with talk of an engine swap from a d16 to a b18..


I’m going to focus on the B series motors (dual cam) as opposed to the D series (all of the single cam motors including yours). D series motors can be very useful and can be built to make more power than you might think but it is both extensive and expensive to do. Believe me. So with that said let me help you decide which engine would best suit your needs and how to make it more kickass. For a little reference, I have attached a pdf file of all the b series and their specifications.

First off, you may wonder “what is the difference between a b series and all the other Honda motors?” and maybe “why does Loren write so gay?” Well, the b’s are dual overhead cam VTEC 4 bangers. Unlike their other family members, the b’s employ the VTEC system on both the intake and exhaust cam. What exactly is VTEC? Well, a normal camshaft has one set of lobes per valve that determine how far the valve opens to let in air (intake) or push it out(exhaust). The engine has four valves per cylinder hence each cam is operating eight valves. The more air you let in and expel the more power you are going to make. The only problem with having a cam with big lobes is that you are going to get a rough idle or the motor simply won’t idle at all due more air entering the combustion area than fuel at low RPM’s. If you ever hear a INDY or Formula car idle, you are listening to around 5000 to 6000 rpm. That is not doable on a car that redlines at 8000. But it is in formula cars because they run HUGE cams and redline at close to 20000rpm. So in order to make the car idle and have great high end hp, Honda came up with the great idea of essentially switching cams at a certain rpm. So b series cams have two cam lobes per valve, one normal sized and one big. When the engine reaches a predetermined RPM, usually around 4500rpm, a hydraulically powered pin shoots through the rocker arms and engages the second lobe. If you youtube a integra R or civic Si on a dyno or whatever, you will hear the engine distinctly change pitch when the cam lobes switch over. If you are driving one, you will feel it. It is a great way to make a little four banger scream, so props to Honda on that one. I hope that wasn’t to complicated for ya.

The only problem with b series motors is that they are small. Duh. We are talking about 1.6 to 1.8 liters. Case and point, the B16 makes 160 hp. That is 100hp per liter…awesome. It makes 111lb ft of torque…..hmmm. So primary concern is modifying your motor to make more torque. Don’t think that you are going to ever get more than 200 lb ft on a normally aspirated street b series but at least keep it in mind. The best way to start is to let the engine breath a little easier. The best start is to go with the basic bolt-ons like an intake, exhaust, headers, high flow cat, ect. It is true that a cold air intake is best as colder air is denser and provides more hp and torque. Exhaust on a Honda is a little trickier than you think. To make optimum horsepower you want something not too big but not too small with absolutely NO kinks (muffler shop specials) and the least amount of bends possible. Off the shelf cat-back systems like the ones from greddy, tanabe, thermal research, ect are great due to the fact that they stay around 2.5 inches and have smooth mandrel bends. Plus they fit perfectly as long as you aren’t retarded and order the wrong one. Yeah, they run around 400 to 600 bucks, but they work and wont rust off after a year. A high flow cat to match is a great addition. Expect 100 to 200 bucks. They are great for freeing up some torque. The headers are the last and probably the most important part of the exhaust. They are responsible for allowing better flow and direction to the expelled air coming out of your exhaust ports. Again, stick to high end companies on these like the ones mentioned above. A close second is to try to snag a pair of factory civic or integra type R JDM headers. They are super great and are guaranteed to fit perfectly. So now that you have all of this crap installed, your car sounds like a mutated weed eater and you are thinking about starting your own car club with leather jackets and theme songs. Uh oh, you just got smoked by a WRX…..let’s fix that first. (Still writing gay, sorry)

The next step is to get into the motor and its brain. I doubt you are going to want to pull the motor apart and stick some higher compression pistons and lighter rods in it so we will stick to stuff you can do while the engine is in the car.

[font=calibri][size=3]Cams. Cams, cams, cams, cams. And valves springs and retainers. Cams are the cats meow when it comes to b series. This is where you absolutely cannot skimp on buying quality parts. You do and your engine explodes into a million pieces and you cry. Brands like Toda, Crower, Spoon, and Mugen are all you are allowed to look at. Well, maybe Comp Cams. The trick is to buy cams that are not regrinds. I’m not going to go into what the difference is but remember: NO REGRINDS. ONLY CAST. Cast cams are made from scratch and are fresh for the killin when you get them. That’s the way you want it. Second and very related are valve springs and retainers. Better valve springs will allow the engine to run at higher rpms longer and more reliably. Lighter spring retainers will dump some of the weight and allow everything to operate more smoothly without having to worry about valve float. (when the valve stays open too long and the piston whacks it making your motor explode into a million pieces and forcing you to cry again). A great way to upgrade the cams if you are uncertain about aftermarket ones is grabbing a pair of civic type R cams. These are super kickass and are guaranteed to fit and work properly…just like the headers. Don’t expect quite as much power as some custom Toda cams but whatever….they are way better than stock. Step two is to get some sort of engine management. I could list a whole slew of manufacturers of chips and control modules but there is only one you need to know about. That is Hondata. They are the kings of tuning naturally aspirated and forced induction Hondas hands down. I have used approximately 6 different brands of control modules so take my word for it. You buy something you cant figure out and is a piece of crap, your car will never ever run like you want it to. The cool thing about Hondata is that you can tell them what mods you have and they’ll send you a unit with a baseline tune in it for initial startup. They are such sweeties. The S100 is a great unit from Hondata and is reasonably priced. Check it out for yourself. So now that you have your swanky valve train components installed and your computer plugged in and operating, it is time to find a dyno. I haven’t the slightest idea where a dyno shop is in Indianapolis but there has to be a few nearby. Everybody thinks the purpose of a dyno is to see how much power your car is making. This is false. The reason you want to dyno your car is to tune it. Tune it well and you make more power. They will put your car on the rollers and give it a full rpm pass to get some baseline numbers. While the car is “accelerating” they will be monitoring air/fuel

 

Some good info, but a few things people should know. You'll never pick up a "pair" of headers. You'll want a header. [sm=smiley20.gif]

Another important thing, b18c1's (gsr's) have a different intake manifold bolt pattern than b16's or b18c5's. There are aftermarket intake manifolds that are "replica" type-r manifolds and other manifolds that will fit the b18c1, but a true b18c5 oem manifold will not fit.

Another thing to note. A b16 is obviously a1.6 liter. I really don't care if you add intake, header, full exhaust, whatever. Being a 1.6 liter, it doesn't respond very well to bolt-ons. Your torque numbers are going close to nowhere without some costly work. Around town daily driving a b16 feels much like a d16. You have to rev the **** out of it to go anywhere. This is the reason it claimed the name "torqueless wonder."

Anyways I just thought I'd throw those few things out there. Good info.