FL5 Intake Inlet/Duct Testing

Two Step Performance

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It was the Summer of 2023. The FL5 still had a fresh to market feel and aftermarket part options were very limited. Community member PRL Motorsports was deep into their intake development for the platform and they received a tip from someone that accidentally made a pull at the dragstrip with their hood not completely closed. 😬 The party in question recorded a time a tenth of a second faster than any previous pass! It was not long before their gears started turning and they realized that additional air was able to make it's way into the intake system through the cracked hood and produce additional power. Here at TSP we were about 60 dyno pulls in on our own FL5 R&D, testing all kinds of stuff. I was asked to record two dyno pulls, one with the hood open, allowing all the air in, and one with the hood closed -limiting the car to what our high output fan can help blow through the relatively small passage behind the grill. The results were a bit shocking, a difference of approximately 22WHP.

11th Gen Honda Civic FL5 Intake Inlet/Duct Testing stock intake testing June 2023


PRL was all but ready to release their intake with no duct, but they knew further testing was required to ensure they released the best product possible to our community.

Fast forward to August of 2023 - I had the PRL sealed and ducted prototypes both in hand, as well as a modified factory airbox that had a duct added to it in a similar fashion. Testing resumed:

11th Gen Honda Civic FL5 Intake Inlet/Duct Testing PRL HVI Testing August 2023


I believe the results speak for themselves. There are many variables to consider including the turbocharger itself, ambient weather conditions, airspeed through the grill, etc. But these tests have served as the basis of why the PRL HVI has a duct to begin with and why I have been so adamant about it over the years.

This thread is a result of lots of questions regarding the value of the duct. All I can speak from is my own experience and test data. Cobb has recently shared that they believe their intake does not suffer from any deficiencies without a secondary inlet duct and I welcome the opportunity for that to be proven. TSP sells many different brands and we count on our own R&D to make great recommendations to our customer. I always enjoy pointing out that our FL5 has over 260 recorded dyno pulls to date, all from testing various hardware and software combinations - many of them being prototypes that don't always see the light of day. We highly value the data and love learning about what works and what doesn't.

We are still curious about the Cobb intake and have spoken to Cobb privately regarding this, they are due to ship us both an intake and intercooler for testing. We look forward to adding to our collection of test data and maybe even learning something new. :)
 

TheFactor

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Thanks for the hard work and data . I’m very happy with my PRL HVI and Remark SS exhaust it’s definitely transformed the car in felt power on the streets but sound is a beautiful thing now to . My FL5 feels and sounds like a different car and adds another level of excitement and satisfaction. If I did not have a extended warranty I’d definitely be looking at tuning just for that extra smile per mile 😆
 


TheFactor

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Post the videos with the cob products vs prl.
Isn’t that a given 😂 It’s also well known how much you dislike PRL. Have know idea why they are a first class company with quality and proven tested products for our FL5’s.
 
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MooMoo

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Not a fan of PRL for a few reasons but bought an intake and it is by far my favorite upgrade. Nice quality and good to see that had great engineering behind it. Nice to see that in this particular product its not just price that makes it an appealing product.
 

Tougefl5

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Isn’t that a given 😂 It’s also well known how much you dislike PRL. Have know idea why they are a first class company with quality and proven tested products for our FL5’s.
Then why is there no video to accompany the op?
 

PNEUMA

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Then why is there no video to accompany the op?
As I read the OP statement, and with my basic reading comprehension skill, there quite possibly isn’t a video showing a shootout between the two intake systems, simply because they do not have the Cobb system in hand, yet.
 

TheFactor

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Then why is there no video to accompany the op?
You mean something similar to this that I’m sure you've already saw less the Cobb of course. Don’t fret I’m sure it’ll be out soon when they decide to ship some for testing to outsources such as the thread started @Two Step Performance 👍🏻
PRL seems to know what their doing and offers a lot of bang for the buck.
 
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Tougefl5

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You mean something similar to this that I’m sure you've already saw less the Cobb of course. Don’t fret I’m sure it’ll be out soon when they decide to ship some for testing to outsources such as the thread started @Two Step Performance 👍🏻
PRL seems to know what their doing and offers a lot of bang for the buck.
None of this makes a difference if all your doing is being stuck in traffic waiting to hard park at the beach.
 
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Two Step Performance

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Looks like Cobb will be shipping to us next week. I’d love to a very quick back to back test (we can swap an intake in minutes at this point) but we will have to re-tune due to Cobb’s larger MAF housing. But maybe that larger housing will help us pick up some power? 🤔 Regardless, we will do our best to limit all other variables as much as possible and record the best data possible.

Then why is there no video to accompany the op?
Because we were doing confidential product development testing over two years ago. 🤣
 

Tougefl5

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Looks like Cobb will be shipping to us next week. I’d love to a very quick back to back test (we can swap an intake in minutes at this point) but we will have to re-tune due to Cobb’s larger MAF housing. But maybe that larger housing will help us pick up some power? 🤔 Regardless, we will do our best to limit all other variables as much as possible and record the best data possible.


Because we were doing confidential product development testing over two years ago. 🤣
Understandable about R&D however you can do a video to back up the claims currently. I mean a tenth of a second at the drag strip could literally be anything. Same with a dyno session I've had number be different in a session by 20 or so hp.
If the PRL is superior to all other by 20+hp it's your time to shine lol
 
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Understandable about R&D however you can do a video to back up the claims currently. I mean a tenth of a second at the drag strip could literally be anything. Same with a dyno session I've had number be different in a session by 20 or so hp.
If the PRL is superior to all other by 20+hp it's your time to shine lol
Our next round of testing will be after the Cobb goods arrive. We look forward to it!
 
 







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