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  1. 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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  2. Completing the Package - Intercooler Piping R&D, Part 1: Already Halfway There

    Completing the Package - Intercooler Piping R&D, Part 1: Already Halfway There

    The 2013+ Focus ST begs for more power. While it isn't the easiest thing to accomplish, our engineers are here to help give you quality parts that will help push your ST to and over the edge of high performance. As our release for our Performance Intercooler sits on the horizon, there's no better time than the second official day of summer "17 to tell you Focus ST enthusiasts that we are also developing upgraded intercooler piping to compliment it, because, why stop there?

    Underbody shot of the stock intercooler piping on a 2013 Ford Focus ST
    Underbody shot of the stock intercooler piping on a 2013 Ford Focus ST

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  3. Cooler Than Winterfell - Intercooler R&D, Part 3: Does It Perform?

    Cooler Than Winterfell - Intercooler R&D, Part 3: Does It Perform?

    We've noticed that the 2013+ Ford Focus ST has little wiggle room when it comes to gaining power strictly from bolt-on parts. Even with stage 3 tunes, not many ST's out there see horsepower numbers beyond 300-350hp. That barrier can be surpassed with the use of ethanol or a bigger turbo, but on a stock turbo and pump gas, those numbers aren't going too far north.

    With our intercooler, we wanted to bring on some positive effects for the power in this stubborn 2.0L engine. While power is important, we also needed to monitor the outlet temperatures with a visual analysis of heat transfer across the core.

    Setting up our prototype for some dyno runs
    Setting up our prototype for some dyno runs

    One of our newer pieces of equipment is a neat little

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  4. Cooler Than Winterfell - Intercooler R&D, Part 1: Stock System Review

    Cooler Than Winterfell - Intercooler R&D, Part 1: Stock System Review

    George R.R. Martin isn't the only author who can write some gripping stuff about the cold. That's right, brace yourselves, winter is coming; and we are jumping into the frigid waters which we know well - improved intercooler performance. The patient going underneath our scalpel for R&D is the 2013+ Ford Focus ST, but per our usual process, let's first take a brief second to examine the stock system.

    Our Ford Focus ST intercooler on our surgical table
    Our Ford Focus ST intercooler getting inspected

    Ford decided to use tube-and-fin construction for this intercooler instead of bar and plate. The difference between the two is pretty simple. Tube-and-fin intercoolers are more commonplace amongst stock applications. They are lighter and promote greater

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  5. The Civic Has Boost! - Intake R&D, Part 3: Dyno Results

    The Civic Has Boost! - Intake R&D, Part 3: Dyno Results

    Here we have another update for our 2016 Civic intake project. This Civic has finally been put on our dyno to see how our intake performs - and we have some results to share with our Civic community! This car was tricky to dyno properly because of the continuously variable transmission (CVT), but no corners were cut during our testing. Let's jump right in!

    2016 Honda Civic parts dyno testing
    2016 Honda Civic parts dyno testing

    The CVT

    2016 Honda Civic parts dyno testing
    2016 Honda Civic parts dyno testing

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  6. Dyno Testing and Results - Focus ST Intake, Part 3

    Dyno Testing and Results - Focus ST Intake, Part 3

    We have some dyno data for this Focus ST Intake! Along with sharing our performance improvements, we also have video clips of the intake lid both on and off, so you can clearly hear what is going on while the engine is under wide-open throttle.

    Our test vehicle is bone stock, with no aftermarket Focus ST parts, allowing us to provide a nice baseline for performance gains against the stock intake.

    Results

    In addition to using a fully enclosed airbox, the full 3 inch diameter piping extending all the way to the turbo ensured smooth, clean, and ample

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  7. Fabricating the Prototype - Focus ST Intake R&D, Part 2

    Fabricating the Prototype - Focus ST Intake R&D, Part 2

    We have been hard at work developing our 2013 Ford Focus ST intake system. When the stock intake system was removed, there was room to get creative for improving airflow. Right off the bat, you can see how Ford designed its intake to grab as much cold air as possible by using the two tubes that both conjoin at the front grille and connect into different points on the box. We know it will be important to retain this feature and include it in our airbox design for the Focus ST intake.

    Fabricating the Prototype

    With the removal of the stock Focus ST intake leaving a good amount of space, we wanted to design an airbox that uses that space effectively. After the space was carefully and thoroughly surveyed, we got to work fabricating and welding together a working prototype!

    IMG_5883r
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  8. Stock System Evaluation - Focus ST Intake R&D, Part 1

    Stock System Evaluation - Focus ST Intake R&D, Part 1

    The 2013 Ford Focus ST has a lot going for it. This 2.0L front-wheel drive, turbocharged, four- cylinder engine pumps out around 250 hp in its stock form, which is impressive for a two-year-old car you can find for under $20,000. Ford now has two weapons in its modern sport-hatch arsenal, and the company is staying competitive. Most car enthusiasts elect to remove the stock intake system first so they can  free up some contained power potential. The story here is no different with our development of an upgraded Ford Focus ST intake.

    The Stock System

    Our garage was graced with the presence of a nice 2013 Performance Blue Focus ST. Per the usual routine, we began taking apart the stock intake system to familiarize ourselves with and understand Ford's design. One unique element of this Focus ST intake is how air is drawn into the box. As you can see below, the air duct is split into two and the airflow gets routed to both the top and bottom of the system.

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