One of our most popular blogs is “How to make 400hp on a 10th generation Civic L15”. It’s popular because we lay out a simple proven formula for your power goals.

In today’s blog, we bring the same years of experience and easy formula for our FK8 Type R owners. The recipe that follows has repeatedly cracked that oh-so-sweet 400hp club. So pull up a chair, take some notes, and let's get cooking.

Disclaimer: Every dyno reads differently. The combination of aftermarket parts we have compiled here has been able to hit 400+ whp on hundreds of dynos, including our Dynapack. Don’t be discouraged if you put all these parts on but don’t see 400hp. Remember, we always focus on the delta or what is gained over stock.

The recipe for getting to 400whp on the 2017+ Type R is somewhat similar to that of our little L15 brother but there are a few key differences.

Tuning Solution:

We start off with this one because it sets the foundation for all the other mods you will be adding to your Type R to get to 400whp. It’s a two-step process for the 2017-2019 CTR. For the 2020 or 2021 then it’s sort of a 3-step process. We say steps in the sense that you have to make either two or three purchases to get things rolling. For the pre-2019 guys, you need to purchase the Hondata Flashpro itself and an instant jailbreak for your ECU. The reason is the OEM Bosch ECU is pretty well encrypted and you need to download some software to write to the PCM to allow you to tune. That is the purpose of the instant jailbreak. It’s the coding needed to allow you to use your Hondata. If you have a 2020 or 2021 then you not only need the instant jailbreak software and the Hondata but you also need this tiny little box. This is required to bypass the CAN gateway on later US market Hondas. We know it's annoying because it is a $75 box for something you are going to use once but you need it to unlock tuning potential.

Now it's worth saying the Flashpro itself does not make power but the combination of tuning and parts is what gives us power. By tuning for things just like more boost, cam angle, and fuel/ignition on your car we have seen anywhere from 30-60 whp gains on a stock Type R. Because you have to spend on average an extra $250 to $325 more to start tuning on the K20C1 vs the L15 engine this mod does not have the same bang for the buck as it does on the 1.5L Civic but 50+ ponies is still well worth it.

Front Mount Intercooler Kit:

With more boost comes the need for more cooling. Keeping the stock intercooler on your car will just move a lot of hot air into the engine and limit power, in most cases you will lose power because as IATs rise the car will pull back timing to keep itself from pre-ignition. We fix that with a nice thick intercooler up front. A taller and wider core along with optimized core density is a recipe for success. If you were to do this upgrade first without tuning you can see an easy 10+ whp and if you do this upgrade along with a nice tune you can see north of 20+ whp. Not only is it more power, but it's more consistent. Over the course of driving and racing you won’t heat soak as easily. You don’t just want to be fast for one lap, but for the whole race. An upgraded FMIC is a must for the 400+ club. Not all aftermarket FMIC are the same. Check out the 27WON FMIC. It’s dyno proven to be the best available.

Downpipe:

What goes in must come out. No better way to free up some ponies than making it easy for burnt exhaust gas to leave your engine. The OEM downpipe is very restrictive. It has two cats stuffed one right after the other and can create a lot of heat. We totally get why they are there and they do a great job at controlling emissions but they do so at the sacrifice of power. By bumping up to a larger more free-flowing race catalytic converter you can reduce back pressure and increase both horsepower and torque. On average we see gains of 10hp and a whopping 25+ ft lb of torque. That is a lot of torque and acceleration you can feel. Plus not only can you feel it but a downpipe is a good way to change the tone of your exhaust system. Perfect for those looking to make some noise. Remember: These are for race use only due to emissions laws.

Race MAF:

Intakes are one of the first and easiest modifications you can make to any car. They are on the cheaper end of modifications to acquire, they can generally be installed in under an hour with no special tools, and they make all the cool noises. However, not all intakes are made equal. As a matter of fact most aftermarket intakes for the Type R kind of suck and not in a good way. They actually perform worse than OEM. However, the one thing the OEM has going against it is the size of the stock MAF (mass air flow sensor) housing. It limits our quest to 400 whp and beyond. So when we go for an aftermarket intake we suggest choosing a unit with a RACE MAF option. The larger size of a RACE MAF means a larger volume of air can be fed to the turbo, intercooler, and ultimately engine. There are only a handful of RACE MAF intakes out there. When shopping be sure and pick up one that has been designed to keep OEM-like fuel trims.

Flex Fuel:

Arguably the hardest part of tuning and making power out of any modern GDI turbocharged Honda is the need for more fuel. The stock fuel system is very limiting and acts as a huge handicap. We turn to ethanol because it's a great way to add some power to virtually any car. However, because the FK8 fuel system is so small from the factory we can only get away with a little bit of flex-fuel. At the pump, you can get E85 and if you have the fuel system you can run that straight. For the L15 10 gen, we have to diulute that down to an E35 blend. On the CTR even less, around E15 to E25. Because the mix is so low you don’t get as major power gain as with pure E85 but with the right tuning you can still get a bump of about 20whp. Of course, ethanol is not for everyone. Depending on where you live it may be harder to come by. But if you want to see 400whp without dropping $3k on a Hondata fuel system upgrade it's kind of a must.

The parts listed above should get you very close to 400whp with a good tune.

If you have 93oct gas and cool outside temperatures you can eclipse the 400hp mark.

Again that is with the use of ethanol which we know is not for everyone. This is why we put one bonus part on this list. A turbocharger upgrade. With a simple drop in like the Kuro for the FK8 you can see 400whp without the need for ethanol. You can hit 400+ on just 93 octane. Of course if you want to run this turbo with ethanol then you are well on your way to 500HP plus which is awesome, so enjoy that power! ;)

It is our hope you found this blog useful. Let us know in the comments below what mods and what power you are making and let us know if this formula worked for you.

Till next time

-Vincent

Co-Founder

How to make 400+whp on a 10th Generation Honda Civic Type R (FK8)