Mishimoto 2016+ Honda Civic 1.5L Turbo Intake Development

The Civic Has Boost! Performance Intake R&D, Part 2: Prototype Development

We are moving along with the intake project! Last time, we talked about the stock system and our goals for this project. Now, we will show you our process for assembling a prototype that we can test and analyze results from. Let’s jump right in!

Once our engineers finalize a design, the proposed idea gets modeled in 3D modeling software. The next step is to make the idea a physical reality. We have an awesome machine called a waterjet that can cut almost anything with pinpoint accuracy using a mixture of high pressure water and abrasive material. We upload our design to the waterjet through computer software, “telling” it exactly what we want to cut. The machine takes care of the rest! We just sit back and watch as our prototype gets crafted out of a big sheet of any metal we place inside the machine – in this case, steel.







Next, we arrange the pieces, prepare them for assembly and weld them together to form the prototype.







Pay close attention to the image above. It shows how we plan to use the stock fresh air duct we discussed in the last post. The front of the box with the opening is where the filter will gather cool fresh air. We wanted to have an enclosed airbox while still retaining use of the fresh air that is guided into the duct. This will ensure that most of the hot air from the cramped engine space is directed away from the filter.






What’s Next?



We have a working prototype ready for dyno testing. Stay tuned for the next update to see our results and what our performance gains look like! As always, thanks for reading!

The Civic Has Boost! Performance Intake R&D, Part 3: Dyno Results

Here we have another update for our 2016 Civic intake project. This Civic has finally been put on our dyno to see how our intake performs – and we have some results to share with our Civic community! This car was tricky to dyno properly because of the continuously variable transmission (CVT), but no corners were cut during our testing. Let’s jump right in!




The CVT



Dyno testing a car with an automatic transmission is always a bit more complex than testing a manual transmission. The ability to shift the gears manually makes it a bit easier to set up a manual transmission on the dyno. With automatic shifting, however, finding an appropriate final gear ratio is not a simple task.

A continuously variable transmission (CVT), has a continuous range of effective gear ratios. The gear changes are more seamless than in a conventional mechanical transmission, which has a limited number of gear ratios. With a CVT design, the angular velocity stays constant, putting power to the wheels at a range of different speeds and with a higher efficiency than a mechanical transmission.

Because of the continuous change in gear ratios, we needed to adjust and reset our dyno to help compensate. We opted to record our runs within the 3,700 – 5,800 rpm range and within a gear ratio difference of 1.0. These settings allowed for the most accuracy possible in comparable and repeatable runs with this CVT design.


The MAF Housing

Generally, when designing the housing for the mass airflow (MAF) sensor, the inlet diameter should be as close as possible to the stock diameter. This allows the sensor to accurately read the increase of airflow while staying within an acceptable air-fuel ratio (AFR) that’s safe to run on a stock tune. This isn’t applicable to all vehicles; in some more sensitive engine ECUs, this increased airflow can result in a limp mode with self-adjusted ignition timing, fuel trims and throttle position. This situation destroys any potential for a power increase, so the MAF housing design going to be important.



Due to the proximity of the turbo and the radiator, we knew that the front section of the 2016 Civic intake pipe we planned to replace would need a precise design. Replacing this section with steel-reinforced silicone seemed like a great solution to help keep intake temperatures cool. We 3D printed the gray seen in the image above so we could get started with testing.

To find the most effective size for the MAF housing, we 3D printed multiple MAF housings of slightly different sizes. We first tried a MAF housing that was the same size as stock, but that yielded a loss in power. We then reduced the size to one millimeter smaller, and that put us back at stock power output.

This told us that reducing the size of the MAF housing might yield some power gains. So we reduced the MAF housing to two millimeters smaller than stock, and this is where we began to get some favorable results! Check out our graph below.



Our results were taken from an overall average of the runs we did on the dyno. We never use any single highest or lowest run, because that can wildly skew the results. As you can see in the figure above, we made some good power gains; the power increase was 9.38 hp and 9.67 ft-lbs of torque. We did lose about 1.5 ft-lbs of torque for about 150 rpm, but we suspect that this minor loss in peak gains resulted from the way the CVT behaved on the dyno rather than an actual power loss. Also, the gains in torque everywhere else along the power-band more than makes up for that minor loss! After the 4,500 rpm mark, we were able to keep the power above stock all the way to the end of the run, which is good for a smooth, consistent power gain for this 2016 Civic intake.

How about our AFRs? Check out our graph below.



This 2016 Civic intake will stay safe to run on a stock tune. We did lean the results out a bit, but this is to be expected, as more air is a sign that more power will be made.

How about a quick clip of what our intake sounds like on the dyno!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FcWMRdqvgc

The tone has improved with a more throaty and aggressive sound under induction. We know that this is an important feature for this car, so we took time to make sure the intake sound was up to good standards.


What's Next?



Now that we have some awesome testing results, we are ready to kick off our production process! Before we begin the stage of market production, we need to get a production sample of this intake to ensure perfect fitment. Once those pieces arrive at our facility, we’ll have an awesome update for everyone.

Stay tuned and thanks for reading!

The Civic Has Boost! Performance Intake R&D, Part 4: Prototype Kit Components

We finally have all our prototype 2016 Honda Civic parts together for this kit. Let’s briefly examine everything we have so far, starting with the airbox.





As we discussed in the last post, we wanted to utilize the stock air inlet as much as possible, which is why we kept an opening at the top of the airbox. The remainder of the filter enclosure is protected within the physical box, to help keep out heat. The opening on the box where the mass airflow (MAF) sensor housing sits will be lined with weather stripping not only to prevent debris from getting inside, but also to secure the housing in place and absorb any flex resulting from engine torque.

The MAF housing looks really sharp! The cuts and edges on this piece are super clean, even though this is just a prototype unit. The MAF sensor will plug right into this unit. Check it out below!!



This prototype isn’t painted yet; the final version will be powder-coated black. Painted or not, this piece looks really great. Some nice features stand out on this simple piece, including the laser-engraved “AIR FILTER” at the top and the ever-so-slight venturi-style air inlet. A venturi-style inlet is a common feature on intake manifolds and throttle bodies. It simply means that the small, tapered opening at the entrance where air gets sucked in helps to increase velocity.





These awesome silicone hoses are reinforced with steel wire to prevent misshaping under induction. The silicone construction is beneficial when it comes to preventing heat-soak whereas an aluminum piece would pick up a bit more heat due to its proximity to the turbo and radiator.

Let’s check out more cool shots of the kit!







That just about does it for the majority of the R&D on this intake. The last thing we need to do before officially kicking off production is to confirm fitment on our 2016 1.5L T Civic loaner. Below is a shot of the entire kit, including mounting hardware and brackets.



The silicone intake hose will not only be limited to red. Like our Mishimoto 2016+ Civic 1.5L T Catch Can, we will offer the color options of red, blue, and black. Once we make sure everything fits perfectly, we can move forward!

Thanks for reading!

fasto82 said:

any updates on this kit? Injen's intake claims to be gains of 29hp. do you think that was just the highest number and not an average like you are claiming? Can we see a pic of the blue catch can and silicone hose? i will be getting my EX-T in mid july and am planning on getting the catch can. may be also grabbing your intake as well also is there any difference in leaving in the stock resonator or would it be alright to rip it out to install your system? one flaw i potentially see is when washing the engine bay or car in general, how will your kit prevent the filter from getting soaked in water during the wash? thanks! will you also be developing an exhaust?

Click to expand...

Great questions, and thanks for considering our intake kit!

We are currently working to figure out the logistics of exactly when we will finish initial production for these intakes. The good news is that the presale should be starting relatively soon, so be sure to look out for that!

This car is definitely still very new and there will be more competitors in this product category as time progresses. With that in mind it's important that we keep our center of attention on our products so we are positive they are the best that they can be. We try to go into projects like these with a fresh view to keep our expectations in check.

I can tell you that we offer some great benefits to our kit, such as an enclosed airbox that grabs air directly from the front of the car, so hydrolock should never be a concern. We will also use silicone to replace part of the intake tract and this will combat heat better than an metal section. Also, don't forget that we have a lifetime warranty on all of our products when we officially release them.

Here is what our catch can with the blue silicone hoses looks like in the engine bay:


Remember, our cans are all black, but the hoses have the color options.

We actually designed this intake with the resonator in mind. This intake has nothing to do with the resonator, it can stay exactly where it is, or if you are so inclined, you can take it out yourself! Just remember that it isn't necessary to do so since you can run this intake with the resonator on, it just won't be functional with our system.

With respect to washing your engine bay, I'd probably recommend taking the box and filter components completely out and then masking the silicone opening off to prevent any water from getting in.

I hope this helps!!