Page 8 - intercooler

It's been nearly two years since our first 2015 WRX development vehicle rolled into the shop. We've had a lot of fun with the car, and our team has developed a multitude of awesome components to aid in cooling, elevate power, and improve styling. Our product line is essentially complete, meaning we are done wrenching on our WRX. This is bitter sweet, as we will be picking up another vehicle to start the process once again. Before shipping out the WRX, we had one more project up our sleeves to extract a touch more power.

With our existing modifications, including our downpipe, intake, and cat-back exhaust system, most customers are making in the neighborhood of 290 whp and 310 wtq. Not bad for some simple bolt-on modifications and ECU tuning. We've been eyeing TGV modifications and have seen the impressive effects on Subarus from previous model years. We decided to open up the intake system on our 2015 to see if we could design a delete system that would deliver a few extra ponies.

The EcoBoost (EB) engine series is quite impressive and packed full of amazing technology. Direct injection and efficient turbochargers have contributed significantly to improved fuel mileage without compromising engine output. Our fleet of shop vehicles currently includes two EB-powered vehicles, a Fiesta and a Mustang. Both models thoroughly impressed our team with their power, drivability, and handling. We developed a ton of new products for the 1.6L, 2.0L, and 2.3L. Now it is time to turn our attention to the V6 EB world. Our first target is a performance intercooler for the 11-14 3.5L F-150.

From our experience with other EcoBoost models, the factory intercoolers are not exactly ideal. The Mustang heat-soaks after a few pulls, and both hot hatches will quickly exceed the intercooler efficiency with a couple easy modifications. Although the factory F150 intercooler is comparably more stout than the coolers for the smaller 4-cylinder models, many have still found it to be inefficient

We've given the 2015 WRX quite a bit of love, mostly due to the introduction of the FA20DIT within the new chassis. Our team developed a ton of awesome components: a downpipe, an intake system, a couple different intercooler options, and various other neat parts. With our WRX projects mostly wrapped up, it's time to turn our attention towards the STi. It still has an EJ engine under the hood, but it is mated to a new chassis that many are taking advantage of in various forms of competitive racing.

So far we have developed an intake and a cat-back exhaust for the STI. Our next target is a bolt-on front-mount intercooler (FMIC) kit for the 2015 STI. The EJ25 is a well-respected engine that can make great power from basic bolt-ons and tuning. In addition, the sky is the limit in terms of power output once engine internals are upgraded and a large snail is bolted up. Greater power means more heat, resulting in the need for a more efficient heat exchanger for the charge-air system. Thus,

Time for another update on our intercooler project! Last time we left off with a foam intercooler core and some cool 3D-printed end tanks. This update is a bit more exciting!

Mock Up Prototype

With both the tanks printed and our core cut to shape, we could mate these pieces to check fitment of our existing design.

Prototype Ford Fiesta ST intercooler assembled

The tanks feature the mounting pegs and brackets to attach the cooler to the radiator and support.

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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

Interested in picking up our Mercedes CLA45 intake system? Check out our product page for more details.

Mishimoto Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG Performance Air Intake

We've been working on this Mercedes cold-air intake for months, and finally we have arrived at our last test fit. After constructing a final prototype of our Mercedes air intake, we phoned our test vehicle owner and wrangled him into coming down to our headquarters for another day. A big "thank you" to the vehicle owner for the use of his CLA!

Installed Shots

Everything fit into place perfectly and looks fantastic! First, take a look at our final silicone intake inlet hose and pressure-sensor flange.

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Interested in picking up our Mercedes CLA45 intake system? Check out our product page for more details.

Mishimoto Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG Performance Air Intake

Mishimoto CLA45 AMG intake system

It is a pretty exciting week here at Mishimoto! All our final prototype components for this awesome intake system have arrived. We have plenty of images to share, and we are excited to get our test vehicle back in the shop to confirm our final design.

Final Prototype Inlet Hose

One of the most discussed pieces included in this kit is our turbocharger inlet hose. This piece connects the turbocharger compressor

Interested in picking up our Mercedes CLA45 intake system? Check out our product page for more details.

Mishimoto Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG Performance Air Intake

Inlet Tube Test Component Fabrication

Time for the fun part, dyno testing! Before putting the AMG on our dyno, we needed to make a quick adjustment for our tests. As mentioned in our previous posts, we created the inlet tube with our 3D printer for this intake, but with the close proximity of this component to the exhaust and turbocharger, we were a bit concerned with it melting or deforming during our dyno runs. We decided to fabricate an aluminum prototype to better handle the heat.

We started with some aluminum pipe and our template 3D-printed design.