Mishimoto R&D: JL Wrangler/JT Gladiator Snorkel + New Product Line!

[Mishimoto]

Hey everybody,

We here at Mishimoto are excited to announce that we're launching a new line of products for the off-road community under the Borne Off-Road brand! This new line will combine all of the R&D and attention to detail you've come to expect from Mishimoto products, with the feedback we've heard from our off-road customers over the past 15 years.

To kick off this new brand, we're sharing the R&D behind our first Borne Off-Road product: our 2018+ Wrangler JL/2020+ Gladiator JT snorkel. Check out the first post below and keep an eye out for the next updates up until the pre-sale launch this Thursday, 8/20!

Thanks for reading and feel free to let us know what you think!
-Steve

Youth Elevated – Snorkel R&D, Part 1: Introduction
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When we were 16, our cars were our tickets to freedom and endless possibilities. For many of us, those early days of driving were the basis for a lifetime of automotive passion. It didn’t matter if we were driving our dream car or our grandmother’s 1991 Buick Regal, as long as we were behind the wheel with our friends in the back.

Somewhere along the road from 16 to adulthood, we lost that sense of freedom. Room for friends has been replaced by space for the kids and their bikes. Gas mileage now supersedes a killer sound system in the hierarchy of features. “How comfortable will this be on my 45-minute stop-and-go commute,” has taken the place of “Will my crush think I’m cool in this?”

But growing up doesn’t have to be all car seats and MPGs. Many vehicles, like the 2018+ Jeep Wrangler JL, have the power to make us feel 16 and free from responsibility again. Ever since its great grandfather, the CJ, fought its way back from World War II, the Wrangler has been a symbol of fervent freedom. The Wrangler’s outstanding off-road capability and history of dependability make it ideal for hitting the trail and leaving adulthood behind.

Despite its 76-year history of freeing us from the chains of adulthood, however, the 2018+ Wrangler JL could still benefit from some modification. At Mishimoto, we’ve already developed oil catch cans to keep the JL’s engine clean and performance intakes to extract the most from the air around it. Our next venture will combine the two concepts, keeping the intake clean while you’re blazing new trails and tapping into your inner youth. ...Continue Reading>>>

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[Mishimoto]

Hey everybody,

Check out the second update in our development blog below and keep an eye out tomorrow for the pre-sale launch!

Thanks!
-Steve

Youth Elevated – Snorkel R&D, Part 2: Design
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When we were kids, we had Legos, Erector sets, Lincoln Logs, and K’NEX to satisfy our need to tinker. But as we’ve grown, so have our toys. Modifying cars and trucks is the adult (ish) version of our childhood pastimes, and vehicles like the 2018+ JL Wrangler are as close to Legos as you can get. The latest brick in our JL Wrangler build is a snorkel to help keep the intake clean while you’re reconnecting with your youth on the trail.

In the last post, we looked at the stock intake and discussed why you might want to add a snorkel, even if you’re not fording four feet of water. To recap, we explained that your JL’s intake utilizes a fresh-air inlet in the fender area to pull in cooler outside air and a filter that captures particles as small as 5 microns to clean that air. However, dust on the trail can be as small as 0.2 microns, and that fresh-air inlet is at the perfect height to pull in every ounce of dust your friends kick up on the trail. As your engine air filter becomes saturated with dirt and debris, its flow performance diminishes rapidly. A dirty filter can suck as much as 10% of your engine’s power. To solve this issue, we’re working on a snorkel to raise the fresh-air inlet safely into clean air at the JL’s roof level. In this post, we’ll look at our design process. ...Continue Reading>>>

 

[redracer]

I did notice on the video for Borne Off-Road, that the snorkel is pictured a few times. It looks good!

One question, or even a suggestion... Will the snorkel be easily removable for us daily drivers? And if so, will you have a fascia plate to cover the hood cut-out?

I love the idea of a snorkel for off-road dust, but hate the looks of them on the road.

 

[Mishimoto]

I did notice on the video for Borne Off-Road, that the snorkel is pictured a few times. It looks good!

One question, or even a suggestion... Will the snorkel be easily removable for us daily drivers? And if so, will you have a fascia plate to cover the hood cut-out?

I love the idea of a snorkel for off-road dust, but hate the looks of them on the road.

Thanks Robert! The snorkel is really easy to remove, but we don't have a plate to cover the cutout, but that's a really good idea; I'll pass it on to the team! Any suggestions for aesthetics or how you'd think people would want to install it? I'm thinking it would be good to be able to leave the bezel around the snorkel on so that you're not having to remove any sealant every time you make the switch. Would love to hear what everybody else things too!

I also have some exciting news: The pre-sale for this snorkel kit is now live! Check out the details of the pre-sale on our website and be sure to read the last installment of the development blog below. Looking forward to hearing what everybody thinks about our first product in the Borne Off-Road line.

Thanks!
-Steve

Youth Elevated – Snorkel R&D, Part 3: Production
​

There’s something about the outdoors that lets us reconnect with our youth. Maybe it’s the memories of playing outside with our friends, or the simplicity of nature reminding us of simpler times. Whatever the reason, we could all use a little more time outside. Your Jeep Wrangler JL is marketed as a go anywhere, do anything machine, but sometimes it needs a little help to live up to that persona. Here at Mishimoto, we’ve been working on parts to help it do just that, including our latest project: the 2018+ Jeep Wrangler JL/2020+ Gladiator snorkel.

In the last post, we began the design process by 3D scanning our JL inside and out. We also discussed our options for routing the snorkel. In the end, we decided on a direct route from the lower airbox through the hood. While this path will require cutting the hood, it will also significantly reduce restriction and keep power going to the wheels. Finally, our engineer created 3D models for the snorkel and its ancillary parts.

With our design laid out, the next step in the process was to bring it to life through prototypes. We fired up our 3D printers and began printing parts for the main snorkel tube. Because the snorkel tube is so large, 3D printing would take multiple days, so we passed the time by trying something new. ...Continue Reading>>>

 

[redracer]

Thanks Robert! The snorkel is really easy to remove, but we don't have a plate to cover the cutout, but that's a really good idea; I'll pass it on to the team! Any suggestions for aesthetics or how you'd think people would want to install it? I'm thinking it would be good to be able to leave the bezel around the snorkel on so that you're not having to remove any sealant every time you make the switch. Would love to hear what everybody else things too!

for aesthetics I’d stick with the honeycomb shape. Possibly two different snap in pieces, one open, one closed so we can choose to leave it open for air flow in summer and closed off for winter.

 

[Mishimoto]

for aesthetics I’d stick with the honeycomb shape. Possibly two different snap in pieces, one open, one closed so we can choose to leave it open for air flow in summer and closed off for winter.

Thanks! I'll forward this to the team as well.

-Steve

 

[Mishimoto]

Hey everybody,

Just wanted to let you all know that the discounted pre-sale for this snorkel is still going and share another look at our R&D process. Check out the behind the scenes video below and feel free to let us know if you have any questions!



Thanks,
-Steve

 

[Mishimoto]

Hey everybody,

Just wanted to let you all know that the pre-sale for this snorkel has ended and we will be shipping out orders soon!

Thanks to everybody who ordered in the pre-sale!

-Steve

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