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Cooler Than Winterfell - Mishimoto Focus ST Intercooler R&D

74K views 383 replies 59 participants last post by  Quangdng 
#1 ·
Cooler Than Winterfell - Ford Focus ST Intercooler R&D, Part 1: Stock Review


Brace yourselves, winter is coming; and we are jumping into the frigid waters which we know well — improved intercooler performance. The patient going underneath our scalpel for R&D is the 2013+ Ford Focus ST, but per our usual process, let’s first take a brief second to examine the stock system.



Ford decided to use tube-and-fin construction for this intercooler instead of bar and plate. The difference between the two is pretty simple. Tube-and-fin intercoolers are more commonplace amongst stock applications. They are lighter and promote greater airflow through the core exterior. The trade-offs to these qualities are less heat transfer and more susceptibility to road damage.

Bar-and-plate intercoolers, however, have increased cooling efficiency over a tube-and-fin design. They are physically a stronger intercooler, meaning they can withstand more direct damage. The drawback here is weight. The greatest strength over tube-and-fin is a blessing and a curse in the sense that it has more thermal mass to work with, but it is a heavier item, adding some front end weight to your ride. Also, although it has a thicker core, this means more resistance to airflow than a tube-and-fin design. The core choice depends on which application the design is for, but those are the facts.



Back to the intercooler at hand. This unit has a height of 6 inches, and a width of 2.5 inches. From end tank to end tank, the length measures at 26 inches. Speaking of end tanks, these are constructed of plastic and we intend to fix that. As we all know, these end tanks are in a constant state of flux between hot and cold. This doesn’t bode well for the plastic because it can weaken over time, causing cracks in the surface, which would lead to — you guessed it — boost leaks. No one likes a boost leak. So we plan to incorporate aluminum end tanks to prevent this from ever happening.



Upon inspection, our engineer has also noticed that this intercooler has a fairly loose core construction. This means that fins inside the core are spaced relatively far apart. This is often the case with factory intercoolers, and there isn’t anything fundamentally wrong with that. We are just going to improve it with a tighter core construction to allow for more heat transfer.


What’s Next?



The intercooler is out, so we will get to work on some design ideas. We are going to sample a few different designs and sizes to find the best balance of heat transfer, pressure drop and improved airflow. I’ll dive deeper into these aspects of the design in the next update. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!

-Diamaan
 
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#228 ·
Just sent an email.... So if Im understanding correctly everyone that has pre ordered still has no shipping confirmations and some Joe Blow non early adopter can now order the intercooler on their website for cheaper than we did??? Great business move Mishimoto! Luckily (after repeated attempts) I still have not been able to update payment info on mine so I can still cancel and give another company my money. Guess I wont be the only one.
 
#229 ·
I'd like to give Mishimoto the benefit of the doubt here because their support staff has been nothing but helpful for me. Before anyone panics, I'd shoot them an email and make them aware of it. I'm sure once they get wind of the issue they'll take care of us.
 
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#231 ·
There is plenty of hype behind Mountune, and with good cause. I love my Mountune RMM but a lot of their parts are priced way high. Mishimoto is a well-recommended name in cooling across other platforms. Each are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their intercooler design. Mishimoto focuses specifically on aftermarket cooling parts so I’m psyched to go with them w/o yet being a fanboy.
 
#234 ·
Hey Guys,

Sorry for the delayed response on this, but I just want to let you know that we're already on it!

As far as the shipping notifications, I'm working with our operations department currently to make sure that you see these shipping notifications asap!

As for the pricing, we've got you covered on that as well. We apologize for the discrepancy in the pricing, and it has since been corrected. If you have any further issues with the pricing, make sure you give our Customer Service department a call. I've already briefed them on the situation, so they should be able to help you out!

Thanks guys,
Nick
 
#236 ·
Hate typing for yourself?

Here's what I sent:

Subject: Black Friday Deals undercut Pre-Order specials
From: Jody Barber <MyEmail@gmail.com>
To: support@mishimoto.com

Good morning.

I have brought forward and been made aware that I should contact you guys
directly on this.

My pre-orders for upcoming Focus ST parts, intercooler, and the piping kit,
were both undercut by Black Friday deals. The rep on FocusST.org advised
to contact customer service and simply request the lower price to resolve,
so I am.

Please see orders <Order Number> for the Intercooler, and <Order Number> for the
Piping Kit and correct accordingly, please and thank you.

Thanks,
--
Jody Barber
MyEmail@gmail.com
 
#239 ·
My order still shows processing, but I was on the backend of the pre-sale so that's no surprise.

Has anyone seen an update to their order status yet? Any shipments gone out at all?
 
#242 ·
Got the same email last week, and after calling, my card was charged presale amount ($40 more than Black Friday sale amount). Order shows Complete now, but still no shipping info or Mishipoints added on my account on their site.
 
#244 ·
Order has been updated to "Complete" for me - hoping I'll wake up to tracking info tomorrow!
 
#243 ·
I just got shipping confirmation on my Gold intercooler with a UPS tracking# This was after calling customer service yesterday and updating my payment info and confirming again today with customer service that they had the gold in stock. You guys should see yours shipping soon. They told me the black friday price was incorrect anyways and I dont feel like arguing over $30
 
#246 ·
Hey Guys,

I wanted to give you an update on the shipping, but I'm pleased to see that the notifications are coming through! Those of you who didn't see any notifications yet, you should be getting yours by the end of the week at the latest. If you don't get a tracking number by Friday, just shoot me a PM and I'll look into it

I also just checked our inventory and we have plenty of the gold intercoolers on hand, so not worries about backorders.

We're all excited to see these installed on your STs!

-Nick
 
#247 ·
Can confirmed - mine shipped yesterday. Nothing but good things to say about the folks over at Mishimoto! Quick response and easily handled all of my issues.Now I just need to get myself psyched up to pull the front bumper off for install.
 
#250 ·
^^ same. Shows slated for Monday. :(

Car's in the shop to redo the harness splice fix anyway. Driving dead stick 1/4 of the time on the way home from work Wednesday ees no bueno. Probably won't have it back until Monday or Tuesday minimum.
 
#252 ·
This process is killing me.

First notification Wednesday for delivery Friday.

Watched the schedule get bumped to Monday as the box wasn't picked up by UPS until Friday.

Now UPS just notified me of another delay and it hasn't left California yet. Delivery set for Thursday.

What in tarnation is goin on. These Intercoolers are cursed. It'll probably come in damaged now or something. :doh:
 
#253 ·
Haha same here, man! I've got today off and was excited to get it dropped in this evening, but looks like that's a no-go.
 
#258 ·
@Mishimoto: Can't blame y'all for shipping! It's UPS that been all wonky with our delivery times.

Good news for me, though - looks like mine should be coming in today!
 
#259 ·
Well, never had this happen before. Some UPS worker in IL must really have wanted my intercooler.

Here is what tracking says...

Hodgkins, IL, US
12/04/2017 10:00 P.M.
Merchandise is missing. UPS will notify the sender with additional details. / All merchandise missing, empty carton was discarded. UPS will notify the sender with details of the damage.
 
#260 ·
WOW, that's the worst update I've ever seen! And you KNOW the guy that put in that update walked out to his WRX with a 40 lb "empty" box to sell or give to his buddy with the ST.
 
#263 · (Edited)
It's a Christmas miracle!

Maltese Cat West highland white terrier Persian Carnivore


Table Furniture Wood Coffee table Rectangle


Text Font Line Technology


By the way, @BCE22 - My box was almost completely open by the time it arrived to my door. It would appear that the outside walls of the box aren't taped or stapled, but glued together. This looks great, but doesn't hold up to the rigors of shipment very well. I absolutely see how your intercooler might have simply slipped out of the box somewhere on a conveyor belt.

@Mishimoto, I'd look into how your boxes are leaving the shipping facility, because these FMICs are too heavy to be plopped in a box that isn't at least securely taped closed. The foam is great - my intercooler arrived in great shape - but the box was one tumble away from coming apart.
 
#265 · (Edited)
I’m absolutely disgusted @Mishimoto. I came home today to find the intercooler had arrived in a flimsy, thin and deformed box. But I guess that’s ok because a lot of time was spent on graphic design making it look “cool”. I opened it up to find it covered in overspray dust. Very sloppy. Wouldn’t even call it silver it’s gloss gray. And a nice dent on the back side. Additionally, I’ll add that my stenciled “M” is faded and sloppy compared to the gold example posted above. Not a huge deal but come on... So glad I pre-ordered this... I’ll be in touch with you tomorrow &#55357;&#56396;





 
#266 ·
I came home today to find the intercooler had arrived in a flimsy, thin and deformed box.
Yeesh. Yeah, that's about how my box arrived. I can totally understand how folks might be seeing these lost in the mail. That dent is no bueno, though. Looks like I was lucky that mine arrived in one piece.Here's hoping they get you taken care of quickly!
 
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