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f-150

  1. Carry the Weight - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 2: Design

    Carry the Weight - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 2: Design

    Simplicity is often the key to great engineering. The
    same can be said about Ford's F-150. The F-150 is about function over frills and
    getting the job done. Our 2015+ Ford F-150 transmission cooler will follow the
    same formula. Our focus will be on one key aspect: use as much of the space
    behind the F-150's grille as possible. As we saw in our first post, the stock
    transmission cooler only utilizes about 50% of the available space. To increase
    that usage to 100% without adding unnecessary complications is where we'll get
    the job done, plain and simple.

    Ford was kind enough to provide us with convenient mounting
    points on either end of the radiator and a hard pipe to connect the outlet port
    on the transmission cooler to

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  2. Everyday Hercules - Aluminum Radiator R&D, Part 1: Stock Review

    Everyday Hercules - Aluminum Radiator R&D, Part 1: Stock Review

    Like the Roman hero Hercules, the 2015+ F-150 is capable of other-worldly feats. From the street to the jobsite, and even the dunes or the track, there's little that the F-150 can't conquer. With three available engines producing over 350 lb. ft. of torque, the 2015+ F-150 could probably stop the rotation of the earth. Even with all that power, many of the F-150's on the road will never see Moab or drag a 1,000 lb. log up a mountain. But that doesn't mean your F-150 shouldn't be your everyday Hercules.

    Owning an F-150 should mean being confident that you can tackle any task life throws your way, but that confidence may be shaken if your stock cooling system has seen better days. Hercules is nothing without his strength, and if your F-150 is overheating, all the power in the world means little. That's why we here at Mishimoto are developing an all-aluminum radiator to keep your 2015+ F-150 going strong.

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  3. Bye-Bye Blow-By - Catch Can R&D, Part 3: We All Love A Comeback Story

    Bye-Bye Blow-By - Catch Can R&D, Part 3: We All Love A Comeback Story

    Who doesn't love a good comeback? Rocky, Hoosiers, Robert Downey Jr., and Lindsey Lohan (kind of) are all prime examples of what makes the comeback story so compelling. The theme behind any good comeback is perseverance - not giving in to the will to stop.

    Unrelenting perseverance will lead to beating seemingly impossible odds. It's what led the 2005 Liverpool soccer team to beat the heavily favored AC Milan squad in penalties, and the 1993 Buffalo Bills to defeat the Houston Oilers from 32 points down, overcoming the largest point deficit in the NFL to date. Without perseverance, you won't go very far in whatever it is you do. Our engineers take this idea quite seriously at our R&D headquarters, and while the catch can project for this 2015+ Ford F-150 EcoBoost has been stalled for some time, it never really went away. There have been interesting challenges to get around during our R&D, but we finally have something you're going to love.

    Tough Times with the

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  4. Cool Air for the EcoBoost - Intercooler Pipe R&D, Performance Testing

    Cool Air for the EcoBoost - Intercooler Pipe R&D, Performance Testing

    These intercooler pipes are now available!
    Click here to buy them from our website!

    As the old cliché goes, some things just go together like peas in a pod. Peanut butter and jelly. Cold beer and tailgates. Intercoolers and intercooler pipes; you just can't have one without the other. If you followed along with our 2011-14 F-150 EcoBoost intercooler thread, you've probably been waiting for an update on our intercooler pipes for a while now. Well, the wait is over.

    Fabrication

    Pipe-Fab-22

    In the last post, fabrication ended for our prototype cold-side pipe. Since then, we've been busy fabricating the hot-side piping and testing. Steve and Mike whipped up a hot-side prototype using the same process as the cold-side

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  5. A Real F-150'n Beaut'! - Intercooler R&D, Part 4: Final Aesthetic Form

    A Real F-150'n Beaut'! - Intercooler R&D, Part 4: Final Aesthetic Form

    As we approach the holidays, I want to get into the giving spirit by sharing some photos with you of how our final 2015+ F-150 EcoBoost intercooler will look. But first, I'd like to thank you all for your patience. This is a busy time of year, and the R&D for this intercooler has been an iterative one, but quality takes time and we've got a part on our hands that looks fantastic - I'm sure you'll all agree. You can see evidence of this by checking out our 2011-2014 EcoBoost Intercooler!

    Last time, we 3D-printed some EcoBoost intercooler end tanks and sized up some foam to represent our intercooler core. For all our projects, this step in the process serves not only to save resources, but also to give us some flexibility in changing

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  6. Incredibly F-150'n Cool Fitment - Intercooler R&D, Part 3: 3D Printed Test Fit

    Incredibly F-150'n Cool Fitment - Intercooler R&D, Part 3: 3D Printed Test Fit

    Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the third update on the R&D process for the Mishimoto the 2015+ F-150 EcoBoost intercooler. For those of you joining us now who may not have seen our previous updates, you can check them out on our engineering blog. We reached out to you for some feedback, and decided to move forward with an intercooler that utilizes the factory location. We've shown you the 3D-models on the computer, but recently, we took those digital models and brought them to life with the help of our 3D printer.

    Printing Some Parts

    Back in one of my friend's school days when he spent a lot of his free time consuming music and movies from various online sources (purely out of curiosity - any lawyers wanna chime in on the relevant statute

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  7. Cool Air For the EcoBoost - Intercooler R&D, Part 8: Test Fit and Dyno Data

    Cool Air For the EcoBoost - Intercooler R&D, Part 8: Test Fit and Dyno Data

    Greetings, folks, and welcome to the post you've all been waiting for! We've made a ton of progress lately on the Mishimoto 2011-14 EcoBoost Intercooler, so I am happy to present you with a detailed update. As such, I will cut right to the chase so that you can see what we've been working on.

    Oh, and I almost forgot - we threw this thing on the dyno and I've finally got some numbers for you! Before we get to that, let's take a look at how this intercooler looks in its final guise and see how it fits in our 2013 test subject.

    Ford F-150 EcoBoost Intercooler; Factory Review

    As a refresher, this is the factory tube-and-fin unit that we are replacing. You can see that it is rather small and as a result, does not make very efficient use of the space behind the front bumper, which is ample, but unconventional in shape. Check out our first blog post in this

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  8. Even F-150'n Cooler - Intercooler R&D, Part 2: 3D Models

    Even F-150'n Cooler - Intercooler R&D, Part 2: 3D Models

    Howdy folks, and welcome to the second installment of Mishimoto's Engineering Blog on the development of our upcoming 2015+ F-150 EcoBoost intercooler. In our first post, we examined the factory intercooler on this truck and took a look at some of its unique features, but since then, we have made a ton of headway on developing our improved version. To learn more about how the system functions, check out that first F-150 EcoBoost intercooler post.

    When we first began on this project, we were choosing between a couple of possible design philosophies that Jason, the project engineer, had conceived.  Each had its benefits and drawbacks, but rather than trying to read minds, we decided to reach out to all of you to find out what you wanted for the ideal F-150 EcoBoost intercooler.

    You may recall

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  9. Cool Air for the EcoBoost. F-150 Intercooler R&D, Part 7: Cold-Side Pipe Fabrication

    Cool Air for the EcoBoost. F-150 Intercooler R&D, Part 7: Cold-Side Pipe Fabrication

    Having already obtained precise dimensions from the factory piping and our test vehicle, our engineering team has begun the arduous, but rewarding process of developing and fabricating intercooler piping for our '11-14 F-150.

    Cold-Side Intercooler Pipe Fabrication

    Fabricating the cold side appears to be less of a challenge than dealing with the hot side, so we decided to start there to get the ball rolling. Following the path of the factory piping, we began fabrication at the intercooler side of the pipe and worked our way up toward the throttle body.

    Ford F-150 EcoBoost intercooler pipe fabrication
    Ford F-150 EcoBoost intercooler pipe fabrication

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  10. Cool Air for the EcoBoost. F-150 Intercooler R&D, Part 6: Pipe Fabrication

    Cool Air for the EcoBoost. F-150 Intercooler R&D, Part 6: Pipe Fabrication

    Along with creating an awesome intercooler for the EcoBoost (EB), we also want to improve upon the pathways through which air travels to and from the charge air cooler. This will involve replacing factory components that route from the turbocharger to the intercooler and from the intercooler to the throttle body with engineered aluminum pieces.

    Factory Ford F-150 EcoBoost Intercooler Piping

    The factory piping setup on the F-150 is essentially a rat's nest of molded plastic and rubber couplers that, evident upon removal, is complemented by an internal coating of oil. No wonder catch cans are so popular for these trucks!

    Our engineers felt like teenagers again with all of the oil on their skin as they removed the piping in order to inspect each piece, keeping in mind that they would need to replicate all connection points to ensure that our piping is a bolt-on setup.

    Check out the cold-side pipe, below.

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