Mishimoto R&D: Ranger 2.3L Performance Air Intake

[SPEEDBUILT]

Hi Zak,

We typically recommend the oiled filter for daily drivers and occasional off-road use, and the dry filter for somebody who off-roads very often or just doesn't want the hassle of re-oiling the filter every 6-12 months. Both filter the air very well, with the oiled filter removing more particles under 5 microns, but the trade-off is maintenance. The oiled filter flows the best, but in a dusty off-road situation, it would likely need to be cleaned after a day.

In the end, if you don't mind the maintenance, the oiled filter flows and filters the best, so we recommend it for most of our customers.

Thanks!
-Steve

Appreciate the rely, but I already bought one.

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[Bsenecal]

Appreciate the rely, but I already bought one.

What do you think? Was it worth the price?
What filter did you go with?
Brian

 

[j0shm1lls]

Any update on the CARB certification for this kit @Mishimoto ? Living in the land of Komifornia keeps me on edge lol. Thanks

 

[Mishimoto]

Any update on the CARB certification for this kit @Mishimoto ? Living in the land of Komifornia keeps me on edge lol. Thanks

We're still working on CARB certification - it's a slow process and COVID hasn't been helping much ?

I'll let you all know when we get CARB cert.

-Steve

 

[BlackRanger]

Hi Zak,

We typically recommend the oiled filter for daily drivers and occasional off-road use, and the dry filter for somebody who off-roads very often or just doesn't want the hassle of re-oiling the filter every 6-12 months. Both filter the air very well, with the oiled filter removing more particles under 5 microns, but the trade-off is maintenance. The oiled filter flows the best, but in a dusty off-road situation, it would likely need to be cleaned after a day.

In the end, if you don't mind the maintenance, the oiled filter flows and filters the best, so we recommend it for most of our customers.

Thanks!
-Steve

Hi Steve, I have a concern that the oily medium would cause an oily residue on the sensors down stream. Maybe not the first few times of servicing the filter but would build up over time. What are your engineers thoughts or recommendations on that?

 

[Mishimoto]

Hi Steve, I have a concern that the oily medium would cause an oily residue on the sensors down stream. Maybe not the first few times of servicing the filter but would build up over time. What are your engineers thoughts or recommendations on that?

Hey Jerry,

Oil passing through the filter material is usually due to over-oiling of the filter. With the appropriate amount of oil on the filter, you shouldn't have any issues with oil passing through the filter. Also, the Ranger uses a MAP-based fueling system, so it does not have a hot-wire MAF controlling fuel that could be damaged by oil.

Thanks!
-Steve

 

[TommyAtomic]

I received my Mishimoto Intake on friday and installed it sunday. It was a very simple install and at first glance my initial reaction is that it looks like it belongs in the engine bay.

With Covid restrictions I didnt really get a decent opportunity to take the Ranger out until today. I got to spend several hours on surface streets and the highway. My prior experience with turbo charged engines was with tuned JDM STI's. Many Subaru "mods" are about as useful as stickers at producing more power or better powertrain charactoristics. (Some mods were nearly free and amazing like for instance some older wrx had a hot coolant line running through the throttlebody that you could fix with a $2 double barb fitting, lowered intake temps sometimes 5*)However it is a fact that removing intake restriction reduces turbo lag.

In the Ranger there was a subtle but notable difference in the smoothness of accelleration as well as transmission behavior - holding gears slightly longer before downshifting and faster spool.

I would definely recommend this IF you have already replaced the factory muffler. Don't get me wrong; it's not earth shattering. But I feel like they've done an excellent job of resolving the first and so far worst restriction to the Rangers respiration.

I'm looking forward to the Mishimoto intercooler and piping.

 

[Bsenecal]

I received my Mishimoto Intake on friday and installed it sunday. It was a very simple install and at first glance my initial reaction is that it looks like it belongs in the engine bay.

With Covid restrictions I didnt really get a decent opportunity to take the Ranger out until today. I got to spend several hours on surface streets and the highway. My prior experience with turbo charged engines was with tuned JDM STI's. Many Subaru "mods" are about as useful as stickers at producing more power or better powertrain charactoristics. (Some mods were nearly free and amazing like for instance some older wrx had a hot coolant line running through the throttlebody that you could fix with a $2 double barb fitting, lowered intake temps sometimes 5*)However it is a fact that removing intake restriction reduces turbo lag.

In the Ranger there was a subtle but notable difference in the smoothness of accelleration as well as transmission behavior - holding gears slightly longer before downshifting and faster spool.

I would definely recommend this IF you have already replaced the factory muffler. Don't get me wrong; it's not earth shattering. But I feel like they've done an excellent job of resolving the first and so far worst restriction to the Rangers respiration.

I'm looking forward to the Mishimoto intercooler and piping.

Thanks for the report Tommy. Why did you chose this CAI over others out there? I’m still undecided which manufacturer to go with. I already have the Cat back AWE exhaust installed.
Brian

 

[TommyAtomic]

Thanks for the report Tommy. Why did you chose this CAI over others out there? I’m still undecided which manufacturer to go with. I already have the Cat back AWE exhaust installed.
Brian

Initially I liked the look of the Roush intake. But the Roush really just modifies the existing airbox to accommodate a better filter with more surface area without doing much to remove the flow restrictions. You do get a smooth bending silicon elbow but it uses part of the stock airbox and the stock snorkel. I'd still need to modify the snorkel which would have been more trouble and cost I didn't feel like having to deal with.

The layout of the Mishimoto suggests that they took the design and engineering of the Ford Airbox into consideration and simply remedied the bottlenecks from the stock intake. No need to reinvent the wheel when all you want is a slightly better wheel. And that was really all I was looking for.

Plus, from my Subaru days I've worked on quite a few buddies cars and the Mishimoto bits I've helped friends install (Rads, intake plumbing bits and FMIC kits) seemed top notch.

I'm not a fanboy. Ever. Both in my personal and professional life I am 100% vendor agnostic. I'm actually kind of nightmare customer because I have zero vender loyalty. If there had been any issues with the intake I would not have given them the benefit of the doubt; I would have given them one chance to fix it and then immediately thrown them under the bus. BUT there were zero install issues, zero quality issues, and zero deviations from my performance expectations (although I have very informed expectations).

And they threw in an air freshener (I will never use it. But in general I like swag). Little things like that suggest that they appreciate their customers which is never a bad thing.

We'll see what happens in January with the intercooler pipe kit which I'm slightly on the fence about ordering. I like the look of the black wrinkle finish. If the fitment and quality is the same as the Intake I just installed it should be a nice upgrade. I just need a Mishimoto dealer in Vancouver Canada to order through so I wont have to pay UPS's bullshit brokerage fee's which came to $150CAD on the intake.

That may come across as conflicted but, I am actually happy with the intake..

 

[Bsenecal]

Initially I liked the look of the Roush intake. But the Roush really just modifies the existing airbox to accommodate a better filter with more surface area without doing much to remove the flow restrictions. You do get a smooth bending silicon elbow but it uses part of the stock airbox and the stock snorkel. I'd still need to modify the snorkel which would have been more trouble and cost I didn't feel like having to deal with.

The layout of the Mishimoto suggests that they took the design and engineering of the Ford Airbox into consideration and simply remedied the bottlenecks from the stock intake. No need to reinvent the wheel when all you want is a slightly better wheel. And that was really all I was looking for.

Plus, from my Subaru days I've worked on quite a few buddies cars and the Mishimoto bits I've helped friends install (Rads, intake plumbing bits and FMIC kits) seemed top notch.

I'm not a fanboy. Ever. Both in my personal and professional life I am 100% vendor agnostic. I'm actually kind of nightmare customer because I have zero vender loyalty. If there had been any issues with the intake I would not have given them the benefit of the doubt; I would have given them one chance to fix it and then immediately thrown them under the bus. BUT there were zero install issues, zero quality issues, and zero deviations from my performance expectations (although I have very informed expectations).

And they threw in an air freshener (I will never use it. But in general I like swag). Little things like that suggest that they appreciate their customers which is never a bad thing.

We'll see what happens in January with the intercooler pipe kit which I'm slightly on the fence about ordering. I like the look of the black wrinkle finish. If the fitment and quality is the same as the Intake I just installed it should be a nice upgrade. I just need a Mishimoto dealer in Vancouver Canada to order through so I wont have to pay UPS's bullshit brokerage fee's which came to $150CAD on the intake.

That may come across as conflicted but, I am actually happy with the intake..

Thank you for your feedback. What do you think about the AFE CAI? They claim a few more hp than the Mishimoto and it’s about $75 cheaper.
Brian

 

[Frenchy]

Initially I liked the look of the Roush intake. But the Roush really just modifies the existing airbox to accommodate a better filter with more surface area without doing much to remove the flow restrictions. You do get a smooth bending silicon elbow but it uses part of the stock airbox and the stock snorkel. I'd still need to modify the snorkel which would have been more trouble and cost I didn't feel like having to deal with.

The layout of the Mishimoto suggests that they took the design and engineering of the Ford Airbox into consideration and simply remedied the bottlenecks from the stock intake. No need to reinvent the wheel when all you want is a slightly better wheel. And that was really all I was looking for.

Plus, from my Subaru days I've worked on quite a few buddies cars and the Mishimoto bits I've helped friends install (Rads, intake plumbing bits and FMIC kits) seemed top notch.

I'm not a fanboy. Ever. Both in my personal and professional life I am 100% vendor agnostic. I'm actually kind of nightmare customer because I have zero vender loyalty. If there had been any issues with the intake I would not have given them the benefit of the doubt; I would have given them one chance to fix it and then immediately thrown them under the bus. BUT there were zero install issues, zero quality issues, and zero deviations from my performance expectations (although I have very informed expectations).

And they threw in an air freshener (I will never use it. But in general I like swag). Little things like that suggest that they appreciate their customers which is never a bad thing.

We'll see what happens in January with the intercooler pipe kit which I'm slightly on the fence about ordering. I like the look of the black wrinkle finish. If the fitment and quality is the same as the Intake I just installed it should be a nice upgrade. I just need a Mishimoto dealer in Vancouver Canada to order through so I wont have to pay UPS's bullshit brokerage fee's which came to $150CAD on the intake.

That may come across as conflicted but, I am actually happy with the intake..

You're not entirely wrong about how Roush still uses part of the factory air box. One thing I do like about the Roush air box over the other air boxes it's the fact that you can put a snorkel on without having to worry. If you were to go with mishimoto or AFE or any other company that has an airbox you would have to figure out how to add the snorkel for going off-road. So you are not entirely wrong but everything has a purpose.

 

[Abjectwoe]

Thank you for your feedback. What do you think about the AFE CAI? They claim a few more hp than the Mishimoto and it’s about $75 cheaper.
Brian

The build quality and customer support is worth the $75 to me.

 

[TommyAtomic]

You're not entirely wrong about how Roush still uses part of the factory air box. One thing I do like about the Roush air box over the other air boxes it's the fact that you can put a snorkel on without having to worry. If you were to go with mishimoto or AFE or any other company that has an airbox you would have to figure out how to add the snorkel for going off-road. So you are not entirely wrong but everything has a purpose.

While it is true that there might be an issue with an unspecified 'offroad snorkel'. At the point that I need an offroad snorkel I'm in so deep into wheel, tire and suspension upgrades that its not that much extra effort to 3d print a coupler out of abs and fiber wrap it to fit the mishimoto intake. ABS has a more appropriate temperature range and when you fiber wrap a high density 3d print they're extremely impact resistant.

So basically I stand by my choice and Im not seeing this as a dealbreaker. At no point is a keeping a flow obstruction to maintain compatibility a good thing.

 

[Mishimoto]

We don't have plans at the moment for the bi-turbo variant, but it is definitely something that's on our radar, especially if we get this engine option in the US.

-Nick

 

[Mishimoto]

Yup! we definitely have our eye on the other engine variants that are offered since the Ranger is much more popular worldwide. We were lucky in that we were able to get a hold of the 3.2L diesel option via SEMA Garage, but otherwise, it's tough to get the non-US models here at our R&D facility, unfortunately. We'll be sure to keep you guys in the loop though if we are able to get our hands on one though!

-Nick

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