PRL Tube and Fin Intercooler for FL5 Civic Type R/DE5 Type S

PRL Motorsports Tube-and-Fin Intercooler - FL5 Civic Type R & DE5 Integra Type S

This is the light one. At 14.4 lbs assembled it's 35% lighter than PRL's bar-and-plate unit, using a CSF tube-and-fin core with thin-wall oval tubes that shed heat faster than a heavier core can. Built for road racing and long sessions where consistent thermal recovery matters more than absolute durability.

Tube-And-Fin Or Bar-And-Plate?

PRL makes both and they're honest about the tradeoff, so here it is plainly.

Tube-and-fin uses thinner tube walls, which means heat moves out of the charge air and into the airstream more quickly. Less thermal mass to overcome means faster recovery between pulls. It's also considerably lighter, which helps responsiveness and takes weight off the nose.

Bar-and-plate is heavier and more durable. Thicker construction holds up better to impacts and debris, and it has more thermal mass, which means it takes longer to heat soak but also longer to recover.

PRL rates this core at roughly 75% of bar-and-plate durability, which is still excellent for street use. What you're trading is a margin of robustness for lower weight and faster heat shedding.

Straight guidance: road racing, endurance sessions, and anywhere you're doing repeated hot laps, the tube-and-fin recovers faster and weighs less. If your priority is maximum durability or the car sees rough roads and debris regularly, the bar-and-plate is the safer pick.

Why Thin Walls Move Heat Faster

Worth understanding, since it's counterintuitive that lighter would cool better.

Heat has to travel through the tube wall to reach the air passing over it. A thinner wall is less distance for that heat to cross, so it exits faster.

Thermal mass works the same way in both directions. A heavy core absorbs more heat before its temperature rises, which sounds good until you realize it also holds that heat longer once saturated. A lighter core heats up sooner and cools down sooner, and in a session where you're repeatedly loading and unloading the engine, faster recovery is what keeps power consistent lap after lap.

At high vehicle speed with real airflow through the core, that's exactly the behavior you want.

The Black Coating Is Functional

Both finishes are available and the difference isn't only cosmetic.

Silver (1016-1-0) is the bare core, and it's the traditional look through a front bumper opening.

Black (1016-1-BLK) carries a thermal dispersant coating applied to the exterior surfaces. That coating pulls heat away from localized hot spots and spreads it more evenly across the core, so more of the surface is actively releasing heat into the airflow rather than a portion of it sitting saturated.

In extended sessions where temperatures stay elevated, that means more efficient heat shedding and faster recovery between pulls. It also adds corrosion resistance and surface protection.

And it disappears into the bumper opening, so the car looks stock from the front if that matters to you.

Billet End Tanks, Machined Down

The end tanks are where PRL went furthest on weight.

They're CNC machined from custom 6061 aluminum extrusions, with sculpted internal geometry that maximizes flow while removing every gram they could. Each tank finishes at 1.05 lbs, down from 19.5 lbs of raw billet.

That's a lot of material removed, and the machined ribs and lightened mounting bosses that result are visible in the finished part. Thinner mounting flanges than standard, secured with the included M8 socket head bolts.

It Fixes A Known Failure Point

Worth knowing if you're running elevated boost.

The factory sealing arrangement includes an assembly-tab groove that's known to blow out at higher boost levels. PRL removed that groove entirely and uses OEM-style O-ring grooves instead, sealing with custom EPDM O-rings.

Same sealing principle, without the weak point. On a tuned FL5 or Integra Type S that's a real improvement rather than a detail.

Specifications

• Core: 7.25" x 4.25" x 28.2" (184mm x 108mm x 716mm)
• Assembly weight: 14.4 lbs
• Versus PRL bar-and-plate: 35% lighter (22.2 lbs)
• Core type: CSF tube-and-fin, thin-wall oval tubes
• End tanks: CNC machined 6061 billet, 1.05 lbs each
• Sealing: OEM-style O-ring grooves with EPDM O-rings
• Finishes: silver or black thermal dispersant coating

What's Included

• Tube-and-fin intercooler assembly
• (2) Custom EPDM O-rings
• Rubber edge guard for bumper-to-intercooler sealing
• (4) M8 socket head cap screws

Fitment

2023-2026 Honda Civic Type R (FL5)
2024-2026 Acura Integra Type S (DE5)

Silver: 1016-1-0. Black: 1016-1-BLK. Select your finish at checkout.

Who Should Run This

This is for the FL5 or Integra Type S owner who runs long sessions and wants the core that recovers fastest between them. Lightest option PRL makes, thin-wall tubes that shed heat quickly, and billet end tanks machined down to almost nothing. If you'd rather have maximum durability than minimum weight, look at the bar-and-plate instead. If you're chasing consistency lap after lap, this is the one.

Fits: 2023-2026 Honda Civic Type R (FL5) and 2024-2026 Acura Integra Type S (DE5). Part numbers: 1016-1-0 (silver), 1016-1-BLK (black). Core: 7.25" x 4.25" x 28.2" CSF tube-and-fin. Weight: 14.4 lbs assembled, 35% lighter than bar-and-plate. End tanks: CNC machined 6061 billet, 1.05 lbs each. Finishes: silver or black thermal dispersant coating. Includes: EPDM O-rings, rubber edge guard, and M8 socket head cap screws.