Technical Articles

Performance is always on the enthusiast's mind. So, if you find us deep in thought behind the wheel, we're usually pondering what parts or tweaks will squeeze out another few drops of power. We here at Mishimoto have the same thoughts and are on a mission to achieve that performance potential. Since most modern vehicles, even the performance-oriented models, are left breathing through straws thanks to stringent standards and regulations, reducing restrictions in the intake and intercooler systems is one of the quickest routes to adding some pep to any engine's step.

Improving your vehicle's respiratory system is just one of our areas of expertise since more air means more power. However, how do we know we're on the right track for a deeper breathing engine? Making things bigger is one option, but there's so much more to flow dynamics than just a big pipe that requires precision testing, and we have the right tool for the job.

Enter the Superflow Dynamics SF-1020 flow bench. This model is

Turbo and supercharging have been crucial in modern automotive performance. These induction add-ons help your small displacement 4-cylinder punch above its weight class or help your monstrous V8 achieve ludicrous speed. In any case, the process of forced induction heats your charged air, which is less than ideal for keeping your performance machine, well, performing. Intercooling systems have long been implemented to mitigate this issue, but as these systems evolve, things can get a little convoluted, which is why we're here! Let's dig in. 

To start, we need to understand the fundamentals of how a forced induction system works and why that leads to hot intake temps. Your turbo or supercharger is, in essence, an air compressor. The concept behind forced induction is to cram more air into your intake system than the ambient air pressure allows. Naturally aspirated engines are limited to the atmospheric pressure of the current environment, whereas adding a turbo or supercharger to the mix

The automatic transmission in your vehicle is practically the defining feature of the vehicle. The sturdy gear sets housed inside, transferring power from the engine, are the gatekeeper to hauling heavy payloads, traversing treacherous rock gardens, or setting blistering lap times. No matter how powerful your engine is, without the transmission, your vehicle is dead weight. 

Where the transmission is the soul of your car, truck, or Jeep, keeping it cool can sometimes pose a challenge. True, there are many ways to maintain transmission fluid temperatures, but they won't do you any good if the fluid never makes it to the cooler. That's why a sturdy thermal bypass valve is essential for any automatic shifting performance vehicle.

What is a thermal bypass valve? I'm glad you asked! To understand the thermal bypass valve's purpose, we need to dive further into the bell housing. The automatic transmission is a collection of planetary gear sets, clutch packs, shafts, and other wizardry suspended

Here on the Mishimoto Engineering blog, we often put our high-tech engineering tools on display. Tools like our DynaPacks, Faro Design ScanArm, or 3D printers are crucial components to our engineering process. Each of them provides us with precise performance feedback or increases efficiency when designing products, making them invaluable in the engineering process. But what happens after the engineering is completed? Naturally, we needed a method of showing off new parts that's on par with all of the other sophisticated tools in our arsenal. 

Enter the Ortery PhotoCapture 360 turntable. Of course, we already perform most of our product photography here at the R&D facility, but adding 360 imaging to our toolkit was the next step in showing off every detail of engineering that goes into our products. 360 imaging is a bit more complex than your standard product photography, though, so let's dig into everything that makes our system tick. 

Step one is the preparation and setup. Most of