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BMW E46 3-Series Intake System R&D, Part 3: Final Prototype

Posted: June 10, 2015

Categories: BMW 3-Series E46 Intake 1999-2006

Tags: turbo, track, scca, radiator, race, m54, intake, featured, expansion, cooling, 3-series, #bmw

Interested in picking up our E46 intake system? Check out our product page for more information!

Mishimoto BMW E46 Performance Air Intake

Final Intake Images

With successful testing data acquired from our first prototype, it was time to make a final prototype and perform our last test fit before producing a batch of final intake systems. Check out a shot of the shroud, intake hose, and filter!

Mishimoto E46 air intake shroud, intake hose, and air filter

The airbox is constructed of powder-coated steel, and we line the

BMW E36 Aluminum Coolant Expansion Tank R&D, Part 3: Final Prototype and Test Fit

Posted: June 05, 2015

Categories: BMW 3-Series E36 Expansion Tank 1992-1999

Tags: turbo, track, scca, radiator, race, mishimoto, m54, featured, expansion, cooling, #bmw

Interested in picking up this aluminum E36 expansion tank? Check out our product page linked below!

BMW E36 Aluminum Coolant Expansion Tank!

The time has come and the anticipation is over. Our final prototype unit has been constructed, and we are ready to check fitment! On to the pictures!

Final Expansion Tank Images

Mishimoto expansion tank prototype

Get rid of the plastic! Mishimoto's Subaru 2008-2014 WRX Aluminum Expansion Tank R&D

Posted: May 29, 2015

Categories: Subaru WRX Expansion Tank 2008-2014

Tags: wrx, turbo, teammishi, subaru, mishimoto, featured, expansion, coolant, aluminum

Interested in picking up this awesome aluminum expansion tank? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

Mishimoto Subaru WRX Aluminum Coolant Expansion Tank

Last year we released an aluminum expansion tank for the 2004-2014 STI and 2002-2007 WRX. We received a ton of awesome feedback from customers and enthusiasts regarding this component, as well as recommendations to produce such a tank for 2008-2014 WRX owners.

While we normally highlight our development process in multiple installments, for this Expansion Tank we wanted to give you everything in one quick shot.

Stock Expansion Tank

Although we don't see quite as many failures with the 2008-2014 expansion tank, we can assume it will incur some wear over time. This tank sits relatively close to a very hot turbocharger/exhaust and handles coolant with temperatures

BMW E46 3-Series Intake System R&D, Part 2: Power and Sound Testing

Posted: May 06, 2015

Categories: BMW 3-Series E46 Intake 1999-2006

Tags: turbo, track, scca, radiator, race, m54, intake, featured, expansion, cooling, 3-series, #bmw

Interested in picking up our E46 intake system? Check out our product page for more information!

Mishimoto BMW E46 Performance Air Intake

After completing our initial prototype it was time to strap this E46 to the dyno and make a few pulls. We would be evaluating power output, monitoring vital engine sensors such as AFR, and collecting sound clips for comparison against the stock intake system.

Dyno Testing

E46 on dyno for intake testing

E46 3-Series Aluminum Expansion Tank, Part 2: 3D Tank Design

Posted: April 30, 2015

Categories: BMW 3-Series E46 Expansion Tank 1999-2006

Tags: turbo, track, scca, radiator, race, mishimoto, m54, featured, expansion, cooling, #bmw

Quick project update! As noted in our last post, we had finished collecting data points and dimensional information for the stock tank and were setting our sights on creating a tank of our own.

After pulling our engineers out from under shop vehicles, we set them behind the computer to get this project moving. Check out some of our initial 3D models!

Mishimoto expansion tank, 3D model

BMW E36 Aluminum Coolant Expansion Tank R&D, Part 2: Initial 3D Model and Prototype

Posted: April 30, 2015

Categories: BMW 3-Series E36 Expansion Tank 1992-1999

Tags: turbo, track, scca, radiator, race, mishimoto, m54, featured, expansion, cooling, #bmw

Interested in picking up this aluminum E36 expansion tank? Check out our product page linked below!

BMW E36 Aluminum Coolant Expansion Tank!

Time to break open the stock tank and see what lies within. If you follow some of our other development projects, you would know that we recently split an E46 3-series expansion tank and found quite a complex system including both internal and external features. Although this added some complexity and difficulty to the project, it seemed like our engineers enjoyed the challenge.

Stock Expansion Tank Internals

First, before we slice this guy in half, a look inside the tank from the cap.

BMW E46 3-Series Intake System R&D, Part 1: Initial Design

Posted: March 31, 2015

Categories: BMW 3-Series E46 Intake 1999-2006

Tags: turbo, track, scca, radiator, race, m54, intake, featured, expansion, cooling, 3-series, #bmw

Interested in picking up our E46 intake system? Check out our product page for more information!

Mishimoto BMW E46 Performance Air Intake

Stock E46 intake system

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Mishimoto E46 3-Series Aluminum Radiator R&D, Part 2: 3D Models

Posted: March 26, 2015

Categories: BMW 3-Series E46 Radiator 1999-2006

Tags: turbo, track, scca, radiator, race, m54, featured, expansion, cooling, #bmw

Interested in purchasing our E46 aluminum radiator? Check out our product page linked below!

Mishimoto BMW E46 Non-M Performance Aluminum Radiator!

3D Modeling

After some serious 3D modeling work in Solidworks, our first prototype unit is complete. Let's check out a few of the renders!

Mishimoto E46 3-series aluminum radiator 3D model

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E46 3-Series Aluminum Expansion Tank, Part 1: Stock Tank Evaluation

Posted: March 13, 2015

Categories: BMW 3-Series E46 Expansion Tank 1999-2006

Tags: turbo, track, scca, radiator, race, mishimoto, m54, featured, expansion, cooling, #bmw

Enthusiast groups' feedback plays a massive role in our product development process. Not only is it a great way to bounce ideas off our potential customers, but it also allows us to see exactly what our customers want and need for their vehicles. This project is no different. Due to a substantial amount of demand via forums and social media, we decided it was time to get the ball rolling on this coolant expansion project.

Stock Expansion Tank

In typical BMW fashion, this tank was quite unique and featured some very interesting components, both internally and externally. First, a look at the exterior of the tank. Many of you are very familiar with this, based on the rate of failure reported for this plastic tank.

Stock E46 3-series coolant expansion tank

Mishimoto E46 Non-M Aluminum Radiator R&D, Part 1: Stock Radiator Evaluation

Posted: March 06, 2015

Categories: BMW 3-Series E46 Radiator 1999-2006

Tags: turbo, track, scca, radiator, race, m54, featured, expansion, cooling, #bmw

Interested in purchasing our E46 aluminum radiator? Check out our product page linked below!

Mishimoto BMW E46 Non-M Performance Aluminum Radiator!

E46 325ci test vehicle

A peek under the hood reveals a clean and entirely stock engine bay. This would be helpful because we know what components we will need to incorporate into the design of our radiator. It will also help provide clearance information in regard to how much we can increase the size of our radiator.