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We have an update for our Focus ST intake project! Our first production sample has finally reached our R&D facility, and we have been able to test fit it onto a 2013 Ford Focus ST. Fitment was spot on, and we were able to get all the components properly snug into the car. We made some minor adjustments from our initial design and we included an awesome new feature that will help accommodate more Focus ST's on the road, so let's check it out!

It's the Little Things

During the time we were updating our design, we discovered small differences between the stock 2013"2015 and the 2016+ Focus ST intakes. The 2013"2015 Focus ST's have a screw type mass airflow (MAF) sensor that goes into the stock pipe. In the 2016+ model, however, the MAF sensor is replaced with an IAT sensor in the same location and it fits into a push-type clip housing. Many aftermarket intakes retain use of the stock accordion style boot that holds the sensor in place, " especially in

Some exciting news in the Mishimoto garage - we have finally been graced with a brand new 2016 Honda Civic with the 1.5L turbo engine! We have planned our R&D process for the design of a performance intake and we are starting this project by dissecting the stock system so we can learn as much as possible. Let's jump right in!

The Stock Intake

2016 Honda Civic Parts undergoing inspection

Honda has done an excellent job with their new Earth Dreams 1.5L motor. This turbocharged engine has a power output rated at an impressive 174hp, which is a nice amount of power for this new-age Civic. We are very excited about this chassis and we are eager to dig in and develop an awesome intake

We are moving fast with this project! We have now talked about the differences and significance between two types of fuel injection, evaluated the stock system and began designing a bracket with our neat waterjet. We have also dived into the specifics of how our catch can works. Now, we have a working prototype that we have mounted onto our loaner Civic.

We decided to go ahead and use the open space right behind passenger side of the motor that would conveniently place our catch can around the PCV ports. This will lighten any complexities in the hose routing.

Area where we will place prototype Civic catch can

We have been searching long and hard to get our hands on the new Honda Civic, and the search is now over! A brand new 2016+ Honda Civic equipped with the 1.5L Turbo engine has finally reached our R&D facility, thanks to a very generous owner. One of our first targeted projects is an oil catch can. There are many benefits to equipping a vehicle with a catch can. Modern fuel injection is accomplished by either port or direct injection, the latter used by this Civic. Let's briefly talk about the differences between the two.

Port vs. Direct Injection

With port injection, the fuel injectors are situated right inside the intake manifold, producing a fuel stream to mix with the air. That air/fuel mixture is shot straight into the combustion chamber through a valve. As the fuel passes through the valve area, much of the debris gets cleaned off - because as we all know, gasoline is an excellent solvent.

Direct injection, however, is the more common

Last time we posted about this Forester XT intake project, we left you off with prototype fitment. Testing is now complete and we have some information to share.

Subaru Forester XT performance parts up for testing

Our initial goal for this project was to design a performance intake system that would deliver dyno proven power gains and while being safe to run on the stock tune. We designed a very similar system for the 2015+ WRX and achieved terrific results.

The Forester XT has changes in the ECU, head design and cams, so the testing has yet to give us the results we want to see. We've tested numerous different designs over the past few months and we haven't seen results that we're happy with yet. We've designed prototypes that make power on

We have another update ready to share with the Mini world! In the last post, we went through the process of how this shield was constructed using the waterjet. Now that all the components have been completely assembled, it's time to test and evaluate our system. Check out some sound clips below!

Our intake dramatically improves the induction sound. The turbo spool is much more pronounced over stock and the intake tone is more aggressive. We know that this is as important for Mini drivers as performance, so we devoted time to making sure that this intake sounds awesome.

The way this intake is designed fully maxes out airflow potential that the engine sees. It is less restrictive than the stock unit while still making

Recently, quite a few exciting development vehicles have arrived at our headquarters, but none received quite the same welcome as our Titan XD.

Mishimoto's Nissan Titan XD

Last Friday, we set out to our local Nissan dealership to pick up the newest member of the Mishimoto family, and we wasted no time in making the Titan feel welcome. While the head of our Production Department was inside doing whatever it is you do when purchasing a new vehicle, the rest of Team Titan was wasting no time in revealing to the world the proud new owners of this Titan XD.

Our last update on this intake included dyno testing that yielded some interesting numbers. Now that we're moving closer to the release, let's take a look at the finished product!

Let's start with the intake pipes.

New 2015 WRX parts

These intake pipes will be finished in either wrinkle black, wrinkle red or polished, as shown above. The decision is up to you! These production samples came out nicely and look really great in person. Remember we are using full three inch piping with no step downs, which will require a tune on any WRX that has this race intake installed.

In our last post for this project, we went through the stock system and left you with a teaser look at our initial design plans for the filter's heat shield. We now have a functional prototype fabricated, which will soon be ready for testing. Let's go through the interesting process of how we were able to make the heat shield and pipe.

Parts Fabrication

Usually, when it comes to creating the pieces to a heat shield, our process involved measuring twice and cutting once with the use of a band-saw, shears and a bender. It was laborious and time-consuming.

With this project, we took a slightly different approach during the design and prototyping phase of our heat shield R&D. After capturing the dimensions we needed from the vehicle, a prototype design was drawn in 3D modeling software. Once completed, we used our waterjet machine to cut the shapes out of the steel metal sheets.

If you don't know about the waterjet, it is an apparatus for