PerfectionIsKey

Okay to clear the air before this turns into a flaming session I understand fully that you cannot make an Ls turbo "realiable" but I know you can damn well make it harder to blow. I'm no asking to be spoon fed the answers and I have been reading a lot and serching a **** ton on this subject. So far this is what my goals are and what I have pieced together.

Goals:
B18B1(sadly a b16 tranny, plus side it is rebuilt but I have no other choice I'm using this tranny) turbo'd
300-350 roughly Daily driven
As reliable as I can make it.


So far this is my build I have imagined(* means I already have the part.

Block-
Arp rod bolts*
Arp main studs*
Ls rods shotpeened*
Ls crank shaft micropolished+knife edged
Sending block to C&C in New Jersey for precision sleeving
ACL rod+Main bearings
Tapped oil pan*

Head-
Arp Head studs*
Crower 403 camshafts*
Mild port and polishing(intake side ported to 68mm and cleaned, exhaust side polished)*
Crower titanium valve spring+retainers and stainless valves
Crower valve guides
New oem valve stem seals*
Oem honda head gasket+copper spray*
Resurfacing*
Deburing around where the valve heads sit*
Hondata intake manifold gasket*
Skunk2 first gen intake manifold 68mm*
Skunk2 68 mm throttle body*
Aem fuel rail+fuel pressure regulator*
Rc 440 injectors

Tranny-
Rebuilt b16*(Sadly not the best for boost)
Stage 1 act springless dampening clutch
Have Stock Ls flywheel balanced and resurfaced and a 8lb fidenza flywheel

Questions:
What turbo kit is best for these goals, or atleast a brand I Should start looking into, and what sizing in turbo trim ect.

What pistons are best for my goals+ setup(this is why I didn't list pistons)

Are shot peened rods fine for these goals?

Is there anymore I can do to further the reliability in this build?

PerfectionIsKey

Will also be balancing all the parts at the machine shop.

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

You seem to have a few misconceptions. First off, there's nothing stopping you from building a reliable turbo LS. Good parts, a good tune, and good assembly will give you a LOT of reliability. Second off, there is absolutely nothing wrong with an SI transmission.

On stock rods, you'll run stock pistons. For more reliability, you could run Eagle rods and CP/Wiseco pistons. For 300, stock pistons and rods would be fine with a good tune.

For your goals, a Disco Potato would do quite nicely. Quick spool, consistent powerband, and good gas mileage with the right tune, which I would assume is important to you, since you want to DD the car.

You don't need the TB. You don't need the FPR or fuel rail. The cam won't hurt, but isn't necessary.

m4xwellmurd3r

Dont do titanium retainers for a street car. They wear out and youll end up dropping a valve after a long while. Stick with steel retainers.

And dont knife edge the crank. Iirc it messes with the cranks harmonics and there wont be any benefit to doing so, especially if you want reliability

Colorado_teggy

Just curious how would they wear out quickly and what would you suggest?

eflover89

I would go with larger injectors 440s are going to run out fast.

diatibe24

For your power goals you do not need 90% of what you listed. You should step up those fuel injectors to at least 550cc min ( I would go higher as I hate running things so close to their limit, but thats just me) and maybe a better/stronger clutch as LS can put down a good amount of torque. I have near the same goal as you and put down 262wtq, that is on a bone stock LS motor. So double check your clutch selection and go with one that can handle 300wtq to be double sure it wont cause problems.

wantboost

iTrader: (2)

titanium galls other metals and becomes brittle over time. eventually after enough miles they either break in half, drop a keeper, etc.

tool steel retainers are only a few grams heavier than titanium, much stronger, and have a much much longer service live... not to mention they are very affordable.

I run steel retainers in everything, including our 630whp c6 z06 road race car without issue... by now the z06 would have easier killed titanium retainers and the tool steel pieces show no signs of fatigue or damage

PerfectionIsKey

First, thanks for breaking down WHY titaniums are bad. In all my research and reading I've nver heard of it so this is the first I've heard of titaniums being brittle over time. Also this Ls had a spun bearing which I had no idea of, so I stripped down the long block and installing my p8R, bought from Redline, 30k miles, 90day warranty, can use all my Ls parts and bar:ref it. I know there high compression b20B's but is there a reliable way to build a p8r for boost? I know their GREAT all motor or forced induction(like nitrous) and make very good power but i want to definitely boost it. Any opinions on it?

PerfectionIsKey

Also I've heard of that "disco patato" turbo before, it's a garret turbo isn't it? Or a precision turbo something like that I believe it's a smaller garret?

TheShodan

iTrader: (14)

Some titanium alloys (which the retainers are made from) can be bad depending upon the company, but it is equally a misconception that titanium retainers are bad to use on daily cars. (I've had titanium for over 15 years, never had to switch them out on 3 cars.) I've only seen galling from a few companies over the years, and still have titanium in both my NA and turbo builds.

The "Disco Potato" is a Garrett-only nomenclature. Precision doesn't deal with this turbocharger


Here is the legend of the Disco Potato

Disco Potato

Here are specifications and use. For the B18B, its perfect for 300whp at a bit over 15psi.
Products | Turbochargers

m4xwellmurd3r

You might have had luck but that doesnt change the fact that titanium itself cannot be hardened in the same manner as steel. Titanium is very easily work hardened, meaning it gets harder as its worked on (drilled, hammered, etc) and as a result it deforms

I learned this with paintball guns. The sear catch machined into titanium hammers would deform and lose their edge as the constant slamming of the hammer against the sear work hardened them. They would stop deforming over time but would build up a slight mushroom edge that had to be filed down.

met

I give up, on skunk2 website they had a thing in the faq service life of 30k miles on the titanium retainer. They had that fairly well hidden, when I was looking before. The difference weight between 4130 retainers and titanium for me with the potential failure wasn't worth it so I went with the 4130's. I know a lot of people have run ti fine for many miles. Just look up titanium retainer failure, you will find enough pictures to scare you. To point you in the right direction weight effects natural frequency of the spring system. The lower the weight the higher you can rev, or higher spring pressure too. Look up the ratings on the spring, even call the people up. I was told my combo with steel 4130 retainers, supertech springs is good to about 10k and I rev to just over 9k.

FeelTheBass

iTrader: (1)

I'm in California too (LA), and I'm not sure if you know, but, you can't BAR a p8r or any B20 motor in your vehicle. (Light Truck Motor)

The ONLY exception I've seen to this rule is if you have a four door integra, which I believe some people even had a hard time passing.

boost=pain

Mine was great at 330 till cracked sleeve

m4xwellmurd3r

Not true. A jdm b20b is considered a b18 replacment in california. People have successfully bard b20bs . Though I think the key word is a REPLACMENT. As in, an integra with a b18 can swap in a b20b, using the integras emissions equipment, because they are functionally the same. Not sure if it works for 2nd gen but you for sure can in 3rd gens. (Ive also seen 2nd gens run jdm itr engines because they can be considered a replacment gsr engine or some bs like that)

The key is its "in place of" and not a swap. Crx with b20=no, since the crx never had a B series state side.

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

With how often CARB/BAR rules change, the only way to know for sure is to call your local station. It might have been illegal yesterday, and it's legal today. It also might be illegal tomorrow. The only way to know for sure is to call the person who's actually going to put the sticker on your car.

PerfectionIsKey

See this is such a HUGE Misconception, it hasn't Been like that for awhile. I know WILL at the bar station at MJC in Modesto,Ca and he told me as long as I dress the b20 up as a Ls that it is 100% legal and has been for quite some time. I explained to him I had a 1993 honda civic lx(eg8) and he told me just just obf1 Ls parts like manifold, intake, headers ect. My friends car has been bar'd with a b20B for give or take 4 months now.

FeelTheBass

iTrader: (1)

Well then, I stand corrected. JDM motors are still illegal in California though, right?

I'm so behind... lol

m4xwellmurd3r

No there are certain jdm engines that can be used as a replacement for a usdm engine. On 3rd gen tegs, a jdm b20b can be used in place of a usdm b18. Jdm b16s can be used in place of usdm b16s in the later model civics, etc

PerfectionIsKey

Both me an my friend went from a stock d16 in an eg to a b20 well my friend did I'm in the process. You use to have to bar an Ls(in my case a b18B1) than use a b20 as a replacement engine. Now you can go straight from a stock factory issued single cam straight to a b20:Jdm GSR/K series/H series ect. No steps.

Might be different in other sections of California but MJC in Modesto's bar station has been baring Jdm b20's and that's why shops have been selling them out like crazy.

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

Last I checked, there's a lot more to BAR'ing a K swap than just the motor. I believe you still have to do all of that returnless fuel tank ****, too.

This is why I said that the only way to get a solid answer is to call your local BAR station. The law changes at the whims of old men who haven't worked on cars since manual chokes were a thing.

JDMH22HATCH

iTrader: (6)

Your planned setup seems overkill for the power you're planning on making. Your fuel setup, turbo setup, and tuning are going to be your key factors for reliability. I made a little over 400whp on a bone stock (internally) ls motor for over 8 years. I got in the car and beat the **** out of it almost everytime and drove to and from the track without a problem.