If you're looking to increase the performance of your Honda Civic, you've probably looked at many different options, however if you have a turbo installed one of the best ways is to install an intercooler as well.  An intercooler is designed to lower the temperature of the intake air going into the cylinders of your Civic engine.  There are a couple different options when buying an intercooler, including the type of cooling and mount location.

An intercooler installed on your Civic will help keep turbo and engine temperatures down, protecting your engine from heat damage such as cylinder heads cracking as well as detonation.  With an intercooler installed on your Civic, the intake air to the cylinders is routed through the intercooler before entering the engine, this allows the air to cool down after passing the turbo increasing the amount of air able to enter the cylinder.  As air heats up it expands, lowering the amount of molecules able to occupy a given area then it would if it was colder, with more air able to enter the cylinder of your Civic it provides for a more efficient burn of the fuel and increasing performance.  An intercooler also helps cool the exhaust gases from your Civic, the exhaust is routed to the turbo to provide the energy it needs to compress air to the engine but the exhaust also heats the turbo which, as a result, heats the incoming air.

While looking for an intercooler kit for your Honda Civic, you'll need to decide what type of cooling you want.  There are two ways that an intercooler will cool the exhaust/intake gases from your Civic;  can be done either by air-air cooling or air-liquid cooling.  With an air-air cooling the air flowing into the engine of the Civic is used to help cool the exhaust/intake gases, and therefore mount location is important (each car model has a different location in which provides the most room/air flow).  With an air-liquid intercooler installed on your Civic the same principle is applied, except liquid is used to cool the exhaust/intake gases (usually water).  Some air-liquid intercoolers can even have ice stored to help cool the gases even further, although the ice would have to be replaced constantly.  Although an air-liquid intercooler weighs more than an air-air intercooler, it doesn't require as much piping.  This allows the gases to reach the turbo/engine quicker and helps reduce turbo-lag.

• An Intercooler Kit boosts the performance of your Civic
• Lowers chances of heat damage to the engine of your Civic
• The Intercooler can lower turbo lag on your Civic
• Helps provide a more efficient fuel burn for your Civic