FK8

Honda might have changed the game in the world of hot-hatches with the latest generation of the Civic Type R, but if you recall from the stock review, the FK8's intercooling system barely met the classification of "gamechanger." We're already well on our way to elevating the Type R's charged air heat exchanger to that level, as we covered in our last post, but what about the piping? After all, the car is an ecosystem and can only be as strong as its weakest component.

Discussing the new piping requires a brief recap of our design plans for the intercooler itself. Specifically, we'll start with the revised end tank design. In the Type R's stock form, the piping was a combination of a rubber hose and a piece of cast aluminum which attached to the inlet and outlet of the core by means of a specific bracket design. Our engineer found that the stock openings on the intercooler were too small and would cause a restriction in airflow if left as is, especially once a tune got involved. The 58mm