Page 20 - Engineering

Ranger: A person or thing that wanders or ranges over a particular area or domain. In the case of the 2019+ Ford Ranger, a ranger is both person and thing, man and machine, wandering over the domain of a daily city commute and dusty mountain trails. In other words, the Ranger is one of the most capable small trucks on the road today. But even given its competence on varying terrain, some of the Ranger's components could still be more capable.

The 2.3L EcoBoost under the hood is small but mighty. The heart of a Mustang gives the Ranger a balance of grunt to make it through precarious ravines and fuel efficiency to make sure it can go the distance. But one of the most critical systems keeping the Ranger rolling is the cooling system, specifically the radiator. Strengthening this crucial

From Super Duty to Heavy Duty, all the way to MEGA Duty, if there's a large displacement diesel with a massive turbocharger under the hood, it's designed to be a beacon of durability in a world of truck abuse. Ford launched the 1999 F-Series Super Duty utilizing the 7.3L Powerstroke with every intention of that truck lasting for an eternity. Over 20 years later, there are more than 725,000 of these trucks (including the Econoline and Excursion) still hauling and towing on the road today. Even though there are still almost ¾ of a million 7.3L Powerstroke powered Fords on the road today, they're showing their age. Components are starting to wear out, specifically when it comes to the intercooling system.

It's a known fact that boost pressure works best when it stays inside the system. The

Many believe that the key to a great truck is a powerful engine when, in reality, the transmission can make or break a truck. Your 2011+ Ford F-Series equipped with the 6.7L Powerstroke was delivered with enough torque to spin the Earth off its axis. Still, without a sturdy transmission distributing that power, you're left with gear confetti in a transmission fluid stew. In short, maintaining proper temperatures in your Powerstroke is vital to keep it towing, pulling, and hauling to its full potential. It's about time the 6.7L was due for a cooling upgrade.

Before we can dive into the improvements, we need to understand the OEM system fully. In 2011, Ford upped the ante in the heavy-duty truck segment with the 6.7L Powerstroke, complete with all the technology to earn the Super Duty moniker, specifically the addition of an entire secondary cooling system. This system's focus is dissipating heat from the air-to-water intercooler and channels coolant through several of the vehicle's

"Supra" is a name that evokes all types of tuner fantasies. These days, it's more uncommon to find a MKIV Supra that isn't hugging the asphalt or pushing 800+ horsepower to the wheels. Modifying a Supra is an enthusiast tradition. When the A90 finally came along, plenty wanted to carry on that tradition. However, with more power, stronger bolt-ons are needed, which is why we're focusing on the GR Supra's charge pipe.

It's beyond old news at this point that BMW pulled most of the weight when it came to the development of the A90 Supra, basing it on the G29 Z4. The tag-team effort means that the MKV ain't no slouch in terms of performance and quality. Like any mass-produced vehicle, there will still be some shortcomings for the sake of cost.

The B58 that powers the Supra is unique

The transmission in your JK Wrangler is practically the essence of what makes it a Jeep. The sturdy gear sets housed inside, transferring power from the engine, give the Wrangler its go anywhere, do anything attitude. Jeeps pride themselves on being ready for any situation, from the dusty trails to mall parking lots, but are they in it for the long haul? Where the transmission is the soul of the Jeep, keeping it cool can sometimes pose a challenge. True, there are plenty of means of maintaining transmission fluid cool with external coolers, but they won't do you any good if the fluid never makes it to the cooler. That's why a sturdy thermal bypass valve is essential for the Jeep JK Wrangler, along with a myriad of other Mopar products.

Before we dive straight into our new design, let's take a look at the who, what, and why of the thermal bypass valve. First, your automatic transmission is a collection of planetary gear sets, clutch packs, shafts, and other wizardry suspended in a

The automotive industry is a constant cycle of innovation. It has to be to survive and adapt to every commuter's needs. If the manufacturers nailed it on the first try, we'd still be using carburetors, and the concept of the hot-hatch wouldn't even exist. Luckily, manufacturers are keeping up to date on common trends, which is why the GTI is on its 7th, soon to be 8th generation. Just as VW and every other auto company like to keep things fresh, we here at Mishimoto are of the same mindset, which is why we're revisiting our MK7 performance intake kit.

Before we can get into the new design of our intake kit, we'll need to dive into why we're looking to upgrade the Golf's induction system in the first place. Enthusiasts are always looking for a means to improve their ride. When it comes to the 1.8T or 2.0T powering the MK7, it's all about being able to both feed your turbo more air and also increase the volume of the turbo's singing voice. With the current setup, however, both of these

PERFORMANCE HEAT EXCHANGER, FITS TOYOTA GR SUPRA 3.0L, 2020+

The GR Supra is a showoff. This is not news. No one is going out to buy one of Toyota's most revered sports cars because they're looking for something sensible. Nope, they're looking for a shouty straight-six, all wrapped in a sleek, low-riding 2-seater body. They're likely looking to turn the A90 into their next mod-machine as well. If you've been following our R&D, you'll already know that our new heat exchanger design, on paper, is also quite the showoff. If you don't already know that aspect, make sure to head back to our last post, which outlines the new design features.

What we want to know now is, sure, our heat exchanger can talk the talk, but can it walk the walk? To find out, we arranged a torture test that allows us to record the air-to-water intercooler system's

By today's standards, the latest iteration of the Ford Ranger is tiny. Lined up next to Ford's Super Duty offerings, or even the F-150, the mid-sized, 4-cylinder pickup looks more like a toy than a truck. What it lacks in physical stature, the Ranger more than makes up for in potential. The small stature plays very well to the Ranger's advantage. First off, not everyone who wants a truck needs something that can tow the moon out of orbit or have the payload capacity to throw the Statue of Liberty in the bed. Second, the fact that it's small means that it can navigate trickier paths, from narrow city streets to single track off-road trails, making it a more than capable do-anything truck. Since it has such potential, though, there's plenty to be done to make the Ranger a little more do-anything-er.