BLOG CATEGORIES

Page 2 - Subaru

  1. TrendSetter - Baffled Oil Catch Can R&D, Part 2 - Production Sample and Test Results

    TrendSetter - Baffled Oil Catch Can R&D, Part 2 - Production Sample and Test Results

    Subaru designed the Crosstrek for daily practicality while always being on standby for adventure. Our donor Crosstrek did just that, adventuring and making short work of our 1000-mile test period. Before we look at the blow-by collection, let's take a look at the final kit.

    The bracket is the star of the show in this kit. We design our catch can kits for a form fit into your vehicle, and that's due to our bracket design. Thanks to the open real estate under the hood of the compact crossover, our engineering team was able to keep things simple in terms of design. Our bracket design features 3mm thick steel, specifically designed to mount directly to the firewall. This gives us prime access to the PCV port to link our can.

    When it comes to tying in our catch can,

    Continue Reading »
  2. Trendsetter - Baffled Oil Catch Can Kit R&D, Part 1 - Stock Review and Design Plans

    Trendsetter - Baffled Oil Catch Can Kit R&D, Part 1 - Stock Review and Design Plans

    In 2012, Subaru became a significant contributor to the automotive trend that would take over the entire market: the crossover. Sure there were some before, but once we Americans laid eyes on the XV Crosstrek, we were smitten. The practicality of an SUV with the efficiency of a hatchback, all wrapped up in a lifted all-wheel-drive hatchback. Subaru designed the Crosstrek to tackle the mundane with the option for adventure. It's not hard to see why the Crosstrek caught on.

    Trends come and go, but one that has stuck around since the dawn of internal combustion is the nasty side-effect of blow-by. For those unfamiliar with the concept you can read our full explanation of blow by, but the short answer is that blow-by is a mixture

    Continue Reading »
  3. Top Contender - Street Performance Intercooler R&D, Part 2 - Production Sample and Test Results

    Top Contender - Street Performance Intercooler R&D, Part 2 - Production Sample and Test Results

    Turbo boxer has a nice ring to it. It's perfect for one of those boxing games found in a retro arcade. Then again, Top Contender probably fits best, but I called dibs on that. Really though, Turbo boxer is a great descriptor for the WRX's powerplant. Much like those retro arcade games, tuning and modding your Subaru is all about finding the right combination for the hardest hitting punch, with the intercooler being an integral part of that proverbial button sequence.

    We last left you with our master plan like some sort of Bond villain divulging our scheme for world domination before our dashing secret agent makes his daring escape. Unlike those campy nemeses, we followed through. From metal framework and 3D printed end tanks to full aluminum glory, let's take a look at the WRX Street Performance

    Continue Reading »
  4. Top Contender - Street Performance Top-Mount Intercooler R&D, Part 1 - Concept and Design

    Top Contender - Street Performance Top-Mount Intercooler R&D, Part 1 - Concept and Design

    "You know cars, right?" I'm sure that's a question that all of us gearheads have been asked before. It's typically the wind up for a pitch to help them find the car that's going to suit every one of their specific needs, which usually looks something like a combination of reliable, fun, and gets good gas mileage. Oh yeah and it snows like once a year so all-wheel-drive is a must. Their budget is around $30k. I know what you're thinking, a 2013 BMW 328i xDrive hits the nail on the head, but I know most of us would point this friend to the obvious choice"the WRX.

    Since 1992, the Subaru has made a name for itself by mixing these characteristics into the affordable WRX. Granted, we didn't see this trim until 2000, but it's no surprise why it immediately took off and became a staple in the enthusiast community.

    Continue Reading »
  5. Balancing Act - Mishimoto's 2015-16 WRX PCV Side Catch Can Kit

    Balancing Act - Mishimoto's 2015-16 WRX PCV Side Catch Can Kit

    Life is all about balance. It may be cliché, but it's true, especially when modifying cars. Attention must be paid to balancing power with handling, air with fuel, and most importantly, parts on your car with money in your wallet. That same balancing act applies to our catch can kits. We spend a lot of time balancing the cost of a catch can kit with its benefits.

    MMBCC-CAM4-16K_Install_004
    Our 2016+ Camaro 2.0T catch can kit utilizes two cans to capture the maximum amount of blowby.

    Many engines have a "clean" side of the crankcase ventilation system and a "dirty" side. Some engines produce just as much worrisome blow-by from their clean side as their dirty side. We usually develop a two-can kit for these engines, one for each side

    Continue Reading »
  6. Overflowing with Style - Overflow Tank, Part 2: Pre-Sale

    Overflowing with Style - Overflow Tank, Part 2: Pre-Sale

    Hello everyone, and welcome to the long-awaited second chapter in the saga of the Mishimoto BRZ expansion tank! I know it's been a little while since our first update, and you all have waited patiently, so I am excited to share some good news about these BRZ parts (or FR-S parts).

    Mishimoto's 2013+ BRZ Expansion Tank Pre-sale

    You might remember from my last update that the stock, ghostly-looking overflow tank that haunts the engine bay of your BRZ, GT86, or FR-S really spooked us. So much so, in fact, that we felt obligated to provide you with an alternative - a way to absolve the BRZ of negative energy and transform your engine bay into something inspiring, rather than terrifying.

    Continue Reading »
  7. Catch Can, Part 5: Overseas Updates!

    Catch Can, Part 5: Overseas Updates!

    For those who may be unaware, we've been working with some folks overseas in the UK and down-under in Australia to ensure that our catch can bracket has the best possible fit on right-hand drive GT86s, BRZs, and FR-Ss.  To learn more about the catch can's development process, check out our previous BRZ catch can R&D blog posts. To go one step futher and find out why a catch can is such a benefit to your engine, learn everything you need to know about blow-by in our technical article on the subject.

    Because research, development, and the actual creation of the parts all happen here in the US, the back-and-forth nature of the across-the-pond prototyping process takes a smiiiiidge longer than it would if we had a RHD car in our R&D facility, but it is progressing well nonetheless.

    In the meantime, I thought you may enjoy seeing how our

    Continue Reading »
  8. The Fan Shroud Strikes Back - Fan Shroud Pre-Sale, Part 2: Installed Shots

    The Fan Shroud Strikes Back - Fan Shroud Pre-Sale, Part 2: Installed Shots

    Interested in Purchasing our BRZ/FR-S Fan Shroud Kit in Black? Our discounted Pre-Sale is already underway!

    Mishimoto BRZ Fan Shroud Pre-sale

    Greetings, padawans. I'm here again with a sequel to our first post on the black BRZ fan shroud. This will be a quick one, I promise, but I wanted to update you all with the latest on this cool looking piece.

    Share with you, I must, some photos of the Mishimoto BRZ fan shroud in black. Jason the Engineer, a proud Toyobaru owner himself, was nice enough to loan us his vehicle so that we could install this shroud and bring his car to the better side of the force.  Once we got the tractor beam warmed up,

    Continue Reading »
  9. Return of the Fan Shroud - Our BRZ Shroud Joins the Dark Side

    Return of the Fan Shroud - Our BRZ Shroud Joins the Dark Side

    Interested in Purchasing our BRZ/FR-S Fan Shroud Kit in Black? Our discounted pre-sale begins now!

    BRZ/FR-S Black Fan Shroud Pre-Sale

    With every revolution of our planet around the sun, things change. Change can be minute or monumental; previously unimaginable trends surface, while established empires fall. Fresh movements are founded, archaic ideas become obsolete - existing products are refreshed, old products are pulled from the shelves (but sometimes *thankfully* added back on - I'm hungry and envisioning a bowl of French Toast Crunch™). Be it little or large, history progresses, and it remains ceaselessly amazing to me to see how much of a difference even a subtle change often makes.

    Just about a year ago, Mishimoto released our plug-n-play fan shroud kit for the then-Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ. This fan shroud has been extremely popular

    Continue Reading »
  10. Tanks, But No Tanks - Overflow Tank, Part 1: OEM Review and 3D Models

    Tanks, But No Tanks - Overflow Tank, Part 1: OEM Review and 3D Models

    I have been a big fan of Subaru vehicles for a substantial part of my life, and I have lots of experience with WRXs, but the BRZ (and FR-S) is still very new to me. Not too long ago, one of our engineers had his 2013 Subaru BRZ out in the parking lot, and I asked him to pop the hood so that I might check out the power plant. Have you ever seen an old episode of Scooby-Doo when Shaggy opens a door and jumps about a mile in the air, screaming, having revealed the spooky ghost residing therein? Well, you can call me Shaggy, and here is the ghost:

    BRZ Parts (or FR-S Parts)
    BRZ Parts (or FR-S Parts)

    Like, zoinks! Look at all that hideous white plastic - nobody wants a haunted Toyobaru, but how on earth would one solve this problem? Who ya gonna call?

    Continue Reading »