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Monthly Archives: May 2018

  1. Layers of Cooling - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 1: Stock Review

    Layers of Cooling - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 1: Stock Review

    Back in the old days, if you wanted a vehicle for doing work on the farm, you bought a tractor and trailer. If you wanted luxury to go to your gala event, you had somebody build a coach and put an engine in it. If you just wanted to get to work, you bought a horse. On the off chance you were a wealthy farmer, who had another job in town, you had to buy them all.

    Today, you can drive to work, the farm, and the Met Gala all in the same vehicle. And it smells at lot better than a horse.

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    Chevy/GMC's K2 platform of pickup trucks and SUVs is a combination of every vehicle you could ever need. The interior is plush and packed full of enough tech to satisfy a 17-year-old pop star. Order one in black or white and you'll have no trouble getting the valet to sprint to your door and accept your keys.

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  2. PROTECTED SPECIES - 2007-2013 INFINITI G37 / 2009+ NISSAN 370Z DIRECT FIT CATCH CAN, PART 2 - Blow-By Verified

    PROTECTED SPECIES - 2007-2013 INFINITI G37 / 2009+ NISSAN 370Z DIRECT FIT CATCH CAN, PART 2 - Blow-By Verified

    It's often an overlooked fact in the automotive world that every engine out there is affected by the by-product of its own combustion process, but it's true. It doesn't matter the size or the type of induction. Combustion gasses will still sneak past the piston rings, and those contaminated gasses will infiltrate the intake tract. The naturally aspirated V6 is an endangered species these days, and given the age of some of these VQ37 engines, the future for these power plants is starting to look bleak.

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    If you revisit the early stages of our project, however, you'll see that we've already been hard at work to save the VQs from themselves. Pushing that high of a compression for so long can put a

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  3. InterCOOLactic Planetary - 2017+ Honda Civic Type R Performance Intercooler Kit R&D, Part 6 - Dyno Testing Results

    InterCOOLactic Planetary - 2017+ Honda Civic Type R Performance Intercooler Kit R&D, Part 6 - Dyno Testing Results

    Investing in an intercooler shows some similarities to going to college. Hear me out. When that acceptance letter arrives, it's understood that there's a lot of money about to be spent as a down payment on the future. Some of us might have held a job or two while in school, but the general idea is complete your degree, and get your dream job, or at least something that is enough to pay off those loans.

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    A bigger intercooler is an investment in your Civic Type R's future, especially for those who are doing builds and expect big numbers from the K20C1. Depending on the car and the design, adding more fins and surface area to the intercooling system usually gives you some power right off the bat. Our new design does squeeze a few extra drops of power from the CTR, but the main objective

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  4. A Decade Under the Hood - Aluminum Expansion Tank R&D, Part 2: Production

    A Decade Under the Hood - Aluminum Expansion Tank R&D, Part 2: Production

    It's been over a decade since the last 1999-2003 7.3L Powerstroke rolled off the assembly line. A lot can happen to a vehicle in that much time. And, if you're like many 7.3L Powerstroke owners, you've been through more than one degas tank. Over time, the stock plastic tank becomes brittle and cloudy, making it prone to leaks and impossible to see the coolant level. Luckily, Mishimoto has a solution that will look and function in 15 years just as well as it does today.

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    When we last saw our 7.3L Powerstroke degas tank, we had a sleek design that fit perfectly in the engine bay, but it was formed from bright-orange plastic. Eager to banish as much plastic from the truck as possible, we began our production sample. You would think that after

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  5. Legendary Cooling - 2005-2012 C6 Corvette Performance Radiator R&D, Part 2 - Design Plans

    Legendary Cooling - 2005-2012 C6 Corvette Performance Radiator R&D, Part 2 - Design Plans

    One would think that after over 50 years of being the pinnacle of American performance some extra thought would have been put into the cooling system. That's not the American way, though. Automotive radiators have vastly improved since 1953, and when it came time for the C5's successor, it's almost as if Chevy was more interested in equipping the largest V8 possible rather than overhauling the cooling system.

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    On top of seemingly glossing over the C6's coolant heat exchanger, Chevy couldn't decide which radiator to equip in their flagship sports car. Over this Corvette's tenure we noted that there were 5 different radiators designed for the C6, each one slightly varied from the other.

    We noted that there were two different core thicknesses, and about 4 different end tank

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  6. Iconic Protection - Oil Catch Can Kit R&D, Part 1: Design, Test, Produce

    Iconic Protection - Oil Catch Can Kit R&D, Part 1: Design, Test, Produce

    Our 2011-2014 and 2015-17 Ford F-150 V8 Catch Can Kits are now available! Click here to check them out!

    Close your eyes and picture an American pickup truck. You're probably imagining a Ford F-Series. And whether you know it or not, that F-Series you're picturing probably has a V8 under the hood. Like the F-Series itself, the Ford V8 is an icon of American automotive culture. Customers could have their iconic truck with an equally iconic V8 since the first F-Series truck was introduced in 1948. Over the years, the F-Series and the V8 powering it evolved. 42 years after the first F-series rolled off the assembly line, Ford introduced the Modular V8 that would power the F-150 for the next 28 years.

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    The 2011-2017 F-150 continues the iconic pairing of F-series and V8 into the modern

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  7. Protected Species - 2007-2015 Infiniti G37 / 2009+ Nissan 370Z Direct Fit Catch Can, Part 1 - Stock Review and Design Plans

    Protected Species - 2007-2015 Infiniti G37 / 2009+ Nissan 370Z Direct Fit Catch Can, Part 1 - Stock Review and Design Plans

    In this day and age, if you're an enthusiast in search of a naturally aspirated, performance-oriented 6-cylinder, you're almost out of luck. The last 8 years have been the age of forced induction with the 4-cylinder turbo layout edging the V6 closer toward extinction. Unless you have the money to spend on a Porsche, there just aren't many options out there anymore for the fun 6-cylinder.

    There is one manufacturer, though, who can deliver the "Fizz" (as James May would put it) without the fuss of a turbo or supercharger. That would be Nissan. I'm sure that most people would have visions of the dime-a-dozen Rogue or Sentra that dominates the roads these days. Anyone who knows anything about their Nissan and Infiniti is quite aware of the company's heritage. From the long-nosed Datsun coupes to the drifter's dream that was the 240SX"and let's not forget the 10+ generations of the Skyline/GT-R"Nissan has proved it's been around the block a few times.

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