I debated starting this blog in the same manner that I have started a few others; that is hitting home on the concept that at its core your engine is nothing but a fancy air pump. I have said many times before that the thing your engine wants to do at its most fundamental level is take air in, combust it, and then expel air out as efficiently, quietly, and safely as possible. After about 2 minutes of consideration, I have decided that yes I wish to start this blog the same way. Your engine is a fancy air pump 🙂

Being the fancy air pump it is, your engine has parts that take air in (intake, turbo inlet pipe aka t.i.p, compressor side of the turbo, FMIC) and parts that take the air out (turbine side of the turbo, downpipe, front pipe, exhaust). For this OEM breakdown, the part of the intake system we’ll focus on is the one often replaced by aftermarket intake kits.

Similar to the intake system found in the 10th generation Honda Civic (2016-2021), this intake is surprisingly big. It has a lot going on. There is an inlet scoop that sits just above the front bumper (on some models). There are a pair of rubber tubes to direct airflow, a big resonator on the side of the filter box to keep the intake quiet, and a two-piece airbox for the filter. The MAF housing is molded into the air box lid. Then consider all the clamps and hardware to secure it and you have a rather complex system. I mean, just take a look at the obstacle course the air has to go through just to get to your turbo inlet pipe!!!

Now is it a bad intake? The answer is no. It does a great job of getting fresh cool air from one area and one area only - the inlet from the front bumper. It's nice and sealed so it won’t capture much hot air from the engine compartment that can hinder performance. But, this intake is not without its flaws. For one, the air going into the airbox comes from a source on the side of the airbox which makes the airflow not that smooth. Also, it doesn’t use the full surface area of the filter in reality and the airflow slows down considerably because of it at that point. You can see in these images of an OEM filter with only 11,000 miles on it how the dirt is concentrated in the middle of the filter.

Another thing to consider is that there is just no room to grow!!!. The MAF sensor housing is one piece with the airbox lid. This design is great for OEM power levels, but as we push the platform in our quest for power, we will want a larger housing and this setup just won’t allow it. We’ll be looking at utilizing our precision-machined MAF housings for both OEM size and future race MAF versions on our upgraded intake systems to maximize the benefits here.

Lastly, for that ricer in all of us, this stock intake is quiet. Like, too quiet. I mean look at the size of the resonator on the airbox to take away all of those fun “swoosh” noises. Speaking of swoosh noises, let's be real here, how important is that for you? A fully sealed intake is a quiet intake. This is great for getting the coolest air possible, but you give up the cool sounds. Should we do an open filter style intake to increase the noise? Is a trade-off in some power worth the smile you get when you smash the gas? Let us know in the comments below.

The OEM intake is just that, great for OEM and normal driving. We are well on our way to making a better looking, better sounding, and better performing 27WON intake for the 11th Gen Civic.

Stay tuned for what's next.

Co-Founder
-Vincent

11th Gen Civic Hybrid Intake System Design Pt 1.