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  1. Improve Airflow - Silicone Induction Hose R&D, Part 1: Stock Evaluation

    Improve Airflow - Silicone Induction Hose R&D, Part 1: Stock Evaluation

    You may have seen our R&D post on the full Fiesta ST intake, but this one is a little different. We are developing a silicone induction hose as solution for drivers of mainly stock Fiestas who don't want to replace their entire intake system. The stock rubber hose can be restrictive due to its shape and size. We believe that by creating a more free-flowing alternative we could see some substantial benefits without heavy modification to the Fiesta.

    Stock Fiesta ST parts in the engine bay
    Stock Fiesta ST parts in the engine bay

    First we examined the features of the stock hose. Aside from a barb fitting, the hose has a fairly straightforward design. The stock hose has quite a few ridges and flex sections throughout, not to mention a small inner diameter.

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  2. Beat The Heat. Mishimoto Fiesta ST Intercooler R&D, Part 2: First Prototype 3D Models

    Beat The Heat. Mishimoto Fiesta ST Intercooler R&D, Part 2: First Prototype 3D Models

    Time for another update on our intercooler project! Last time we left off with a foam intercooler core and some cool 3D-printed end tanks. This update is a bit more exciting!

    Mock Up Prototype

    With both the tanks printed and our core cut to shape, we could mate these pieces to check fitment of our existing design.

    Prototype Ford Fiesta ST intercooler assembled
    Prototype Ford Fiesta ST intercooler assembled

    The tanks feature the mounting pegs and brackets to attach the cooler to the radiator and support.

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  3. Stiffen Your 'Stang! 2015 Mustang Strut Tower Brace R&D, Part 1: Initial Fabrication

    Stiffen Your 'Stang! 2015 Mustang Strut Tower Brace R&D, Part 1: Initial Fabrication

    Nothing beats taking a tight, responsive vehicle over some curvy roads on a beautiful fall day. The S550 is a nice chassis, track-applicable right out of the box, especially if "Performance Package" is on the build sheet. We've been pleased with our shop car, but we are always seeking improvements. We've completed our product development of cooling components and performance products, and now we are turning our attention to the suspension on this fantastic chassis. To further enhance the stiffness of the suspension and improve response, we decided that an appropriate front strut brace would be a wise addition.

    Stock Bracing and Strut Tower

    Under the hood of your Mustang you might find (or not) a stock strut brace. For GT and PP EcoBoost owners, a K-shaped brace links both strut towers to the cowl of the vehicle. Below is a look at this stock piece equipped on our shop EcoBoost Mustang.

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  4. Downpipe for What - Downpipe R&D, Part 2: Creating the Prototypes

    Downpipe for What - Downpipe R&D, Part 2: Creating the Prototypes

    In our last post we took a look at the stock Fiesta ST downpipe as well as our slotted flange design based on the stock flange. We are still planning to create both a catted downpipe and a non-catted downpipe for race applications, so let's take a look at the progress!

    Downpipe Design

    After fitting the flange to the turbo, we began to piece together the rest of the downpipe coming off the flange and meeting with the exhaust. Both our designs feature a slotted flange that bolts to the turbo, in addition to a flex pipe near where they meet with the exhaust. This is important because the entire exhaust system will move a bit, and we need a flex point to allow for this. Not allowing room for flex in the downpipe would most certainly harm your exhaust system and possibly the turbo itself.
    We began by laying out the components of our prototype next to the stock Fiesta ST downpipe for comparison. Check out some shots below!

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  5. Focus On Cooling! Mishimoto's Focus ST Radiator R&D, Part 1: Problem and Solution Analysis

    Focus On Cooling! Mishimoto's Focus ST Radiator R&D, Part 1: Problem and Solution Analysis

    Our engineering team often tackles complex problems to provide ideal solutions for customers. This is true for all our product lines, across a broad range of vehicle makes and models. We are not strangers to Ford's lineup of EcoBoost models, and our team is quite familiar with the issues that exist for each. In general, we've found that the stock liquid cooling systems are not handling the abuse from heavy-footed ST (Fiesta, Focus) and Mustang owners. Each model shows deficiencies in coolant heat transfer, rising oil temperatures, and power-crippling heat-soak.

    In our effort to solve each problem, we've started a ton of awesome projects, performed unique testing, and we've had a blast working with the EcoBoost community. Now, we turn our attention to the Focus ST radiator. This component has become the elephant in the room, if the room were the paddock at the track. All around the world, Focus owners are hitting the track expecting a fun day of battles against physics, rev-match downshifts,

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  6. Say No to Plastic - Coolant Expansion Tank R&D, Part 1: Initial Design

    Say No to Plastic - Coolant Expansion Tank R&D, Part 1: Initial Design

    Time to dive into yet another Fiesta ST project! This little Fiesta is getting the royal treatment at Mishimoto; over the last few months it has been fitted for numerous upgrades. If you are in the mood for a recap, you can check out some of the other Fiesta posts here on the Mishimoto blog. For now we'll dive right into our development of Mishimoto's expansion tank for the Fiesta ST.

    Stock Expansion Tank

    Here at Mishimoto we feel a certain type of way about plastic. It is not that we have a vendetta against plastic, but we see an area where we can improve upon some of the stock Fiesta ST parts. Plastic expansion tanks in general (or any plastic parts) are more prone to failure than an aluminum part would be. Plastic becomes brittle with age, exposure to elements, and the repeated heat cycles in the engine bay. Replacing the plastic tank with an aluminum one not only looks better, but it also would be less prone to bursting or cracking especially as the

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  7. Beat The Heat! Mishimoto Fiesta ST Intercooler R&D, Part 1: Big Plans for a Little Car

    Beat The Heat! Mishimoto Fiesta ST Intercooler R&D, Part 1: Big Plans for a Little Car

    We've discussed R&D for many of our typical product segments for the Fiesta ST. These include our in-progress aluminum radiator, our already released catch can kit and oil cooler solution, as well as our nearly complete intake system and exhaust components (both cat-back and downpipe). Our company is also known for its strong line of heat exchangers, so we certainly need to see what can be done about the undersized stock intercooler on the Fiesta.

    Heat is a big enemy of the Fiesta, as many have already discovered during track driving. High oil temperatures, high coolant temperatures, and a heat-soaked intercooler all commonly occur after short periods of aggressive driving. We've been actively tackling both the coolant and oil temperature concerns in other development threads, but now it's time to lower the intake temperatures with an upgraded intercooler.

    Stock Intercooler Evaluation

    You've probably seen the stock Ford Fiesta ST intercooler on

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  8. Turn Up the Volume - Cat-Back Exhaust R&D, Part 2: Sound Testing

    Turn Up the Volume - Cat-Back Exhaust R&D, Part 2: Sound Testing

    In our last post we took a good look at the stock Fiesta ST exhaust and the initial design of our cat-back exhaust. The exhaust was fabricated and installed on the car and then it was time to test the stock system.

    exhaust post 5

    To Resonate or Not to Resonate

    Getting the sound just right was quite a process. Our initial prototype featured 2.5" piping with a single rear muffler. This design did not feature a resonated mid-pipe unlike the stock unit. The initial design was sound tested on the dyno and also test driven by several members of the team. While we loved the low growl of the exhaust as it was, we wanted to test a resonated version before settling on a final design. As with all exhaust development projects, we are aiming for a final product that sounds great on throttle while still being

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  9. Enhance Your EcoBoost Exhaust! Cat-Back Development, Part 5: Sound Testing

    Enhance Your EcoBoost Exhaust! Cat-Back Development, Part 5: Sound Testing

    With just a couple small tasks to go, we're near the completion of this 2015 Mustang cat-back exhaust project. Our design for this system is complete from the downpipe connection to the end of the stainless exhaust tips.

    3D Models

    Our prototype exhaust meets our requirements for both fitment and performance, so it was time to create a 3D-model of our design, which would ensure that our manufactured exhausts match our design exactly. After some time at the computer screen working in Solidworks, we ended up with the awesome renderings below!

    Mishimoto 2015 Mustang EcoBoost exhaust rendering
    Mishimoto 2015 Mustang EcoBoost exhaust rendering

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  10. Fresh Air For The Fiesta! ST Performance Intake R&D, Part 5: Prototype Dyno Testing

    Fresh Air For The Fiesta! ST Performance Intake R&D, Part 5: Prototype Dyno Testing

    Dyno preparation for Fiesta ST parts testing
    Dyno preparation for Fiesta ST parts testing

    Testing day has finally arrived and it's time to see how our new Fiesta ST parts perform! After weeks of prototype design and fabrication, we have our first prototype Ford Fiesta ST intake system ready for dyno testing. Our first round of product testing is being conducted for two reasons:

    First, we want to evaluate power output. Our initial post explained that we were skeptical about making power with our intake. The Fiesta is a MAP-based vehicle and only uses its MAF sensor to gather temperature data. Through our years of development, extracting additional power from speed density (MAP-calculated) is a bit of a challenge. The gains we usually see on these vehicles is a result of reduced restriction within the intake tract. With this intake we've certainly improved flow, so let's see what we are able to produce.

    Our second goal

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