Test Vehicles:
PRL Accord
- Factory K20C4 Engine and 10 Speed Automatic Transmission
- KTuner and Hondata
- PRL Type-R P600 Drop In Turbo Upgrade
- PRL Type-R Titanium Turbo Inlet Pipe
- PRL Accord HVI High Volume Intake System
- PRL Accord FMIC
- PRL Accord Race DP/FP Combo
- Factory Exhaust
IMW Accord
- Factory K20C4 Engine and 10 Speed Automatic Transmission
- Type-R FK8 Turbocharger
- Factory Accord Inlet
- KTuner
- PRL Accord HVI High Volume Intake System
- PRL Accord FMIC
- PRL Accord Street DP/FP Combo
- Factory Exhaust
RedStar Civic Type-R FK8
- Built K20C1 by RedStar (Carillo Rods, JE 86mm Pistons, Ferrea Valves, Springs & Retainers
- Factory 6-Speed
- PRL Type-R P600 Drop In Turbo Upgrade
- Factory Type-R Inlet Pipe
- PRL Type-R HVI High Volume Intake System
- PRL Type-R Intercooler w/ Upgraded Charge Pipes
- Meth Injection
- PRL Type-R Race Downpipe/FP Combo
- Ultimate Racing Exhaust
Accord Testing:
Over the past few weeks we have been working with KTuner and Hondata, testing and experimenting with the Accord 2.0T platform so we can fully understand its potential, capabilities and limitations for higher-power applications.
Initially we began testing our shop Accord with Hondata. Our car was able to make a best of 423 horsepower and 371 ft/lbs torque at 28 PSI, backed by repetitive numbers. The factory MAP and TC Pressure sensors left us stranded at 28 PSI (we were also beginning to clip the limits of the factory MAF table's range of 10,000hz (which Hondata now plans on releasing a public software update to allow MAF scale table re-indexing). During testing datalogs showed signs of limited available ignition advance due to what was theorized to be knock control intervention or a torque limit in the ECU or TCM at the higher power output.
For our next round of testing we drove out to Innovative MotorWorks in Carlisle, PA to collaborate with Derek Robinson and KTuner in an effort to push this setup even further. The goal was to have back-to-back testing with the factory FK8 turbo swap vs our P600 for a very close "apples-to-apples" comparison. KTuner was kind enough to enable 4Bar MAP sensor support just before heading out, allowing us to toss in a set of Hondata 4Bar MAP sensors before making the trip. KTuner already allowed for reindexing of the MAF scale table's frequency range, standard. Once bolted to the dyno, the PRL Accord was instantly able to make more power, and achieve higher boost pressure targets. Derek and KTuner were able to adjust some knock control behavior related to the amount and rate of pulled ignition timing at a given knock event. These changes allowed us to add a bit more overall ignition timing before knock control ultimately limited us once more (which we believe to be false knock, given the power increases that were being made). Our car made a best of 466 horsepower and 434 ft/lbs torque.
Due to the nature of the DynaPack's increased load capability during a power curve test, torque needed to be limited in the midrange, as some transmission slip was detected when more than 420ft/lbs was made at earlier engine speeds (possibly when available transmission line pressure is lower). The boost curve was tuned to target 25 PSI at 3900 RPM increasing to peak boost of 33 PSI at 5400 RPM to redline. Also to note, power carried all the way to/past redline, indicating the need to rev the accords higher, which is another limitation of the current automatic transmission control's shift logic. Manual transmission Accords won't have this problem, of course.
Derek then bolted down his personal FK8 turbo-equipped Accord to the DynaPack to see what it could do. This car made a best of 399 horsepower and 404 ft/lbs torque at ~27 PSI (tapering down to around 24 PSI), which was actually the highest power he’s put down with an FK8 turbo-equipped Accord to date on this machine. Typically, similar setups are fuel system-limited by ethanol blended fuels before this power level.
P600 Vs FK8 Turbocharger (Accord)
While wildly popular (and for good reason), ethanol blended fuels do tax fuel systems harder to achieve the same power level as gasoline fuel. Both of these Accords were tested using ethanol-free VP 110-octane gasoline, which was poured in with a range "7-10 miles" until an empty tank. We elected to use VP 110 race gas due to the fact it would allow us to extend the factory fuel system range further than ethanol fueling, while maintaining similar knock resistance. VP MS100 (unleaded non-oxygenated) fuel would have been used like we’ve done in the past, however it was unavailable at the time of testing.
A few things to note:
·Both KTuner (currently) and Hondata (in the near future) allow MAF table re-indexing to extend to the usable range of the sensor (14,000Hz~)
- 4Bar MAP sensor support is needed to make the most of this turbocharger upgrade for this platform, which currently KTuner is the only option offering this support
- The 10-speed automatic Accord platform could really benefit from the ability to rev higher before a forced automatic upshift, and having access to other transmission control parameters.
- Further adjustment of knock control range and sensitivity could be of great worth at elevated power levels and/or for aftermarket engine-internal use (to account for the differing noise that accompanies things like forged pistons and stiff valvetrain).
Keep in mind that this 466 horsepower was produced with the “underdog” 2.0L turbo engine (inferior cylinder head/camshafts, power-robbing balance shafts, etc), and through an automatic transmission, only revving to 6100 RPM (to avoid an upshift during the DynaPack's "autoplot" test).
Type-R Testing:
RedStar Motoring installed our P600 on Pepo’s personal FK8 Civic Type-R to see how it responds at higher boost levels. He made a best of 575 horsepower and 506 ft/lbs torque at 34 PSI using VP104 fuel with methanol injection and 556 horsepower and 487 ft/lbs torque without meth. This current power is with a steady 34 PSI boost curve holding flat until redline, and we believe that the P600 has no problem reaching its 600 horsepower expectations with just a bit more boost. Hopefully we can see what kind of ¼ mile time this setup puts down at the track next week!
Pepo made a best of 535 horsepower and 482 ft/lbs torque using pump gas with methanol injection, and 472 horsepower and 417 ft/lbs torque without meth.
For the fun of it, we graphed a factory turbocharger dyno pull from Kinetic’s original testing to see how it compared to Red Star’s big power P600 dyno pull. To our surprise, turbocharger spool differences between the two appear to be negligible, if any!
We also want to thank all parties involved. These platforms and our products could not do what they do without you.
