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The testing of our Fiesta ST rear strut brace involved three different driving conditions.

Cornering: 30-40 mph, slalom

Braking: 50-0 mph, stop with ABS engaged

Acceleration: 0-60 mph, full-throttle run

Each setup (with and without brace) was tested on the same day on an identical surface and with the same driver. The tests are repeatable and will provide an accurate comparison of rigidity in the rear body portion of our Fiesta.

Results

Check out the plot below to see our testing results.

Fiesta ST performance results

These data points confirm our theory that the addition of bracing in this area of the ST does indeed have an impact on flex. Although flex in these conditions

In our last update, we left you with some mock-up prototype pieces that we used to create and refine our Fiesta ST rear strut brace design. Since then, we've worked up a couple of functional prototypes to test our ideas for stiffening the rear of this hot hatch.

Initial Prototypes

We constructed two prototypes of this trunk brace. The first prototype is finished in a black powder coat, and we'll use this unit to evaluate for aesthetics and fitment. The unfinished ("raw") prototype is going to be used for testing purposes, meaning it will be modified.

First, check out our powder-coated unit bolted into place.

Mishimoto Fiesta ST performance parts

We're back with another quick update on our TGV delete project for the 2015+ WRX. After designing our initial models and then 3D-printing a prototype for test fitting, we worked up a couple functional prototypes for on-car testing.

First Prototype Images

Check out a few images of our functional prototype deletes!

Mishimoto's 2015 WRX TGV delete prototypes

Mishimoto's 2015 WRX TGV delete

3D-Printed Prototypes

To confirm the dimensions and design of our prototype, we decided to utilize some of our rapid prototyping tools. We fired up our 3D printer and loaded the model. Check out a couple images showing the progress of the print.

3D-printing 2015 WRX parts

3D-printing 2015 WRX parts

Once the printing process was complete, we cleaned up the prototypes and installed them on our 2015 WRX to verify fitment.

It's been nearly two years since our first 2015 WRX development vehicle rolled into the shop. We've had a lot of fun with the car, and our team has developed a multitude of awesome components to aid in cooling, elevate power, and improve styling. Our product line is essentially complete, meaning we are done wrenching on our WRX. This is bitter sweet, as we will be picking up another vehicle to start the process once again. Before shipping out the WRX, we had one more project up our sleeves to extract a touch more power.

With our existing modifications, including our downpipe, intake, and cat-back exhaust system, most customers are making in the neighborhood of 290 whp and 310 wtq. Not bad for some simple bolt-on modifications and ECU tuning. We've been eyeing TGV modifications and have seen the impressive effects on Subarus from previous model years. We decided to open up the intake system on our 2015 to see if we could design a delete system that would deliver a few extra ponies.

Here at Mishimoto headquarters we are working to expand our arsenal of Mustang parts. We are making significant progress on our oil cooler design, and an interesting design it is. We are aware that many Mustang GT owners are adding forced induction to their already powerful V8s. We are taking this into account by offering an oil cooler that would still leave room for some of the larger intercoolers required for aftermarket turbo and supercharger kits. This strategy created quite a challenge for our engineers. As always, they rose to the occasion and created a brand new and unique cooler design specifically for our beloved GT. Drumroll please!

Rather than designing a traditional bracket for this all-new oil cooler, our engineers went with an interesting design. Modeling the bracket after one of the plastic upper air diverters, the new bracket will replace the diverter as the bracket for the cooler. Because a picture really is worth a thousand words, check out some photos of the first

Interested in picking up our NB Miata oil cooler kit? Check out our discounted pre-sale linked below.

Mishimoto 1999-2005 Mazda Miata Oil Cooler Kit Pre-Sale!

Our idle warmup provided a nice baseline test to evaluate the benefit of the stock liquid-to-liquid oil cooler. From what we saw in the conditions of our first test, warmup is not greatly affected by this component. In this second portion of product testing, we will be evaluating the impact of this heat exchanger on cooling performance. More importantly, we will be evaluating the cooling benefits of our liquid-to-air cooler.

Testing Plans

Variations

• Stock liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger
• Mishimoto oil cooler setup
• Mishimoto oil cooler setup plus stock liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger

By testing the Mishimoto oil cooler both with and without the stock heat exchanger, we

We left off development with a neat look at our first prototype, when we determined the shape and path of our brace and printed out mounting brackets for each side of the piece. By using specific angles with our square material, we were able to avoid modification of the seat mounting bracket, retain rigidity, and provide a bar that is easily hidden by the rear tray.

Our last image showed our fabricator tacking together the material. Below is what we ended up with.

Prototype Fiesta ST rear strut brace installed

We then installed the floor panel mounting covers.