More Power out of my B16a

[chadwic346]

Hello All!,
I have a CRX with a B16a that I just purchased. Im wanting to get more power out of the engine. I know this engine has plenty of potential, but Im not sure how to bring it out. I was thinking about first getting a new throttle body and intake manifold (skunk2 or Type R). I plan on spending prolly around 500 dollars or more at a time on parts. I have a part time job that will be paying for the parts, so anything is a option. I just wanted to get everyones opinion on my engine and what they would do with it. Oh....Also...I cant decide if I would like to go all motor or Boost that bitch. What do you think? Thanks!

[drmcivicsi]

throttle body is a waste of money the stock does just fine i would get a intake manifold skunk2 cams a good header should had some hp

[Sammich]

ditto, ull see some great gains on cams

[bigdare23]

I would look into a cam, if you have all the bolt-ons covered.

[KevinT707]

IF you don't have these done yet then get these 1st.

1. An aftermarket clutch cause nothing is worst then not being able to put the power down.
2. A lightened flywheel (8lb flywheels give the B16 more torque, cause B16s suck at that).
3. GSR Cams (less than $80 & are plentiful); good for 4 WHP
4. And the other BASIC bolt-ons if you don't have them yet. Intake, hi flow cat, 2.5" exhaust and a 4-1 header w/ 2.5" collector will do just fine.

[allmotoronly]

IF you don't have these done yet then get these 1st.

1. An aftermarket clutch cause nothing is worst then not being able to put the power down.
2. A lightened flywheel (8lb flywheels give the B16 more torque, cause B16s suck at that).
3. GSR Cams (less than $80 & are plentiful); good for 4 WHP
4. And the other BASIC bolt-ons if you don't have them yet. Intake, hi flow cat, 2.5" exhaust and a 4-1 header w/ 2.5" collector will do just fine.

every lightweight flywheel I have owned caused me to loose low end torque and gain top end HP...

If you do a lightweight flywheel, go with exedy. They are light, but not rediculously light. Also aluminum flywheels are known to come apart at high rpm's.

The best setup I had with a B16A was:

Skunk2 IM, Crower stage 2 Vtec Cams (stock primary/secondary, stage 2 vtec), crower chromoly retainers (heavier than titanuim, but stronger), crower valve springs, spoon head gasket, jdm 4-1 header, 2.5" testpipe, 2.35" catback (the slightly lower size helps with the minimal amount of backpressure needed), msd ignition, chipped ecu. Also I found exedy clutches to be the best IMHO. I have had clutchmasters, competition clutch, exedy, and centerforce clutches before. the Exedy lasted the longest and was the smoothest.

good luck with it man.

[KevinT707]

every lightweight flywheel I have owned caused me to loose low end torque and gain top end HP...

If you do a lightweight flywheel, go with exedy. They are light, but not rediculously light. Also aluminum flywheels are known to come apart at high rpm's.

Weird, I don't know how you would lose torque. Because it's lighter which means it is able to spin quicker, at all RPMs. Well at least in my car that is how it was (B16/CRX) .. I had a Fidanza too, which I believe is aluminum & I've put it through alot of abuse (still good though) but anywho ..

[allmotoronly]

Weird, I don't know how you would lose torque. Because it's lighter which means it is able to spin quicker, at all RPMs. Well at least in my car that is how it was (B16/CRX) .. I had a Fidanza too, which I believe is aluminum & I've put it through alot of abuse (still good though) but anywho ..

torque comes from the weight of the rotating assembly. Thats why larger engines have more torque. remove weight, lose torque (gain top end HP). It spins quicker due to the quicker rate of achieving max torque (since it is lighter, it will achieve max torque faster).

these principals do not apply on vehicles with forced induction though.

[KevinT707]

torque comes from the weight of the rotating assembly. Thats why larger engines have more torque. remove weight, lose torque (gain top end HP). It spins quicker due to the quicker rate of achieving max torque (since it is lighter, it will achieve max torque faster).

these principals do not apply on vehicles with forced induction though.

I suppose what you say also makes sense from a factual stand point but I'm just saying what I got from my B16 w/ the lightened flywheel. It was dyno'd before .. and sometime later after (w/ no additional) mods & picked up like 5 WHP & TQ. So I guess it's the motor being able to achieve MAX TQ faster since it is lighter & that is why it feels like it's quicker low end .. ?

[twinj]

good info

[Sammich]

*takes mental notes*

[WHT_EP3]

allmotoronly knows his shit cause i attended maxwell and thats exactly what one of my teacher said about why his nova with the 350 small block has more torque than any four cylinder

[Vteckidd]

allmotoronly knows his shit cause i attended maxwell and thats exactly what one of my teacher said about why his nova with the 350 small block has more torque than any four cylinder

WOW it must because of his FLYWHEEL!!!

or


it might be this thing called displacement, look it up

Light flywheels usually cause a loss in LOW end torque. However, on a motor like a b16, they have NO TORQUE anyways, so who cares if you lose bottom end power, they have NONE to begin with. B16s live at high rpms, so the lighter the flywheel, the FASTER you get into your powerband and VTEC which is where a b16 shines (5000rpms+)

if you have a 1.8l-2.0l, you motor has TQ from the displacement. so i wouldnt worry about running a light weight flywheel.

I have never really had any problems with light flywheels, whether aluminum , chromoly, or not.

the loss in TQ from a flywheel is negligible

[allmotoronly]

WOW it must because of his FLYWHEEL!!!

or


it might be this thing called displacement, look it up

Light flywheels usually cause a loss in LOW end torque. However, on a motor like a b16, they have NO TORQUE anyways, so who cares if you lose bottom end power, they have NONE to begin with. B16s live at high rpms, so the lighter the flywheel, the FASTER you get into your powerband and VTEC which is where a b16 shines (5000rpms+)

if you have a 1.8l-2.0l, you motor has TQ from the displacement. so i wouldnt worry about running a light weight flywheel.

I have never really had any problems with light flywheels, whether aluminum , chromoly, or not.

the loss in TQ from a flywheel is negligible

exactly what I was trying to say...

My original point was that a lightweight flywheel will make you lose torque and gain top end HP...

[chadwic346]

Thanks everyone for all your advice! The flywheel I have in my car now has been lightened. I believe it is a 12lb flywheel now. I may sound stupid, but what is torque good for? I dont know a whole lot about cars and get confused sometimes. Is the more torque the better for bottom end? I mean I love the power the b16 puts out, but It kinda lacks in Launching. Well looks like Im about to start another thread about a problem Im having. So anyone that wants to help check it out!

[Sammich]

knowledge is power

[twinj]

torque is something you want for launching. basically from a dead sitting position you want torque but rolling you are going to want power someone correct me if i am wrong

[Vteckidd]

not totally true.

Torque is what wins races. TQ is for a street car.

HP is for highway races

[chadwic346]

OK, cool thanks. So I know the B16 lacks alot of torque. What is the best way( easiest/cheapest) to get more torque out of my motor. Thanks for everyones help!

[mp5o]

OK, cool thanks. So I know the B16 lacks alot of torque. What is the best way( easiest/cheapest) to get more torque out of my motor. Thanks for everyones help!

Buy a different one

[BTLFED]

Get Nitrous.

[2.0civic]

PULL YOUR HEAD OFF AND GET A LS BLOCK

[chadwic346]

Swaping the block out was what I was thinking. How about a GSR block? Wouldnt that be like a type r. Minus the bore and fully tuned engine. Is this a hard thing to do? or how much do people usually charge to do this? Also....would it be costly for the block?

[BTLFED]

Get Nitrous.

[allmotoronly]

Get Nitrous.

or go turbo, which will net you the ultimate torque gain on such small displacement engines. Nitrous will add a substantial amount of torque, but turbocharging adds the most.

either way you will want to built the engine to handle the extra power from the nitrous or turbo.

I suggest starting with a B18B bottom end. They are cheap and parts are readily available. upping displacement is the easiest way to gain torque. Just make sure if you get a B18B bottom end, you upgrade the oil pump or at least the oil pump gear to compensate for the higher rpm. Upgrading the bearings wouldn't be a bad idea while you're at it.

if you want to stay N/A, then get a set of pistons and rods for the B18B block. A good set will only set you back about $600 or so (eagle esp rods and your choice of pistons). Compression ratio of about 11:1 should be enough if you plan on keeping it a DD. Always use good bearings when rebuilding the bottom end. Make sure to get a good LS/Vtec conversion kit. Have your B16A head ported and polished, get a set of cams, valve springs, and retainers, a skunk2 IM, larger throttle body (or have yours bored) and some larger injectors. Make sure to get a good fuel management system, such as hondata. With a good cam setup and a good ecu tune, you should be able to get 185-200whp from a LS/VTEC and still keep it very reliable and streetable.

[BTLFED]

or go turbo, which will net you the ultimate torque gain on such small displacement engines. Nitrous will add a substantial amount of torque, but turbocharging adds the most.

either way you will want to built the engine to handle the extra power from the nitrous or turbo.

I suggest starting with a B18B bottom end. They are cheap and parts are readily available. upping displacement is the easiest way to gain torque. Just make sure if you get a B18B bottom end, you upgrade the oil pump or at least the oil pump gear to compensate for the higher rpm. Upgrading the bearings wouldn't be a bad idea while you're at it.

if you want to stay N/A, then get a set of pistons and rods for the B18B block. A good set will only set you back about $600 or so (eagle esp rods and your choice of pistons). Compression ratio of about 11:1 should be enough if you plan on keeping it a DD. Always use good bearings when rebuilding the bottom end. Make sure to get a good LS/Vtec conversion kit. Have your B16A head ported and polished, get a set of cams, valve springs, and retainers, a skunk2 IM, larger throttle body (or have yours bored) and some larger injectors. Make sure to get a good fuel management system, such as hondata. With a good cam setup and a good ecu tune, you should be able to get 185-200whp from a LS/VTEC and still keep it very reliable and streetable.

Listen to this man. He knows what he is talking about.

Do what he says, then get nitrous.

Anybody see a trend with my posts on this subject?

[chrisdohck]

What are ur thought on a d series beating a b series??

[allmotoronly]

What are ur thought on a d series beating a b series??

it will cost more to build a D-series to beat a B-Series, even though the B-series engines are more expensive in general. 175whp from a D16 is like trying to get 225whp from a B series.

[mp5o]

it will cost more to build a D-series to beat a B-Series, even though the B-series engines are more expensive in general. 175whp from a D16 is like trying to get 225whp from a B series.

Hmmm...

D turbo > B n/a

[allmotoronly]

Hmmm...

D turbo > B n/a

it would cost more to safely build a turbo D series engine. The peak power still would not be that high compared to a turbo B series... Besides, he already has a B16A....

[mp5o]

it would cost more to safely build a turbo D series engine. The peak power still would not be that high compared to a turbo B series... Besides, he already has a B16A....

Give me 3000 to build a turbo D and you can have 3000 to swap in a B and do whatever you can w/the money left.

At the end of the day. I'll win the race.

[Z0_o6]

this is not complicated. don't touch the motor. do a compression and leakdown test, if its a healthy engine save up and buy a vortech supercharger. 277 hp 160-ish tq. it will be plenty for that car. vortech s/c's are designed to work best with a stock motor anyways...

[chadwic346]

Well shit cool. Where can I get one of those tests ran? and how much is it usually?

[BTLFED]

this is not complicated. don't touch the motor. do a compression and leakdown test, if its a healthy engine save up and buy a vortech supercharger. 277 hp 160-ish tq. it will be plenty for that car. vortech s/c's are designed to work best with a stock motor anyways...

As long as the go kart axle it comes with doesn't blow the bearings out in it constantly.

[chadwic346]

Well....I think im gonna go the turbo route. If anyone knows of someone that can do the work at a good price and/or has the parts...shoot me a PM. Thanks everyone for your help!

[BTLFED]

Well....I think im gonna go the turbo route. If anyone knows of someone that can do the work at a good price and/or has the parts...shoot me a PM. Thanks everyone for your help!

Smart man.

And get nitrous.

[2.0civic]

Well....I think im gonna go the turbo route. If anyone knows of someone that can do the work at a good price and/or has the parts...shoot me a PM. Thanks everyone for your help!

theres only one shop that comes to mind on turboing hondas...Mainstream...


look at Mr. Kidds sig of some of the swaps/setups they have done and they speak for themselves

[twinj]

Any auto care center Shop should do it for under 50 bucks