1.5T PRL stage 1 install

[Browncoat3000]

Finally got a break in the weather and I took the opportunity to install my PRL intake hose and air filter. Installation was simple, the parts fit very precisely.

One tip: the stiffer PRL hose makes lining up the screws on the stock intake box harder that the much softer stock hose. I could have saved myself several minutes of fiddling about if I had changed the filter before I installed the hoses. When I go to clean the filter I will likely disconnect the main hose first.

There is a small but noticeable change in throttle response, and it may pull a tiny bit harder. I personally don't notice any change in the sound, but I haven't run it very hard yet. It's Almost AutoCross season.

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[Bkunz02]

Finally got a break in the weather and I took the opportunity to install my PRL intake hose and air filter. Installation was simple, the parts fit very precisely.

One tip: the stiffer PRL hose makes lining up the screws on the stock intake box harder that the much softer stock hose. I could have saved myself several minutes of fiddling about if I had changed the filter before I installed the hoses. When I go to clean the filter I will likely disconnect the main hose first.

There is a small but noticeable change in throttle response, and it may pull a tiny bit harder. I personally don't notice any change in the sound, but I haven't run it very hard yet. It's Almost AutoCross season.

I’m debating between this and the CAI.

 

[17siturb0]

If you want a noticeable difference, CAI.

 

[charleswrivers]

I’m debating between this and the CAI.

I have this too. I think the drop-in filter is worth the price of admission. The hoses are smooth and, logically they should help hold air velocity up rather than the stock hose. I do think they're more for look, and PRL themselves have stated the same.

There is a small but noticable amount of increased 'intake noise'... consisting of hearing your turbo more and a huff that is likely the bypass valve. I have hydrolocked a car previously, live in a location where there is decent rain and water on a road, and my wife uses it as a DD and won't go the CAI route... as hydrolock isn't something I've just heard about before... but something I've lived.

This stage 1 intake is in no way a replacement for an actual CAI, which can result in 10s of degrees drop in IAT and more power. The PRL stage one was estimated to gain 4-9 HP gain... project snow white is a good read... and their stage 1 is on the first page:

https://www.civicx.com/threads/prl-motorsports-project-snow-white.12424/

 

[Micah]

Recently added the PRL stage 1 intake pipe (sans breather) and a dry drop in filter. Can verify throttle response seems a bit improved, and there is a slight "huff" type noise when coming out of boost

 

[davemarco]

I have this too. I think the drop-in filter is worth the price of admission. The hoses are smooth and, logically they should help hold air velocity up rather than the stock hose. I do think they're more for look, and PRL themselves have stated the same.

There is a small but noticable amount of increased 'intake noise'... consisting of hearing your turbo more and a huff that is likely the bypass valve. I have hydrolocked a car previously, live in a location where there is decent rain and water on a road, and my wife uses it as a DD and won't go the CAI route... as hydrolock isn't something I've just heard about before... but something I've lived.

This stage 1 intake is in no way a replacement for an actual CAI, which can result in 10s of degrees drop in IAT and more power. The PRL stage one was estimated to gain 4-9 HP gain... project snow white is a good read... and their stage 1 is on the first page:

https://www.civicx.com/threads/prl-motorsports-project-snow-white.12424/

Just curious, did the car that you hydrolocked have a similar level of filter coverage as the Civic X? I know academically that the filter is well encased, but lately I've been terrified to drive in rainstorms with my Cobra CAI. Even on a more gentle rainy day, I seems to get a lot of spray. I've been considering switching to the 27Won intake, but I'm wondering if the smaller MAF will mean less power.

 

[charleswrivers]

Just curious, did the car that you hydrolocked have a similar level of filter coverage as the Civic X? I know academically that the filter is well encased, but lately I've been terrified to drive in rainstorms with my Cobra CAI. Even on a more gentle rainy day, I seems to get a lot of spray. I've been considering switching to the 27Won intake, but I'm wondering if the smaller MAF will mean less power.

I'm posting a picture of not my car (never took pictures of that one) but of a similar one. The original Z32 had a single MAF that fed both cylinder banks at a T. The current setup I have is a fully split setup with 2 MAFs and a translator to take the two signals, bring it back to one and provide it to the ECU (high tech 90s stuff). Thats whats pictures but either setup has the filter at the same height, starting between the headlights with a downward slant. The MAF tubes run to between the headlights with the filters being an oiled cone style that go down around bumper level, just about the bottom engine cover, in front of the radiator and sandwiched between the intercoolers. If you have water up the mid-bumper level... which is exacerbated by going 'down' into a puddle... it's at risk.

Now a days, my old Z gets driven rarely... and very seldom in the wet. Between the roads here in SE GA flooding easily and it being an old car with a lot of power and the closest thing to an operator aid being ABS, it's downright scary driving it on a wet road. I turn my boost controller down as far as I can go in those situations.

So far as filter coverage in a Civicx I can't compare easily as I've never looked at many other than PRLs and then o ly a little. I know the injen CAI on the RSX type S I had went down to the fender well as low if not lower than the Z. From what pictures I've seen the CAIs go pretty low... down around the driver side fenderwell again.


It's just not worth it to me on a DD anymore, given the road conditions I experience. I wouldn't worry about spray though. You've got to look out for full immersion of the filter to the tube then your car (very) quickly pulling a suction on the water and sucking it in. It isn't a problem until it is... and by the time it is... you're sunk. My experience was a low spot on a clogged drainage grate in a parking lot maybe a car length wide and *maybe* a foot deep. It looked like a puddle to me. It was all fun and games until my rear wheels locked from the water that locked the engine.

 

[davemarco]

Thanks for the reply. My primary worry has been from stories of hard spray causing hydrolock. As in, a car is driving down a street at 40 mph, hits a sudden puddle in the road and sprays the filter for a full second hard. Then engine goes boom.

The PRL filter sits low in the fender well. I'm in the process of researching waterproof linings that I can attach to the inside of the fender liner under the PRL filter. The idea is that if I can block the 2 or 3 slanted holes in that liner, I can protect against all hard spray. It won't protect against immersing the bumper, but it should handle most issues. The only concern I have with this plan is with starving the engine for air by covering these holes. I'm betting that the area is porous enough that the remaining air will be sufficient.

 

[ApexEight]

The PRL Cobra is designed with these concerns in mind. The area the filter sits in doesn't leave the filter overly-exposed. I would personally run a filter sock to be safe and also keep the filter from getting dirty so fast. You'll be fine, just don't submerge half or more of you front bumper, and you're fine. Not sure when you'd ever be in that situation anyway, outside of a natural disaster or something.

 

[charleswrivers]

You got me as to what is best. I've lived a lot of places from my Navy time and seen hydrolock kill a few cars here in GA and *scores* of cars in the 7 cities area of VA (Portsmouth/Suffolk/Norfolk area).

Never heard/saw a spray do one in. It's the complete immersion of the filter to the tube... but when it happens, it's fast.

If you live somewhere where you regularly have water covering the road from rainfall not draining I'd avoid it. Otherwise, you're probably going to be ok. I live somewhere now where I have poor drainage so I'd not consider it. It's all in where you live.

 

[davemarco]

The PRL Cobra is designed with these concerns in mind. The area the filter sits in doesn't leave the filter overly-exposed. I would personally run a filter sock to be safe and also keep the filter from getting dirty so fast. You'll be fine, just don't submerge half or more of you front bumper, and you're fine. Not sure when you'd ever be in that situation anyway, outside of a natural disaster or something.

During a phone conversation that I'd had with them, PRL had actually recommended avoiding a prefilter "sock", due to restriction. They indicated that it could be restrictive enough to negate much or even all of the gains from the intake. I did buy an Injen hydroshield, but currently have it off following their advice on that.

It's definitely not overly exposed, but there are holes in the liner right under where the filter is. I agree that based on positioning, hard tire spray should have a hard time getting in there, but as more reports of hydrolock with CAI's trickle in slowly, it's hard to continue discounting it as a possibility.

I'll probably end up just putting the damn sock back on and dealing with the mental perception of lost power.

 

[ApexEight]

Good info. I'm surprised they think that a sock would hurt airflow that much. They are relly thin. I understand your concern though, as I would be paranoid as well. Our cars are our babies. I'm starting toto lo into stock airbox mods. Not really for power gains, but more sound and if lower IATs are possible, then that's just a bonus.

 

[charleswrivers]

Just a reminder concerning spray... though it may vaporize much better than water, remember people do seafoam treatments and spray a whole bottle if the stuff in their intakes. I've seen several videos were people have just sprayed water into their intakes for the sake of cleaning. While I wouldn't do the latter, I've seen before and afters of the valves and it does seem to work.

I've cleaned my oiled filters many times and splashes soak up the filter but I can't see droplets from spray doing a hydrolock myself. Pulling in water to change cylinder pressures from steaming out a bit and maybe risking an issue with the MAF eventually? Sure... maybe.

There's got to be a thousand if these vids... but here's one from Eric and he's put out some good info. Whatever the realm is between just enough to clean and possible hydrolock is unknown to me... but I imagine it's quite a bit more than that.

 

[gtman]

With the insane amount of rain and flash flood warnings we're getting daily on the East Coast, a CAI is a scary thought right now. I'm happy with my PRL silicone intake hose/AEM Dryflow combo.

 

[PRL Motorsports]

It sounds like everyone covered quite a bit of ground in the earlier posts!

Basically there is no real comparison in our CAI vs Stage 1 kit. We designed our Stage 1 kit with two things in mind:

• Customers who are looking to improve their engine bay's aesthetics and gain a bit of performance at the same time
• Customers replacing their air filter when following their maintenance schedule, but would like to save money and improve performance and aesthetics.

Our CAI has been proven to out perform every intake on the market, including the Stage 1 by a long-shot. The CAI is intended for all driving styles, so no need to fret. We do understand that the price point of these intakes are rather far from each other, but do understand that the component list, R&D time/cost and performance gains are rather far from each other as well.

There always seems to be quite a bit of talk about hydrolock, but there's never really anyone who comes forward with a current horror story. Yes, there is usually a risk of hydrolock with a CAI. However, the risk on newer cars is MUCH lower than in comparison to older cars, especially when considering our Cobra CAI. Newer cars like the 10th Gen Civic are equipped with much more under shielding and splash guards, protecting engine components like never before. Also keep in mind that the Cobra CAI was designed to reduce the risk of hydrolock even more. The filter location, though lower than stock, is rather high from the ground for a CAI. The Cobra's large 4" diameter/continuous volume design means that a large amount of water is required to hydrolock. Vehicles would need to be submerged in quite a bit of water (the entire front end of the car) for quite a bit of time at WOT to suck water numerous feet through the large Cobra CAI, turbocharger, intercooler, charge piping and then into the throttle body to hydrolock. We are located in SWPA, where there is heavy precipitation 75% of the year and have never had and issue.

There are hydroshield socks available, but from past experience, these are rather restrictive. If customers still wish to run one, however, filter dimensions/specs are on our site.

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