buck russell
New member
Disclaimer: In no way, shape or form am I associated with Mishimoto. This is not a paid review, this is me spending my hard earned money and my spare time to give the forum-goers an honest review.
Product: This review is for the Mishimoto intercooler boot kit with spring clamps. The part number on this is MMBK-F2D-08 full retail is $230 but you will find most online retailers selling it for around $200-205.
Kit Contents: The kit includes (4) silicone intercooler boots with (8) spring t-bolt clamps. The boots are a direct replacement for the factory pieces and for those using the factory turbo setup.
Additional Information: There are differing opinions on the use of silicone boots for our trucks, I'm not going to touch on that point as it bears no weight on my review. These boots are for the factory turbo setup, I have a single turbo MPD T4 (S466) kit on my truck.
My initial impression of the Mishimoto Ford 6.4 intercooler boot kit
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Full Review
In my humble and honest opinion, I feel that the diesel community lacks honest product reviews. There is always a ton of 'he-said-she-said' on the forums, but nobody that steps up and gives a review that is going to help benefit future purchasers or potential interested parties. While my line of work pertains to the aftermarket industry, the company I work for does not sell much for the diesel market. This is sort of where my idea came from...I noticed that this forum lacks reviews on popular products and also new products. My goal is to help forum-goers become educated on new products but also encourage this community to think outside the box.
Mishimoto is a company that most American truck owners poo-poo simply because they're not familiar with the name or the brand. After all, it is a Japanese name but a company which is rooted in nearly every popular brand! This a completely understandable reaction as most of us are apprehensive when it comes to purchasing products we know nothing about and more importantly when it comes to brands that aren't well known within the community.
While some may sour at the purchase price of this kit, I have found that the diesel site kit isn't really that much cheaper and ($40) and there is no mention of their warranty on the product page. Whilst with Mishimoto products you receive a lifetime no BS warranty. Once again, worth the extra $40. The kit itself is nicely boxed and well presented (this actually makes a difference whether or not you think so!). The clamps and the boots are very nice and made from high quality material. It's important to take note that the boots themselves are silicone but have DuraCore technology within the multiple layers of silicone. This technology helps to dissipate heat and stop fuel/oil from breaking down the silicone.
The reason I purchased this kit was because I kept shredding the intercooler boot that is under the driver side headlight. Before I purchased this kit, I shredded or popped FOUR of these boots. Due to it's odd shape and ID size, I was only able to use the factory boot. It does seem rather silly for me to purchase this kit for just one boot, but in my eyes, it was worth it because under 52psi the Mishimoto boot holds up perfectly.
The install of this was straight-forward and was completed while I did the radiator/thermostats in my truck. My buddy and I figured it would be easy to put the new boots on while we had everything taken apart.
Overall impression is that the kit fits very nicely (even on my single turbo kit) kit. The quality of the boots is great and I would recommend this kit to those looking for an upgrade to the factory units.
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There are two drawbacks which lead me to be on the prowl for another option to fill this newly created void. The first drawback is that the clamps bottom out before being acceptably tight. This is a real downer because under full boost, there's a damn good chance you'll pop a clamp. They're also very nice clamps, but now you're going to have to spend more money on new clamps. While I've not blown a boot due to the clamps, I've also not been able to push my truck past 40psi due to one boot consistently slipping off the hotside piping. This issue is not a Mishimoto issue, as this kit was not designed to be used with a single turbo kit. However, it's still putting a damper on me driving my truck to it's full potential.
My solutions are as follows... I ordered 10 vibrant t-bolt clamps (PN 2795) to replace all the Mishimoto clamps as I'm not going to chance it at 52psi. As for the hot side boot that keeps slipping off, I've ordered 12" of vibrant 3" ID silicone to replace it. Mishimoto has stepped up to the plate and offered to help me by selling me a 4.75" long boot out of another kit, but it's a hump boot and I really need a straight. While these two solutions are not expensive, it's still an added cost which I'm really not too pleased with as it's simply more money and more time.
As stated above, this kit is not designed for my application as I'm using a single turbo kit, but it will work nicely. If this was a stock truck with the stock turbo setup, I guarantee you things would be different. Except for maybe the clamps bottoming out as my piping is the same size as OE piping, except it was made by Craig.
Pros: High quality, DuraCore technology, Easy installation, Lifetime Warranty
Cons: Clamps bottom out
Overall Opinion: Worth the money if you're after a complete solution for replacing your intercooler boots. Mishimoto products carry an awesome lifetime warranty that is worth the extra couple of bucks on every product they sell. Don't be apprehensive to drop the money on something with a Japanese name. After all, it's not the name we're worried about, it's the quality of the product.
