Page 5 - team mishi

Interested in purchasing one of our new shift knob designs? Check out more product details at the link below!

Mishimoto Shift Knobs

We've brought you two prototype designs thus far, and now we have one more weighted shift knob ready to pull from our knapsack and present to the public. These three designs are displayed in order from wild to mild, with our third design representing a more traditional shape. Hopefully, one of our new designs is something you could see yourself grabbing ahold of while ripping through some gears.

3D Models

As with our other designs, this life also began as a 3D model. Our Solidworks wizards went to work and quickly transformed an idea from sketches to a rendering. Check it out!

Prototype weighted shift knob rendering

Prototype weighted shift knob rendering

As indicated by the name, the general shape is in the form of a teardrop, which provides a nice ergonomic feel.

Check out the Mishimoto logo laser etched on top!

Prototype weighted shift knob rendering

This

We've got hot hatch fever! One of the newest vehicles to grace our garage, which happens to be our 3^rd hatch for intake development, is the new 2015 VW GTI. Although Volkswagen was far from the first company with a hot hatch in its lineup, it was one of the first companies to really push the popularity of the design. VW is synonymous with the term "hot hatch" to most automotive enthusiasts. With the emergence of VW's newest GTI, it's time for us at Mishimoto to design our own intake for this turbocharged 2.0L engine.

GTI arriving at the shop!

Goals

Newer GTIs can either come with or without a Secondary Air Injection (SAI) pipe. Basically, this is a system that forces more air into the exhaust during start up and acceleration, which creates a richer air-fuel mixture. With more air going into the exhaust, the byproduct is less concentrated, and this is generally good for the catalytic converter. For this MK7, we will have two systems - one for SAI cars, which will include a breather filter,

If you read our blog, you'll remember a short while ago that we did a quick dyno test on a brand-new, fully stock 2016 Miata ND. That's not all we had planned for this little roadster. We put our Engineers to work on upgraded intake. Take a look behind the scenes and follow our progress as we bring our intake design to life.

Mazda has pulled out all the stops for this brand-new MX-5. Auto manufacturers rarely make the next generation in a specific vehicle line lighter in weight. With the rapid increase in advances in technology and the demand for more safety features in new vehicles, there is little doubt that the next generation of a model will be heavier. Not the case here! The current US-released version of this 2016 Miata ND has a curb weight of around 2,332 lb. Compared to the previous-generation NC that weighed around 2,498 lb, this model has shed about 166 lb!

Although this ND generation of the MX-5 has a lower horsepower rating (155 hp at the crank) than the NC, it is actually

Interested in purchasing one of our new shift knob designs? Check out more product details at the link below!

Mishimoto Shift Knobs

We promised there would be more! Our first design presented Wednesday was pretty slick, and this next design is all about ergonomics and comfort. Not only did the design team work on the aesthetics, but we also spent some time ensuring that the feel of this knob would be ideal for slamming into gears while keeping your eyes pinned to the road.

Initial Design Rendering

As with our other weighted shift knob, this one also started in the 3D world. Check out a couple SolidWorks models showing the initial shape.

Mishimoto pistol grip shifter knob rendering

Mishimoto pistol grip shifter knob rendering

This design is not quite as bold as the last one, but it still certainly makes a statement.

Mishimoto pistol grip shifter knob rendering

3D-Printed Prototype Testing

Testing? What are we testing with a shift knob? We put together a few different grip styles with differences

Interested in purchasing one of our new shift knob designs? Check out more product details at the link below!

Mishimoto Shift Knobs

Not all our projects involve in-depth data, heat-transfer calculations, or metal fabrication. From time to time our engineering team collaborates with our talented creative team to develop awesome accessories for your ride. These upgrades might not add power or drop temperatures, but they can surely improve the driving experience and offer an improvement in styling.

In addition to the collaboration work, each design was created by a different member of our team. If you know any of these people, you might see where the designs reflect their personalities quite a bit.

Weighted Shift Knob

Our first unique design is likely to find its way into the vehicle of someone seeking a bolder look. This design started life in the 3D world as a SolidWorks model.

Mishimoto Weighted Shift Knob 3D rendering

Keep in mind, the design above represents numerous revisions and adjustments

Interested in purchasing this Coolant Filter Kit? Check out our product page for more information!

Mishimoto Ford 6.0L Powerstroke Coolant Filter Kit

We are nearing completion of this awesome project! With our bracket and housing finalized, it was time to fill in the gaps for the rest of the necessary components. First up, the filter selection. As mentioned earlier, we were looking for an efficient filter that could easily be purchased at any parts store. We went with the WIX 24070. Of course, any brand that will cross-reference with this filter will also function with our kit.

Filter Selection

Filter

A look at this filter mounted, with the necessary hardware for the bracket.

Filter, filter housing, and mounting hardware

Valves

Our next key components are the valves for the housing and lines. We will use ball-style valves for easy, reliable operation. Check out a couple shots of our plans for this component.

Valve for coolant filtration housing

Coolant filtration housing valve installed

Interested in purchasing this Coolant Filter Kit? Check out our product page for more information!

Mishimoto Ford 6.0L Powerstroke Coolant Filter Kit

Coolant Filter Housing Prototype

Time for some CNC-machined goodies! Last time we left you with a look at our 3D-printed prototype housing. After reviewing the design and making some minor adjustments, we were able to create a CNC-machined aluminum housing. Check out the results below!

3D prototype housing (right) and CNC-machined housing

And a few close-up shots!

CNC-machined coolant filter housing

CNC-machined coolant filter housing

So let's chat about some of the features you see on this housing. First, this component is constructed from billet aluminum and machined into the proper shape. The inlet and outlet ports are both machined and threaded to accept the valves that we will discuss soon. We then use a threaded filter adapter on the base, which accepts the filter we have selected to use for this project.

The top of this unit features

Interested in purchasing this Coolant Filter Kit? Check out our product page for more information!

Mishimoto Ford 6.0L Powerstroke Coolant Filter Kit

Project Introduction

Factory 6.0L engine bay

The Ford/International 6.0L was launched in 2003 in an effort to compete with the high power output from the GM 6.6L Duramax, while still meeting new emissions standards. In factory form, the 6.0L Powerstroke is generally reliable and will perform a majority of the tasks demanded by truck owners. Unfortunately, as many have discovered, increasing the power output on the 6.0L produces increased stress on the cooling system, resulting in serious head gasket and other cooling system failures. The head bolts tend to stress with increased power, resulting in damage to the gasket. This knowledge is quite widespread, and the basic fix includes a head resurface, head gasket replacement, and the install of ARP (Automotive Racing Products) head studs. Once replaced, you are free to load the truck with power

Interested in purchasing our 6.7L Powerstroke radiator? Check out our product page for more information!

Mishimoto Ford 6.7L Powerstroke Aluminum Radiator

Time to put some numbers behind the effort our team has put forth on this project! As mentioned in the last post, we would be collecting real-world driving data to analyze the effectiveness of our performance aluminum radiator against the factory unit. To prepare for this, we attached our temperature sensors to both the inlet and outlet of the radiator. This would allow us to analyze the efficiency of the radiator by comparing the reduction in temperature from inlet to outlet. Check out these sensors attached to the factory radiator.

Temperature sensors installed with factory radiator

Now that we had everything installed and the cooling system was bled of any air bubbles, we could begin to collect the necessary data. To keep things consistent, identical testing conditions were used to ensure that this was as close to apples-to-apples