PRL SRI Conversion To Cobra CAI Performance/Review

gylmar814

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What's up everyone, for some time now I had the PRL SRI, didn't want to go with the Cobra CAI version at first because I wasn't sure how it would hold up with South Florida rain/showers. After doing further research and seeing everyone elses input on the CAI I decided to pull the trigger and purchase the conversion to turn my SRI to the CAI, besides I figure it would pair up nicely with the PRL Intercooler I already have installed...

I couldn't believe how drastic of a change my IAT1 went down after installing and driving !:eek: I drove for about 30 minutes with spirited driving in between with 3rd and 4th gear WOT pulls... My IAT1 actually stayed lower than my IAT2 the entire time driving by a good 10 degree margin. Something I never saw in my car before. On average I was getting 20-30 degrees lower in IAT1 compared to the SRI, that's huge. Not to mention, the difference of power I felt throughout the RPM band... This is the first time I actually feel a difference in power on the butt dyno from just an intake on any vehicle! :yes: However, I did feel low end torque took a slight drop which I expected from a CAI...but once I passed right around 3k in the RPMs, the car really woke up.:headbang:

Overall, the PRL Cobra made a big change & compliments the PRL Intercooler so well, I actually have a bittersweet feeling from it because I feel the Cobra Intake actually has more of a positive effect in regards to what it did to the IAT1 compared to what the Intercooler did with IAT2... but I'm sure that's because of the burst of pulls and braking I did. I was limited with the space I was given because of the traffic and city driving .

Install was a breeze and everything lined up just perfectly. Some of the stuff you guys wrote about this Intake you weren't kidding... The Cobra Intake exceeded my expectations from just an intake. @PRL Motorsports , you guys did a stellar job with this project. Thank you !

Before/After Pics :

Honda Civic 10th gen PRL SRI Conversion To Cobra CAI Performance/Review 20180214_174021


Honda Civic 10th gen PRL SRI Conversion To Cobra CAI Performance/Review 20180220_152030


Honda Civic 10th gen PRL SRI Conversion To Cobra CAI Performance/Review 20180220_152012
 

davemarco

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What's up everyone, for some time now I had the PRL SRI, didn't want to go with the Cobra CAI version at first because I wasn't sure how it would hold up with South Florida rain/showers. After doing further research and seeing everyone elses input on the CAI I decided to pull the trigger and purchase the conversion to turn my SRI to the CAI, besides I figure it would pair up nicely with the PRL Intercooler I already have installed...

I couldn't believe how drastic of a change my IAT1 went down after installing and driving !:eek: I drove for about 30 minutes with spirited driving in between with 3rd and 4th gear WOT pulls... My IAT1 actually stayed lower than my IAT2 the entire time driving by a good 10 degree margin. Something I never saw in my car before. On average I was getting 20-30 degrees lower in IAT1 compared to the SRI, that's huge. Not to mention, the difference of power I felt throughout the RPM band... This is the first time I actually feel a difference in power on the butt dyno from just an intake on any vehicle! :yes: However, I did feel low end torque took a slight drop which I expected from a CAI...but once I passed right around 3k in the RPMs, the car really woke up.:headbang:

Overall, the PRL Cobra made a big change & compliments the PRL Intercooler so well, I actually have a bittersweet feeling from it because I feel the Cobra Intake actually has more of a positive effect in regards to what it did to the IAT1 compared to what the Intercooler did with IAT2... but I'm sure that's because of the burst of pulls and braking I did. I was limited with the space I was given because of the traffic and city driving .

Install was a breeze and everything lined up just perfectly. Some of the stuff you guys wrote about this Intake you weren't kidding... The Cobra Intake exceeded my expectations from just an intake. @PRL Motorsports , you guys did a stellar job with this project. Thank you !

Before/After Pics :

20180214_174021.jpg


20180220_152030.jpg


20180220_152012.jpg
Awesome write-up man! I'm in the same boat as you - was planning on the SRI, but folks are slowly converting me. Just worried about the heavy puddles in NYS during summer rainfall. Would you be willing to check the filter after driving through a heavy Florida downpour and update back on whether the filter stayed dry? Don't know how easily it can be accessed to check, but I know that it would help put a lot of members minds at ease (myself included!).
 
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gylmar814

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Awesome write-up man! I'm in the same boat as you - was planning on the SRI, but folks are slowly converting me. Just worried about the heavy puddles in NYS during summer rainfall. Would you be willing to check the filter after driving through a heavy Florida downpour and update back on whether the filter stayed dry? Don't know how easily it can be accessed to check, but I know that it would help put a lot of members minds at ease (myself included!).
Yeah sure.. it wasn't too much of a hassle to take off the plastic cover , just a few thumb tabs, and 2 bolts... one of these days if it rains I'll do a write up on the outcome. If i were you I would consider the hydro shield sock over the filter. After seeing the videos people did testing on, that really put my mind at ease. I would have to submerge my car in water atleast up to half the rim to be worried with that thing on... and realistically that would never happen unless I'm driving into a lake. Lol. My concern is if it would affect the airflow going into the intake. So I'm on the fence on ordering one. I would have to do more research on it.
 

davemarco

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The hydro shield will not affect airflow. It’s a nice thing to put over your filter.
For some reason, a Google search seems to yield an even split on this question. It seems like every thread that I find on this subject has alternating posts between people insisting that the hydroshield has no impact on airflow, and others insisting that it has a noticeable affect on airflow. Can't seem to find any empirical comparisons though.
 


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gylmar814

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For some reason, a Google search seems to yield an even split on this question. It seems like every thread that I find on this subject has alternating posts between people insisting that the hydroshield has no impact on airflow, and others insisting that it has a noticeable affect on airflow. Can't seem to find any empirical comparisons though.
I actually just looked a few up on amazon and AEM makes their version of the the hydro-shield and they advertise that it actually adds a little air restriction.. makes me think they all do... :hmm:
 

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Would you be willing to check the filter after driving through a heavy Florida downpour and update back on whether the filter stayed dry?
I live in a pretty wet climate and was quite concerned myself. I put a hydro shield on my cobra CAI right away-the peace of mind far out-weighed the possibility of restricted airflow.

There is water penetration into the void where the filter resides, but personally I feel it is pretty minimal. I have attached a couple photos. A few weeks ago the jobsite I was on had anywhere from 1 to 2.5 inches of water in the bottom of the entire parking garage, on any given day. I purposely drove fast, slow, straight, turning you name it. Went on for a month. The bad thing about this water is it was FULL of concrete dust-when it dries it leaves a caked on mess of grey powder...thick.

The first picture is the underside to show the concrete mud crap. The upper wheel well itself had recently been cleaned. The second picture is looking up into the void from the front. Fairly clean considering... trust me, that crap cakes on something nasty. Most water seems to come in from the top of the inner wheel well area around the suspension cutout in the plastic. For the most part it seems to run down the wheel well plastic and pool in the bottom, missing the filter. The pre-filter is clean except for a spot of dust about the size of a quarter on the top side, and a water spot here and there.
I bought some hydrophobic sticky back foam to put up on top of the inner fender plastic for a makeshift gasket... I figure that should keep the worst of it out...but haven't installed it yet.

Honda Civic 10th gen PRL SRI Conversion To Cobra CAI Performance/Review IMG_20180220_175440436


Honda Civic 10th gen PRL SRI Conversion To Cobra CAI Performance/Review IMG_20180220_175616168
 
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gylmar814

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I live in a pretty wet climate and was quite concerned myself. I put a hydro shield on my cobra CAI right away-the peace of mind far out-weighed the possibility of restricted airflow.

There is water penetration into the void where the filter resides, but personally I feel it is pretty minimal. I have attached a couple photos. A few weeks ago the jobsite I was on had anywhere from 1 to 2.5 inches of water in the bottom of the entire parking garage, on any given day. I purposely drove fast, slow, straight, turning you name it. Went on for a month. The bad thing about this water is it was FULL of concrete dust-when it dries it leaves a caked on mess of grey powder...thick.

The first picture is the underside to show the concrete mud crap. The upper wheel well itself had recently been cleaned. The second picture is looking up into the void from the front. Fairly clean considering... trust me, that crap cakes on something nasty. Most water seems to come in from the top of the inner wheel well area around the suspension cutout in the plastic. For the most part it seems to run down the wheel well plastic and pool in the bottom, missing the filter. The pre-filter is clean except for a spot of dust about the size of a quarter on the top side, and a water spot here and there.
I bought some hydrophobic sticky back foam to put up on top of the inner fender plastic for a makeshift gasket... I figure that should keep the worst of it out...but haven't installed it yet.

IMG_20180220_175440436.jpg


IMG_20180220_175616168.jpg
I appreciate the pics. Given your scenario and situation, I think its fair to say that the filter overall is pretty protected from the factory plastic covering.. Only thing I'm concerned about is the two cut vents that are right under the filter. I feel as if there will be a day depending how hard it pours, if I manage to go over a puddle of water or hit a pot hole full of water at a certain angle eventually water will splash on the filter. Maybe not necessarily penetrate through the filter, but enough to get it moist or wet. That alone to me is good enough & just like you said, for the peace of mind just gonna get the hydro shield
 

davemarco

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I appreciate the pics. Given your scenario and situation, I think its fair to say that the filter overall is pretty protected from the factory plastic covering.. Only thing I'm concerned about is the two cut vents that are right under the filter. I feel as if there will be a day depending how hard it pours, if I manage to go over a puddle of water or hit a pot hole full of water at a certain angle eventually water will splash on the filter. Maybe not necessarily penetrate through the filter, but enough to get it moist or wet. That alone to me is good enough & just like you said, for the peace of mind just gonna get the hydro shield
Sounds like a smart move. Let us know if you notice a reduction in that "oomph" that you had initially reported once the hydroshield is in place!
 
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gylmar814

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Sounds like a smart move. Let us know if you notice a reduction in that "oomph" that you had initially reported once the hydroshield is in place!
I'm sure it's not gonna be enough restriction to even notice. I would think the difference is marginal. But will let you know if otherwise.
 


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gylmar814

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Update: After 30 minutes or so of highway driving... IAT's have been pretty solid. ;) Getting a whopping 4-6 degrees above ambient after the installation of the Cobra CAI (IAT1) IAT1 alone dropped a good 30 degrees from where the temps sat with the PRL Short Ram, that alone makes the Cobra CAI well worth the money spent. :thumbsup:
 

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Update: After 30 minutes or so of highway driving... IAT's have been pretty solid. ;) Getting a whopping 4-6 degrees above ambient after the installation of the Cobra CAI (IAT1) IAT1 alone dropped a good 30 degrees from where the temps sat with the PRL Short Ram, that alone makes the Cobra CAI well worth the money spent. :thumbsup:
Really glad you like it! You sound really happy. The intercooler paired with the cobra cold air intake is insane.
 
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davemarco

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I live in a pretty wet climate and was quite concerned myself. I put a hydro shield on my cobra CAI right away-the peace of mind far out-weighed the possibility of restricted airflow.

There is water penetration into the void where the filter resides, but personally I feel it is pretty minimal. I have attached a couple photos. A few weeks ago the jobsite I was on had anywhere from 1 to 2.5 inches of water in the bottom of the entire parking garage, on any given day. I purposely drove fast, slow, straight, turning you name it. Went on for a month. The bad thing about this water is it was FULL of concrete dust-when it dries it leaves a caked on mess of grey powder...thick.

The first picture is the underside to show the concrete mud crap. The upper wheel well itself had recently been cleaned. The second picture is looking up into the void from the front. Fairly clean considering... trust me, that crap cakes on something nasty. Most water seems to come in from the top of the inner wheel well area around the suspension cutout in the plastic. For the most part it seems to run down the wheel well plastic and pool in the bottom, missing the filter. The pre-filter is clean except for a spot of dust about the size of a quarter on the top side, and a water spot here and there.
I bought some hydrophobic sticky back foam to put up on top of the inner fender plastic for a makeshift gasket... I figure that should keep the worst of it out...but haven't installed it yet.

IMG_20180220_175440436.jpg


IMG_20180220_175616168.jpg
Was your filter dry/clean under the hydroshield when this all happened?
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