B18A
 

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?

Re:B18A
 

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

Re:B18A
 

any parts specificly?

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

Perfect for turbo..

Jeff

Re:B18A
 

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

Re:B18A
 

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

Re:B18A
 

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

Re:B18A
 

Nope, stock b18b crank

Re:B18A
 

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?

Re:B18A
 

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

Jeff

Re:B18A
 

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

Re:B18A
 

Doing...

The engine gets old? Ya, maybe if the head had a ton of miles on it, but the fact that most B16a heads are pretty low milage, and even GSR Valve springs hold great tension. Its not like we are working with a 1974 Small block 350 here.. ::)

The harsh part about the LS/vtec as I already said was the rod stroke ratio, this motor easily gets a bad rap for a few reasons, Kids who have a 90-93 integra slap a B16a head on their 180k stock b18a block and go rape the ---- out of it to 8200 rpms, with the incorrect ecu, and more than likly a non-vtec oil pump (which is highly recommended in ls/vtec swaps) This can cause some serious problems. Also, some dont even do the oil plug correctly, and will get oil leaks up the ass if not done correctly.

My head was done "THE RIGHT" way.

https://www.homemadeturbo.com/tech/lsvtec/lsvtec.jpg

Plus, I only have around 28k miles on my short block b18b when I got it.

Jeff Frank

Re:B18A
 

My point wasnt that it couldnt be done.. just that to have it done reliably in a way that its gonna last takes some serious engine work... anyway, im done arugeing with you about what im trying to say because your responces dont respond to what im saying... its two sides of the same coin, and you refuse to even look at my side. Im trying to save the guy some serious heartache when he does this, and possibly tries to cut some corners doing it himself, or save some money when paying someone else to do it.. and ends up blowing the hold damned thing. Done right, it will work yes.. But then again done right you can run nearly 18:1 compression @ 9000rpm on a H22 N/A.. but i dont have the resources or the money to do that, and i doubt you do either... and thats my point. Just because it CAN be done doesnt mean that EVERYONE can do it..

Re:B18A
 

Ok I had respect for your earlier post, but now after that one, you are simply retarded..

Its easy to see both sides of this, you can do this right, you can go out and buy a B17 crank to change the rod stroke ratio, (lower displacement) and still have that great honda longevity. B17's are rare to begin with, so good luck even finding a crank.

People run LS/Vtec's all the time without problems. Mike Carl, (our fastest Honda/Integra) in our state. Puts 700hp to the wheels on a B18a block/Stock B18a crank. Spining over 9500rpms.

Jeff