I'm sure this a question that has been beaten to death but I am at a crossroads and want to boost my B-series. I currently have a B16a but was thinking of swapping a B18c1 in and boosting that later down the road... So... boost the B16a w/ the money I have or blow it on a B18c1 instead?

 

i know b16a's get a bad wrap because of the tq or lack of it but i love mine. stock b16 ram horn with the 57 trim t3/t4 it made 325hp 225tq and 11 psi and now i have it bumped up to 15 lbs and feels great. i say keep the b16a and boost it then buy a ls block and build for down the road!

 

Keep the b16 head and pick up a LS crank and b18c1 block. Perfect combo as you will have the power from the head, tq from the crank and one of the strongest b series blocks!

 

boost the b16 since that's what you already have.

 

I am looking to keep the engine stock so building at this point is not really something that I am wanting to do (although, I am wanting to do something like that in the future). This would be my first boosted car so will be a learning process for me and how it all works together. I'll get crazy with it if I can find another block to toy w/ though. Just wanna' have a boosted car first that's reliable & can surprise a few V8's along the way. I here 9psi on a good tune is safe/reliable for a B16. Thoughts? Elevation where I live is 3195ft. above sea level. Just an FYI...

 

Boost the b16 for sure. Don't waste money where you don't have to, i.e. buying a b18c1.

 

I have allmost the identical setup as this, b16 with a b18c1 head t3/t04e 57 trim @10 psi and it is very fun. First time out at the dragstrip I did a 12.0 @114. My block has pistons and rods so if I want more power, I'll just up the boost.

 

I've pulled a transmission out of a car and installed a clutch/flywheel. How hard is it to actually install a turbo kit and get it running well enough on a street tune?

 

The hardest part will be drilling and tapping/welding the drain port in the oil pan. Everything else is pretty straight forward. There are good tutorials all over the place. Finding a good basemap to start your tuning session will help immensely, but it's not completely necessary. If you have a wideband and a laptop, you can get it running decently on the street, but definitely get it to the dyno to finetune the ignition tables.

As far as how hard it is to install compared to the transmission/clutch, I'd say it's easier, but you have to be more careful of small things that can break like the oil pressure sender hole in the block, exhaust manifold studs, stuff like that. Take your time and plan on at least a week of downtime before the car actually starts again.

 

that power at the crank or wheels ? .. sounds a little high at that pressure from that turbo.

 

What are some good stock B16 turbo set-ups you guys that have been there and done that recommend?

 

How much power do you want to make? what kinda powerband are you looking for?

I would say you would be content with a T3/T04E 57 trim. A log mani would be good enough. Its proven, and been done a million times.

 

im finishing up my bone stock b16 turbo build. running a garrett 57 trim with a log mani. im not shooting for huge hp numbers, but im sure it will be fun. id say just boost the b16 now and as stated before buy a ls block and building for when u want more power

 

so why do people run ramhorns as opposed to a log mani? Is it a bling factor or is it actually an optimal functional thing? I am looking for function over form... I am almost 30 yrs. old and a means to an end is really what I'm after... This is good info. by the way...

 

There is definatly some more power to be had out of a log manifold. It has to do with the runners of the mani. I hear that with the log manifold you get a lot of backpressure hitting the valves during overlap, which in turn is goin to make you lose a lot of power. I have personaly seen a 50 hp gain from changin to a topmount manifold from a spoolinperformance log manifold.

 

Definitely to had out of a Ramhorn or log mani? Reading ur post makes it seem like you meant to say Ramhorn... hmmm...

 

Yes, there is power to be had over a log manifold to a certain extent (higher hp levels) but honestly, your stock block will be the limiting factor here. I personally know of people running a log manifold with a 57 trim making over 400 whp, so a log should do you fine

The reason why ramhorns can make more power is most that it has a merge collector and the log doesn't. But if you are only making 250-300 whp it's not an issue really.

 

The log manis are really meant for low whp. 350-400 is really the most you will see out of them. If you plan to buy a log manifold, check out www.spoolinperformance.com GREAT work over there.

 

Well that is definatly mis information.. that setup is capable of making more power but not in terms of rod strength.


I was under the impression that the b16 IS the strongest b-series block stock for stock. anybody seen stock rods for the b16 compared to b18s?

 

cool... so I'll be going w/ a log mani more than likely. As far as turbo selection is concerned I was talking w/ a friend the other day and was told that a 57trim turbo seemed a little on the big side. Was told the ideal turbo for a B-series was a GT35R. Any insight on this ?

 

GT35r is much larger than your standard run of the mill 57 trim t3/t4. Id say the ideal turbo for a b16a would be a 57 trim, or a GT30r (but these are soo overpriced) Id persoanlly go for a holset or a 57 trim.

 

cool! thanks for clearing up the confusion, 57 trim it is then. Where can I find a complete shopping list of the items I need to make this all happen? I have no idea where to start.

This is my set-up so far...

-94 VX hatch
-stock b16a3 (OBD-I)
-GSR tranny w/ 12lbs flywheel and new OEM replacement clutch
-OBD-I P30 ECU

For those that have turbo-ed there B16's, what would you do if you had to do it all over again?

 

Keep the B16. You'll learn a lot just having boost. I've debated with myself if I should do another B16 boost build or get a B18 block and do that, but i'm 90% sure I'll stick with the B16. They are really fun, plus you already have it so more money toward another part in the build.

Another turbo option is the s256 or s258 from Borg Warner. I'd go with a ramhorn because you are considering doing another build down the road and would probably up the boost, so investing in the ramhorn now would be wise.

 

Be sure to run high octane, and pay attention to details when tuning I did 11.8 @ 118 on a stock B16 @ 13 lbs boost. B16s are screamers when boosted, tons of fun if you like to wind it out.

Swap a B18C and you'll only get a few more hp and a little more torque than what you have now, maybe drop half a second to a second in the 1/4. Turbo your B16 and I'd be surprised if you didn't drop a second off your 1/4. Bang for the buck... it's obvious.

Consider the 1.8L block an upgrade for when you have more money, if you want to.

 

Totally what I meant. Sorry it was getting late. But as for someone saying to go with spooling performance. I strongly suggest you dont. I had to reweld my log manifold before it would even fit. Then they got my car info wrong twice. It was a huge mix up and took forever to actually get boosting...