Page 5 - merica

Greetings everyone! I hope you all enjoyed Cinco de Mayo last week. We celebrated here at the Mishimoto R&D Center with a salsa and dip competition - let me tell you, many of our team members have just as much talent in the kitchen as they do in the design center (and those of us who don't were grateful taste testers).

Though our schedules have been VERY busy with projects, the beginning of show season, and maybe a few siestas here and there (definitely a necessity after all those corn chips!), our engineers have been able to squeeze in some time designing our improved aluminum 2016 Camaro SS radiator. I am here to show you the fruits of their labors! Let's take a peek at what they created.

2016 Camaro radiator - Front View

For those of you not familiar with the climate here in New Castle, Delaware, let me educate you on our summers; they are hot, and they are HUMID. In the dead of the July heatwave, there is nothing worse than smoldering in an apartment with no AC. I am always very appreciative of the little part of my psyche that drives me, once I can barely stand the heat, to pause Top Gear, get off the couch, and grab a cold, refreshing drink. If I were a car, that little part of my psyche would have a name, and it would be called a thermostat.

2016 Camaro thermostat housing (OEM) next to some of our other 2016 camaro parts

What is a Thermostat, and in what Neighborhood

In our last entry, we finished the 3D-printing process for our first prototype intercooler. Our team then started the tedious work of modeling all the features we plan to implement and finalizing the details of our intercooler design. During this process, a new idea emerged that would both improve the performance of our cooler and set our kit apart from others.

Let's dive right in!

F-150 Intercooler Shrouding Fabrication

The footprint of our intercooler core is far larger than that of the stock intercooler. Because of this, it is likely that the airflow supplied by the stock bumper duct is not reaching the entire surface area of our cooler. To combat any issues with loss of airflow, we decided to experiment with some ducting to direct air through the core.

We began the fabrication process with a few old-school techniques; our engineers broke out the template material and a measuring device and started cutting out some ideas.

Design work and refinement continue with our 2016 Camaro expansion tank. To verify fitment within the constraints of the engine bay, we've 3D printed a prototype in plastic to install on our test vehicle.

Check out a few shots of this prototype installed!

Prototype 2016 Camaro coolant expansion tank installed

The image above shows the tank with a sight tube instead of a sight glass, which we used on our previous 3D models. We are experimenting with both designs to determine which is easier to read and which is going to provide the most durability. Let us know what you think!

It's now time to install our prototype and put some data behind the efficiency differences we expect to see between our cooler and the factory heat exchanger. We did add a substantial amount of core surface area, so we anticipate that heat transfer will improve during a load test. Check out this shot of the Mishimoto 6.0L transmission cooler installed!

Mishimoto 6.0 Powerstroke transmission cooler installed

Testing Process

We have numerous tools at our disposal to test heat exchangers. For this one, we will be using our Dynapack™ dynamometer. With a transmission cooler test, we want to apply some load on the vehicle to ensure that stress is created within the drivetrain.

Our product line for the Dodge Cummins continues to grow each year with the addition of interesting components that help you take your truck to the next level. These include efficient aluminum radiators, durable silicone hose kits, as well as top-notch intercoolers and intercooler piping kits. Our intercooler coverage ranges from 1994 through 2012, but in 2013, Dodge changed the Cummins intercooler design substantially. So once again, we are ready to take a shot at improving the factory system.

Factory Cummins Intercooler

Test vehicle for 6.7L Cummins intercooler development

Like previous generations, the 2013+ models feature an air-to-air intercooler. The primary change

When we last had our test vehicle in the shop, the team fully evaluated the stock intercooler and piping system. In addition, we started to determine our projected core size and mocked up a foam prototype. In this segment, we will be expanding upon that by creating a mock-up prototype to test fitment.

3D-Printing Prototype

Using our mock-up foam core dimensions and data from the factory intercooler, our team began to construct the end tanks using 3D-modeling software. To confirm fitment, each section was 3D printed to create a prototype that could be placed in the vehicle.

This process required some trial and error to ensure that the 3D model was as accurate as possible. The inlet/outlet portions were the most challenging, so these were printed and tested first.

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