. Why did we chose to begin with this? From our experience with other EcoBoost equipped vehicles, we know how prone these engines are to blow-by and carbon buildup. If you want to read more in depth about the benefits of a catch can, check out our complete write up on Blow-By 101. Installing a catch can right away allows us to protect the engine of our new development vehicle and gives us more time for data collection as we work on developing additional Fiesta ST parts. Last, but certainly not least of all, we asked for your feedback and received an overwhelming response to create a Fiesta ST catch can (yes we do listen to you!).

One of our engineers fabricating some sweet Fiesta ST parts

Test Fitting

After pulling it into the shop and having a quick look, our

Interested in purchasing our new Civic Si intake system? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

Mishimoto Honda Civic Si Performance Air Intake

Now that we had a functional prototype, it was time to perform some dyno testing to ensure that we were on target for producing a power-adding intake system. The dyno results would provide some base-line data so we could move forward with refining our intake design.

Dyno Runs

We quickly strapped the Si onto our Dynojet in preparation for our day of testing.

Honda Civic strapped to Dynojet for intake testing

Honda Civic Si strapped to Dynojet for intake testing

Of course we did some filming during our dyno runs to capture differences in intake sound from the stock Civic Si intake to our prototype. Check out the video below!

Testing Results

Our initial test simply captured power output while monitoring AFRs to ensure that they remained within a safe margin of the stock intake.

Check out the dyno plot from this test!

Dyno plot for

Interested in purchasing our F30 intake system? Check out our product page for more information!

Mishimoto BMW F30 Performance Intake!

We already knew our BMW F30 intake system looked fantastic within the engine bay of the F30. With our final prototype design fully complete, it was time to see if our intake system would produce any improvements in both intake sound and power output.

Dyno Runs

We strapped our test vehicle to the Dynojet and began making pulls. This particular vehicle was equipped with a aftermarket tuning device, and we would be checking data both with and without this software as a means to compare the stock intake system to our prototype design.

Test vehicle on dyno

We captured pulls with each system installed to compare the sounds of both systems. Check out the compilation video below!

You can certainly hear the difference in our video, but in person the tone changes are even more audible. By using a larger cone-style filter in our airbox, intake sound is much improved

Interested in purchasing our awesome intake system? Check out our product page linked below!

Mishimoto Nissan 350Z Performance Air Intake!

The Nissan V6 is a familiar animal here at Mishimoto. We have designed various cooling components for this model, and several of our employees have owned or presently own a Nissan of this particular vintage. After covering the cooling system of the Z, we decided it was time to turn our attention toward a power-adding component.

The first product we want to tackle is a performance 350Z air intake system. Over the past couple years our team has been designing and testing intake systems for a variety of vehicles, including the Subaru WRX/STI, Subaru BR, BMW E46, and Mercedes CLA45 AMG, to name a few. Each project introduces a unique challenge and an opportunity for our team to produce additional vehicle power and improve intake sound and volume.

Project Goals

Goals drive an appropriate end product, and we needed to construct a set of basic guidelines so

During the development of our new intake system for the 1999-2005 BMW 3-series, we identified yet another component that would be a vital upgrade as the E46 chassis begins to age (gracefully though, right?). With a lack of support in offerings for a silicone E46 intake boot set, we decided to design a set that would replace the failure-prone stock rubber units. If you've ever owned a BMW (E30, E36, E46, etc.) that utilizes such rubber intake elbows and hoses, you may have experienced failure at some point. Typically the area of flex begins to develop cracks and tears over time. The unmonitored air entry results in a rough running straight-six " not exactly ideal. So let's get to the project!

Stock Intake Boots

First, check out the factory-equipped boots!

Stock BMW E46 intake boot assembly

Stock BMW E46 intake boot assembly

Stock BMW E46 intake boot assembly

The stock E46 intake boot uses a two-piece unit with three individual ports. The two-piece design allows for easier installation.

3D

Interested in picking up our Mercedes CLA45 intake system? Check out our product page for more details.

Mishimoto Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG Performance Air Intake

We've been working on this Mercedes cold-air intake for months, and finally we have arrived at our last test fit. After constructing a final prototype of our Mercedes air intake, we phoned our test vehicle owner and wrangled him into coming down to our headquarters for another day. A big "thank you" to the vehicle owner for the use of his CLA!

Installed Shots

Everything fit into place perfectly and looks fantastic! First, take a look at our final silicone intake inlet hose and pressure-sensor flange.

Mishimoto silicone intake inlet hose (left) and pressure-sensor flange (right)

As we've discussed in previous portions of this series, these components are key in producing the power gains we saw when we tested our kit. Next, we installed the intake into the vehicle. Check it out!

Mishimoto intake system installed

Mishimoto intake system

Interested in picking up our Fiesta ST aluminum radiator? Check out our discounted pre-sale linked below.

Mishimoto 2014+ Ford Fiesta ST Aluminum Radiator Pre-Sale!

If you keep up with the perpetually bustling engineering team here at Mishimoto, you would have noticed our recent projects involving the Focus ST. We could not ignore this vehicle's little brother, the Fiesta, and after numerous requests we decided it was time to start development of new performance Fiesta ST parts.

Before jumping into development, we needed a vehicle. So, we made a trip to the local Ford dealer here in Delaware and drove back in the beauty shown below.

Mishimoto Ford Fiesta ST shop vehicle

Mishimoto Ford Fiesta ST shop vehicle

Mishimoto Ford Fiesta ST shop vehicle

The drive home revealed a well-balanced, peppy hatchback that was quite comfortable. Although the power could use a slight bump (to be fair, I had just stepped out of a 400+ whp Evolution), I can see why many drivers are using these cars for track

Interested in purchasing our BRZ/FR-S Fan Shroud Kit? Check out more details at the link below!

Mishimoto Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S / Toyota GT86 Plug-N-Play Aluminum Fan Shroud Kit!

Taking a look at our lineup of products for the BRZ/FR-S reveals a solid offering in both cooling performance and power-adding upgrades. Our engineering team has evaluated numerous vehicle systems and provided upgrade components where solutions were needed. Our intake components provide improved induction noise and nice increases in power. Our oil cooler system provides a solution for high oil temperatures on the track. And, our performance aluminum radiator is ideal for track vehicle owners looking for some additional peace of mind during long-duration lapping. These are just a few of the components we currently offer, and we've managed to find yet another opportunity to provide an awesome component that will enhance your vehicle: a direct-fit fan BRZ/FR-S fan shroud kit.

Our fan shroud kits have become more