93h2beg

Let me start this by saying I have been building and racing cars for 13 years now. I have been big into hondas for about 7 years. I have done just about every N/A combo possible out there, from stock d's motors just tuned to stroked h2b's. I got out of the game for myself for about 2 years to focus on my 700 HP big block barracuda. Meanwhile I've been driving a boring d16y7 for about a year. Wishing it had more... I came across an old LSV I built years ago, and picked it up for a great price.
I was planning on doing a mild build, of pistons, rods (life cycle is high on them), new cams and valve train. The head was professionally ported and polished and has epoxied intake runners. Badazz head.

Started thinking maybe I should do something different for me, a turbo maybe.
That is why I am here.

I have done tons of research, and I wont be sleeving it- not going to put that kind of money into a LS block. So my power goals are modest- 250-275. I see a TON of builds about what to do, and what not to do. But I haven't seen people come back to talk about how it has lasted. Heck, most of the build threads are never finished. LOL.

Do these LSV's last at this moderate power level? I am interested in your budget lsv build- and how many miles you have gotten out of it. Along with what problems you have encountered along the way.

OneBadTurboCRV

When you say pistons and rods, do you mean forged?

If so, you are good for 400-450whp with stock sleeves. If not, then 300-350whp at the most on stock internals. It is not the LS/V part that doesn't last, it is the RPM that people push them to. At min you want to upgrade the rod bolts on the factory rod - the bolts are what limits the LS rod. If you go aftermarket you can actually use the VTEC head with no worries.

I assume you have some big N/A aftermarket camshafts. ANY factory camshaft will be more than enoughfor your super low goals. The headwork is more than overkill for your build. It may be wise to sell the head and purchase a factory one with stock cams and get you more money towards your build.

As far as turbo, a GT2860RS, cast manifold, 2.5" DP/exhaust, ect will make you smile ear to ear and you should hit somewhere around 300+ whp at 14psi.

Honestly, all of this has been covered so many times it is pathetic. You really should have searched more.

PS - I am not sure where the comment about a LS block not being worth it came from, but more and more people are chosing that as the platform for a variety of reasons. Its not a bad block at all, just serves a different purpose.

93h2beg

I really do appreciate your input towards my build. And when I mentioned rods and pistons yes I mean forged, why replace them with stock if im going through the trouble to replace them. BUT what i was really looking for is how long have these lasted for folks out there that build them and drive them.
so like i said, i don't see threads where people check back in and say "mine is still running strong". so thats what im looking to see.

I know how to build a motor, I am by far NOT and expert, but have my fair share of motors out there in honda land I personally built. I just wanna know, from the guys that get 250ish hp out of a lsv-t how long has it lasted? 1000 miles? 10,000, etc etc etc.

OneBadTurboCRV

The longevity is NOT because of the LS/V just like I said before. I will say it one more time, LS/V has NOTHING to do with longevity. I can tell you have been in and out for quite some time. The ricer world has changed quite a bit in even the past 5 years.

Longevity will actually be determined from the forged internals. At the SUPER LOW whp goals you are shooting for stock internals would be more than adequate. To justify the cost of forged and not jist go with stock LS rods with ARP bolts and some RS Machine pistons, you should REALLY up your goals to at least 300-350whp. I understand you may be building that for a specific pupose, but you just seem too fixed on longevity.

If you want forged and longevity you want to look at something in a 4032 forging rather than anything else. Wiseco would be an excellent option for you. With this pistons you should expect to get anywhere from 40-80k miles out of them depending on how it is driven. You must remember that no REBUILD will last as long as factory, especially when you start changing internals. Depending on what turbo you choose (especially if its a cheap one) the turbo will blow long before the engine wears out.

The reason most people don't come back and say "Mine blew up!" Or "Yeah it is still running!" Is because most grow up and move out of the scene, get locked up, knock a girl up at the age of 17, and ect... Most people don't find it logical to dump $20k into a car to run 10's... those of us who do, are fascinated with the power these turds are capable of.

93h2beg

Thank you very much for those responses. I guess we are the lucky ones, who don't have a kid at 17, or are sitting in jail, etc. LOL, man I know so many of these kids that are exactly like that. I am knocking on 30's door here, still working to get into my "career". I have nothing but money and time to dump into these things.
That being said I have 7 old 2 stroke jet skis, 2 classic mopars, and 3 current DD hondas. I find ways to blow money.
My Big block race car has well over 25k into the engine alone. I have always been a fan of the under dog (honda) so that is why I choose to build them. I guess if its in you, you never really get too old for this ****.

Back to the longevity, i don't expect to get 50k out of one. I know all the stock sleeve GSRS i have had in the past at one point or another egged the cylinder walls beyond a bore to clean them up, needing sleeve-ing. The H's with FRM lose compression and after a hone they are just not the same even when i had them diamond honed... Thats why I ask, i guess 250 is low, but i think it would be a fun DD at that level with lower maint. than 12 to 1 race motor or something pushing 25lbs down its throat all day long.

OneBadTurboCRV

Don't worry, I am twice your age and literally have a fleet of race cars. I understand haha...

Revving the **** out of an engine tends to do that. With something like a GT2860RS (sorry, I am a Garrrett man) you can keep your revs down to 8-8.5k and fully utilize the turbo. One thing I can assure you is building a turbo Honda is MUCH more forgiving than N/A on the wallet and parts selection.

If you go with the afore mentioned setup, you will have a car that drives stock until you hit the gas and a linear powerband to boot. Do you already have a turbo setup, looking to buy a kit, or piecing one together?

93h2beg

Thanks for the input, i do appreciate it.
you mention the GT2860rs- a few times now. what i see with this turbo is its water and oil cooled, and has a price tag of just over 1k, is there a close 2nd??? LOL, When it comes to spending money, i am incredibly cheap. Not saying i will go with a no name ebay turbo but what about a hx25 or something of that nature? I know I can pick up these diesel turbos cheap, and rebuild them for way less than 1k. I had a hx40 i was mocking up for a h23 stroker- till it let go. then i sold off everything i ad for it.


As of right now i don't have anything turbo for this motor, i got a d series home made setup in a trade a while ago, but i do not see me using any of that. I'll probably just end up selling that off on craigslist.
I have some 450/550 injectors from a previous build though... don't remember what the size is offhand but its written down.
So thats what i got for now.
The motor has b16 cams in it, which i just plan to swap out for a set of JDM ITR cams. nothing radical, and a set of springs with steel retainers. TI. retainers don't seem to last that long in a N/A build, yes they are light weight, but I wasn't happy with how they looked after like 5k miles on a abused 1.8. Definitely showed signs of wear.
i dont want to get too carried away as i probably will get bored of this and move on to a different car, swap etc in a year or so. Just seems to be the way it goes for me.

th3pwn3r

I now understand.

OneBadTurboCRV

With this kit (or the next step up -I think "tuner") you will hit your goals and have a decent budget with all parts needed. As far as a variety of turbos, I pretty much only use Garrett's so I can't speak for other turbo characteristics. "The Shodan" is the man to talk to on here without a doubt.

http://www.go-autoworks-store.com/gostkit.html

If that is too pricey, at that point eBay if your friend. The 450cc injectors will get you to your goals and if they are 550cc's well, even better. In all of my street cars I use Brian Crower Steel Retainers. Top end weight reduction is more for people trying to get that last fraction of a WHP out of their setup or for HIGH RPM use and need ultimate strength.

Only other thing you need is a way to tune it/have it tuned and you are successfully boosted. If you want to be able to monitor your setup a boost gauge and wide and O2 are highly recommended. After that it would be EGT and then Oil pressure gauges in that order. The last two aren't required, but the first two should be given some serious thought on installing.

PS - Don't feel like people aren't trying to help you, because I doubt anyone is going to disagree with what I have told you so far. On top of this, there are only a small handful of us that I would even listen to anyways. Haha. Good luck.

93h2beg

Thanks again for the insight and assistance.
I have a LC-1 wideband, and some other "tuning" junk laying around. I am thinking neptune with an ostrich, i like the "idea" of hondata- but their price is just too dang high.

I also really like the idea of building the "kit" myself. I know sometimes you save a ton of money and usually in my case i spend way more. I tend to do it the hard way too... LOL

93h2beg

and out here in cali we only get 91 octane at the pumps- so if i wanna keep it easy to tune/ maintain i got to keep psi down.

93h2beg

i found a gt28r used for about 450$ the specs seem pretty dam close to the gt2860rs, should i swoop on this?

OneBadTurboCRV

Yes, the GT28R is the GT2860RS's little brother. Good for about 300whp at the most. Perfect for your goals. If you are going to build your own kit, then the only further help I will give is be sure to research your parts before you buy them. Mainly for compatability.

93h2beg

thanks again for all your input. I do not know exactly what I will be doing, i may purchase a "kit". Who knows, I may just end up going N/A again... since I have done plenty of them it would just be easier. Im tired, and feeling lazy so easier sounds so good right now!
I just ran into a old friend who last time I saw him was building a h22 turbo dc2. I asked what turbo he used and he said a "gt28 something rs" LOL, he said it set him back about 1400$. But on the h there is ZERO lag, and blows the tires off in first through fourth. Clean setup really. all Vbands and just no expense spared for the goal they were looking for. Not a race car, a DD.