11th Gen Civic Downpipe Design Blog
In today’s blog, we dive into the OEM design of the downpipe equipped on your 11th gen Honda Civic and we’ll be focusing on the 1.5L turbo engine option for now. From our previous experience with the 10th generation platform, we know that a lot of power can be unlocked by upgrading the downpipe on these turbo Civics. Allowing more room for the turbo to breathe and reducing back-pressure is a key way to get some extra power. We saw in the 10th gen Civic SI and other models that right after a tune and an intake that an aftermarket downpipe gives a good bump in horsepower and torque. So, we focused on that here
We dove right into our EX Civic and removed the OEM downpipe for a closer look. Right out of the gate, this downpipe looks nearly identical to the previous generation. Like very similar. We see a unit composed of a few pieces of stamped steel that are then welded together. There are two factory heat shields that bolt onto threaded holes to help keep the heat in the downpipe and away from the surrounding components. We also see the same pair of three-way catalytic converters wrapped in a cylinder with a bung for our secondary oxygen sensor in between them.
The design is so similar that naturally, the first question to answer was: Will our 10th generation downpipe fit our new 11th gen without any modifications?
That answer is almost!!!
Our current 200 cell catted downpipe bolts right onto the L15BY and retains both OEM heat shields just like before. Our mounting flanges to the turbine housing and front pipe were perfect fits and required no changes. With the extra space that the 11th gen has between the turbo and the radiator we can say with confidence that installation of an aftermarket downpipe is easier than on the 10th gen.
Even though we could simply install our existing downpipe, it does not mean that we won’t test the unit and try to optimize it for the new application. First, the lower mounting brackets that secure the outlet flange to the cylinder block and oil pan were not present for 10th gen. We will supply these brackets so that you guys have a painless install. These brackets are important because they help support the downpipe and keep it from cracking over time. Secondly, we are working to eliminate the Check Engine Light that often accompanies swapping out the OE catalysts. The team will be doing some extensive testing over the coming weeks to dial that in.
While we work on getting this part ready, you can check out design blog part 2 of our 10th gen downpipe to see the kind of horsepower improvement you can expect to see! With the new OE turbo in the CivicXI we suspect that we will see even greater gains than before. Power!!!
As a reminder to all our friends, note that aftermarket downpipes are intended for off-road use only and not to be driven on a public road.
Drop your questions and comments below and we’ll get you some answers.
REDEFINE your Honda
-Vincent