lonlely_driver4's look at a fun B16A build
 

i have a b16a2 block and tranny with a first gen b16a head. i believe the cams are from an automatic and its time to upgrade. what would be a good mild cam i could run. this is my project car, i wouldnt consider it a daily driver but i want the reliability. i have an AEM short ram intake, DC sport 4-2-1 exhaust header, 12lb flywheel. other than that its pretty much bone stock. i plan on removing the head and replacing the valve springs for some super tech 80lb duel springs. i was looking at ITR cams also the skunk 2 state 1 tuner cams. is their any other cam that is better out there? my cam budget is $600 max. ill be running a street tune. so just the intake header and exhaust and cams with a decent tune off a b16a2 could someone tell me a rough estimate on horsepower? i know that question is pretty far out.. also should i look into adjustable cam gears? what about a high compression head gasaket? ive never swapped cams so im new to all this. thanks in advance

re: lonlely_driver4's look at a fun B16A build
 

S2 Tuner 1 would be as much cam as you want on a stock B16. I'd recommend those over the ITR, if only due to the fact they're cheaper and easier to obtain brand new.

Yes, get adjustable cam gears as well.

I'm not going to try and guess on your peak WHP or torque, but it won't be much with a mild 1.6L build. Not saying it isn't worthwhile, but you're not going to be putting down any huge numbers.

Edit: A 2 layer Zerg Industries head gasket may be a good cheap upgrade like you're proposing for a small compression bump, but I have no experience using a 2 layer gasket on anything other than a B20V.

re: lonlely_driver4's look at a fun B16A build
 

thank you, im not looking for crazy numbers just something fun and faster than my 98 crv! lol so slow. :( anyways im open to used cams as well. would that be a bad idea? also if im not seeing a tuner how would i tune using cam gears. totally lost there. any help?

Re: lonlely_driver4's look at a fun B16A build
 

Dont waste your time bolting anything on if your not going to take it to a Dyno to have it tuned. you won't get the best results from any of it, won't know its AFR health. Save the money for a tune then do it.

Id probably run Tuner1's as well in your set up, on a set of vernier gears, and dial them in properly before you swing them on the Dyno.

If you don't have the knowledge / ability / funds to have your safe degree settings established. Then just fit stock dc2 cams, on stock dc2 gears, on stock dc2 valve train, and take that for a tune.

Re: lonlely_driver4's look at a fun B16A build
 

there isnt a dyno near me I dont think that will be able to happen unfortunately, I was going to get a chipped ecu online. my biggest question is how do you use adjustable cam gears, how do you know you need to advance/retard them

Re: lonlely_driver4's look at a fun B16A build
 

only advise that can be givin has. don't touch anything unless you can get a tune. you can do type r cams or jdm b16 manuel cams and use a p30 or b16b base map but without a tune its not recommended to do mods.

Re: lonlely_driver4's look at a fun B16A build
 

so this wouldnt be a trust worthy website to get an ecu from?

I've heard good thing about it, but I'm no pro. http://www.phearable.net/

Re: lonlely_driver4's look at a fun B16A build
 

http://www.phearable.net/engine-comp...-vtec-ecu.html


this is actually the link right here my bad. for a b16 with some bolt ons would this be a bad idea?

Re: lonlely_driver4's look at a fun B16A build
 

Better than a stock ECU... but NOT optimum for your application... and not guaranteed to be safe under wide-open-throttle conditions. A proper tune removes all doubt. ;)

Re: lonlely_driver4's look at a fun B16A build
 

okay good to keep in mind. it's not like I have a crazy build so if something bad were to happen I'm not taking a super big loss. still want the reliability tho. for the resources I have I think this is my best option. thanks for the reply

Re: lonlely_driver4's look at a fun B16A build
 

It's not JUST reliability, also you won't get anywhere near the performance without properly tuning it. I would go so far as to say that without a tune, it's basically not worth modifying an engine's internals at all.