Explorer

While piling into your Explorer ST for a long haul, it's tough not to have that cliché mantra running through your head - It's more about the journey than the destination. However, we here at Mishimoto think that saying depends on the context. We, enthusiasts, are quickly intoxicated by the ST's 3.0 EcoBoost powerplant and easily hypnotized by the surprisingly nimble chassis' ability to tackle the curvey backroads, making us prefer to savor the trip. When it comes to the journey of building that speed machine, however, things become much more destination-focused. While that journey is necessary, we're much more eager for the result. In the quest for more power, though, a pit stop at the intercooler is required to reach your final destination.

Improving intercooler designs is a delicate balancing act between flow and core density. Both of these aspects are vital to improving the system's performance, but they have reciprocating results on each other. An ultra-dense core may shrug

Any road trip requires at least a small amount of planning. Sure, you could just jump into the car and drive, but it helps to know at least the direction you're headed in most cases. The planning requirements only increase as more passengers climb into your Explorer.

If the intercooler is the road map to the Explorer ST's expedition to more power, we here at Mishimoto prefer our trip to have a complete and detailed itinerary. Really, after a closer inspection of our production sample, our road trip looks more like the course details of a road rally.

When we last left off, our intercooler was just the framework of our design. This physical manifestation of the digital design was fabricated here at our R&D facility to triple-check our fitment before the real thing arrived. Well, the

As every enthusiast grows, so do their vehicles of choice. Naturally, this calls for a compromise, where speed and 0-60 times give way to practicality and MPG ratings. Luckily, Ford knew many of us enthusiasts weren't ready to compromise just yet and delivered the perfect middle ground in the form of an Explorer brandishing the ST badge. This Explorer might seem like a compromise, but it still grows with you.

The same can be said for the blow-by produced by the 3.0L EcoBoost. The ST trimmed Explorers might be a new addition to Ford's lineup, but the more miles they soak up, the more of the murky stuff that makes its way back through the intake tract. Case in point, our collections. In the case of the Explorer ST, we had the opportunity to collect blow-by after our typical 1000-mile preliminary test period, as well as after 2300 miles.

Spirited driving is now a family affair in a Ford. Ford needed a new herald for the ST badge since exiling their small car lineup to Europe and Australia. So, why not turn one of America's most popular SUVs into a performance machine? Thus, the Explorer ST was born. A 3-row monument to practicality now fitted with a heavy-hitting 3.0L twin-turbo EcoBoost, hunkered down suspension, and bolstered sport seats. From the factory, the Explorer ST already boasts enough grunt to shove you and the kids back in your seats, but we reckon there are more ponies to squeeze out, particularly through the intercooling system.

Ever since Ford brought the EcoBoost engines to life in the early 2010s, enthusiasts have been on a quest for more boost. The downside to added boost pressure, however, is that it

The news of the departing Ford hatchbacks left a hole in many enthusiast's hearts. For us here in the States, that means no more compact speed demons, finished with bulging bucket seats and manual gearboxes. The balance of power and practicality bearing the blue oval is gone. Or is it?

Enter the Explorer ST. Ford didn't delete the ST line. They just matured it a bit and crammed the essence of a hot hatchback into a full-sized, family-friendly SUV. It's a combination that shouldn't work, but the 400 hp and surprisingly nimble handling is sure to fill the void left by the hot-hatches departure.

No matter the vehicle segment, however, any and all internal combustion engines suffer from the same nasty side-effect - blow-by, Explorer ST included. To put it simply, blow-by is when oil