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  1. Strength of Heart - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 3:  Production

    Strength of Heart - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 3: Production

    This 2015-2018 Dodge RAM 6.7L Cummins Transmission Cooler is now on sale! Click here to check it out!

    When we last saw our 2015-2018 RAM 6.7L Cummins performance transmission cooler, it was an aluminum box with 3D prints for ports. In this post, however, we'll be taking that box and turning it into a fully functional transmission cooler. But first, we need to recap how we got here and perform one more test.

    In our last post, we finalized our design for our 2015-2018 RAM Cummins transmission cooler. Our performance cooler will use a tube-and-fin core like the stock unit, but to add cooling capacity, we'll be making our core 60% thicker than stock with a 112% larger core volume. We'll be improving the internal structure of the cooler by adding fins to the inside of the fluid tubes.  These fins make the cooler more efficient by adding

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  2. Strength of Heart - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 2:  Design

    Strength of Heart - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 2: Design

    One of our favorite parts of the R&D process is the design and prototyping phase. It's our first chance to see our products come to life and compare them to the stock parts. In our last post, we looked at the stock transmission cooler for the 2015-2018 RAM 6.7L Cummins. We learned that, compared to the 2003-2009 6.7L Cummins transmission cooler, the stock 2005-2018 transmission cooler is relatively simple. Two cylindrical end tanks connect the tube-and-fin core, and four mounting tabs secure the cooler to the radiator. The transmission lines connect to the cooler with two standard quick-disconnects.

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  3. Strength of Heart - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 1:  Stock Review

    Strength of Heart - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 1: Stock Review

    If you ask most drivers what the heart of their vehicle is, they'll likely say the engine. The engine provides power and is often the most advertised part of the powertrain, but it's not alone. In fact, if you ask somebody who tows heavy loads, they might say the heart of their car or truck is the transmission. A vehicle's transmission is responsible for delivering all the power the engine makes to the wheels, and its success or failure in that role can make or break the vehicle, especially when towing. Few drivers know the importance of a well-designed transmission better than owners of 6.7L Cummins-powered RAM trucks and the engineers at Mishimoto.

    We also know that it doesn't matter how well-designed a transmission is if you can't keep it cool. Over the years, we've developed transmission coolers for nearly every iteration of Cummins-powered RAM; now, it's time to apply that experience to one of the latest generations with a performance transmission cooler for the 2015-2018 6.7L

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  4. Bypassing the Norm - Thermal Bypass Valve R&D, Part 1: Design to Delivery

    Bypassing the Norm - Thermal Bypass Valve R&D, Part 1: Design to Delivery

    The transmission
    is the backbone of your 2013-2018 Dodge Ram 6.7L Cummins. It's responsible for
    transmitting up to 930 lb-ft of torque from the engine to the wheels. That much
    power generates a lot of heat and if that heat isn't dissipated, it can destroy
    your transmission. The transmission cooler does a decent job of keeping
    transmission fluid temperatures in check, but only if the fluid can reach it.

    The stock
    cooling systems of both the 68-RFE and Aisin AS69RC utilize an in-line thermal
    bypass valve that controls the flow of fluid to the transmission cooler. The
    purpose of this valve is to prevent transmission fluid from flowing to the
    cooler until it reaches operating temperature. In cold environments, this
    operation is important to prevent overcooling, but there's an inherent problem
    with the stock bypass valve.

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  5. We've Got It - Catch Can Kit R&D, Part 1: Concept to Completion

    We've Got It - Catch Can Kit R&D, Part 1: Concept to Completion

    What is it about a new vehicle that draws people to it?
    Every car or truck enthusiast can relate to catching a glimpse of a new vehicle
    from across the parking lot and thinking, "What is that?". Whatever it is, the
    new 2019 Dodge Ram 1500 has a lot of it. When we pulled our volunteer 2019 Ram
    1500 5.7L into our R&D facility for the first round of catch can
    development, even our car segment
    walked out to take a look.

    If you own a 2019+ Ram 1500, and you're like most new
    vehicle owners, you want to keep that "it factor" for as long as possible. Car
    washes and interior detailing are a must. But what about under the hood? I'm
    not talking pressure washing the engine; I mean inside the engine. After all,
    part of that "it factor" for you is driving your truck. If the outside looks
    great, but the engine runs rough, that wonder of owning a new vehicle is going
    to fade quickly.

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  6. 21st Century Cooling - Radiator R&D, Part 1: Design to Delivery

    21st Century Cooling - Radiator R&D, Part 1: Design to Delivery

    This 2004-2008 Dodge Ram 5.7L Hemi Radiator is now on sale! Check it out here!

    Chrysler's Hemi engine has been an icon of innovation for almost 75 years. Since its first test runs in the P-47 Thunderbolt fighter plane and stint powering the M47 Patton Tank, the Hemi has been evolving to become one of the most widely used engine designs. The Hemi is the chosen design for engines in top fuel dragsters, just about every insanely powerful MOPAR car, and our subject, the 2004-2008 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7L.

    While the 5.7L Hemi under the hood of the 3rd Gen Ram 1500 is the result of decades of innovation and evolution, some of the components supporting it are still stuck in the past. The plastic end-tank radiator, for example, hasn't quite caught up to the times. The stock 5.7L rad was enough for stock trucks from 2004 to 2008, but ten years of use has taken its toll. Not to mention, the Hemi platform was designed to make power, and more power means more heat.

    For the past

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  7. A Cooler for Atlas - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 4: Testing

    A Cooler for Atlas - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 4: Testing

    This 2003-2009 Dodge Ram 5.9L/6.7L Cummins Transmission Cooler is now available! Click here to check it out!

    After all the time spent designing, welding, prototyping, and fitting, we were more than anxious to test the cooler and see if all our work would pay off.

    Testing wouldn't be easy though. The weather outside was growing colder every day, and cold is the enemy when you're trying to push the limits of a heat exchanger. Nevertheless, on-road testing would yield the most relevant results for our customers, so we had to try. We hitched a trailer to our 5.9L Cummins volunteer truck, loaded our 6.7L Powerstroke, and hit the road. Temperature sensors in the inlet and outlet of the transmission cooler would let us know when we had maxed out the cooling potential of the stock cooler. Once the inlet and outlet temperatures leveled out, we could record the final temperature and swap in our cooler to repeat the test. But the temps never leveled out.

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  8. Next Generation Cooling - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 4: Testing

    Next Generation Cooling - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 4: Testing

    This 1994-2002 Dodge Ram Cummins Transmission Cooler is now on sale! Click here to check it out!

    Variables and constants - the two most important aspects of any scientific venture. For any test result to be accurate, a set of constants must be tested against one variable. The key in that equation being that there is only one variable. This concept becomes increasingly elusive as you begin adding more and more systems to the equation. Controlling our variables is a task we've become quite skilled in here at Mishimoto. After all, our everyday work involves testing extremely complex vehicle systems. But, we do sometimes meet challenges along the way.

    When we last saw our 1994-2002 Dodge Ram Cummins transmission cooler, it was installed on our volunteer truck and patiently awaiting testing. However, we had some decisions to make before we could put the cooler through its paces. No matter how good we are at controlling variables in our testing, one variable we can't

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  9. Finishing Touches - Aluminum Expansion Tank R&D Part 2 - Design Fabrication and Finished Product

    Finishing Touches - Aluminum Expansion Tank R&D Part 2 - Design Fabrication and Finished Product

    If there's one thing that hasn't ever changed about muscle cars it's that they're hot cars. All the current iterations of American classics have a way of making just about any grade of gearheads neck break as they rumble by, especially when it comes to the latest Mopars. The scalding hot and aggressive looks are enough to sizzle your retinas, and their monstrous V8 actually produces plenty of heat. All that hot coolant needs a place to go, and unfortunately, Chrysler didn't have aesthetics in mind when it came to the expansion tank, as we went over in our last post. Lucky for you, we have a better idea on how to dress up your engine bay.

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    It might have been a little over a year since I started

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  10. Next Generation Cooling - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 3: Production

    Next Generation Cooling - Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 3: Production

    This 1994-2002 Dodge Ram 5.9L Cummins Transmission Cooler is now available! Click here to check it out!

    Imaginative. Innovative. Forward-thinking. All adjectives that Dodge used in 1994 to describe their new Ram pickup design. Coincidentally, they're also words we like to live by here at Mishimoto. Just because something hasn't been done before doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. That's the philosophy we're taking for our direct-fit 1994-2002 Ram Cummins transmission cooler. It's been a challenge to fit a more efficient cooler in the tight space between the bumper and the intercooler. Nevertheless, our engineers have managed to design something awesome that bolts in like the stock cooler.

    When we last saw our 2nd Gen Ram transmission cooler, it wasn't cooling much of anything, mostly because it was less of a transmission cooler and more of an aluminum box with some brackets welded onto it. While it may not have looked like much, that aluminum box gave us the information

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