MMICP-FOST-13HP
Mishimoto® (13-18) Ford Focus ST Hot-Side Aluminum Intercooler Pipe
- In stock, ready to ship
Compatible: (2.0L)
2013 - 2018 Ford Focus ST
Increase the flow of charged air in your 2013–2018 Ford Focus ST with the Mishimoto hot-side intercooler pipe. The stock hot-side pipe in your Focus ST is plagued with bends, a restrictive inner diameter, and muffling equipment which slows the airflow and causes turbulence on the way to the intercooler. Mishimoto’s hot-side intercooler kit not only reduces the amount of bends, but also increases the diameter to 2.5”, giving it a 14% increase in volume over the stock piping for better flow and the bonus of a bump in horsepower.
While a majority of the stock piping is constructed from aluminum, the couplers are made from degradation-prone rubber. Our kit includes more durable silicone couplers featuring 5 layers of heat-resistant fibers and wire reinforcement to ensure that the Mishimoto hot-side intercooler pipe can stand up to the heat. This kit is offered in a polished finish as well as a wrinkle black powder-coating, and is covered under Mishimoto’s Lifetime Warranty.
- Direct fit for the 2013–2018 Ford Focus ST
- 26% greater flow than stock hot-side pipe
- 14% increase in volume over stock hot-side pipe
- 2.5" Mandrel-bent aluminum piping
- Includes Mishimoto silicone couplers and Mishimoto high-torque worm gear clamps
- Available in polished or wrinkle black powder-coating
- Mishimoto Lifetime Warranty
PRODUCT SPECS
| INSTALLATION TORQUE SPECS | 27 in-lbs (3N*M) recommended for all t-bolt and constant tension t-bolt clamps. These clamps have an operating range of 18-35 in-lbs (2-4N*M). Do not exceed the maximum torque rating of 35 in-lbs (4N*M). |
| SILICONE COUPLERS | 2 |
| OUTLET | 2.5" |
| INLET | 2" |
PURCHASE INCLUDES
(1) Aluminum Intercooler Pipe
(2) Silicone Couplers
(4) High-Torque Worm Gear Clamps
Mishimoto Lifetime Warranty
COMPLETING THE PACKAGE – INTERCOOLER PIPING R&D, PART 1: ALREADY HALFWAY THERE
First, just by looking at the stock system, we knew we could make some significant improvements. All along visible areas of the pipe, there are few consistent paths of smooth airflow. There are size reductions, accordion-type sections and overall small piping that we know we can improve upon. The easiest and quickest way to materialize the ideas in our engineer’s head is with the use of our 3D printer.
The next step was to design everything in a drafting program and use our 3D printer to create some scale models of the design for test fitment. We wouldn’t be able to do any dyno testing on them as the printed filament used won’t stand up to the heat, but it will give us an idea of what changes must be made regarding fitment, should the need arise. Using a 3D printer saves us a lot of headache and engineering time since we don’t have to go through the painstakingly long process of making actual metal pipes from scratch. That can be time consuming, especially if a dimension is off by even a tiny bit.
These 3D parts are printed in a matter of hours, and if something doesn’t print correctly, or needs to be adjusted (which, in our R&D facility, doesn’t happen often), it’s only a matter of a few extra hours to get the part redesigned or re-printed before it’s ready to go. It’s the closest we can get without having a production level, testable part manufactured. We need to be sure everything is as spot-on as possible, from the bracketry, to the pipe angle, and orientation before we dive head-first into a fully manufactured part.
Below, you can see how our 3D hot side pipe fits. The sizing is larger overall and clears everything in its path. Since we can’t print the entire pipe in once piece, it had to be made in sections and pieced together. This gives us a general idea of how things will fit, and we’ll be able to catch any glaring issues before the designs get made into the real thing.
Rather than give everything away in the first post, I’ll show you how these pipes performed, what the final prototypes look like and how they look on a 2013 Focus ST. I can tell you that these pipes will fit both the factory intercooler for all current model years of the ST and our performance intercooler. Stay tuned for more!
COMPLETING THE PACKAGE – INTERCOOLER PIPING R&D: COMING IN HOT
The hot-side kit will have a solid aluminum center section with silicone couplers attached to the turbo and intercooler outlet. It fits nicely around the engine oil pan and is mounted with brackets to keep it in place. However, a balance between flexibility and rigidity is important, which is why the couplers are long. This is what helps make the fitment accurate and absorb engine movement.
While the piping diameter has been bumped to 2.5 inches, they still attach to the factory intercooler, so you can still enjoy the benefits if you are not running our performance intercooler. Speaking of benefits, fitment and great looking charge pipes were not the only ones. We have documented performance gains that also resulted from this design, starting with pressure drop.
Pressure drop happens when you lessen airflow restriction through the medium in which it travels. In this case that medium is an aluminum charge pipe. By making the overall diameter larger, more air can be brought in. As seen in the graph above, we increased overall flow by an impressive 26%. This will improve the overall efficiency and volume of air flowing from the hot side of the system. Let’s now go to the cold side.
The cold side has some awesome design features that our engineer decided to include. First, notice the odd, flattened, oval-like shape in the middle of the tube. That is no accident. Our engineer formed the tube in this fashion so it can clear the radiator and air conditioning condenser. The image below shows the spacing around our design. It’s also worth noting that this part was installed on an ST that had our Performance Radiator, which is why the clearance looks tight here. There will be more clearance with the stock radiator.
The internal structure is what helps the cold-side pipe keep its shape. The entire piece is made of wire-reinforced, five-ply silicone, keeping that balance between rigidity and flexibility we’re aiming for with this kit. Holding this tube in my hand, it isn’t easy to apply pressure to cause it to misshape. This means that under vacuum, there won’t be any structural degradation or misshaping, which keeps the airflow constant. We wanted to show this to you, but don’t really have any X-ray equipment. Time to get creative!
Above is what the product looks like with an electrical current running through it. In order to highlight the wire reinforcement, we took a picture with our thermal camera (just like we do with some of our dyno runs) as the wire would retain heat. Voila! An X-ray of the cold-side pipe has been taken without the use of an X-ray machine. Talk about innovation.
We still had to see if it would outperform the factory cold-side piping. Our engineer performed the same pressure drop test on the cold side and came up with a 40% increase in overall airflow. The stock charge pipe has a similar shape, but the overall volume is more restrictive, which is why our improvement on pressure drop is so significant.
We also tested the kit for a more comprehensive understanding of how our design worked with the car. With both pipes on our flow bench, we saw a 21% overall increase in the system. Don’t be alarmed by the number being smaller than the individual hot and cold sides. A pressure test like this isn’t compounded, so you cannot simply add the two values together to see what the entire system will do. You must account for a change in flow characteristics when recording the results of the pipes working together, and this will change what the resulting values look like.
I mentioned that both sides have increased internal volume. The hot side had an increase of 14% while the cold side had an increase of 10%. While those numbers may not seem staggering, it’s still this bump in volume that is improving airflow. A simple comparison shows how much of a choke point the factory pipes are on this application.
With both the hot and cold-side kits installed on the car (as well as our intake and prototype intercooler), we had dyno results that put the kit 8hp and 10 ft-lbs of torque over the factory setup on a stock tune. These pipes help open up the airflow delivery for this car, and we want you to reap the benefits. Our positive results put an end to our R&D for this project. The presale will begin soon, so stay tuned!
Install Guide:
Engineering Report:
Warranty: