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Page 2 - Monthly Archives: February 2016

  1. Final Prototype Installed - ND Miata Intake, Part 5

    Final Prototype Installed - ND Miata Intake, Part 5

    As we finally round the end of the long and arduous testing and data collection process, it's time to test the fitment of the final prototype to ensure there are no issues before we kick off full-scale production. A lot of effort has gone into designing and engineering this kit, and it has been rewarding to see this project finally come together.

    There were some minor changes and cool feature additions that will make this kit unique. Take a look at some images below.

    IMG_8627r
    Prototype Miata intake box

    After we pieced together the rest of the box, we cleaned it up with some fresh paint and added a neat feature that will help with cooling. Right underneath the front of the box, you can see an angled plate that has been attached. This plate acts as

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  2. Beat The Heat! Mishimoto Fiesta ST Intercooler R&D, Part 4: Initial Prototype Testing

    Beat The Heat! Mishimoto Fiesta ST Intercooler R&D, Part 4: Initial Prototype Testing

    The most exciting part of product R&D is always the testing phase. This typically includes setting up some neat sensors, running the car on the dyno or on the street, and crunching our data. We are anxious to see how our first prototype coolers perform on the Fiesta. Let's jump right into the plans for this first round of testing.

    Testing Plans

    As mentioned in the previous segment, we will test four different coolers.

    • Stock intercooler
    • Mishimoto bar-and-plate prototype 1 (larger internal bar height)
    • Mishimoto bar-and-plate prototype 2 (smaller internal bar height)
    • Mishimoto tube-and-fin prototype

    For each cooler we will be collecting data for temperature, pressure, and power output. Each cooler will be tested repeatedly until we have three consistent runs producing data as accurate as possible.

    Below is a look at the three different core types that will be tested.

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  3. 2012+ Honda Civic Si Induction Hose Development

    2012+ Honda Civic Si Induction Hose Development

    If you follow our engineering blog you may have noticed some recent attention on the 8th-generation Civic Si. Well, we aren't making a push for just this generation. We also want to dive into the 9th-generation and develop some unique new parts to improve this awesome car.

    Our first project will be quite simple: to produce a Civic Si induction hose that replaces the stock rubber unit. This upgrade provides improved durability as well as pleasing aesthetics for those seeking some engine bay style. We have seen slight power increases with intake hoses developed in the past, so we will be dyno testing our component to bust any myths around power gains.

    Stock Civic Si Induction Hose

    Stock Honda Civic parts
    Stock Honda Civic parts

    The

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  4. 350Z Silicone Intake Hose R&D, Part 1: Stock Hose and Silicone Prototype

    350Z Silicone Intake Hose R&D, Part 1: Stock Hose and Silicone Prototype

    We recently designed a performance intake system for the 2003-2006 Nissan 350Z. This included an airbox and filter that attaches to the end of the stock mass airflow (MAF) housing. Our results were positive in that we achieved a significant improvement in intake sound, and we increased power output by 10 whp and 13 wtq without any additional tuning.

    This project is not so much performance oriented but is intended to add reliability and additional aesthetic appeal to the intake system on the Z.

    To start this project, we rolled our test vehicle into our development facility and started inspecting the stock piece. Check out our test subject.

    350Z intake hose test vehicle
    350Z intake hose test vehicle

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  5. Stiffen Your 'Stang! 2015 Mustang Strut Tower Brace R&D, Part 5: Final Testing Rig and Results

    Stiffen Your 'Stang! 2015 Mustang Strut Tower Brace R&D, Part 5: Final Testing Rig and Results

    What a unique and exciting project this has been! We don't want to simply develop neat products; we want to understand how and why they function. This is why our team has been working to develop test protocols for our S550 Mustang strut tower brace evaluations. This segment shows our final testing process and the very surprising results.

    Final Testing Rig

    After experimenting with a setup designed to record pressure, we noticed that measuring travel distance between the two strut towers would provide identical results if we used a much more adaptable testing device.

    Our team acquired a few linear-displacement gauges to modify our strut brace for testing. We started by hacking apart one of our prototype bars.

    2015 Mustang parts testing
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  6. Testing and Results - ND Miata Intake, Part 4

    Testing and Results - ND Miata Intake, Part 4

    We finally have an update for the Miata intake project!

    With our prototype now in working order, we were finally able to hook up our ND Miata to our dynamometer and get some pulls underway. At this point in the process, we knew we'd want to play around with some other design ideas while the car was hooked up to the Dynapack. AFRs, power output, and sound clips were all on the agenda for the evaluation of this prototype system.

    Results

    Capture
    Miata intake dynamometer results results

    We did gain some decent performance in the low end of the power band, but the upper end of the curve follows the path of the stock

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  7. Treat Your Transmission. 6.0L Powerstroke Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 1: Factory Cooler Options

    Treat Your Transmission. 6.0L Powerstroke Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 1: Factory Cooler Options

    Yes, that's right, we are not quite done with product development for the 6.0L Powerstroke. Although these trucks are getting older, our team is finding more and more ways to enhance and improve them.

    The factory-equipped 6.0 transmission cooler is relatively stout. In fact, swapping this cooler into the 7.3L is a pretty common upgrade. That said, we think we can provide even greater cooling efficiency and offer an upgrade for 6.0L and 7.3L trucks that tow heavy loads.

    Factory Cooler Options

    From 2003­ to 2007, the 6.0L came from the factory with two different cooler options, a 26-row cooler and a 31-row cooler. Mounting and line connections were similar on both.

    Our shop truck came equipped with the 26-row unit, so we ordered the 31-unit cooler as well for data collection.

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  8. Prototype Development - Camaro SS Intake, Part 2

    Prototype Development - Camaro SS Intake, Part 2

    Last time we left you with a detailed breakdown of the massive stock intake system of the 2016 Chevy Camaro. Designing a prototype that will keep this big V8 happy has been quite a task, but our awesome engineering team has come up with a unique design for a prototype. Let's start by taking a look at our components.

    Mass Airflow Sensor Housing

    The stock mass airflow (MAF) sensor is sandwiched inside an air straightener. This straightener differs from others because it doesn't take up the entire length of the tube. Instead, it's pretty much only as long as the length of the sensor. Based on this, we decided to take that element of Chevy's design and incorporate it into our housing piece.

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  9. A More Durable Degas. Mishimoto's Ford Powerstroke 6.0L Aluminum Degas Bottle R&D, Part 2: Initial 3D Models

    A More Durable Degas. Mishimoto's Ford Powerstroke 6.0L Aluminum Degas Bottle R&D, Part 2: Initial 3D Models

    Quick update for this awesome degas bottle project! Our engineering team has been working to construct an aluminum degas bottle design for the 6.0, using our 3D-modeling software. We've incorporated some neat features, and we've included factory-style hose connection points and bottle mounts.

    Let's take a look!

    Mishimoto 6.0 Powerstroke degas bottle 3D model
    Mishimoto 6.0 Powerstroke degas bottle 3D model

    In this model you can see our plans for maintaining an appropriate fluid level. A simple sight tube will do the trick for our bottle design. You can also see the machined cap threads that we designed to function with the factory cap.

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  10. A Front-Mount for the 2015 STI, Part 3: Hot-Side Intercooler Pipe Fabrication

    A Front-Mount for the 2015 STI, Part 3: Hot-Side Intercooler Pipe Fabrication

    With our cold-side piping complete, it was time to focus on the hot side. This portion of the piping system would require a bit more attention, mainly because we were unable to scavenge any existing pipes from our WRX/STI front-mount intercooler kits (as we did with the cold side). Let's get to it!

    Piping Fabrication

    The hot-side piping will route from the turbocharger compressor outlet, around the driver side of the engine bay, and into the front bumper area to attach to the intercooler.

    Here is a look at the turbocharger connection point.

    2015 STi front-mount intercooler hot-side pipe turbo connection
    2015 STi front-mount intercooler hot-side pipe turbo connection

    A coupler attaches the pipe to the turbocharger.

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