The Honda Civic FE is a popular car to be modified, but it can be challenging to get the most out of it in the hot and humid climate. The hot air can reduce the engine’s power and performance, and it can also be difficult to cool the engine down properly.
To address these challenges, a team of engineers in Malaysia developed a set of full Max Racing intake and exhaust system upgrades for the Honda Civic FE. The upgrades were designed to improve airflow and reduce air temperature, resulting in increased power and performance.
One of the key challenges was designing an intercooler and charge pipe that could efficiently reduce the air temperature in the hot Malaysian climate. The team experimented with different materials and designs, and eventually developed a system that was able to reduce the air temperature by up to 20 degrees Celsius.
In addition to the intercooler and charge pipe, the team also developed a new intake system and exhaust system. The intake system was designed to draw in more cold air, while the exhaust system was designed to reduce back pressure and improve airflow to create a balanced intake & exhaust flow.
The team tested the upgraded Honda Civic FE on a dynamometer, and the results were impressive. The car gained over 10 horsepower and 15 lb-ft of torque. The team also tested the car on the road, and they found that it was much more responsive and quicker to accelerate.
The upgraded Honda Civic FE is now a true hot-weather warrior. It is able to handle the heat and humidity of the Malaysian climate without sacrificing power or performance.
The Story of the Intercooler and Charge Pipe
The design of the intercooler and charge pipe was one of the most challenging aspects of the project. The team needed to develop a system that could efficiently reduce the air temperature without adding too much weight or complexity to the car.
The team experimented with different materials and designs and eventually developed a system that used a high-performance intercooler and a mandrel-bent charge pipe. The intercooler was made from lightweight aluminum and featured a high-density core that was designed to maximize heat transfer, with a larger and thicker core size, the airflow volume increased by 36% more compared to the stock intercooler. The charge pipe was made from smooth-bending mandrel-bent aluminum smooth-flowing, larger inner diameter cold-side charge pipe (1.25″ factory compared to 2.5″) for increased airflow and factory diameter hot-side outlet to aid in turbocharger spool. 4-ply silicone couplers, which reduced turbulence and improved airflow.
The team tested the intercooler and charge pipe on a dynamometer, and the results were impressive. The system was able to reduce the air temperature by up to 20 degrees Celsius, resulting in a significant increase in power and performance.
The intercooler and charge pipe are now an essential part of the full Max Racing intake and exhaust system upgrades for the Honda Civic FE. They help to ensure that the car can perform at its best in even the hottest and most humid climates.
Unlike some of today’s options, the Max Racing intercooler kit comes with the intercooler, charge pipes, and silicone connectors. This pipe is specifically designed for the L15 engine in the 11th-generation Civics FE 1.5 turbocharged engine.
The “hot side” and the “cold side” use a seamless 2.25-inch seamless pipe. similar pipe sizes were chosen to optimize power and driveability. The relatively small 2.25-inch pipes will still support over 400whp, and their smaller size helps move the flow of boosted hot air through the intercooler faster for greater responsiveness. The larger cold-side duct has also been optimized to generate large amounts of “air” in front of the throttle body. This helps reduce turbo lag and improve transient response. Our single pipe inlet and outlet minimize the number of connectors, thereby reducing the number of potential boost leaks. Each cold side pipe has an integrated 1/8-27 NPT port for methanol-assisted cooling/refueling
