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  1. Intercooler Sandwich - 2015+ VW MK7 GTI/Golf R, Audi A/S3 Intercooler R&D Part 2 - Piping Stock Review

    Intercooler Sandwich - 2015+ VW MK7 GTI/Golf R, Audi A/S3 Intercooler R&D Part 2 - Piping Stock Review

    When we're talking about cooling the charged air in any forced induction vehicle, the intercooler always steals the show. To be fair, it is doing a majority of the work. No matter if you're still running a stock unit or if there's an all-aluminum core seated in the front of your car, it's the star. However, the intercooler would be nothing without the back-up band, the intercooler piping. Putting in all the effort to cool off the charged air would be useless without a method to transfer it to the intake. If the stock intercooler unit had some shortcomings, the piping was bound to end up with some flaws, too.

    021518_NLT_MK7_GLFR_WEB_7

    The safe passage for your charged air is currently left up to the combination of plastic and rubber construction that makes up the factory piping. It might seem that we're

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  2. InterCOOLactic Planetary - 2017+ Honda Civic Type R Intercooler Kit R&D, Part 3 - Piping Design Plans

    InterCOOLactic Planetary - 2017+ Honda Civic Type R Intercooler Kit R&D, Part 3 - Piping Design Plans

    Honda might have changed the game in the world of hot-hatches with the latest generation of the Civic Type R, but if you recall from the stock review, the FK8's intercooling system barely met the classification of "gamechanger." We're already well on our way to elevating the Type R's charged air heat exchanger to that level, as we covered in our last post, but what about the piping? After all, the car is an ecosystem and can only be as strong as its weakest component.

    072617_NLT_CTR_INT_WEB_2

    Discussing the new piping requires a brief recap of our design plans for the intercooler itself. Specifically, we'll start with the revised end tank design. In the Type R's stock form, the piping was a combination of a rubber hose

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  3. Civilized Pipelines: Intercooler Piping R&D, Part 3: The Fruit of our Labors

    Civilized Pipelines: Intercooler Piping R&D, Part 3: The Fruit of our Labors

    This is truly the age of forced induction. A clear indication of the trend came with the release of Honda's 10th generation Civic. After decades of abstaining from giving the intake manifold any extra assistance, we've been delivered a lifetime of naturally aspirated 4 and 6-cylinder engines, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The turbo-less times lead to some truly remarkable engines from the Japanese giant, but enthusiasts craving the extra boost and whine from a turbo or supercharger were left to their own devices.

    While this might not be a 10th Gen, the 8th Gen is a popular platform for aftermarket forced induction kits. Owner Ian Palmeri wanted to ensure that what was going on under the hood matched the outward appearance of his FG2.
    While this
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  4. Hot-Hatch Renaissance - 2007-2013 Mazdaspeed 3 Direct Fit Catch Can R&D Part 1 - Stock Review

    Hot-Hatch Renaissance - 2007-2013 Mazdaspeed 3 Direct Fit Catch Can R&D Part 1 - Stock Review

    The Europeans have dominated the hot-hatchback market for decades. In fact, the term "hot hatchback" was coined to describe Volkswagen's Mk1 Golf GTI, which was responsible for the leadup to the hot-hatch fever throughout Europe and Asia. Just about every manufacturer began producing hatchbacks with stiff suspensions and a few extra horses under the hood. Even our very own Ford produced cars like the Escort Cosworth, and previous generations of the Focus ST and RS, but then left us here in the States, out to dry, when it came to having fun in a sub-compact. That was up until Mazda had their say.

    The combination of comfort, practicality, and speed help the popularity of Mazda's newest fast hatch.
    The combination of comfort, practicality, and speed
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  5. Bring a Jacket- 2016+ Honda Civic 1.5T Performance Intercooler R&D Part 3 - Production Sample

    Bring a Jacket- 2016+ Honda Civic 1.5T Performance Intercooler R&D Part 3 - Production Sample

    It's autumn and, more importantly, it's the start of prime boosting season.  The cool, dense air that's characteristic of the changing seasons is much easier to compress and cram into the cylinders, while the lower ambient temperatures help the intercooler. Even with the stock set up, your tenth generation Civic has a little extra pep in its step. But there's no reason to settle for just a little pep when you can get more.

    Dan's new intercooler design brought to life, and fresh our of the box from our factory.
    Our new intercooler design brought to life, and fresh out of the box from our factory.

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  6. Makin' Our Camaro Purr - Axleback R&D: A Rumblin', Tumblin' Alternative

    Makin' Our Camaro Purr - Axleback R&D: A Rumblin', Tumblin' Alternative

    With the recent release of our Pro Cat-Back Exhaust for the 2016+ Chevy Camaro 2.0T, we have one more variation for you to check out - the Race Axleback.  While it may look like a step down from our Catback, I must say that this exhaust couldn't be any more aggressive.

    Even though the cat-back is a full exhaust, it does have two muffling units towards the rear of the system (straight piping from the downpipe would be unbearably loud). This Race Axleback is essentially a full-on straight pipe for the rear section. From the mid-section of the factory exhaust all the way to the end of the rear bumper, there will be absolutely nothing impeding flow or sound, so it turns this mild 2.0T LTG into something completely different. I won't hold anything back here. There was little attempt to tame the sound coming from this exhaust design. This exhaust will crackle, drone, pop, and make surrounding ears curious. See for yourself in our comparison video below!

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  7. Defending the King - 2017 Honda Civic Type R Direct Fit Catch Can R&D Part 2 - Prototype

    Defending the King - 2017 Honda Civic Type R Direct Fit Catch Can R&D Part 2 - Prototype

    Engine blow-by is something that affects just about every engine on the road. Though plenty of manufacturers have made leaps and bounds in filtering blow-by from the intake, finding clever ways to keep the carbon deposits from building up on intake valves, blow-by remains an issue. This should come as no surprise if you've spent any time on our blog. Just about every type of car and truck that has made its way into our R&D facility, ranging from BMWs to F-150s, and even the 1.5T found in the base Civics, have all produced varying levels of the murky stuff. The K20C1 is likely to be no exception to this trend. That leaves it up to us at Mishimoto to make sure none of the contaminates in the crankcase gasses make it to your valves.

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  8. 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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  9. The Rise to Power - Downpipe R&D, Part 2: A Working Prototype

    The Rise to Power - Downpipe R&D, Part 2: A Working Prototype

    Downpipes are a choke point in many turbocharged vehicles when it comes to exhaust flow. As opposed to naturally aspirated cars, less serious thought needs to go into the size of the exhaust piping. In most cases the system just needs to be bigger in diameter, maximizing what you can within the alotted design space.

    The downpipe on the Camaro 2.0T's LTG engine is a restrictive point in the exhaust system, a conclusion brought about by our testing. The point of emphasis is the rate at which exhaust gases are expelled out of the turbocharger. That flow is very important to how well the turbocharger can do its job. If you can flow more exhaust gases, the turbine can spin faster, leading to more boost. It is now time to test the prototype and figure out what our downpipe design can do for this LTG power-plant.

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  10. Getting Into The Thick of It - Intercooler R&D, Part 3: Running Numbers

    Getting Into The Thick of It - Intercooler R&D, Part 3: Running Numbers

    Our engineering department sought to bombard our intercooler with dyno runs, gathering as much data as possible to ensure that it could stand up to the abuse and intensity you plan to put it through. Due to the fact that this intercooler is sandwiched between the radiator and air conditioning condenser, we had to be sure that our core could effectively combat the effects of heat-soak while performing at maximum efficiency. First, we had to start with size. If the intercooler was going to be an effective modification, it had to be bigger. In case you guys need a refresher from our last update, see below for a size comparison between our core and the factory unit.

    Core Volume Compare
    Core volume comparison

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