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  1. Defending the King - 2017 Honda Civic Type R Direct Fit Catch Can R&D Part 3 - Blow-By Verified

    Defending the King - 2017 Honda Civic Type R Direct Fit Catch Can R&D Part 3 - Blow-By Verified

    Mishimoto 2017+ Honda Civic Type R Direct Fit Catch Can PreSale

    No matter the manufacturer, the term "sports car" seems to have a special relationship with the color red. Something about this vibrant hue has become synonymous with a vehicle's performance characteristics. This is a trend that Honda seems to have taken to heart. If you look back to all the fast Hondas that rolled out of the factory, at the very least they're adorned with Honda's scarlet badge on the front grille. Regardless of what angle you look at the FK8, the accenting splashes of red stand out like a coat of arms. From the pinstripes lining the bumpers to the encapsulating red bucket seats and pop of the Type R's engine bay centerpiece, the cover, there's an indication that the CTR belongs to a certain class of car.

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  2. Heavy Breathing - 2017+ Honda Civic Type R Performance Intake R&D, Part 2 - Design and Prototype Fabrication

    Heavy Breathing - 2017+ Honda Civic Type R Performance Intake R&D, Part 2 - Design and Prototype Fabrication

    Intakes are typically the first modification that any automotive enthusiast would recommend in the name of quick power gains. It's really no surprise either. If you take a look at any modern vehicle on the road today, including the Civic Type R, stock intakes are full of silencers, restriction points, and accordion-style hoses. Those are three things that I know every gearhead doesn't want, and in fact it's quite the opposite when looking to add some power, so we've been researching solutions to get rid of them.

    The top view of the airbox once it's removed from the car. The slim width of the box might lead to some creative solutions once we get into designing our box.

    To start, let's briefly revisit our stock air intake

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  3. Defending the King - 2017 Honda Civic Type R Direct Fit Catch Can R&D Part 2 - Prototype

    Defending the King - 2017 Honda Civic Type R Direct Fit Catch Can R&D Part 2 - Prototype

    Engine blow-by is something that affects just about every engine on the road. Though plenty of manufacturers have made leaps and bounds in filtering blow-by from the intake, finding clever ways to keep the carbon deposits from building up on intake valves, blow-by remains an issue. This should come as no surprise if you've spent any time on our blog. Just about every type of car and truck that has made its way into our R&D facility, ranging from BMWs to F-150s, and even the 1.5T found in the base Civics, have all produced varying levels of the murky stuff. The K20C1 is likely to be no exception to this trend. That leaves it up to us at Mishimoto to make sure none of the contaminates in the crankcase gasses make it to your valves.

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  4. Heavy Breathing - 2017+ Honda Civic Type R Performance Intake R&D, Part 1 - Stock Review

    Heavy Breathing - 2017+ Honda Civic Type R Performance Intake R&D, Part 1 - Stock Review

    66 out of 100. That might not sound too impressive, but when it comes to the top 100 Nürburgring lap times, any manufacturer would be honored to even make the list. 66 is where the current Civic Type R sits with a time of 7:43.8, making it the fastest front wheel drive car to hit this notorious 12-mile stretch of track. If you scroll though the list, you'll only be able to find a few other FF cars peppered in with all of the Porsches, Bimmers, and countless exotic hypercars. You might also notice that the CTR has made back-to-back appearances in the top 100, which is an impressive feat for any company that isn't Porsche apparently. By this point though, I'm sure you've all already heard the news about the record setting lap time. What the world of new CTR owners want to know is, "How do I make it faster?"

    With Honda's K20C1 delivering power figures of 298HP

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  5. Defending the King - 2017 Honda Civic Type R Direct Fit Catch Can R&D Part 1 - Stock Review

    Defending the King - 2017 Honda Civic Type R Direct Fit Catch Can R&D Part 1 - Stock Review

    It's finally here. After 20 years, and a few extra months of waiting, the Civic Type R has made its way to the States. I have to say, if the standard Civic wasn't striking enough, the Type R has the qualities to make it one scalding hot hatchback. While some of the components carried over from the last generation, including some of the aerodynamics and the return of the mighty K20C1, the FK8 actually went on a bit of a diet and received not only a cosmetic makeover, but also a suspension overhaul fit for the new king of the Nürburgring. It's easy to see why so many are willing to pay thousands over MSRP for the chance to call this new Civic their own.

    Something about that wing lets you know that the CTR means business.
    Something about that wing lets
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  6. Civilized Pipelines: Intercooler Piping R&D, Part 2: Fabrication Magic

    Civilized Pipelines: Intercooler Piping R&D, Part 2: Fabrication Magic

    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

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  7. Bring A Jacket: Intercooler R&D, Part 2: Core Framework

    Bring A Jacket: Intercooler R&D, Part 2: Core Framework

    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
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  8. Civilized Pipelines: Intercooler Piping R&D, Part 1: Design Plans

    Civilized Pipelines: Intercooler Piping R&D, Part 1: Design Plans

    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

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  9. Bring a Jacket: Intercooler R&D, Part 1: The Stock System

    Bring a Jacket: Intercooler R&D, Part 1: The Stock System

    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.

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  10. The Civic Has Boost! - Intake R&D, Part 4: Prototype Kit Components

    The Civic Has Boost! - Intake R&D, Part 4: Prototype Kit Components

    We finally have all our prototype 2016 Honda Civic parts together for this kit. Let's briefly examine everything we have so far, starting with the airbox.

    Prototype 2016 Honda Civic parts
    Prototype 2016 Honda Civic parts

    Prototype 2016 Honda Civic parts
    Prototype 2016 Honda Civic parts

    As we discussed in the last post, we wanted to utilize the stock air inlet as much as possible, which is why we kept an opening at the top of the airbox. The remainder of the filter enclosure is protected within the physical box, to help keep

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