RSX_TypE-1

I'm currently running the k20a motor in my rsx right now and im wondering where i should go with it, countless people have told me to go N/A, but then again people tempt me with boost, which one is truly best for this engine as far as reliability, power, and overall satisfaction?

BarracksSi

If you really want boost, trade that JDM engine for my A3 motor and beef up the internals.

I'd say that, since you've already got one of Honda's best n/a motors, you should stick with n/a and make it do what it does better than any other engine.

Boost is really a way to push a bunch of power out of a so-so engine, IMO.

SpoonyDC5

i recently had the same problem as you, it bothered the **** out of me but when it all came down to the numbers, you cant hate on boost, i absolutely love NA cars but the torque is just not there, you said you were curious about reliability, power and overall satisfaction, im sure i will get some flamers on here but in my opinion with NA your just gonna get reliability, because honestly when its all said and done, youve spent a **** ton of money on high dollar NA parts and your not making the power you want or expected depending upon your price range and parts bought, now boost on the other hand youll most def get the power you want , and the satisfaction is a no brainer, you cant compare the feeling of boost to anything, its incredible ! now the reliabilty part is something all its own, that all depends on how you tune it and how you drive it , you put more parts on your car , the better the odds of something to break but on the flip side, if you drive it normal and dont beat on it 90% of the time the reliability will be there, just be mature about your decision and give it alot of thought, its alot of money your gonna blow and you dont want to make a split second decision, you dont want to be dissappointed, im not gonna point you in either way but you can tell im bias to boost now lol im sure some NA dudes will tell you what they think but good luck and let us all know what choice you come out with, hope i could help

HAMB0NE

both of these guys bring a good argument, but i'm leaning towards with what barracks said. since you are running the jdm k20a, i'd say stick with all motor. more bragging can be done haha. if you were running the k20a2/a3 then i'd have to lean towards boost as you can't squeeze out as much horsepower.

ScuDC5

JDM motor, I would advise NA. More respect in the world of NA as well when you build a fast car. Boost is cheaper and easier, but also more headache, I can personally vouch for that.

Nothing like having all sorts of trouble wondering why your not boosting for 2 months while checking every common spot to find it was a loose screw on the throttle body. Ya, tons of money on labor to find a screw.... I hate my car some times.

LongBeach

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PixelStyles &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">JDM motor, I would advise NA. More respect in the world of NA as well when you build a fast car. Boost is cheaper and easier, but also more headache, I can personally vouch for that.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Kal

NA. If you did want boost, you could swap out the engine with a K24. the K20A is designed to be run NA.

ScuDC5

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Kal &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">NA. If you did want boost, you could swap out the engine with a K24. the K20A is designed to be run NA.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Honda's are designed to run NA... otherwise they would make a boosted engine. (Which they are btw.. and the only turbo Honda to date was the Honda City II).

Basically you need to look at your power goal, and how much money you have to get there. Boosting is easy power but you have trade offs, like reliability and lifetime of the motor. Then you need to decide turbo or super charger, weight the pros and cons there as well. And of course, money... NA is expensive. The same power goal of say 300whp could run your around $15k after labor on an NA machine, but you'll have a destructive beast on your hands. Same goal can be reached in $6-8k.

Then don't forget the balance of the machine by upgrading the mounts, suspension, ecu, all those goodies

Heh, you know what, just do the basic bolt ons.. much less headache.

hurleyrob

silver comet

reliability - NA
power - FI
happiness - depends on the owner

silver comet

oh you have a k20A. Just keep in mind the higher compression. You might have to build the motor a bit, or run a lower psi.

kung fu grip

NA for reliability.

we don't know how good your mechanical ability is, so suggesting forced induction is not as popular.

still, there is a STEEP learning curve with a turbo car, especially one that wasn't originally built or designed for it.

you need to ask yourself: if something goes wrong, can i fix it it myself (worst case scenario), if so how long can i afford to be without my own car?

if you need someone to install the kit, or you need extensive tuning after the kit is installed, you shouldn't get it. ESPECIALLY if it is your daily driver.

Covet what you have, not what you don't.