1.5T PRL Motorsports Civic X 1.5T Product Development

[PRL Motorsports]

Here's a little sneak peak of our end tanks getting ready to be machined before they get welded!

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[JDM_DOHC_SiR]

 

[NeoDragons]

seeing PRL notifications in my inbox always makes my day that much better,

 

[Lunarsilver17]

That would be mostly correct. Our Street MAF housing is sized/placed as close to stock as possible so that the voltage reading do not throw off AFRs. There is a nice little writeup on page 1 with how MAF sensors, intakes and air volume work.

Would you please post a link to that writeup, I didn't see it on pg 1, or any page on this thread.
Thks.

Also, can I order the stock size maf cai intake + race maf housing upgrade together as a combo?

 

[PRL Motorsports]

Would you please post a link to that writeup, I didn't see it on pg 1, or any page on this thread.
Thks.

Also, can I order the stock size maf cai intake + race maf housing upgrade together as a combo?

...It seems that many people modifying MAF cars have a misunderstanding of what exactly must be changed or be modified to make more power with an intake system. Bigger intake tubing typically yields more power through less restriction and more airflow, but increasing the size of the intake diameter alone isn't the only thing you have to worry about in a MAF based car. A MAF (mass air flow) sensor measures the amount of air flowing into your engine through an intake. Once airflow is measured the information is sent to the ECU to make sure the fuel injection system can control the correct amount of fuel your engine needs to perform properly at any given time in the rpm and load range given the amount of air.

Typically, the MAF sensor is located directly in the middle of the airstream within the intake pipe, usually located a very short distance after the air filter. MAF sensor wires receive an electrical current. Airflow cools the wires and changes the electrical resistance as air moves over it. The MAF calculates how much air is moving over the wires depending on how much the current changes. MAF sensor voltage is tied to a mathematical equation that the ECU calculates based on the specific diameter of the piping the MAF sensor housed in. A larger MAF housing means more airflow.

OEM manufacturers give cars a specific piping diameter from the factory that would allow a specific range of airflow to be read accurately by the MAF sensor. Once vehicles begin to make significantly more power, the electrical range of that sensor will become overwhelmed or maxed out due to the increased airflow, usually around 5 volts. When the MAF housing diameter is increased, more air is flowing past the MAF sensor at any given voltage.

If the intake tubing diameter has been altered, the MAF sensor will send incorrect information to the ECU. The ECU will see that a certain amount of air is being measured, but there is actually a larger volume of air at the same MAF sensor voltage. This is why most well-performing intake systems require a tune; larger MAF housings.

This is also why most of the intakes on the market are said to not require a tune. Are there minimal gains with these intakes? Debatably so, but let's not bash these companies. Their market is to offer a product that the average Joe/Jane can simply install and go with little-to-no tuning required, which is why so many "similar" intakes were so quick to come to the market.

However, not all hope is lost for people looking to go further. We have been working on developing cold air intake system that features a drastically larger (50% larger to be exact) MAF housing. Essentially this will be a full cold air intake, with the filter placement being down in the fender well. The intake starts at 4" and maintains a 4" volume throughout to the MAF sensor housing. The larger volume of airflow reduces pumping loss as well as creates an unrestricted air path to feed the MAF housing with ambient temperature air. The initial design has an approximately 50% larger MAF housing than stock, which will be desired for big power and/or turbo upgrades. The ultimate goal of here is to offer a proper intake system that draws in cold air and maintains a proper, steady MAF curve for ultimate driveability and performance.

This intake system is perfect for customers looking to see impressive gains with only a tune and will be perfect for big power and/or future turbo upgrades. It would be a shame to have to purchase another intake system in the future because you have exceeded the MAF housing.

This intake system will be constructed of muti-ply high-quality silicone hose, utilize our standard PRL Motorsports oiled air filters and stainless steel hardware. The thermal properties of the silicone are more desirable for this application, especially considering how the intake system is routed.

 

[PRL Motorsports]

For anybody inquiring about our now available CVT cooler kit here is some information!

@Myx posted a really great link there, but for anybody too lazy to click it... Basically we spent the past week or so putting more research and effort into data about the factory CVT warmer. Manufacturers implement this warmer for fuel economy.

"Oil is essential for the proper function of a CVT. A shared feature of all types of oils and fats is that oil viscosity is higher at low temperature, such as during an engine cold start. If oil viscosity is high, the engine cannot run smoothly, placing a strain on the engine. The CVT Oil Warmer quickly heats CVT oil to an appropriate temperature, immediately improving fuel efficiency. This is particularly helpful in colder regions or for short drives.

Technology Functionality
An engine that combusts fuel internally finishes heating comparatively quickly, but transmission, with friction heat from driving as its main heat source, takes more time to warm up. The CVT Oil Warmer heats up the transmission, creating a state where the vehicle can run efficiently quickly.

Technology Configuration
The CVT Oil Warmer utilizes engine cooling water and quickly increases the temperature of the CVT oil until it reaches an appropriate heat. As a result, it reduces the time when the oil is at low temperature, placing a great burden on the engine"

We talked with @Hondata last week at SEMA and spent some time researching information from Honda. The removal of the warmer will not be detrimental to the CVT itself. For this reason we have decided to move forward with the release of our CVT cooler kit. There are currently a handful of cars out there running our kit with no problems whatsoever. With that being said, these can be found on our site here!

 

[maddmatt02]

Would there be a way to implement a "reverse thermostat" that bypassed the warmer at a certain temp. Obviously increase cost of materials and Machining though...

 

[shadow]

Would there be a way to implement a "reverse thermostat" that bypassed the warmer at a certain temp. Obviously increase cost of materials and Machining though...

You can integrate a standard ATF thermostat that will bypass the cooler when fluids are cool. However, you still won't have a warmer.

https://derale.com/products/fluid-coolers/thermostats-1/fluid-control-thermostats

Before all that, I'd love to have an ATF temp gauge reading. An oil temp gauge into the drain plug would work. The drain plug is 18mm diameter. Not sure about pitch.

 

[maddmatt02]

I have never paid attention to this product closely because I have the manual. Does it bypass the warmer or actually remove/replace it?

 

[shadow]

I have never paid attention to this product closely because I have the manual. Does it bypass the warmer or actually remove/replace it?

It is more for a CVT with a PRL cooler. It by passes the cooler until the CVT fluid gets up to the thermostat temp. It is an attempt to get the temps up quickly because the warmer has been eliminated.

 

[Green82]

love seeing what you guys been doing to your cars.
i have a 2017 hatchback sport i bought a week ago so still on warranty so no mods yet but love to get more power out of the car. I remember when i was in school the civics being fast cars always wanted one but this is the first one i ever owned

 

[dastanli]

Damn, was hoping they would keep the warmer as well. Running cold oil can put more wear and tear on both engine and transmissions besides lowering efficiency. At least that's what I gathered through all the articles I've read. Or at the least have it so there's a manual knob or something were we can turn on the flow if we know we're are going for a spirited drive or for summer and are able to turn it off for winter and such.

 

[PRL Motorsports]

Would there be a way to implement a "reverse thermostat" that bypassed the warmer at a certain temp. Obviously increase cost of materials and Machining though...

You can integrate a standard ATF thermostat that will bypass the cooler when fluids are cool. However, you still won't have a warmer.

https://derale.com/products/fluid-coolers/thermostats-1/fluid-control-thermostats

Before all that, I'd love to have an ATF temp gauge reading. An oil temp gauge into the drain plug would work. The drain plug is 18mm diameter. Not sure about pitch.

Damn, was hoping they would keep the warmer as well. Running cold oil can put more wear and tear on both engine and transmissions besides lowering efficiency. At least that's what I gathered through all the articles I've read. Or at the least have it so there's a manual knob or something were we can turn on the flow if we know we're are going for a spirited drive or for summer and are able to turn it off for winter and such.

We have looked into this, actually, we currently have 3 different thermostats sitting back in R&D. However, we simply didn't see a reason to retain/implement a thermostat in this application. We have found no evidence of added wear without a warmer like we were initially concerned about.

love seeing what you guys been doing to your cars.
i have a 2017 hatchback sport i bought a week ago so still on warranty so no mods yet but love to get more power out of the car. I remember when i was in school the civics being fast cars always wanted one but this is the first one i ever owned

Thanks! You will be very happy with the 1.5T platform!

 

[Metal_Hatch]

love seeing what you guys been doing to your cars.
i have a 2017 hatchback sport i bought a week ago so still on warranty so no mods yet but love to get more power out of the car. I remember when i was in school the civics being fast cars always wanted one but this is the first one i ever owned

What were the slow cars?

 

[Green82]

What were the slow cars?

Camaro's and a few others

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