August, 2024

Ryan Kauffman | 37 | Greenville, SC
@egciv93

Ever since I bought my 11th gen Si, I had my eye out for the 2023+ Civic Type R. After installing just about every aftermarket part for the Si at the time, I still was hoping for more HP.  The Si was a great car, but I was just looking for more performance after installing a Big Brake Kit, wider wheels, and 200 tread wear tires. I had several friends locally that owned FK8s who kept sending me links to FL5s for sale, but I just couldn't pull the trigger on one because of price. (This was when prices for cars started to go crazy for used cars.) I ended up attending the Wake the Dragon event in 2023 and was put in the driving group with Corey Poole and the guys from PRL. (Just so happens they had 2 of the 3 FL5s that were signed up for the event.)

Long story short, after following Corey for a large portion of the Saturday drive, hearing his car with the Milltek exhaust, and getting a chance to look a bit closer at the PRL FL5, I knew I had to have one. I knew it would be hard to find one since at that time there were long waiting lists for the new R. 3 weeks later, I happened to walk into my local dealership for something unrelated to my Si, and my daughter called me over to see a FL5 in Sonic Grey Pearl. It just so happened that the original buyer had backed out that morning from the sale. I was able to make it work to where I walked away from the dealership a few days later with my new SGP FL5!

  

Modifications
PRL High Volume Intake
PRL Turbo Inlet Pipe
RV6 R660 Turbocharger w/ Bypass Valve
TSP High Efficiency Downpipe
PRL Charge Pipes
PRL Front Mount Intercooler
XDI High Pressure Fuel Pump
Milltek Non-Resonated Valved Catback Exhaust
Hondata FlashPro w/ Custom Tune
27WON Rear Motor Mount
RV6 Rear Sway Bar & Endlinks
PRL Rear Wiper Delete
OEM Carbon Fiber Wing
APR Carbon Fiber Front Lip
APR Carbon Fiber Canards
OLM Carbon Fiber Hood Vent
Titan T-S5 Forged Wheels 19x9.5+45
Chasing J’s Titanium Engine Cover
TSP Titanium Exhaust Studs
TSP Titanium Inlet Studs
Acuity POCO Shift Knob
TSP x PTP Turbo Blanket
TSP x PTP Downpipe Blanket

I think the fact that I had modified my Si so much, it made it easier to get the ball rolling on the R. I had a few parts that were able to roll over to the R from the Si, and I installed them within a few days of getting the R. The very first part that was swapped out was the rear motor mount to the 27WON mount. Within 2 weeks of owning the R, I had the PRL Intercooler installed…and from there it was straight down the rabbit hole! I have to say my favorite modification on the car would have to be the RV6 R660 turbo. The car just pulls so hard in the higher RPMs now and it just doesn't want to quit. I can't wait to be able to get more fuel to the car and make more HP. My future modification plans for the car are installing larger injectors, a bigger low pressure fuel pump, an ethanol blend tune, along with a ported intake manifold. Eventually, I'd like to install a set of the RS-R coilovers along with their adjustable top hats. I'd like to add a few more carbon pieces to the car inside and out as well. I've had my eyes on a set of Recaro seats, but I think that will be down the line before I pull the trigger on those.

 

So far, every modification to the car has been done by me other than the tune and jailbreak of course. I thoroughly enjoy working on my car and being able to know that every bolt that has been loosened or touched, has been tightened back to spec. Plus, being able to learn how Honda built these cars is nice as well. There have been so many great memories with this car, but I’d have to say my favorite one with it would have to be when I was swapping out the turbo. My daughter wanted to help me from start to finish…it took a while, but we managed to get everything buttoned up and finished. She asked questions throughout the install and wanted to learn more about the different parts of the car afterwards. I’ve been able to enjoy several road trips with her in the R. From several short trips to the local mountains, to trips to Tail of the Dragon during the Classic Honda events, to 8-hour drives for weekend trips to meet new people and hang out with friends...this car has been a big part of the bonding time we have on weekends. Every time my daughter gets in the car with me and tells me to "do the roar", and it always brings a smile to my face. Over the past year of ownership, I've been able to enjoy many mountain drives with her along with several of my close friends.

Another highlight of this car is when I finally was able to get the car on the dyno during TSP’s Dyno Day to see what kind of HP it made. I was extremely happy with the results, and it made me feel that all the time/work/money I had put into it was worth it. From getting advice on routes, or overall build recommendations that I could sway one way or the other with, I have met so many great people in the car community since owning this car. My least favorite memory with the car happened in August of last year, 3 days after installing a new set of wheels on the car. A couple of friends and I went up to the mountains and I had someone run me off the road. Both passenger side wheels were bent, along with my passenger side front strut. Luckily, there was no body damage to the car. It took almost 2 months dealing with insurance, but I finally got the wheels replaced along with the parts damaged on the car. I can't really think of any setbacks with this car. (knock on wood) Everything so far has gone very smoothly.

Instagram & Facebook: @twostepperformance
#twostepperformance, #tsp_tuned