Page 3 - Honda

It's not out of the ordinary for auto manufacturers to share parts across their lineup. The practice of repurposing a component rather than producing something completely new and unique is a huge money saver. This is why we see the Chevy LS engine everywhere, and why the Accord is also sporting a turbo-flavored setup similar to the Civic. We already spent some time rerouting blow-by in the K20 powered Accord, very much aware that the 1.5T would share some of the drawbacks.

With the K20C4 replacing Honda's V6 Accord option, they still needed something to fill the gap between that and the mild Hybrid. Enter the L15B7. The 1.5T variant is powered by almost the same engine found in the Civic. Granted, there were a few adjustments needed. For instance, this 1.5T has less aggressive tuning and uses a different intake system. This means that there's enough power to contend with the extra weight, but not more than the Si. Since most of this engine is the same, that means there will be the same

"It's an investment in the future" is a phrase that I'm sure everyone has heard at some point in their life. That statement could be used for your savings account, taking out a staggering amount in student loans, or even be said about that 2018+ 2.0T Honda Accord that's getting you around. With all of this future investment, what exactly is protecting it?

Before, just the name Accord was enough to suggest that this car would keep going. There's a reason we still see ancient Hondas cruising around today. We want to make sure that the latest version of your daily commuter stays up to those standards. If you take a look back to our last post, you'll see why the 2018+ Accords might have a little challenge with that. Ditching port-injection and naturally aspirated engines did wonders for efficiency and performance, but the intake takes the brunt of the problems.

The 2.0T Accord might be a grown-up version of the Civic Type R, but blow-by is something that the Accord hasn't grown out of. In

Just from looking at the Civic Type R, you can tell that it's built to perform. The exterior styling is aggressive, yet functional. Every grill, opening, and spoiler incorporated into the design is there for a purpose, and that purpose is speed. Even with the amount of legwork that went into making this Civic the cream of the crop, everyone is still after increased performance.

When most think about the performance of any vehicle, they think of how fast they can make it. Dreams of tunes, intakes, intercoolers, and exhausts are what drift through every enthusiast's mind when it comes time to start modding. Performance should really come from the car's ability to keep performing every time you push the start button. Making sure all the components under the hood are doing their job is a good first step.

With all the heat that's being generated over the CTR's cooling system we thought we'd take a look at the potential failures. Since we have some plans in place for other cooling enhancements,

The Type R badge is something that's had a significant history under the red Honda emblem. Since the adoption of anything Type R in the US, the release of the FK8 was almost like the modern reboot of a cult classic sports flick. This time around we get one of the Hemsworth brothers instead of Patrick Swayze much like an added turbo and over the top aero styling. Some things stay the same though. We still get the conspicuously red seats and Foreigner makes an appearance on the soundtrack.

Check it and See

By most accounts, the FK8 is in fact hot blooded. It's strange to see a car that was engineered both on and for the track unable to take the heat of a few laps. Even just the swelter of a summer day on a spirited drive is enough to cause the engine oil temps in the K20C1 to rise.

Oil is more or less the lifeblood of any engine. It makes sure that the multitude of moving parts stay properly lubricated so that your Sporty Civic can keep laying down blistering lap times. Anyone who knows

Turning into a badass isn't something that happens overnight. It takes time to build up that sort of reputation. People like Chuck Norris or Bear Grylls seem to have always carried that persona, but it took so many seasons of roundhouse kicks  and survival stunts for them to be fully recognized. Honda has had 42 years to build up the Accord's reputation from everyday econo-box to subtle bad boy, and while some of that stigma lingers, we're doing our part to make the "Bad Boy" part less subtle.

Just like building up street cred can take some time, so does developing a performance intake. Luckily though, we have a plan in place to break the 2.0T Accord out of its shell. Before we can dive into what our new intake is going to look like under the hood, let's take a look at the master plan.

Big MAF in Charge

This sensor is more or less in control of your engine's fuel mixture and controls whether you get a visit from the infamous check engine light. If this sensor looks familiar, that's because

Every superhero has a weakness or villain thwarting them at every turn. Superman has those glowing alien rocks. Batman is constantly putting out fires both figuratively and literally set by some deranged clown, and the internal combustion engine has its respiratory system clogged up by its own lifeblood. Yes, we're talking about blow-by. Granted, carbon buildup from blow-by might not seem as serious as the threat of a supervillain, but it's an affliction that affects every engine out there, even your new Honda Accord.

The 2018 Honda Accord 2.0T might not be flying around Metropolis or Gotham punching criminals in the face, but this generation of Honda's full-sized sedan is taking the heroics of daily driving to a new level. Utilizing the K20C4 derived from the heavy-hitting Civic Type R, Honda ditched the V6 for some efficient and punchy direct injected and turbocharged attitude all under an aggressive new skin dripping with tech.

In this day and age, it's not very common to still see three

Investing in an intercooler shows some similarities to going to college. Hear me out. When that acceptance letter arrives, it's understood that there's a lot of money about to be spent as a down payment on the future. Some of us might have held a job or two while in school, but the general idea is complete your degree, and get your dream job, or at least something that is enough to pay off those loans.

A bigger intercooler is an investment in your Civic Type R's future, especially for those who are doing builds and expect big numbers from the K20C1. Depending on the car and the design, adding more fins and surface area to the intercooling system usually gives you some power right off the bat. Our new design does squeeze a few extra drops of power from the CTR, but the main objective is to keep your charged air temperatures down.

Where the stock intercooler would flunk out from even spirited driving, our intercooler is designed to keep the CTR's GPA up, and its finals week here at Mishimoto.