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Monthly Archives: December 2016

  1. "The TurboChevy" Intake R&D, Part 3: Back To The Drawing Board

    "The TurboChevy" Intake R&D, Part 3: Back To The Drawing Board

    Research and Development (R&D) - Work directed toward the innovation, introduction, and improvement of products and processes.

    The research and development process can get tricky. Sometimes, at a moment when you think you have a perfectly working product, that's ready for the masses; something just goes awry. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. We welcome situations like this, especially during this late in the development stage, because we're able to catch unexpected issues early. It's not like we want you to deal with them. That's why we do so much testing. As the definition states, this work needs to be directed, in part, toward the improvement of products and processes. We take this attitude with each and every design that leaves our R&D facility for production. As an example, we implemented some modifications to the last design you guys saw for this Camaro 2.0T intake project, even though those changes were minor. I still want to walk you

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  2. No One Likes a Leaking Cap - Washer Fluid Reservoir R&D, Part 2: Improving on OEM

    No One Likes a Leaking Cap - Washer Fluid Reservoir R&D, Part 2: Improving on OEM

    When we began work on our 2016+ Miata washer fluid reservoir, our primary goal was to improve the aesthetics; we designed the tank to look killer, make your engine bay a little cleaner, and we also reduced the volume of the reservoir, saving a few pounds versus stock if you're comparing a full Mishimoto tank to a full stock tank.

    One of the major benefits of sharing our R&D process among enthusiast communities is the opportunity to learn even more about what we can do to make the best possible product. Once I revealed our reservoir to the forums, I was quickly made aware that there is an annoying flaw with the stock tank: a leaking cap!

    Preparing our new solution for testing
    Preparing our new solution for testing
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  3. Conquering the Catch Can - Part 3: Final Prototype Testing

    Conquering the Catch Can - Part 3: Final Prototype Testing

    If you remember from our last post about the Titan XD catch can, we ran into some challenges with the first and second prototypes. Since then we have perfected our design, so without further delay, let's look at our final prototype for testing.

    Final Prototype

    With the check engine light vanquished, our last update left us with a slightly different hurdle to climb. A buildup of condensation in the system had us a tad worried about possible freezing in the winter. Little did we know that the solution was right in the Titan's engine bay. One of the benefits of working on a larger truck is that there is more room under the hood to work with. We used this to our advantage and decided to relocate the can to another spot in the engine bay - one that would see more heat. The idea is that extra heat introduced to the catch can will burn off a good deal of the moisture and prevent freezing of the can. A fine theory, but let's see it in practice.

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  4. We Struck Oil - Catch Can R&D, Part 2: The Mock-Up

    We Struck Oil - Catch Can R&D, Part 2: The Mock-Up

    Are you a nerd for up-and-coming tech? I am. Technology is awesome. Let's just start there. It's wild to think that we are approaching the 10-year anniversary of the iPhone's first introduction (June 29, 2007, per the all-knowing Wikipedia). As we enter 2017, autonomous vehicles are gaining mainstream traction, rockets can (sort of) land themselves intact, human

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  5. Diff's Hot, Take it Easy - Part 1: The Rear Differential

    Diff's Hot, Take it Easy - Part 1: The Rear Differential

    At Mishimoto we are big fans of our little blue car. Over the past few months you could say we have formed a bond that only burnouts and track days can build. In testing various Focus RS parts (and maybe doing a few donuts, for science) we noticed that it is very easy to make the rear differential in the RS angry, and you won't like it when its angry. The rear diff makes the rules. Overheat it, and you're likely to end up parked for the day. When the rear diff heats up, the ECU in the RS pulls power in an attempt to cool it down. Therein lies the problem: We have a car that begs to be driven to the absolute limits and rear diff that is programmed to shut down when it reaches a certain temperature. Don't get us wrong, the problem doesn't seem to be with the diff itself, but rather with its inability to dissipate heat fast enough to keep up with this blue bat out of hell.

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  6. A Real F-150'n Beaut'! - Intercooler R&D, Part 4: Final Aesthetic Form

    A Real F-150'n Beaut'! - Intercooler R&D, Part 4: Final Aesthetic Form

    As we approach the holidays, I want to get into the giving spirit by sharing some photos with you of how our final 2015+ F-150 EcoBoost intercooler will look. But first, I'd like to thank you all for your patience. This is a busy time of year, and the R&D for this intercooler has been an iterative one, but quality takes time and we've got a part on our hands that looks fantastic - I'm sure you'll all agree. You can see evidence of this by checking out our 2011-2014 EcoBoost Intercooler!

    Last time, we 3D-printed some EcoBoost intercooler end tanks and sized up some foam to represent our intercooler core. For all our projects, this step in the process serves not only to save resources, but also to give us some flexibility in changing

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  7. Conquering the Catch Can - Part 2: Prototype Update

    Conquering the Catch Can - Part 2: Prototype Update

    If you remember from our last post about the Titan XD catch can, we ran into some challenges with the first prototype. Since our existing catch can design did not agree with the Titan, it was back to the drawing board for our lead engineer, Dan.

    Updated Design

    Our standard catch can when installed on the Titan was generating a code causing the truck to go into limp mode. The cause of the code stemmed from our standard catch can being too restrictive for the Titan's beefy Cummins engine. This is not surprising, given the 50 micron filter and smaller design of the can, which was originally designed for gasoline-powered cars. This catch can design functions beautifully on smaller turbo engines such as the Focus and Fiesta, as well as larger American V8s in the new-generation Camaro SS and Mustang GT. It just might not be suitable for the turbo diesel V8 in our

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  8. ReSpiration Focal Point - Performance Intake R&D, Part 5: C'est Fini

    ReSpiration Focal Point - Performance Intake R&D, Part 5: C'est Fini

    This 2016+ Ford Focus RS Performance Air Intake is now available! Click here to check it out!

    Here it is, the final hoorah. The production sample of our intake kit for the 2016 Ford Focus RS is here at last. In the last update, we took you guys through what this intake sounds like with the help of some dyno runs; it sounds awesome and it made 11hp and 15ft-lbs of torque! I'm happy that you guys have stuck with me through the long development process, but there is a light at the end of this R&D tunnel. I know you guys want to see what the finished product looks like, so let's check it out.

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