Monthly Archives: March 2015

Interested in purchasing our E46 aluminum radiator? Check out our product page linked below!

Mishimoto BMW E46 Non-M Performance Aluminum Radiator!

3D Modeling

After some serious 3D modeling work in Solidworks, our first prototype unit is complete. Let's check out a few of the renders!

Mishimoto E46 3-series aluminum radiator 3D model

Mishimoto E46 3-series aluminum radiator 3D model

As you can see, the rear of the radiator features a variety of complex pieces. The quick-disconnect fittings have been replicated and will be CNC-machined. All stock mounting points have been included in our design so that this radiator drops into place just like the stock unit.

Take a look at the front side of the radiator.

Mishimoto E46 3-series aluminum radiator 3D model, front view

Mishimoto E46 3-series aluminum radiator 3D model, front view

Mishimoto E46 3-series aluminum radiator 3D model, front view

Although you can't see much of the core in these shots, we did spend a great deal of time designing this

The factory inlet/outlet portions of this intercooler are quite interesting. They are shaped to route around the radiator support; however, this has a significant impact on the airflow through this part of the cooler. This bottleneck cannot be eliminated unless users want to grab the Sawzall and shred some steel. We will be looking to reduce this restriction as much as possible with our design. Here is a look at the factory setup.

Factory intercooler outlet

Factory intercooler outlet

And a close-up shot of the tube-and-fin core.

Factory intercooler core

Factory Intercooler - Basic Dimensions

A couple dimensions are shown in the images below to give you an idea of the size of the factory cooler, assuming you've never measured yours!

Factory intercooler thickness

Interested in purchasing our Mustang EcoBoost Downpipe? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

Mishimoto Ford Mustang EcoBoost Downpipe!

Opening up the exhaust on a turbocharged vehicle is a great first modification that can make a big impact on drivability, vehicle sound, and driver enjoyment. Typically, a vehicle will see improvements in horsepower and massive gains in torque output. Emissions and sound requirements normally restrict the size and efficiency of stock exhaust systems, which explains why big gains result from enlarging the piping and eliminating or reducing restrictions within the piping.

For this project, we will focus our efforts on designing and testing a new downpipe option for the 2015+ Ford EcoBoost Mustang. Before tackling our downpipe design, we will take a look at the stock unit pulled from our Triple Yellow shop vehicle.

Stock Downpipe Features

If you haven't peeked under your new Mustang, this portion of the article will give you a look at what

Interested in picking up our 2015 WRX FMIC kit? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

Mishimoto Subaru WRX Front-Mount Intercooler Kit

Time for the fun part of development, product testing! Since this is an intercooler, we would certainly need to put the WRX on the dyno for some pulls and data collection. It would be interesting to see how the installation of a front-mount system has an impact on turbo spool, intake temperatures, and perhaps even power output.

Testing Preparation

The first step toward data collection is to prepare our sensor bungs and install our pressure and temperature sensors. We installed our bungs within the inlet and outlet intercooler couplers.

Sensor bungs installed for dyno testing

Sensor bungs installed for dyno testing

Sensor bungs installed for dyno testing

Dyno Testing

Once complete we strapped the WRX to the dyno and started making our pulls! Check out the images and video from our tests!

Front-mount intercooler dyno testing

Front-mount

Interested in picking up our N54 oil catch can system? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

BMW N54 Baffled Oil Catch Can Kit

E90 Test vehicle engine bay

After evaluating the design of our first prototype and performing some additional research regarding customer needs, we were prepared to fabricate a second prototype. As noted toward the end of our last post, we would be relocating our catch can for easier servicing, and we would also be designing a new catch can lid to accommodate the larger ports for the N54 CCV system.

Catch Can Lid Prototyping

A teaser in our last post revealed the plans we had for our large-port catch can lid. Check out a few more shots of this 3D-printed unit below.

3D-printed prototype catch can lid

3D-printed prototype catch can lid

This lid uses exactly the same mounting bracket and system as our standard baffled catch can, which allows the can to swivel nearly 360 degrees and which provides some adjustment to its mounting. The ports are much

Enthusiast groups' feedback plays a massive role in our product development process. Not only is it a great way to bounce ideas off our potential customers, but it also allows us to see exactly what our customers want and need for their vehicles. This project is no different. Due to a substantial amount of demand via forums and social media, we decided it was time to get the ball rolling on this coolant expansion project.

Stock Expansion Tank

In typical BMW fashion, this tank was quite unique and featured some very interesting components, both internally and externally. First, a look at the exterior of the tank. Many of you are very familiar with this, based on the rate of failure reported for this plastic tank.

Stock E46 3-series coolant expansion tank

Stock E46 3-series coolant expansion tank

Stock E46 3-series coolant expansion tank

Stock E46 3-series coolant expansion tank

So, there are five - yes, five - unique fittings located on this tank, excluding the fill-neck connection. Check

Interested in picking up this awesome Mustang EcoBoost Intercooler? Check out our product page for more details!

Mishimoto Mustang EcoBoost Performance Intercooler

Prototype Modeling

Now that we had a core that was functioning to our standards, it was time to finalize our end tank design and make 3D models to reflect our plans. After some lengthy modeling work, we came up with the renders you see below!

Mishimoto prototype intercooler 3D model

Mishimoto prototype intercooler 3D model

Mishimoto prototype intercooler 3D model

A few quick notes about this cooler! We designed this unit to fit within the same space as the stock intercooler. We designed cast-aluminum end tanks, which will be mated to the bar-and-plate core we tested during the previous (Part 3) segment of this series. We are also retaining the stock intercooler connections, which are large enough for sufficient flow to produce rather high power.

For this cooler we were concerned with pushing air to the entire thickness of the

Interested in purchasing our YJ/TJ electric fan setup? Check out more details on our product page linked below.

Mishimoto Jeep Wrangler YJ and TJ Performance Fan Shroud Kit

Wrangler test vehicles in shop

Now that we had our initial shroud prototype prepared for testing, we installed it on the stock radiator and the Mishimoto aluminum radiator. We wanted to ensure that it fit perfectly and that it enclosed the full length and height of both radiator cores. Once complete, it was time to test the shroud within the engine bays of our test vehicles.

Mishimoto prototype installed on stock radiator

Jeep YJ Test Fitting

YJ test vehicle

First, we removed the stock mechanical fan.

Mechanical fan removed

Once the stock system was out of the way we dropped our prototype into position.

Mishimoto prototype installed

Mishimoto prototype installed

The electric fan was then bolted to the shroud.

Mishimoto prototype installed

On the 4.0L we need to pay close attention to the clearance between the water pump