Keep your Cool - Mishimoto’s S550 Mustang Automatic Transmission Cooler R&D

[Mishimoto]

Part 1: Prototype Design

Over the past year we have been getting acquainted with our Mustang GT, and in the process we’ve developed an entire line of cooling products for it. In the spirit of staying cool, we are on to our next project, the Mustang GT Automatic Transmission Cooler.

Donor vehicle for Mustang GT trans cooler testing

Heat is generally the enemy of an automatic transmission. In fact, the Ford factory service manual notes that when the GT’s computer senses the transmission overheating, it will limit RPMs until the temperature returns to a normal range. There is nothing worse than a track day ending early due to high temps of any kind, including in the transmission. Whether you are taking your GT to the track or doing any sort of hard driving, you may have considered the addition of a trans cooler. Ford certainly did; for this generation of Mustang they included an air-to-oil cooler rather than the water-to-oil coolers of older generations.


Mishimoto’s Design Plans

Our game plan is to go with the design that Ford laid out for this S550, but with some improvements. We will stick with the stock-style liquid-to-air heat exchanger, and increase its size.

The stock trans cooler is located between the radiator and the AC condenser, so we do not have a ton of room to work with in increasing the width of the cooler. However, there is room to increase the height of the cooler, which will add some additional capacity.

Stock Mustang GT Trans Cooler

Stock Mustang GT Trans Cooler

Using data obtained from the GT and the stock cooler, we were able to create a model of what our prototype will look like. Check it out below!

Model of Mustang GT trans cooler

Model of Mustang GT trans cooler

Model of Mustang GT trans cooler

Side-view of Mustang GT Trans Cooler


Coming Up!

Now that we have our prototype designed, next up is prototype test fitment. Stay tuned for a look at our actual prototype, and to see how it fits with our GT. In the meantime, let us know what you think of our Mustang GT auto trans cooler in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!
-Sara

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[Mishimoto]

Part 2: Prototype Fitment

In our last post, we took a look at the stock Mustang automatic transmission cooler and our plans to make it even better. We designed the cooler in Solidworks, based off the measurements obtained from both the GT and the stock cooler. We will be doing our R&D with this bold yellow GT, but based on our research, this cooler will fit all models of S550 Mustang including the EcoBoost and V6. But enough about fitments, the prototype is complete! It is time to see how well our digital design translated into a real-life prototype.

Mishimoto Mustang trans cooler

So far the trans cooler is looking good. It is much larger than the stock cooler, double the size to be exact. The stock cooler comes in at 10 rows, where the Mishimoto cooler doubles its size at 20 rows.

Mustang Trans Coolers

Mustang Trans Coolers

With the stock cooler removed, we must now check the fitment of our trans cooler in the GT. Dan, our engineer, removed the bumper for better access to the cooler and lines.

Mustang GT donor vehicle

Mustang trans cooler installed

Mustang trans cooler installed

Mustang trans cooler installed

Mustang auto trans cooler lines installed

Success! The Mustang trans cooler fits in the GT like a dream, so there is only one thing left for us to do; nope, not kick up our feet and grab a cold one (that would be after hours) - it’s time to move on to testing!

Coming Up!

With fitment confirmed, we are on to the good stuff: testing! It is time to put this trans cooler through its paces to see what it can do. Stay tuned for the results of our Mustang GT auto trans cooler testing, and the upcoming pre-sale.

Thanks for reading!
-Sara

 

[86merc]

As someone with a higher stall converter in their car, I am happy to see this.

You say "So far the trans cooler is looking good. It is much larger than the stock cooler, 50% larger to be exact. The stock cooler comes in at 10 rows, where the Mishimoto cooler doubles its size at 20 rows." I don't believe that is correct.

First off is the stock unit really 10 rows? It doesn't seem to be 10 rows in the pictures. But even if it is 50% larger would mean the Mishimoto unit would be 15 rows. No? You can clearly see the Mishimoto unit is 20 rows in the picture. It is clearly larger than the stock one. But I am really curious is the stock one really is a 10 row unit.

Does the Mishimoto unit have the same, less or more, fins per square inch compared to the stock one?

Does the Mishimoto unit have the same, larger or smaller tubes than the stock unit?

Thank you for updates and info as always. We appreciate it Sara! :cheers: I have a feeling I will be one of your first customers on these as well.

 

[Jmeo]

I'd be curious to know if this will work with Whipple's heat exchanger and dual fans.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Will you offer stainless steel braided trans lines instead of what appears to be just regular old rubber psi lines?

Any testing results yet - such as did you see the trans temp in the gauge cluster read lower temps than as opposed to the stock factory cooler?

 

[SolarFlare]

I asked about the need for a trans cooler a while back, most said not necessary. In hot climates trans temps easily hit 200. Our 6R80 is strong but life of internal parts can be extended if we could limit that to ~180*F.

 

[ahl395]

Looks awesome! Way better looking than the stock cooler.

Looking forward to seeing testing.

 

[Mishimoto]

Looks awesome! Way better looking than the stock cooler.

Looking forward to seeing testing.

Thanks for the kind words!

I asked about the need for a trans cooler a while back, most said not necessary. In hot climates trans temps easily hit 200. Our 6R80 is strong but life of internal parts can be extended if we could limit that to ~180*F.

It may not be completely necessary for the average Mustang, but for those doing any hard driving, or in hot climates like you said it could be very helpful.

I'd be curious to know if this will work with Whipple's heat exchanger and dual fans.

Our cooler sits in the factory location between the radiator and the A/C condenser. It does not change the location of either one of those components, so I don't see why it wouldn't fit.

We are still looking for a Whipple GT to come to our facility in order to test-fit some of our components. If you know of anyone local to DE that wants to come in, have them shoot me a PM!

-Sara

 

[Mishimoto]

Will you offer stainless steel braided trans lines instead of what appears to be just regular old rubber psi lines?

Any testing results yet - such as did you see the trans temp in the gauge cluster read lower temps than as opposed to the stock factory cooler?

We chose to use rubber lines rather than steel braided because rubber lines can be molded. It is important that our lines take the proper route through the engine bay without kinking to achieve proper flow. With rubber lines, we also have the option to use factory-style quick disconnect fittings for easier installation.

Testing is scheduled for this week, so we should have data to post very soon!

-Sara

As someone with a higher stall converter in their car, I am happy to see this.

You say "So far the trans cooler is looking good. It is much larger than the stock cooler, 50% larger to be exact. The stock cooler comes in at 10 rows, where the Mishimoto cooler doubles its size at 20 rows." I don't believe that is correct.

First off is the stock unit really 10 rows? It doesn't seem to be 10 rows in the pictures. But even if it is 50% larger would mean the Mishimoto unit would be 15 rows. No? You can clearly see the Mishimoto unit is 20 rows in the picture. It is clearly larger than the stock one. But I am really curious is the stock one really is a 10 row unit.

Does the Mishimoto unit have the same, less or more, fins per square inch compared to the stock one?

Does the Mishimoto unit have the same, larger or smaller tubes than the stock unit?

Thank you for updates and info as always. We appreciate it Sara! :cheers: I have a feeling I will be one of your first customers on these as well.

Apologies for the confusion in wording, the Mishimoto cooler is double the size of the stock cooler.

The fin pitch and tube size are very similar to stock, the Mishimoto core is just taller.

-Sara

 

[Epiphany]

Superb R&D and a well thought out write up. Keep up the good work!

 

[Mishimoto]

Superb R&D and a well thought out write up. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the kind words!

-Sara

 

[Mishimoto]

Update!

We are moving along quickly with this project so without any further delay we are kicking off the pre-sale! Testing data and more photos are on the way, but until then check out the pre-sale and let us know if you have any questions!

Pre-Sale Link

Sale Price: $344.95

MSRP: $440.00

Estimated Ship Date / Pre-Sale Expiration: Late October

Fits:
EcoBoost, V6, and GT S550 Mustangs

Includes:
(1) Transmission Cooler
(2) Aluminum transmission cooler fittings
(2) Nitrile Rubber transmission cooler hoses
(1) Rubber transmission mount bushing
Mounting Hardware
Mishimoto Lifetime Warranty

Pre-Sale Link

If you have any questions let us know in the comments below!

-Sara

 

[montreal ponies]

Hey Sara, any chance of you guys working on a fix for us GT350 owners ? Thx

 

[Texican1911]

As someone with a higher stall converter in their car, I am happy to see this.

You say "So far the trans cooler is looking good. It is much larger than the stock cooler, 50% larger to be exact. The stock cooler comes in at 10 rows, where the Mishimoto cooler doubles its size at 20 rows." I don't believe that is correct.

I came here to say the same thing. They even say "doubles" the size, that is 100% bigger, not 50%. Plus you can see it is physically more than double the size.

 

[JWS]

Is the Cooler in the 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Performance Pack Car with Automatic the same size as the standard 5.0 Auto Cooler?

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