PRL Motorsports is ready to sell and introduce the first full 3″ (76mm) downpipe / front pipe assembly for the 10th Gen Civic equipped with the 1.5T.
Owners and tuners are quickly realizing that power gains to be had from the 10th Gen Civic equipped with their turbo engine with simple bolt-ons are out there with the right engineered product. Thanks to a sponsored post that caught my eye on Instagram from PLR Motorsports earlier yesterday (Mat 1, 2017) we we’re clued in on their newest offering for the 10th Gen Civic, a downpipe/front pipe combo that makes +10 HP and +14 lb-ft over the stock peak power. Check out a video of their dyno run with this downpipe/front pipe combo below as well as a dyno chart which shows massive gains in the lower RPM range.
Keep in mind that these power numbers are on one specific dyno only, so while these gains are consistent no matter what dyno you use given similar test conditions, the exact numbers might be a little different. In addition, these power numbers are for their CVT running their catted downpipe. There’s wasn’t a dyno run for a stock 1.5T with a 6-speed but you can expect similar power numbers.
First off, you can clearly see a huge difference in down-low power. With the stock 1.5 CVT at around 4,300 RPM the Civic 1.5T is making 120 HP but with the down/front pipe combo, there’s 160 HP available, a +40HP improvement. There’s a similar story for torque 100 RPM’s later with a +50 lb-ft gain. You’ll definitely have a lot more of that 1.5 T’s power available if you outfit your Civic with this piece.
Realistically throughout the rest of the rev range, PRL Motorsports says you’ll experience a consistent +10 HP and +14-20 lb-ft, which is believable, with a peak of 193 HP at redline and 192 lb-ft at 4,300 RPM.
As for their catless front/downpipe, they handed over a test piece to Vit tuning and their shop car. Although they didn’t use a stock 1.5T, Vit tuning saw +20 HP and 35-40 lb-ft over the entire rev-range after swapping in a catless downpipe and front pipe.
Prices are $562 for a catless combo or $675 for a 300-cell cat equipped combo. Prices may be a little steep, but when you’re the first to market with something, you get to set the price. It looks like there are group buys going on so a lower price might be available. You’ll have to either contact PRL Motorsports for the 411 on where these group buys are going on or ask around social media. This pre-order group buy on CivicX netted buyers 20 percent off!
It used to be with NA Honda motors that the full I/H/E swap out of intake, header, and exhaust netted someone +10-15 HP as these engines were already pretty much optimized for max power from the factory. With these new turbo engines, Honda owners and tuners are exploring a new world of huge gains from not that much being replaced.
One thing’s for sure, although the stock engine is rated at 174 HP and 162 lb-ft, tuners will slowly bring that power rating up without compromising reliability nor breaking your bank. And we have a feeling that the Civic and its 1.5T will be the new IT vehicle for SEMA 2017.
