• This FL5 Civic Type R is undergoing a tasteful makeover for a debut in Turn 14 Distribution’s SEMA booth next to the T14 x SuperPro Sequoia TRD Pro.
• All of the modifications are being performed at our local speed shop, R/T Tuning, in Montgomeryville, PA.
• Our esteemed partner list includes ARP, ClutchMasters, DBA, LiquiMoly, Mahle, Turbosmart, and more.
• We started the build with a thorough disassembly before diving into the ClutchMasters clutch components and a vital cooling upgrade from CSF.

At the start of any build, you have two choices: start with the most difficult item and progressively get easier, or get the easy wins out of the way to know how much time you need to devote to the biggest unknown later. It’s a pivotal fork in the road, and the wrong decision can be disastrous for tight timelines. The Turn 14 Distribution FL5 Civic Type R we announced earlier this week was now at that stage at our local speed shop, R/T Tuning, and we had to roll the dice rather quickly to ensure we used every precious minute to get this car finished before its SEMA debut.

CALCULATED DECISION

The five-day project itself was ambitious, and no matter how we cut it, there would be challenges ahead. For one, only some of the parts had arrived. And two, the FL5 is still a relatively new platform. Although exceptions exist, most new Type R owners aren’t going crazy with this car yet. As a result, there were plenty of unknowns for the bigger jobs on deck. We decided to tackle these big tasks first, and if we ran into snags, there would at least be time on the board to sort them before the car had to be loaded up for transport. With that course firmly set, Pat from R/T Tuning began the tall task of disassembling the 18-mile Type R for the journey ahead.

COMING IN CLUTCH

If that last photo of the transmission dropping out of the car was any indication, the first order of business was a ClutchMasters FX400 8-puck clutch (08520-CL) and steel flywheel (FW-520-SF). Readers with longer memories will remember that I put a Short Shift (SS) series clutch in my winter car. It was the first time I’d opted for a ClutchMasters kit—let alone any aftermarket clutch—but I was immediately impressed by how it felt. From then, I was a big believer in ClutchMaster’s handiwork and looked forward to how it would improve the FL5’s rather vague OE third pedal. This 8-puck clutch, which touts a mind-boggling 170% increase in holding capacity, will set up performance-minded and high-horsepower drivers with a long-term solution. It won’t spoil the Type R’s road manners but is also more than capable of taking a beating on the track. It’s a ceramic full-faced disc design, which means lightning-fast engagement and minimal chatter.

Even with the steel flywheel pairing, the ClutchMasters SS FL5 kit shaved 2.8 lbs from the OE design. Each ClutchMasters flywheel is black oxide coated for rust prevention and is SFI 1.2 Certified for use in motorsports.

Although the job appeared cumbersome at first, ClutchMasters’ quality control and commitment to well-sorted engineering made the upgrade go off without a hitch. The pedal immediately offered valuable feedback and made the Type R feel more like the sports car we knew was underneath all of the car’s creature comforts.

MASTER OF ONE

We weren’t done with ClutchMasters just yet. Once Pat from R/T Tuning brought the car back down, he began digging into the next upgrade: a ClutchMasters FL5 master cylinder (MC08222). This plug-and-play replacement unit is constructed from billet aluminum which helps further bolster the Type R’s appetite for aggressive driving. This kit also deletes the factory clutch fluid damper, which drastically improves the pedal feel, feedback, and overall driving experience. The braided lines—included in each kit—also provide a sizeable upgrade over the factory runners. They are less likely to fail, are more resistant to temperature and pressure fluctuations, and give you more routing options in the Type R’s cramped bay. A billet aluminum adapter ensures ClutchMaster’s stainless lines hook up to the OE slave cylinder without issues.

STAY COOL, NEVER CHANGE

In retrospect, this is a weird thing to write in anyone’s high school yearbook, knowing full well that the decade ahead would be the most transformative. Anyway, before we get into all the tech, the real learning lesson is that there’s no use in adding power without cooling to support it. That’s why CSF’s FL5 Civic Type R/Integra Type S high-performance radiator (7221) was one of the first upgrades we chose to install.

Like most modern cars with forced induction, the factory cooling is adequate until you push it hard. Engine tuning and turbo upgrades exacerbate those shortcomings. CSF has made fashioning aftermarket cooling solutions its bread and butter; this dual-row, high-performance radiator’s more efficient core helps not only improve the FL5’s fluid capacity, operating temperature, and recovery times but is also vastly more robust thanks to all-metal end tanks. Its benefits continue to pay dividends if you fit an aftermarket intercooler on the car, helping circumvent the airflow restriction that a larger intercooler presents. A CSF-equipped FL5 operates 46.4°F (8°C) cooler than the OE equivalent. The cooler it runs, the more resources it has to provide reliable power lap after lap.

A GOOD START

These three upgrades were a perfect way to kick off the Turn 14 Distribution FL5 Civic Type R project with R/T Tuning but we are far from finished. Upgrades from More than doing the work, our partner list for the build made us eager to dive right in. Fifteen52, Antigravity Batteries, DBA, Eibach, EVS Tuning, Fuelab, HKS, LiquiMoly, Mahle, Turbosmart, and Yokohama are still in the queue, so keep your eyes peeled for more tech updates over the next few days. See you all at SEMA and thank you to our esteemed build partners for helping transform this Type R into one very special machine.

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