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  1. Trickle Down Power - 2016+ Infiniti Q50/Q60 3.0T Performance Intercooler R&D, Part 5 - The Final Form

    Trickle Down Power - 2016+ Infiniti Q50/Q60 3.0T Performance Intercooler R&D, Part 5 - The Final Form

    Who isn't stoked to show off their new threads? Nothing quite beats the confidence boost we get from a pair of slick shoes, perfect-fitting jeans, or that new band tee getting noticed. The same could be said for the intercooler kit destined for the VR30DDTT. Our prototypes already showed off their cooling abilities on the dyno, but their drab, utilitarian look wasn't inspiring that morale boost. With our production units arriving here at the Mishimoto R&D facility, however, these intercoolers are feeling themselves and confident to post that racy 'fit check.

    Our prototype kit'sau natrualelook was done to keep up with our development timeline. We typically use the first production samples off the assembly line to perform our testing, but we wanted to speed things up, so they

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  2. Trickle Down Power - 2016+ Infiniti Q50/Q60 3.0T Performance Intercooler R&D, Part 4 - Dyno Testing

    Trickle Down Power - 2016+ Infiniti Q50/Q60 3.0T Performance Intercooler R&D, Part 4 - Dyno Testing

    Evolution is all about improving over the generations. We hold our ancestors in high regard because they were able to make the first changes, but we use that as a base to improve. It's much the same with the Q50's potent platform. Inherited from the groundbreaking and mind-bending powerhouse that is the R35 GT-R, the Infinitis harness the potential of the derived VR30DDTT to shove you back into your quilted leather bucket seat.

    One of the evolutionary hangups that still plagues this everyday GT-R, however, is the intercooler system. We've been hard at work ready to rectify that issue and put our new design to the test on our Dynapack system. 

    Already equipped with a host of performance modifications, including an E70 setup, full 3" catless exhaust, performance intakes, and an

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  3. Trickle Down Power - 2016+ Infiniti Q50/Q60 3.0T Performance Intercooler R&D, Part 3 - Prototyping and Preliminary Testing

    Trickle Down Power - 2016+ Infiniti Q50/Q60 3.0T Performance Intercooler R&D, Part 3 - Prototyping and Preliminary Testing

    Evolution for us living organisms is an arduous process. It's a generational operation that can take millions of years for adaptation or improvements to implement fully. Luckily though, we've evolved to the point where our tools and tech reduce the evolution process to our performance machines to a fraction of the time. As a result, we're implementing them in our Q50/Q60 intercooler development.

    When we last left off, our prototype intercoolers were a plastic 1:1 scale model of our new design, specifically 3D printed for a real-world fitment check before starting our production. The trouble is that even with the advancement in technology, manufacturing is still a lengthy and costly process, especially when it comes to casting aluminum. Being the sticklers that we are, we wanted to ensure that our intercoolers would perform up to our standards before churning out hundreds of units without slowing down our development process. So, we decided to assemble a set of one-off working prototypes.

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  4. Trickle Down Power - 2016+ Infiniti Q50/60 3.0T Performance Intercooler Design Plans and Prototypes

    Trickle Down Power - 2016+ Infiniti Q50/60 3.0T Performance Intercooler Design Plans and Prototypes

    Performance is hereditary at Nissan-Infiniti. These Infiniti Q's inherited some traits from the top dog, but only the ones that count. The Nissan GT-R, in all of its "affordable supercar" status, still commands a stratospheric price point while also still being a high-strung, needy performance vehicle. So, Infiniti took that heavy-hitting performance, toughened it up for daily duty, and slapped on a much more attainable price tag. This transformation didn't come without its sacrifices, though, specifically for the intercooling system. We're already on the case to improve the Q platform, but that doesn't happen without a plan.

    In our last post we covered all of the shortcomings in the VR30DDTT's air-to-water intercooling system, so now we know exactly where to start. First up is the size of the intercoolers.

    Air-to-water intercoolers cram a ton

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  5. Trickle Down Power - Performance Intercooler Kit R&D, Part 1 - Stock Review

    Trickle Down Power - Performance Intercooler Kit R&D, Part 1 - Stock Review

    Innovation has a trickle-down effect, especially in the automotive world. At the top of most OEM lineups, there is a selection of uncompromised performance machines, lavish land yachts, and sometimes a combination of those characteristics, which we commoners could only dream of affording one day. That is until the brands start adapting their cutting-edge tech for the production line. That said, it was only a matter of time before the Nissan GT-R's DNA started permeating through Infiniti's production line, landing right under the hood of the Q50 and Q60 for the perfect balance of comfort and performance potential. We know that the Q's can do much more, and we're already on the case to unlock more power from this platform.

    The VR30DDTT isn't the exact powerplant from the mighty GT-R, but

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