SpoolinFK8
Senior Member
Not expensive at all and it can be made from spare parts shaved off the mold. MBR makes it on their Intercoolers. Just a small welded plate with a hole on it for the sensor
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COMING SOON: Meet the New PRL Tube-and-Fin Intercooler for FL5 Civic Type R & DE5 Integra Type S
- Thread starter PRL Motorsports
- Start date
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Evox787
Senior Member
I say it the same way they probably answer it because, like you said, it should not be a science. But to cut off and get rid of parts to make something fitI don’t know but race car I guess. But at the end, people will buy it and don’t care for hype more than anything else, because these parts are designed for "race use," so the government doesn’t sue them, and on a racing application, they don’t care so much about fitment. California cars or any similar state can probably get it in and not deal with hassles.Not expensive at all and it can be made from spare parts shaved off the mold. MBR makes it on their Intercoolers. Just a small welded plate with a hole on it for the sensor
Timmmmmm13
Member
Emailed them this question and per prl yes it will.
SpoolinFK8
Senior Member
Everything stays the same, except they’re going from Bar and Plate to Fin and plate for weight saving, and faster/better cooling, less prone to heat soak. Better for daily driving as well. But it does come with a higher cost. If i should guess, this IC is going to be in the $850-1200 price range.
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This is correct. Compatible with our charge pipe kit, factory piping, or any other factory fitment style piping kit.
simontang83
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Any news for the release date?
Bishop
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Damn. Just purchased their Bar and Plate.
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No release date yet, but once we have one I will be sure to let everyone here know! We finished up some testing on the intercooler. I will be posting a write up on that here within the next week or so.
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As promised, here are the results from our testing!
Our Testing
For our FL5 intercooler testing, we conducted a controlled, same-day comparison between the OEM intercooler, our existing PRL bar-and-plate intercooler, and our new PRL tube-and-fin intercooler. Ambient temperatures remained steady in the mid-70s°F.
Testing focused on how each intercooler behaves under continuous, high-load conditions; specifically, how quickly they heat soak and how they recover.
Testing Methodology
To ensure consistency, each intercooler was tested under identical conditions:
Figure 1: Charge-Air Temperature Comparison
OEM Intercooler (Green Line)
The OEM intercooler is already heat-soaked on the very first pull, starting at 136°F. Temperatures increase rapidly, rising into the 200°F range, and eventually peak at 220°Funder maximum heat soak. This demonstrates the limited thermal capacity and cooling efficiency of the stock unit during repeated high-load use.
PRL Bar-and-Plate Intercooler (Orange Line)
Our bar-and-plate intercooler begins at 86°F, showing minimal temperature rise during the first two pulls, only slightly exceeding 100°F on pull two. This makes it excellent for drag racing and street driving where short bursts of load are common.
However, with each additional pull, temperatures increase by roughly 10°F until stabilizing around 190°F as the unit’s thermal mass becomes saturated.
PRL Tube-and-Fin Intercooler (Blue Line)
Early pulls resemble the bar-and-plate unit, though temperatures sit 5–10°F higher initially. This is due to the tube-and-fin’s lighter construction and reduced thermal mass.
As testing continues, however, its efficiency begins to shine. Later runs stabilize between 160–170°F, indicating superior performance during sustained high-airflow scenarios like track sessions or extended spirited driving.
Figure 2: Performance Overlay – Understanding Advantage Zones
Figure 2 overlays all intercooler results, highlighting performance “zones.”
Figure 3: Tube-and-Fin Core Construction
Figure 3 shows a cross-section of our tube-and-fin core.
Each oval represents a tube within the heat exchanger, secured in place by the surrounding end plate. These tubes feature much thinner cross-sections compared to the bars inside a bar-and-plate core. This allows:
The data makes it clear. If your driving demands consistent cooling over long sessions, the tube-and-fin intercooler is the most stable, efficient option in our lineup
Our Testing
For our FL5 intercooler testing, we conducted a controlled, same-day comparison between the OEM intercooler, our existing PRL bar-and-plate intercooler, and our new PRL tube-and-fin intercooler. Ambient temperatures remained steady in the mid-70s°F.
Testing focused on how each intercooler behaves under continuous, high-load conditions; specifically, how quickly they heat soak and how they recover.
Testing Methodology
To ensure consistency, each intercooler was tested under identical conditions:
- Multiple 4th-gear dyno pulls were performed back-to-back.
- No cool-down periods were allowed, intentionally pushing each unit to its maximum heat-soak point.
- Cold-side charge temperatures were used to determine when heat soak was reached.
- A high-power dyno fan supplied consistent airflow for every test.
Figure 1: Charge-Air Temperature Comparison
OEM Intercooler (Green Line)
The OEM intercooler is already heat-soaked on the very first pull, starting at 136°F. Temperatures increase rapidly, rising into the 200°F range, and eventually peak at 220°Funder maximum heat soak. This demonstrates the limited thermal capacity and cooling efficiency of the stock unit during repeated high-load use.
PRL Bar-and-Plate Intercooler (Orange Line)
Our bar-and-plate intercooler begins at 86°F, showing minimal temperature rise during the first two pulls, only slightly exceeding 100°F on pull two. This makes it excellent for drag racing and street driving where short bursts of load are common.
However, with each additional pull, temperatures increase by roughly 10°F until stabilizing around 190°F as the unit’s thermal mass becomes saturated.
PRL Tube-and-Fin Intercooler (Blue Line)
Early pulls resemble the bar-and-plate unit, though temperatures sit 5–10°F higher initially. This is due to the tube-and-fin’s lighter construction and reduced thermal mass.
As testing continues, however, its efficiency begins to shine. Later runs stabilize between 160–170°F, indicating superior performance during sustained high-airflow scenarios like track sessions or extended spirited driving.
Figure 2: Performance Overlay – Understanding Advantage Zones
Figure 2 overlays all intercooler results, highlighting performance “zones.”
- In the orange zone, the bar-and-plate unit maintains a slight early advantage due to its greater thermal mass, acting as a thermal “battery” that absorbs heat.
- As the test progresses, the tube-and-fin design surpasses the bar-and-plate, demonstrating more efficient heat transfer under continuous load.
Figure 3: Tube-and-Fin Core Construction
Figure 3 shows a cross-section of our tube-and-fin core.
Each oval represents a tube within the heat exchanger, secured in place by the surrounding end plate. These tubes feature much thinner cross-sections compared to the bars inside a bar-and-plate core. This allows:
- Reduced weight
- Faster heat transfer
- Higher cooling efficiency
The data makes it clear. If your driving demands consistent cooling over long sessions, the tube-and-fin intercooler is the most stable, efficient option in our lineup
