What makes a car so alluring? Sure retro-modern styling combined with a power-hungry powerplant draw you in, but what keeps you in the driver’s seat? Consistency. Sports cars like the Z are intended for those with a lead foot and a need for speed, so keeping things consistently cool is imperative. Let’s face it. There’s no worse torture to an enthusiast than having to feather the throttle on their high-strung sports car because of looming high temperatures. Nissan knows this, and while they did their best to set the Z up for intercooling success, the heat exchanger still needs an overhaul for what we enthusiasts have in store.
Air-to-water intercooling is how every teacher envisioned group projects. Instead of one person doing the work the whole group takes credit for, every member performs their role while playing to each other’s strengths and weaknesses to reach a common objective. In this group project, the intercoolers may get most of the credit, but the heat exchanger is really the
It’s old news now that the VB WRX is a much more grown up, and civilized version of its former rally-racing self. Now days, the minimal frills road ready racecar has been replaced with a modest, creature comfort laden, family oriented sporty sedan. Now, we’re not saying there’s anything wrong with wanting to be comfortable with a dash of performance, but we all know this civilized look for the WRX is just a façade. Underneath that new “dad bod” is the same rowdy rally-inspired AWD sedan that’s a magnet for modification, and nothing helps turbo mods stick better quite like an upgraded intercooler.
The top-mounted intercooler has been a long-standing Subaru tradition for their turbo-flavored vehicles. You may be wondering why this style of intercooler has lasted so long trapped under the hood with residual engine bay, which is a valid concern. Essentially this method of intercooler placement mitigates turbo lag by reducing the amount of intercooler piping by half. There’s no cold-side piping
Much like society would crumble without a robust infrastructure, BMW’s pinnacle compact sports sedan becomes a pretty driveway decoration without the proper supporting hardware. The heavy-hitting S58 under the hood that moves the world-class suspension relies on a complex network of coolant lines and air channels that keep that twin-turbo straight six operating at peak performance. BMW may be known for their exquisite engineering prowess in their vehicles, yet some of the supporting infrastructure needs revision, especially regarding the charge pipes.
BMW’s M-Division is essentially the definition of balancing comfort and speed at this point. However, over the years, BMW has become a leading name in another attribute, weak charge pipes. Since the resurgence of turbos nestled under the Roundel, owners have found a less than ultimate driving experience after losing boost from a slippery connection or a blown charge pipe wall. To retain BMW’s motto on the latest iteration of their bench setting
As the age-old adage goes, “measure twice and cut once.” This sentiment applies to any undertaking, from massive infrastructure renovations to DIY projects. This mentality is essential when it comes to updating the boost channels through the G8X’s engine bay.
Proper fitment is critical for any component we engineer, but it’s particularly vital when snaking a redesigned charge pipe around the S58’s perimeter. It’s a tight fit under the M3’s hood, and our engineering team needed to ensure that our larger charge pipe wasn’t encroaching on other systems or components in the crowded engine bay. So, to triple-check our fitment, we brought our design to life.
Our engineering team has access to some state-of-the-art, highly sophisticated equipment and software that provides state-of-the-art design and modeling possibilities. Still, nothing quite beats installing the updated design on the vehicle, especially one that requires precise fitment. With the help of our bank of 3D printers, we can manifest
It’s no secret that the Bronco is a capable off-roader right off Ford’s assembly line. During its absence from the roads and trails, Ford bolstered both the platform and the available options to solidify the Bronco at the top of the off-roading food chain. While any Bronco option is a strong choice, these vehicles are only as strong as their weakest link. In this case, the chink in the Bronco’s armor comes from the coolant expansion tank, but we already have a solution.
Tucked in the back corner of the engine bay, Ford’s OEM design stays out of harm’s way in terms of trail hazards, save one – heat. From the factory, these expansion tanks result from seeking a middle ground between durability and reducing production costs, typically plastic. Now, plastic has come a long way over the years, but these tanks still suffer degradation at the hands of repeated heating cycles, with the Achilles heel lying at the plastic welded seam that runs directly through the center of Ford’s design. While it’s
BMW’s G8X platform is already as close as possible to the ideal combination of form and function. The heralded benchmark of performance sports sedans is designed to tackle blistering track times while keeping you in absolute comfort. It’s as close to perfect of a driving experience as you can get right off the factory floor. While we’ve already made improvements to this platform with our intake design, we can still move closer to achieving automotive Zen.
One of the staunch differences between the G80 and the outgoing generation, other than the surplus of grilles, is the lack of flair under the hood. In the previous generation, popping the bonnet would mean an exuberant greeting from the sleek gloss strut brace circumventing the engine bay, leaving this latest generation looking almost pedestrian by comparison, and this car is anything but ordinary. So, while our rotational molded performance intake design already added some much-needed OEM+ style flair, we wanted to take things a step
Most would jump at the chance to relive their rambunctious youth and dive back into those nostalgic core memories that have turned into lively stories with old friends. Some, though, would be harder to convince, like the VB WRX. This former Scandi-flicking, boxer-growling, rally racing bad-boy has turned grown-up family man and is content with leaving that lifestyle behind. We like to think that we’re pretty convincing, though, and feel we can entice that rally-racer inspiration out with the help of a new intake.
Our negotiations kick off with the start of our prototype. With our design plans solidified in our last post, we dove straight into bringing the preliminary versions of this intake to life right here in the R&D facility.
Fabrication started with our inlet tube. While we plan to mandrel bend our final design, utilizing the cut and weld method will deliver the needed results at this stage of our development process. Basically, we need to ensure this pipe design will fit in this
With the automotive’s electrified future is creeping in, and we enthusiasts are holding our fuel-burning fun machines even closer. Our protective instinct washes over us to ensure that the legacy of the Subaru turbo boxer lives on. Protection from what exactly? Well, itself. In our first post we covered the detrimental side-effect that afflicts every internal combustion engine, especially engines like the FA24, blow-by. Luckily, our cure is ready to install.
Like the WRX, our catch can kit evolved over the development process, changing locations and designs mid-process. Through our updates, our engineer, Anthony, finalized our latest design, and we’re excited to show it off.
With our kit fully developed, we still needed to answer one important question, how well does it protect the WRX’s FA24? Well, to find out, we sent our WRX on a 1000-mile commuting journey to develop a baseline in blow-by collection for this application. This driving cycle also tests the integration of our catch can
The WRX has been a long-standing namesake in the Subaru lineup, and for a good reason. Its rally-inspired heritage has evolved into a distinct, affordable sporty sedan that is a sucker for bolt-on modifications. However, even as the WRX grows and changes through each iteration, some things remain a constant theme – temperature management, specifically when it comes to oil.
Engine oil is the lifeblood of any vehicle, and maintaining its temperature is ideal for proper lubrication. Subaru knows this and keeps the FA24 T’s engine oil temps in check with a liquid-to-liquid stacked plate cooler right at the oil filter housing. However, as the power increases or the driving conditions become more demanding, this stock cooler becomes less efficient and detrimental to the rest of the system, which can cause an isolated case of global warming under the hood. So basically, by giving the stock cooler some backup, it’s easier to keep the engine oil at its proper operating temperature while not adding
There’s no denying that M cars are something special. BMW has a knack for elevating the relatively pedestrian models into something truly exciting without sacrificing their commitment to luxury. In the case of the G8X, BMW truly flexed their engineering muscles to squeeze every drop of performance from its 3 and 4-series platform. The base flavor of this freshly squeezed performance juice is proper oil temperature management. The catch is that the flimsy OEM oil cooler is precariously placed, putting this temperature management at risk. Luckily, our engineers have been hard at work revamping the G8X’s oil cooler, and we’re stoked to show it off.
Much like BMW’s expertise in elevating their vehicles, we’re taking this oil cooler to the next level. Since our last post, our new design has filled out from its metal and plastic skeleton to its newly developed final stage. The latest look consists of a fully aluminum construction from fins to end tanks for a sturdier composure against road debris.
