Our pre-sale is now live for the Mishimoto 2008-2014 WRX top-mount intercooler kit!
For more details on how to join the pre-sale and purchase this kit with discounted pricing, check out the link below!
Additionally, feel free to skim through our build process and testing data on our blog!
Enjoy the image gallery below which features our final design and a few of our charts from testing!
Thanks
What does one do with a blown Subaru EJ20? We asked this question on one of our social media outlets and had a ton of responses. This included a coffee table, flower pot, speaker system, stove, and even a boat anchor. After spinning a few rod bearings during some dyno testing (this WRX led a pretty rough life), we decided it was time to get creative with the remains. With an upcoming open-house event, we were determined to turn this grimy, beaten engine into a display unit for our Subaru product line.
With little time before the event, we set one of our engineers to the task of disassembling and refinishing this filthy engine. Our goal was to have a mobile display unit that could be used as a great conversation starter at events we attend. The entirety of our product line would be used to provide a neat glance at what we offer for the Subaru WRX/STI. Check out the build process below!
After a few hours in the shop, the engine was finally out and ready for disassembly.
Dyno testing for our 2015 WRX intake has commenced! Check out a few of the videos captured during the development process.
Thanks for watching!
Testing day! After a long ride through development and design, it was finally time to see the fruits of our labor. Before strapping the STI to the dynamometer, we needed to prepare the coolers for testing. This included drilling and tapping the coolers for our temperature and pressure sensors at both the inlet tank and outlet tank.
Check out a few preparation shots of our stock cooler!
Next up is the Mishimoto cooler. For testing we used our powder-coated cooler rather than the raw aluminum unit. (The finish has little to no effect on performance.) This version of the cooler is identical to what we have planned for mass production, assuming our testing is successful.
So just how much better is the Mishimoto top-mount intercooler (TMIC) compared to the stock unit? Well " only our testing will confirm this. Physically we can already see several improvements. Let's compare the core size in a simple chart.
Comparison of core thickness in stock intercooler (left) and Mishimoto TMIC prototype
A look at the bottom of both intercoolers reveals quite a few differences.
In addition to the increased size, you will also notice that our inlets are different than those on the stock cooler. This feature sets our cooler apart from any other product on the market. We designed these ports with both flow and air dispersion in mind. Check out the close-up below.
The most obvious change is
The wait is over! Time to reveal the full details of our prototype top-mount intercooler (TMIC). This unit is unpainted, and one of the more obvious features is its massive size! First, a few overview images of this cooler.
As you can see we designed two fully casted end tanks for this cooler. Both the BPV flange and Y-pipe flanges are CNC-machined. The thickness and construction of our casting will provide the durability needed to run much higher pressures than your STI will ever see. Each tank is then TIG-welded to our core. As with other projects, we are using a bar-and-plate core for improved heat transfer and resistance to heat soak. Let's take a closer look at the core itself.
Thanks for returning to the final portion of this build. Now that we have finished testing, it is time to review our data and see the improvements our cooler provided. To start things off, here is a shot of the cooler fully installed!
Let's dive into the data. First, we'll compare the basic specs of our cooler versus the OEM unit.
The Mishimoto intercooler features a 37.9% increase in internal flow area compared to the stock intercooler!
The Mishimoto intercooler features an 80% increase in internal core volume compared to the stock intercooler!
The Mishimoto intercooler features a 79.5% increase in overall intercooler
Did you think we would just develop a top-mount intercooler (TMIC) for the GD WRX and leave out the STI? No way! At around the same time we began development on the WRX, we picked up a new shop vehicle, a 2010 STI. When a new vehicle makes its way into shop service, we need to be sure it accelerates and handles properly. The STI passed our checkup. We then set out to determine what products we wanted to develop first. We already had a few items on the market, including a performance aluminum radiator and a silicone radiator hose kit. Our first target had been a direct-fit oil cooler that proved to be extremely successful, providing a 20°F drop in oil temperatures during our testing. Next we created a plug-n-play fan shroud with dual 12" electric fans. The key component of this shroud was the use of stock-style fan connectors and a very
3D printed prototype (left) and final prototype of sandwich plate
Let's see how this guy looks installed!
Throw on a few banjo fittings!
And then we attach and route our lines.
Here's a shot of the rendering of the assembled kit. These Solidworks software renderings are always neat!
Testing time! We spliced our temperature sensors into the lines and hit the road for some testing. Our testing conditions are listed below.
The most obvious thing to do with your brand new WRX is to take it to the track immediately after leaving the dealership. Fortunately, the WRX is a rather competitive package right out of the box. Our initial driving impressions were very positive, and we have no doubt that this vehicle is going to make a big impact on the enthusiast world. We monitored fluid temperatures at stock power levels during normal driving conditions and found that everything seems to be in spec. We are assuming a majority of these vehicles will not remain at stock power levels for very long. Soon enough, many enthusiasts will be bolting on intakes and exhaust systems and supporting everything with a solid tune. As we have seen with our initial intake testing, the FA20DIT responds very well to modifications. We expect the 2015 WRX should be able to attain 300 whp with a few simple modifications.
