Whats up guys. I am considering putting a B18A LS/Vtec engine in my 1988 CRX. Does anyone know a good place to purchase parts of the engine, and for information on doing the swap? Also i really would like to turbocharge it. Does anyone know if turbocharging ( such as a used garret t3) will work well on this engine , or if i would be better off going with a diffrent engine?

 

u should talk to jeff about this....but from what i understand...lsvtec isnt something you really wanna turbo. i believe it has pretty high compression....which is on of the benefits of this set up.

Dane

 

any parts specificly?

The LS/Vtec has low compression.. 9.8 GSR head and 9.5 with a B16a head.

Perfect for turbo..

Jeff

 

ls/vtec is actually something you DONT want to turbo... yes the lower compression is great for turboing... but the problem is that ls/vtech is very unstable.. even a very high quality ground up build can (and eventually will) cause catastrophic failure unless very carefully maintained and monitored. adding boost will only increase the propensity to eat itself up. it is also very hard on the ls/vtec to rev high. even with new springs, piston rings.. the whole works running it higher than 7200 is EXTREMELY risky

 

Their is no reason for the head to be redone with valves/springs, since all DOHC vtec heads can easily support 8000rpms.

The rod stroke ratio of a B18a/b is the killer, revving that high is horrible for longevity, but people still do it.. In fact I do it everyday. I dyno'd my car, and all peak hp was made over 8000rpms.

Now turboing this motor, would be no different than turboing a stock LS.. Basically you are going to get huge torque gains, and that is what you are looking for with most setups. You don’t necessarily have to rev that high to make that much power.

I am personally doing a turbo LS/Vtec on my daily driver.

Jeff Frank

 

Do you have the b17 crank in your ls-vtec?

 

Nope, stock b18b crank

 

I was going to go with a B18a bottom, slightly rebuilt, and a gsr head, but now i might switch it to a b18b bottom, anyone have any comments on which is better?

 

both bottom ends are the same... no differences, except the b18b would probably have less miles on it.

Jeff

 

You are doing or have done the swap? cause yeah the springs are made to handle high revs... but the problem is that as the engine gets as old as it is.. the springs deteriorate.. ever seen a piston with holes punched straight through it by the valves? running that high doesnt demand upgrades springs, but i would at least replace them with new oem springs.. and i didnt say dont do it, but yeah, definately dont run it that high esp if you turbo.. and like i said, just be sure to keep a VERY close eye on the condition of things. the type problems that occur in this kinda hybrid are the type things that you cant fix.. just replace, just keep that in mind