I just purchaced a 98 honda civic ex, great body condition with so so mileage. With the amount of money I have I'd like to go towards an engine swap, because pushing 130HP to the ground in a little civic isnt doing it for me Looking at engines i was stuck on the H22A prelude engine, i was wondering if this is even a possibility in my hood. Also the H22A pushes 200HP with 161 lbs-ft torque @6800rpms when the B18C has 200HP@8000Rpms. Plus the prelude engine is cheaper. I want to know which would be a better choice for my civic and also the possible side effects of each engine and maybe which can retain a possible turbo in the future.

 

the H22 has more like 185, the B18 is closer to 175. id go for the B18 because its lighter, its a better fit, and has more aftermarket. yeah...its more expensive, but i think in the long run youd be happier with the B18C...but thenagain good luck finding one. itd be much easier to get a B18C1

 

B18C5, type r internals man cant beat that! unless you get a jdm typeS H motor, then thats hard to decide!

 

B18C5.


If it aint a type-R it aint a tight.....uh..............motor

 

i think he should go B18C if he can find one...its still a type-R

 

Type R

 

It depends what you want to do.
1. Drag & street racing - H22a. (I call it my "Honda Big-Block" =D ) Cant beat the torque and heavy weight in the front helps the FWD launch a small bit. Despite what people may say, there is large aftermarket support, and the engine is cheap and cheap to mod. Due to the size it can be a pain in the *** to get in and work on, but to me its worth it. Be prepared to have your handling screwed though. It requires a near full rebuild to turbo, but in all honesty, if your going to turbo a car you would want to do this anyway. The engine can run a 100 shot if nitrous reliably with small fuel mods & a sparkplug change. Depending what model civic you have, you might not be able to consider supercharging, like with me, I would have to cut through the strut tower in my car.
2. Auto-x and if your considering taking your car over 600hp - B18. As already stated, this motor is nice. Lightweight, strong internals, plenty of aftermarket, but sorta expensive. A good choice for an auto-x'er that wants a little power, or someone who wants to turbo a motor right out of the box without much work. Also the better motor for reliablity due to the chamber design if you want to take the car over 600-700 hp.

 

Honda big block, I like that



Anyway, I think the C5 is an all around better motor even though it is expensive. The H22 is a killer deal and I think they are only getting cheaper but the swap is a whole lot more involved.

I think you could make it handle pretty well with alot of suspension tuning though, but Ive never tried it I do know that an H22 wieghs less then a turbo B16

 

type r is lighter and has a high rpm range plus its a easier swap

 

true, but the way an H sits in a civic engine bay, it throws off the weight balance of the car more than a turboed B would. it sits with a lot more weight in front of the front wheels than the B does. but all in all, i would agree with USER.