Mishimoto Intercooler Impressions

[MakStang]

Thanks for jumping in. I think you have a fantastic product, don't misunderstand me. I remained undecided between those two intercoolers for a long time. As I said, life is choices and we have to live with them!

Sponsored

 

[BoosTang23T]

Hey guys, figured I would jump in on this thread to straighten out the overall perception of our products.

A myriad of high-end products are manufactured in China; in fact, some of the companies known primarily for their build quality have their manufacturing operations in the China. A good example of this is the Apple iPhone. It is designed in California, manufactured in China. Our products are designed right here in New Castle, Delaware, and manufactured in China as well. Additionally, there are plenty of low-quality products made in the US, so in this globalized world, geography isn’t a very reliable indicator of quality.

The quality of a manufactured good, regardless of where in the world that occurs, is most heavily dependent on the engineering behind the product, the quality control, and the degree of oversight and involvement on behalf of the of the company.

We do all of our engineering right here in the US, and we have a devoted team of Mishimoto employees in China who oversee operations, develop relationships, and continue to push the boundaries of our high standards in manufacturing. We strongly confide in our manufacturing process, and we feel that the quality of our products speaks to that, which is why we back everything we sell with a lifetime warranty.

If it seems like I’m passionate about this, it’s because I see first-hand the dedication and sheer amount of work that my fellow co-workers put into these projects to ensure they are as great as they can be.

With respect to the intercooler sizing for the Mustang Ecoboost, we may have a smaller core than some out there in the market, but we provide hard-to-beat and well-documented performance at a very reasonable price. Let's not forget about the CARB certification! (EO #: D-759) Our core still has a 58% increase in core size, a 25% increase in internal core volume and a 165% increase in external fin surface area. More details can be found on our product page .

If you guys are still curious about the product, or the philosophy behind our engineering, please feel free to reach out and ask me any questions you may have! A full write-up of the long and arduous process of the engineering behind the product can be found on our Blog!

-Diamaan

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Diamaan,
I thank you for your added information, but unfortunately it is hard to make a decision when you don't have the products at hand. I been interested in the Mishimoto intercooler, but haven't had the chance to look at one physically. I have heard great reviews about you guys and I really wanted to use a lot of your products. I was looking into the Turbo downpipe, catch can and of course the intercooler. The issue is that there is so many products out there that it makes it hard on us to decide.

 

[BoosTang23T]

Thanks for jumping in. I think you have a fantastic product, don't misunderstand me. I remained undecided between those two intercoolers for a long time. As I said, life is choices and we have to live with them!

May I ask, adding all these mods without a tune, is it worth it? Or is adding the Tune just makes it even better? What I am looking for is to know if I install the mods only will I get an improvement on just the mods or, I NEED a tune to see the performance increase?

 

[jbailer]

May I ask, adding all these mods without a tune, is it worth it? Or is adding the Tune just makes it even better? What I am looking for is to know if I install the mods only will I get an improvement on just the mods or, I NEED a tune to see the performance increase?

There are very few mods that will give you performance increase without a tune, the FMIC is one that does both, without the tune and even more with the tune. You're not going to install an aftermarket FMIC and say wow though. It will reduce charge air temps especially on long pulls and higher RPM allowing the engine to run at more advanced (less retarded) timing which will give you a little more power but also help prevent pre-ignition (same thing retarding timing does).

Intakes (on this platform) do very little other than throttle response and that is with or without a tune although a tune will also certainly help throttle response even without an intake change. Oh yeah open element intakes can make more noise if you want that, hear the turbo better.

Exhaust, the catback does almost nothing except changing the sound with or without a tune and you need a tune for an aftermarket downpipe but with a tune, the DP can add power.

 

[Mishimoto]

Thanks for jumping in. I think you have a fantastic product, don't misunderstand me. I remained undecided between those two intercoolers for a long time. As I said, life is choices and we have to live with them!

Much appreciated!

You know, on a more personal note, the thing that really attracted me to this company is how comfortable our engineering department is with our transparency. It's not every day you see a company outlining the design process of almost every product they put out.

Other than enjoying gainful employment, I take great pleasure in seeing bare product ideas gestate and evolve into real, physical things we can test using our own equipment and report on the findings. We bring you guys along the entire way and I find that incredibly admirable. A company that takes the initiative to include the consumer base as much as possible during product development, is, on its own, enough to help me make a decision. I and the other bloggers here try to instill a level of trust in the consumer base so you know exactly what it is that you're getting.

As you said, life is choices, we make them and have to live with them! Couldn't agree more.

-Diamaan

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Diamaan,
I thank you for your added information, but unfortunately it is hard to make a decision when you don't have the products at hand. I been interested in the Mishimoto intercooler, but haven't had the chance to look at one physically. I have heard great reviews about you guys and I really wanted to use a lot of your products. I was looking into the Turbo downpipe, catch can and of course the intercooler. The issue is that there is so many products out there that it makes it hard on us to decide.

I totally understand. It's always tough for the peace-of-mind factor to be taken care of when you only see pictures on the web or hearsay about particular brands/products. It makes it even worse when the market is really saturated like you said, talk about a sensory overload. But I can assure you that the quality of our product is top notch. We truly want you to understand that we take great strides in making the best product we can so you can look even better when you have it installed on your ride.

If you have any specific questions about the products you're interested in, like the downpipe or the catch can, I'd be happy to help!

-Diamaan

 

[MakStang]

There are very few mods that will give you performance increase without a tune, the FMIC is one that does both, without the tune and even more with the tune. You're not going to install an aftermarket FMIC and say wow though. It will reduce charge air temps especially on long pulls and higher RPM allowing the engine to run at more advanced (less retarded) timing which will give you a little more power but also help prevent pre-ignition (same thing retarding timing does).

Intakes (on this platform) do very little other than throttle response and that is with or without a tune although a tune will also certainly help throttle response even without an intake change. Oh yeah open element intakes can make more noise if you want that, hear the turbo better.

Exhaust, the catback does almost nothing except changing the sound with or without a tune and you need a tune for an aftermarket downpipe but with a tune, the DP can add power.

^^That! Thanks Joe, you even help me understand a few things better!

 

[BoosTang23T]

There are very few mods that will give you performance increase without a tune, the FMIC is one that does both, without the tune and even more with the tune. You're not going to install an aftermarket FMIC and say wow though. It will reduce charge air temps especially on long pulls and higher RPM allowing the engine to run at more advanced (less retarded) timing which will give you a little more power but also help prevent pre-ignition (same thing retarding timing does).

Intakes (on this platform) do very little other than throttle response and that is with or without a tune although a tune will also certainly help throttle response even without an intake change. Oh yeah open element intakes can make more noise if you want that, hear the turbo better.

Exhaust, the catback does almost nothing except changing the sound with or without a tune and you need a tune for an aftermarket downpipe but with a tune, the DP can add power.

[MENTION=15518]jbailer[/MENTION], Great insight and information. And in the event of an intercooler? How will it perform with out a tune? I only have the MBRP exhaust and an high air flow filter. Nothing much, but want to add more power eventually (intercooler is my next mod followed by a tune). What tunes are recommended? I see a whole lot as well on this. I want to stay safe on the stock engine block and turbo. I just want enough power that will be allowed without damaging anything else. So I want direct bolt on parts + easy tune in which I don't need to do much (plug and play). I also want to be able to flash back to stock ECU in order to service my car without the dealer knowing I tuned the vehicle as it voids warranty.
[MENTION=27749]MakStang[/MENTION] mentions a lot Alex so I was wondering how that works. Is it a specific tune? does he program the tune based on your config? I live in Miami so how does that work for me?

 

[jbailer]

[MENTION=15518]jbailer[/MENTION], Great insight and information. And in the event of an intercooler? How will it perform with out a tune? I only have the MBRP exhaust and an high air flow filter. Nothing much, but want to add more power eventually (intercooler is my next mod followed by a tune). What tunes are recommended? I see a whole lot as well on this. I want to stay safe on the stock engine block and turbo. I just want enough power that will be allowed without damaging anything else. So I want direct bolt on parts + easy tune in which I don't need to do much (plug and play). I also want to be able to flash back to stock ECU in order to service my car without the dealer knowing I tuned the vehicle as it voids warranty.
[MENTION=27749]MakStang[/MENTION] mentions a lot Alex so I was wondering how that works. Is it a specific tune? does he program the tune based on your config? I live in Miami so how does that work for me?

The FMIC does the same thing with or without an aftermarket tune. With an aftermarket tune, the tuner can push it even further. Without the tune, as I mentioned, it is simply going to allow more timing. There is a table that the ECU refers to for timing. When the temperature goes up, it references the temps in the table and as it gets hotter, it retards the timing. The more it retards the timing because of the heat, the less power you have. It doesn't matter if you have an aftermarket tune or not, that's the way the ECU works. Again, I can assure you, it's not a wow factor. Living in a warm weather area, when your charge air temps get real hot, you'll notice your car can get pretty sluggish. Reducing those CATs will improve performance. Another way to think of it is, even without an aftermarket tune, it will reduce the the amount timing is retarded so you will lose less power from heat.

As for tunes, I like Tune+. Adam has a ton of experience with these engines and is very good. The primary tuning platform he uses is the Cobb Access Port which is a GREAT handheld device. If you believe Cobb, they say when it's uninstalled, Ford can't tell the car was tuned. While using it, it provides a great way to real-time monitor data (gauges). It also provides fantastic data logging capabilities. I think it is unmatched from any other tuning device. Plus you can switch tunes ON THE FLY! There are other benefits too you should look into. Ignore the bashing on Adam, people just love to pick on him. I think if you do what he says, you're ok. If you make a change, make sure you understand the impact and communicate with him. He may need to change the tune.

 

[BoosTang23T]

The FMIC does the same thing with or without an aftermarket tune. With an aftermarket tune, the tuner can push it even further. Without the tune, as I mentioned, it is simply going to allow more timing. There is a table that the ECU refers to for timing. When the temperature goes up, it references the temps in the table and as it gets hotter, it retards the timing. The more it retards the timing because of the heat, the less power you have. It doesn't matter if you have an aftermarket tune or not, that's the way the ECU works. Again, I can assure you, it's not a wow factor. Living in a warm weather area, when your charge air temps get real hot, you'll notice your car can get pretty sluggish. Reducing those CATs will improve performance. Another way to think of it is, even without an aftermarket tune, it will reduce the the amount timing is retarded so you will lose less power from heat.

As for tunes, I like Tune+. Adam has a ton of experience with these engines and is very good. The primary tuning platform he uses is the Cobb Access Port which is a GREAT handheld device. If you believe Cobb, they say when it's uninstalled, Ford can't tell the car was tuned. While using it, it provides a great way to real-time monitor data (gauges). It also provides fantastic data logging capabilities. I think it is unmatched from any other tuning device. Plus you can switch tunes ON THE FLY! There are other benefits too you should look into. Ignore the bashing on Adam, people just love to pick on him. I think if you do what he says, you're ok. If you make a change, make sure you understand the impact and communicate with him. He may need to change the tune.

Understood. The only thing not clear is Adam. Do I buy the Cobb and Adam sends you a custom Tune or how does it work? Like what is the whole process to engage with Adam and have him tune the car? I won't be tuning anytime soon, but just want to have the info ready.

 

[jbailer]

Understood. The only thing not clear is Adam. Do I buy the Cobb and Adam sends you a custom Tune or how does it work? Like what is the whole process to engage with Adam and have him tune the car? I won't be tuning anytime soon, but just want to have the info ready.

The tune is a little off topic for this thread but go to Adam's web site Tune+. You'll see the options. Talk to Adam, probably through email. You can buy the Access Port from him or separately and a single tune or lifetime tunes, transmission tunes for automatics. There's lots of options.

 

[MakStang]

Joe, seriously now, I will save your posts for future reference! Respect

 

[af3]

Thank you OP and others for all the good information! I've read through the "Big Intercooler" thread as well, and I'm convinced I need an IC for my next mod. I'm a noob when it comes to mods...this is my first car I bought on my own, and of course the first car I'm modding. My EB is at 18k miles and still running the stock IC. I have a Cobb Tune and I def want to upgrade to an Mishimoto IC. Reading through the forums I should've bought the IC first :/ oops...question is...does it matter if I have my tune installed while installing my Mishimoto IC? I'm thinking no, it doesn't matter. Dumb question I know..so thanks in advance! Any other advice/recommendations for mods would help!

 

[Marvinmadman]

Correct, doesn't matter.

 

[MakStang]

Doesn't matter. I drove mine on COBB Stage I OTS map for a while with the upgraded intercooler on. You can even try Stage II if you want and compare.

 

[BoosTang23T]

Alright peeps, ended up ordering my Mishimoto IC. I made up my mind for that one. I really liked the Levels Performance IC, but for some reason wasn't convinced on the 1 year warranty (too many conditions). The Mishi should arrive this Saturday and plan to have it installed the same day if all goes well. I already have the Cobb Tune on Stage 1. So I assume once I slap this IC I should move to Stage 2 or not much of a difference? I saw another thread someone mentioning Stage 2 is a waste since it was meant for Cobb parts. Stage 3 should only be used once Turbo downpipe is installed correct?

Sponsored