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  1. Beat The Heat! Mishimoto Fiesta ST Intercooler R&D, Part 1: Big Plans for a Little Car

    Beat The Heat! Mishimoto Fiesta ST Intercooler R&D, Part 1: Big Plans for a Little Car

    We've discussed R&D for many of our typical product segments for the Fiesta ST. These include our in-progress aluminum radiator, our already released catch can kit and oil cooler solution, as well as our nearly complete intake system and exhaust components (both cat-back and downpipe). Our company is also known for its strong line of heat exchangers, so we certainly need to see what can be done about the undersized stock intercooler on the Fiesta.

    Heat is a big enemy of the Fiesta, as many have already discovered during track driving. High oil temperatures, high coolant temperatures, and a heat-soaked intercooler all commonly occur after short periods of aggressive driving. We've been actively tackling both the coolant and oil temperature concerns in other development threads, but now it's time to lower the intake temperatures with an upgraded intercooler.

    Stock Intercooler Evaluation

    You've probably seen the stock Ford Fiesta ST intercooler on

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  2. E46 3-Series Silicone Radiator Hose R&D!

    E46 3-Series Silicone Radiator Hose R&D!

    Interested in purchasing our E46 silicone radiator hose kit? Check out our product page linked below!

    Mishimoto BMW E46 Non-M Silicone Radiator Hose Kit!

    The E46 BMW has been the focus for a ton of product development here at Mishimoto. Recent projects include the Mishimoto Performance Air Intake, Aluminum Radiator, and Aluminum Expansion Tank. To continue our pursuit of supplying a full cooling solution for the 3-series, we also tackled a set of radiator hoses for this model. In typical Mishimoto fashion, we will be looking to improve the durability of the stock design.

    Stock Hose Setup

    The stock BMW E46 radiator hose system is unique, mostly due to the inclusion of quick-disconnect fittings at each mating point. Take a look at the stock hoses pulled from our test vehicle during radiator testing and development.

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  3. Turn Up the Volume - Cat-Back Exhaust R&D, Part 2: Sound Testing

    Turn Up the Volume - Cat-Back Exhaust R&D, Part 2: Sound Testing

    In our last post we took a good look at the stock Fiesta ST exhaust and the initial design of our cat-back exhaust. The exhaust was fabricated and installed on the car and then it was time to test the stock system.

    exhaust post 5

    To Resonate or Not to Resonate

    Getting the sound just right was quite a process. Our initial prototype featured 2.5" piping with a single rear muffler. This design did not feature a resonated mid-pipe unlike the stock unit. The initial design was sound tested on the dyno and also test driven by several members of the team. While we loved the low growl of the exhaust as it was, we wanted to test a resonated version before settling on a final design. As with all exhaust development projects, we are aiming for a final product that sounds great on throttle while still being

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  4. Mazda Miata (NB) Oil Cooler R&D, Part 2: Oil Cooler Shroud and Duct Development

    Mazda Miata (NB) Oil Cooler R&D, Part 2: Oil Cooler Shroud and Duct Development

    Interested in picking up our NB Miata oil cooler kit? Check out our discounted pre-sale linked below.

    Mishimoto 1999-2005 Mazda Miata Oil Cooler Kit Pre-Sale!

    In our last segment, we outlined the goals of the project, and we started fabricating mounting brackets to position our heat exchanger under the front of the Miata NB (second generation). We also hinted at the use of shrouding to direct airflow properly through our cooler.

    Optimal airflow through a heat exchanger is vital to the efficiency derived from an oil cooler system. In addition, we see value in retaining the stock engine undertray, which aids in the proper regulation of coolant temperatures. We will build our air duct into the undertray, with the goal of a stock-like appearance on the top of our list, right next to optimal airflow.

    Air Duct Fabrication

    First, we needed to create some space to fit our ducting. We ordered

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  5. Pure VQ Sound! Mishimoto's Nissan 350Z Performance Intake R&D, Part 4: Final Prototype Assembly

    Pure VQ Sound! Mishimoto's Nissan 350Z Performance Intake R&D, Part 4: Final Prototype Assembly

    Interested in purchasing our awesome intake system? Check out our product page linked below!

    Mishimoto Nissan 350Z Performance Air Intake!

    Last time we dyno tested our assembled prototype for sound and performance. Maximum gains were achieved in the midrange of the rpm band to the tune of 10 whp and 13 wtq. These are impressive numbers. We saw gains from the start of the pull through redline, averaging around 5-7 whp/wtq throughout.

    The sound produced by the VQ with our intake installed is nothing short of awesome! The large air filter and reduced restriction produces a deeper, amplified induction tone that sounds quite satisfying from behind the wheel.

    Our last task is to fully model our design in Solidworks and construct our final prototype for fitment confirmation. As we mentioned last time, minor tweaks were needed to perfect fitment.

    Intake 3D

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  6. Enhance Your EcoBoost Exhaust! Cat-Back Development, Part 5: Sound Testing

    Enhance Your EcoBoost Exhaust! Cat-Back Development, Part 5: Sound Testing

    With just a couple small tasks to go, we're near the completion of this 2015 Mustang cat-back exhaust project. Our design for this system is complete from the downpipe connection to the end of the stainless exhaust tips.

    3D Models

    Our prototype exhaust meets our requirements for both fitment and performance, so it was time to create a 3D-model of our design, which would ensure that our manufactured exhausts match our design exactly. After some time at the computer screen working in Solidworks, we ended up with the awesome renderings below!

    Mishimoto 2015 Mustang EcoBoost exhaust rendering
    Mishimoto 2015 Mustang EcoBoost exhaust rendering

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  7. 2008+ Subaru WRX/STI Aluminum Coolant Overflow Tank R&D!

    2008+ Subaru WRX/STI Aluminum Coolant Overflow Tank R&D!

    Interested in picking up our 2008-2014 WRX/STi overflow tank? Check out our discounted pre-sale linked below.

    2008-2014 Subaru WRX aluminum overflow tank pre-sale!

    If you haven't noticed, the folks here at Mishimoto are not fans of plastic use for cooling system components. A large number of our products provide a more durable material, aluminum, to replace the failure-prone plastic parts, and now we are focusing on another line of products, our aluminum coolant expansion tanks. We offer two different options for the WRX/STI and one for the new Mustang EcoBoost. This article is focused around our newest addition, an aluminum overflow tank for the 2008+ WRX and STI.

    Product Design

    We won't be making any significant changes to the design of this tank compared to the stock unit, except for the construction material. Enlarging the tank's capacity will

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  8. R&D Beginnings - WRX Race Intake, Part 1

    R&D Beginnings - WRX Race Intake, Part 1

    Team Mishi likes to look out for our Subaru community. If you have been following our engineering blog, then you'll notice that we have been rolling out a slew of high quality 2015+ parts WRX. One of the biggest products we launched was our bolt-on intake system. Not only did we provide easy power gains, but our system greatly improved sound, and created a large group of very pleased customers. The gains we produced were a result of reduced restrictions compared to the factory system. A great product that supports stock and mildly modified examples. We are now turning our attention to an even less restrictive iteration that will be designed to support vehicles necessitating maximum airflow.

    Our race-inspired design for this WRX intake will take the more aggressive route of obtaining the maximum power potential an intake can deliver to this FA series motor. Keep in mind, this secondary "Race" design will require tuning for safe operation.

    It is important to understand that this

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  9. Billet 6.0L Powerstroke Thermostat Housing R&D!

    Billet 6.0L Powerstroke Thermostat Housing R&D!

    If you follow our Ford Powerstroke 6.0L product line, you are aware of the high- and low-temperature thermostats we released last year. The high-temperature unit quickly became a customer favorite as a reliable way to improve engine operation, in-cabin heat, and fuel mileage. These benefits are particularly useful in the cold-weather months. Our low-temperature thermostat offers a lower recovery temperature compared to the factory unit, which can help keep coolant temperatures regulated during towing or when transporting heavy loads.

    During the release of the thermostats, we had numerous requests for a replacement housing. The factory housing is a casted piece, which isn't aesthetically pleasing, but it is easy to replace.

    Product Development

    Development began in a pretty simple fashion. We acquired an OEM housing and started capturing measurements so that we could reverse-engineer the piece.

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  10. Fresh Air For The Fiesta! ST Performance Intake R&D, Part 5: Prototype Dyno Testing

    Fresh Air For The Fiesta! ST Performance Intake R&D, Part 5: Prototype Dyno Testing

    Dyno preparation for Fiesta ST parts testing
    Dyno preparation for Fiesta ST parts testing

    Testing day has finally arrived and it's time to see how our new Fiesta ST parts perform! After weeks of prototype design and fabrication, we have our first prototype Ford Fiesta ST intake system ready for dyno testing. Our first round of product testing is being conducted for two reasons:

    First, we want to evaluate power output. Our initial post explained that we were skeptical about making power with our intake. The Fiesta is a MAP-based vehicle and only uses its MAF sensor to gather temperature data. Through our years of development, extracting additional power from speed density (MAP-calculated) is a bit of a challenge. The gains we usually see on these vehicles is a result of reduced restriction within the intake tract. With this intake we've certainly improved flow, so let's see what we are able to produce.

    Our second goal

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