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Monthly Archives: September 2018

  1. Poster Boy - Performance Intercooler R&D, Part 1 - Stock Review

    Poster Boy - Performance Intercooler R&D, Part 1 - Stock Review

    By now the pedigree of the Volkswagen GTI is widely known. It's been around for what feels like forever in a handful of different variations, and more or less invented the hot-hatch segment. Now that we're on the 7.5th generation, and rapidly approaching the 8th, the MK6 is quickly becoming the poster boy for the VW enthusiast scene.

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    The MK6 ended up being more of a visual improvement over the MK5. The facelift that came about in 2009 added some edges to the rounded and bubbly styling of the GTI's younger generation. The interior was rejuvenated and given the success of the TSI series' engines over the FSI, the engine bay more or less remained the same as the later MK5s except for a slight bump in power. Now that this generation is going on its second cycle, many are increasing the power even more by means of

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  2. Going the Distance - Aluminum Degas Tank, Part 2: Design

    Going the Distance - Aluminum Degas Tank, Part 2: Design

    As vehicles become more complex, so does designing aftermarket parts for them. When components play multiple roles, every detail must be carefully measured and accounted for. The 2008-2010 Ford 6.4L Powerstroke degas tank is no exception to that trend. Even ten years ago, manufacturers like Ford were finding ways to over-complicate even the simplest coolant tank. Building our aluminum replacement for this tank has been challenging, but that's exactly how we like our projects.

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    Our last post looked at the stock degas tank and we learned that the tank isn't just playing double duty, but triple duty. Molded into the bottom of the stock tank is the battery tray. No big deal. But, below that battery tray was another

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  3. Old Dog, New Tricks - Intercooler R&D, Part 4: Strong by Design

    Old Dog, New Tricks - Intercooler R&D, Part 4: Strong by Design

    It wasn't too long ago that we saw our 2011-2017 Ford Powerstroke 6.7L air-to-water intercooler on the flow bench. We talked about flow rates, and pressure drop, and learned that our intercooler flows air about 22% better than the stock cooler. Soon, we'll see how that increased flow translates into power on the Dynapacks. But first, I wanted to circle back to our original goal for this project: make the intercooler stronger.

    We started this project over a year ago after finding reports of owners and shops chasing disappearing coolant. Further inspection would show that the stock intercoolers were leaking internally, and the coolant was making its way into the engine. While we didn't see a massive amount of these cases, there were enough reports for us to investigate further. After looking at our own 6.7L shop truck, we determined that we could make a stronger intercooler with a bar-and-plate core and cast end-tanks. We were also confident that the truck would make more power with

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  4. Daditude - Performance Intake R&D Part 2 - Design Plans

    Daditude - Performance Intake R&D Part 2 - Design Plans

    Turning into a badass isn't something that happens overnight. It takes time to build up that sort of reputation. People like Chuck Norris or Bear Grylls seem to have always carried that persona, but it took so many seasons of roundhouse kicks  and survival stunts for them to be fully recognized. Honda has had 42 years to build up the Accord's reputation from everyday econo-box to subtle bad boy, and while some of that stigma lingers, we're doing our part to make the "Bad Boy" part less subtle.

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    Just like building up street cred can take some time, so does developing a performance intake. Luckily though, we have a plan in place to break the 2.0T Accord out of its shell. Before we can dive into what our new intake is going to look like under the hood, let's take a look at the master plan.

    Big MAF
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  5. Carry the Weight - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 1: Stock Review

    Carry the Weight - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 1: Stock Review

    Ford's F-150 is a staple of jobsites around the world and apparently a staple of this blog. It seems we never run out of projects for the F-150 and with thirteen generations to choose from, it's unlikely we ever will. Our latest endeavor into the F-150 platform focuses on the 2015-2017 model-year transmission coolers.

    On top of the multitude of F-150 posts living on our blog, you'll find a wealth of posts about truck transmission coolers. For some reason, truck manufacturers tend to underestimate the importance of their vehicles' transmission coolers. Stock coolers on many trucks are often too small to cool the transmission fluid during long periods of heavy towing, have some major flaw that causes catastrophic failure, or manufacturers don't include one at all.

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    In the case of the 2015-2017

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  6. Everyday Hero - Direct Fit Catch Can R&D Part 1 - Concept and Design

    Everyday Hero - Direct Fit Catch Can R&D Part 1 - Concept and Design

    Every superhero has a weakness or villain thwarting them at every turn. Superman has those glowing alien rocks. Batman is constantly putting out fires both figuratively and literally set by some deranged clown, and the internal combustion engine has its respiratory system clogged up by its own lifeblood. Yes, we're talking about blow-by. Granted, carbon buildup from blow-by might not seem as serious as the threat of a supervillain, but it's an affliction that affects every engine out there, even your new Honda Accord.

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    The 2018 Honda Accord 2.0T might not be flying around Metropolis or Gotham punching criminals in the face, but this generation of Honda's full-sized sedan is taking the heroics of daily driving to a new level. Utilizing the K20C4 derived from the heavy-hitting Civic Type R, Honda ditched the V6

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  7. Layers of Cooling - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 2: Prototype

    Layers of Cooling - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 2: Prototype

    The second post in any of our project blogs is usually where we show you an aluminum box that represents the outer dimensions of our planned product. This time though, we're going rogue.

    Sort of.

    Our last post looked at the stock transmission cooler for Chevy/GMC's K2 chassis. To recap, the stock K2 transmission cooler is a bit of a chimera. If you were to look through the grille of a K2, you would never find the transmission cooler. Unlike other vehicles that have an obvious transmission cooler bolted onto the radiator, the K2 trans cooler is integrated into the truck's A/C condenser. Removing the A/C condenser from the vehicle doesn't make finding the transmission cooler any easier either. Only under close inspection can you see the break in the end-tank where the factory separated the two coolers. Otherwise, the A/C condenser and the transmission cooler share the similar tubes and fins, but

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  8. Intercooler Sandwich - Performance Intercooler Kit Part 5 - Piping Production Sample and Testing

    Intercooler Sandwich - Performance Intercooler Kit Part 5 - Piping Production Sample and Testing

    When it comes to turbocharged cars, the flow of air through the system is just as important as keeping it cool. From the factory, the MK7s do get some extra attention in the performance category, especially when it comes to the GTI and Golf R, but they're never really pushed past what the VW engineers designed them for. Given the popularity of cranking up the boost on any turbo vehicle, especially the 2.0T found under the hood of most modern VWs and Audis, it's no wonder that the stock intercooler piping turns out to be a restriction.

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    Before we dive straight into how our new piping design performs, let's take a look at what it is that makes them perform. As you might recall from our last post, we went into the basics of our intercooler

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  9. Daditude - Performance Intake Development Part 1 - Stock Review

    Daditude - Performance Intake Development Part 1 - Stock Review

    Since its inception in 1976, the Honda Accord hasn't exactly screamed performance. In fact, for the longest time it has carried the stigma as the typical family sedan. That image has started to fade in recent years as the Accord developed somewhat of an attitude with the 8th and 9th generation, especially when it comes to the Sport trim V6 models. In fact, Road and Track made the bold claim that the 9th generation was the last true American muscle car. While the Accord is improving on its bad boy image, there is still work to be done toward injecting some more attitude into the 2.0T powered grocery-getter.

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    The V6 Accord might be a piece of Honda's history,

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