Civic 2016+

The Civic has always been a tuner for the masses. From over-the-top aesthetic builds to unsuspecting powerhouses that would put muscle cars to shame, Honda's entry-level compact gives any enthusiast a blank canvas to create their automotive vision. The tenth generation only made things better with an added turbocharged option to their lineup for some added spice. For some, though, this extra heat was a little too much to handle - literally.

As we covered in our last post the dramatic design for the tenth generation Civic ends up reducing airflow to the critical cooling components, which can cause some frustration during your canyon carve or track day. So basically, the cooling system needed some help, and we're here to deliver.

We teased some of the design features of our performance radiator design in the previous post, but now that it's here in the shop, we can get a closer look at the new design, starting with the construction.

When it comes to cooling, the core is the star of the show.

There's a Civic out there for everyone. Through its 11 generations, the Civic has been a staple of basic practical transportation and unassuming speed demons. The 10th generation Civic was no exception. With the addition of the L15B7 turbocharged option, featuring more potential power while only sipping fuel, Honda's compact option became that much more enticing. A win-win whether you're building a Type-R clone or one of those crazy folks that just want practical transportation. No matter what type of Civic owner you are, though, all of the 1.5T's share the same common side-effect - extreme heat.

Honda's edgy styling for the 10th gen Civic provided us with a handsome outer shell but left us with some cooling issues. Before even reaching the system under the hood, the Civic's cooling problems start with the grilles. Specifically, the lack of grille size and quantity. The futuristic look of this Civic left the cooling system with only two small openings on the front of the car, with one wholly

Ever since the mid-1980s, the Si has had a reputation for adding just the right amount of flavor to the standard Civic. With a tablespoon of suspension upgrades, an ounce of body kitting and interior trim, and just a dash of extra power, the Si follows the same recipe that Volkswagen set with the MK1 GTI. As the Civic has grown and evolved overtime, so has the spiced-up version, and while the Si hatchback might not be around anymore, the formula is still the same.

The newest Si sets itself apart from the standard EX-T. The aggressive new styling, 18" alloys, and sporty interior let everyone know that you're not driving just a Civic. The improvements don't stop there. Along with the enhanced styling, the Si also gets a helical limited slip differential to evenly distribute the extra 25 horses and added torque to the front wheels. Under the hood, however, one might take note that the L15B7 powering the updated Si is the same powerplant that can be found throughout the Civic line, which begs

This is truly the age of forced induction. A clear indication of the trend came with the release of Honda's 10^th generation Civic. After decades of abstaining from giving the intake manifold any extra assistance, we've been delivered a lifetime of naturally aspirated 4 and 6-cylinder engines, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The turbo-less times lead to some truly remarkable engines from the Japanese giant, but enthusiasts craving the extra boost and whine from a turbo or supercharger were left to their own devices.

While this might not be a 10th Gen, the 8th Gen is a popular platform for aftermarket forced induction kits. Owner Ian Palmeri wanted to ensure that what was going on under the hood matched the outward appearance of his FG2.

Coupled to the K20 is a 1.1l Eaton-style supercharger, bringing this 8th to well over 350 HP and 250 TQ. The 10th Gen's turbo setup might not come with that much power straight off the lot but the L15B7 does have the potential to reach similar numbers

It's autumn and, more importantly, it's the start of prime boosting season.  The cool, dense air that's characteristic of the changing seasons is much easier to compress and cram into the cylinders, while the lower ambient temperatures help the intercooler. Even with the stock set up, your tenth generation Civic has a little extra pep in its step. But there's no reason to settle for just a little pep when you can get more.

Our new intercooler design brought to life, and fresh out of the box from our factory.

When it comes to intercoolers, the old saying "bigger is better" almost always rings true, and even with the spatial restrictions we faced during the design process, we were still able to deliver on that mantra. To start, we added three more rows to our cooler to increase the fin surface area by 97%, almost doubling the amount of area being directly exposed to airflow. This might not come as a surprise to those who saw our design in the last update, but we decided the best direction

Enlarging charge pipes for your turbocharged engine must be a detailed and accurate process. Think about it. It's not like companies make a charge pipe kit that is well-designed, well-documented, direct-fit and requires no modification to, let's say, a twin-turbocharged LS1 V8 engine fitting 1995-1998 Nissan 240SX's. You are going to need a fabricator for that, a very good one. It will be a one-off kit specifically for the car brought into the shop, not able to be mass produced due to the unique setup.

You can't design good intercooler piping that fits a particular application for wide-scale production willy-nilly. Without the use of the proper tools, time, and R&D, the resulting product will be met with negative feedback from the surrounding automotive community. With the overall tight engine bay clearances of this 2016+ Honda Civic 1.5L Turbo, working around the space to design piping that will fit with a larger diameter than stock is a priority. Even slight miscalculations in the design

Bigger is better. This is the American ideal that has been the foundation of many in the automotive world. However, in modern times, it's all about consolidation; next-level vehicle technology comes in smaller packages, but broadens the ranges of performance potential. Our engineers shared the modern vision when designing an intercooler for the 2016 Honda Civic 1.5L Turbo. You can't just throw a huge core on this car and call it a day. With a cramped engine bay and the factory intercooler, radiator, and air conditioning condenser tightly bundled together, it's vital we get crafty. It's time to take the road less traveled with the core design to properly surge the maximum amount of cooled air into your Earth Dreams motor.

Comparison of our core frame vs. the factory intercooler unit

I mentioned that we are going for height over depth with this design in the last update, making for a unique change compared to other intercoolers. There are two reasons for choosing height. First, if a core

Turbocharger compressors like denser air, which is why us car enthusiasts joke about how, although the winter is the motorsports off-season, it's peak "boost" season. Cars with forced induction love the colder, denser climates because by driving in colder weather, the turbocharger or supercharger gets fed a bit more air than in warmer weather. That's why you might feel a harder punch from the gas pedal in the middle of a freezing Chicago December compared to a Daytona Beach July.

Since we don't all boost happily in the Siberian Tundra, the way to replicate this effect is by finding a way to supply more air to your method of forced induction. One way to do so is by making your intercooler piping or charge pipes larger. Larger pipes allow more airflow, which translates to more power. Our lead engineer for this entire intercooler project is very familiar with this idea, before creating larger pipes, we must first evaluate the stock pipes - hot side and cold side - to know exactly what we are

I've been labeled a Nissan guy for a long time now. My 1995 Nissan 240SX has served me well during the six years I've owned it, sticking with me through the second half of college, nine states on the east coast and more drift events than I can honestly count. Being a Nissan guy (specifically a 240 guy) has really been the one thing I could easily identify with, other than usually being able to see over crowds and get the "Did you play college ball?" question. While I'm familiar with what is known as the S-Chassis, I'm a car guy through and through, and I can appreciate the builds and the individual styles that come from all sorts of different personalities and backgrounds. This is exactly why when I saw this new 2016 Honda Civic 1.5L Turbo Hatchback pull into our parking lot last week, I got excited.

The Sport package has an aggressive body style

Even though it isn't a rough-around-the-edges mid "90's drift car, I can appreciate something that is this good looking. These new 2017 Civic