Page 5 - exhaust

First Prototype: Sound

We're starting this article with a recap of Part 1 of this series, which highlighted our first prototype for the 2015 Mustang EcoBoost exhaust design. If you recall, this design featured a midmuffler as well as two rear mufflers.

We promised a sound clip of our first design, so check it out below!

As you can hear, this setup is not quite what we are looking for. Although our mufflers are more free-flowing compared to the stock units, the sound of the EcoBoost is still stifled quite a bit. In fact, actual noise increases over the stock exhaust setup are minimal and nearly unidentifiable.

We needed to make some modifications to create a more prominent sound. Back to the drawing board!

Prototype 2 Plans

This project is turning out to be quite an experimental process. We had planned to try numerous different configurations until we attain an optimal sound. Stick with us during the process to see what changes in design make the most impact on the tone and volume of our

If you follow any of the product development going on here at Mishimoto, you should have noticed our recent concentration on the Ford Mustang EcoBoost. So far we've developed, tested, and perfected a variety of awesome new components, including the list below.

• Performance Intake System
• Direct-Fit Catch Can
• Direct-Fit Oil Cooler
• Baffled Coolant Expansion Tank (still in the works)
• Downpipe (still in the works)
• Radiator (still in the works)
• Intercooler
• Intercooler Pipes
• Low Temp Thermostat (more on this soon)

The next target on our list will help your EcoBoost breathe a little easier, in the form of a larger-diameter and better-flowing cat-back exhaust. This is especially helpful for vehicles with aftermarket tuning packages. Combined with our 3" downpipe that is being developed, the exhaust system will provide the necessary flow for very high power goals, not to mention the sound you can expect with a larger system!

Stock Exhaust

The stock exhaust is what you would normally expect in a new

Interested in picking up our Mustang EcoBoost Intercooler Pipe Kit? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

Mishimoto Ford Mustang EcoBoost Intercooler Pipe Kit

After putting some final touches on our pipe design in 3D modeling software, we concluded the design phase of this project. With only inspection of our final prototype and final test fitting on the agenda, this project was nearly complete.

Final Prototype Pipe Kit

Check out a look at the final prototypes we worked up!

Mishimoto hot-side (left) and cold-side (right) intercooler pipes

Mishimoto hot-side (left) and cold-side (right) intercooler pipes

Mishimoto hot-side (top) and cold-side (bottom) intercooler pipes

As noted previously, these pipes are constructed from aluminum, mandrel-bent piping. This will provide the rigidity and smooth flow you want within your CAC system.

Our cold-side mounted bung is shown below.

Mishimoto cold-side intercooler pipe bung

Next, take a look at the BPV flange we developed in order

We are always trying out new testing methods and conducting really different kinds of R&D here at Mishimoto. A few weeks back, we performed quite a cool test to evaluate heat transfer on one of our upcoming intercoolers.

What we did!

We have been seeking ways to evaluate the transfer of heat through intercooler cores that we design. Although we have a variety of software programs that can reveal air dispersion and flow, additional data points are always helpful, especially if we can see the changes as they occur.

At some point we stumbled across thermochromic paint additives. This interesting powder has been around for quite some time. It is simply added to a paint clear coat, and it tints the clear to your color choice, in our case, black. Then, once the painted object reaches 86°F, the tint becomes translucent, revealing the base color.

Now, if you are like me, you are already online looking for this paint additive and making plans to paint anything and everything with it. Can you paint

Interested in purchasing our Mustang EcoBoost Downpipe? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

Mishimoto Ford Mustang EcoBoost Downpipe!

Mishimoto downpipe 3D model

It has been awhile since our last update on the Mishimoto downpipe, however I assure you it was worth the wait. We have had our engineers tackling a ton of awesome new products for the EB, this exhaust system included. We left off with an evaluation of the stock downpipe. Once that was complete we set out to design our own system.

3D Printing

Is Mishimoto going to print out an entire downpipe? Not entirely, but we do intend to flex the muscles of our new 3D printer on this particular project. If we have the technology, why not use it. After creating a model of our design in Solidworks, we began to print components that would require additional time to fabricate. This includes bungs, flanges, and bends within the system.

Check out a shot of our printer pumping out one of the bends on our design.

3D printing

Interested in picking up our Mustang EcoBoost Intercooler Pipe Kit? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

Mishimoto Ford Mustang EcoBoost Intercooler Pipe Kit

3D Pipe Models

As with all our projects, we would be using 3D modeling software (Solidworks) to put our final design into both 3D and drawing forms. Not only does this put our design into a viewable format, but it also allows for digital tweaks as well as confirmation of fitment and precision with the overall product design.

Check out the rendering below showing our projected cold-side pipe design.

Mishimoto cold-side intercooler pipe 3D model

Ford made this one fairly easy for us. This pipe features a pretty smooth shape and routes from the intercooler to the throttle body. An aluminum counterpart is going to be a huge improvement over the stock rubber hose referenced in the last post. Each connection point will be secured with a Mishimoto silicone coupler and our T-bolt clamps for a solid connection. Note the

Interested in purchasing our Mustang EcoBoost Downpipe? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

Mishimoto Ford Mustang EcoBoost Downpipe!

Opening up the exhaust on a turbocharged vehicle is a great first modification that can make a big impact on drivability, vehicle sound, and driver enjoyment. Typically, a vehicle will see improvements in horsepower and massive gains in torque output. Emissions and sound requirements normally restrict the size and efficiency of stock exhaust systems, which explains why big gains result from enlarging the piping and eliminating or reducing restrictions within the piping.

For this project, we will focus our efforts on designing and testing a new downpipe option for the 2015+ Ford EcoBoost Mustang. Before tackling our downpipe design, we will take a look at the stock unit pulled from our Triple Yellow shop vehicle.

Stock Downpipe Features

If you haven't peeked under your new Mustang, this portion of the article will give you a look at what

Interested in purchasing our 2015 WRX cat-back exhaust? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

Subaru WRX/STi Cat-Back Exhaust

As promised, we hit the road to begin testing our prototype designs. Our first round of testing was purely to evaluate the tone and sound level of the exhaust.

What are we looking for?

• Rich tone
• Little to no rasp
• Minimal highway drone
• Noise amplification from one-half to full throttle

As you know, the FA20 utilizes an equal-length header, which means that the traditional Subaru rumble is likely to be lost. Either way, we would be looking for a nice tone that would be acceptable for daily use.

Our first road test utilized our smaller, round style muffler.

Cat-back exhaust prototype 1

Check out the video below!

After driving with this setup in a variety of conditions, we had a few first impressions.

• Highway drone is more than we would prefer.
• Exhaust is too loud under normal driving conditions.
• Turbo-spool noise is greatly amplified and sounds fantastic