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  1. 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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  2. Diff's Hot, Take it Easy - Rear Differential Cooler R&D, Part 4: A Tale of Two Track Days Part 1

    Diff's Hot, Take it Easy - Rear Differential Cooler R&D, Part 4: A Tale of Two Track Days Part 1

    The term "track day" around here is always surrounded with a certain level of enthusiasm. We're all aware of the extra labor that goes into a trip to Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ, but everyone involved is more than willing to pitch in for the chance to see our RS thrashed around the track. Think of it like one of those field trips you would take in middle school. Sure, there would be a test on everything seen that day, but that was a small price to pay for a day out of the classroom. After spending almost a week preparing it was time to take the class on their field trip.

    Hot Oil and Broken Eggs

    Our other product coordinator Steve Bryson took the journey up to the track as the perfect opportunity to</body> " width="600" height="400">
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  3. Old Dog, New Tricks - Intercooler R&D, Part 2: Plans & Prototypes

    Old Dog, New Tricks - Intercooler R&D, Part 2: Plans & Prototypes

    Tucked between the battery and the radiator, buried beneath a tangle of coolant hoses, lies the heart of the Ford Powerstroke 6.7L charge air cooling system.  This chunk of aluminum, the air-to-water intercooler, is responsible for keeping your workhorse breathing easy.

    A freshly cut, $500 intercooler. Not a bad Tuesday
    A freshly cut, $500 intercooler. Not a bad Tuesday

    When we looked at this project last, we outlined what makes air-to-water intercoolers different from your typical air-to-air intercooler and why they're used in heavy-duty applications.  We also took our waterjet cutter to our brand-new OEM intercooler to see what was going on beyond the bland exterior.  Once we had evaluated the stock intercooler's strong

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  4. Completing the Package - Intercooler Piping R&D: Coming in Hot

    Completing the Package - Intercooler Piping R&D: Coming in Hot

    Fresh off the assembly line comes our prototype intercooler pipes for the 2013+ Ford Focus ST. In the last update, I reviewed the stock piping, our 3D printed prototypes, and mildly teased what the final version of this kit will look like, so it's time for a full reveal. Let's go through some of the design features and performance numbers that have resulted from this project.

    Hot side intercooler pipes
    Hot-side intercooler pipes

    The hot-side kit will have a solid aluminum center section with silicone couplers attached to the turbo and intercooler outlet. It fits nicely around the engine oil pan and is mounted with brackets to keep it in place. However, a balance between flexibility and rigidity is important, which is why the couplers are long.

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  5. 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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  6. Protecting your V8 Killer - 2011-2014 Ford F-150 3.5L EcoBoost Catch Can R&D Part 1 - Stock Review

    Protecting your V8 Killer - 2011-2014 Ford F-150 3.5L EcoBoost Catch Can R&D Part 1 - Stock Review

    As much as my car enthusiast-self hates to admit it, the days of the gas powered V8 are numbered. Even never owning a vehicle motorized by one of these monstrous power plants, it's a sad concept to wrap my head around. For decades, we've all relied on those eight cylinders for the necessity to haul heavy objects around, and for the sheer enjoyment of speed. For those of you in the business of the latter, you might find this to be foreboding, especially since one of the pioneers of popularizing the V8 is the one driving the final nail in the coffin. You heard correctly, I'm holding Ford responsible for taking one of the biggest steps against the eight cylinder engine. It's not necessarily a bad thing, however, since their EcoBoost engines are more than up to snuff to fill the shoes of the V8.

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  7. The Chink in the Armor - Aluminum Expansion Tank R&D, Post 1: Stock Review

    The Chink in the Armor - Aluminum Expansion Tank R&D, Post 1: Stock Review

    It goes without saying that the cooling system routed throughout the engine bay of any vehicle works best when the coolant stays in the system. It's one of the main design requirements in fact. If that sounds familiar, that's because this same statement was made about the Ford 7.3 Powerstroke's expansion tank, which begs the question, is there a chink in the armor of Ford's self-proclaimed tough built trucks?

    While most of the F-150 is "Built Ford Tough" the factory expansion tank doesn't exactly live up to that standard.
    While most of the F-150 is "Built Ford Tough" the factory expansion tank doesn't exactly
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  8. Ford 7.3 Power Stroke Aluminum Expansion Tank R&D Part 1 - Stock Review and Design Plans

    Ford 7.3 Power Stroke Aluminum Expansion Tank R&D Part 1 - Stock Review and Design Plans

    When it comes to the icon of reliability, durability, and longevity in the automotive world, all eyes are on the diesel powertrain. The recognizable chugging sound of a diesel engine has become synonymous with the thought of tractor trailers, incredible fuel economy, and reaching 300,000 miles with ease. "Built Ford Tough" reigns true for all the general features of the diesel platform, the Powerstroke. Giving our loaner F-250 a look over, it's easy to see why. Everything incorporated into the design was done so with the intent to develop an invincible machine. Everything except for the expansion tank, it seems.

    Our spare stock tank gets a light coating in preparation for it's 3D scan.
    Our spare stock tank gets a light coating in preparation
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  9. Stranger Danger - Baffled Oil Catch Can R&D, Part 3: Finishing Touches

    Stranger Danger - Baffled Oil Catch Can R&D, Part 3: Finishing Touches

    The prototype has been on our loaner GT for the past few months, working as it should and catching a nice amount of blow-by. The previous updates, covered how we used innovative tech to design and create the bracket, and the planned routing for the lines. Significant progress has been made since then, as the designs have taken a cleaner physical form.

    Side shot of the completed kit
    Side shot of the completed kit

    Our sample production kit arrived at our R&D headquarters and it couldn't have fit any better. Everything was spot on and the installation was easy. You can see in the above image that we've cleaned up the catch can lines with properly routed hoses. The line material is rubber based, retaining a clean, OEM look.

    To keep this

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  10. Mission In-Pipe-Sible - Intercooler Piping R&D, Part 3: The Hot Side

    Mission In-Pipe-Sible - Intercooler Piping R&D, Part 3: The Hot Side

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: paying attention to details is a crucial part of life. Leading professionals are gurus at doing so in their respective fields. A good chef can wade through the already heavy seasoning in something like a gumbo and tell if there is too much or too little garlic by doing a simple taste test. A good fabricator can easily tell a MIG from a TIG weld by simply watching the arc on the metal (with the proper eyewear of course). And a good tuner can tell if something as elusive as timing is off, even in the slightest, on an engine they regularly tune just by listening to it.

    If you want to be the best in your field, pay close attention to little details. It's what will set you apart from the rest of the pack. Our engineering department has honed their skills in noticing the details. In the case of our 2016 Ford Focus RS hot-side intercooler pipe, we paid close attention to airflow and noticed a problematic aspect - not with the pipe itself, but with

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