greetings all...moved onto the honda scene from the subaru crowd. learning more about hondas. i just purchased an eg civic with a built jdm b18c. it has eagle rods and 11.5:1 weisco pistons. jg valve springs and retainers. standard gsr head, intake manifold, and throttle body. it is NA right now, but plan on going turbo. not so sure on the 11.5:1 compression ratio being ideal for turbo, but I assume I can still make some good power at low boost. any ideas if I can make a reliable 400-450whp on this motor with the proper supporting mods? another question - the motor has a nice stainless steel braided line coming off the block to the head - i'm assuming it is for vtec but is this a stock item? or was this motor converted over to vtec. I thought that B18's were already vtec'd from the factory.

 

I wouldn't recommend boosting the motor with that CR / those pistons. If you're wanting to boost, I would lower the compression back to stock, or get some even-lower compression pistons.

In regards to the SS braided line, it could just be upgraded. To make sure you actually have a B18C and not an LS/VTEC, check the stamp on the block (located on the left side of the block [if you're looking straight at your car] a few inches down). It might be covered in oil/grime depending how clean your block is, but here's what it could say:

B18C - JDM GSR
B18B - LS (meaning you'd have an LS/VTEC setup)
B18C1 - USDM GSR

Good luck!

 

thanks for the info! sucks that i can't boost even with the semi built motor. thought i would be able to, just at low boost.

 

Well you would be able to, you would just have to (like you said) run low boost and get a REALLY, REALLY good tune. People think they can run untuned or on some basemap from their homie, and then when their motor pops they don't understand why

 

"Oh noes, my home tuned p28 doesn't read for knocks cuz it's tuned as f*^k, yo!"

 

Hahah, no kidding.. ****'s wack. Don't cheap out on necessities of your build that matter TREMENDOUSLY.. unless of course you want a blown motor.

 

well, the motor does have a cometic head gasket, so that should lower compression some. i also plan to run a meth/alky kit to help with detonation. any ideas on turbo options on the b
18 setup?

 

so what block code do you have?

 

B18C

 

Okay, so that means you have a JDM GSR and the oil line was just upgraded and/or replaced with a better looking one.

Like I said, I would recommend lowering the compression a bit (back to stock, or lower) as with those pistons it isn't as safe as you could get it. In fact, you could easily find somebody to trade pistons with or sell yours, and buy some new, lower compression pistons to replace them with.

 

iam with this guy

 

People boost itr motors all the time and make great power on them. Same cr as your running now. Also another possibility would be picking up an inline pro head gasket and dropping it that way. If money is not an issue get 10-0-1 pistons and call it a day.

 

I've seen a dude here have a NA with ~13 compression and then later he turboed it. He ran lower boost but he made GOOD power. There again, its all in the Good Tune.

 

what would be a good turbo to combo with the b18?

 

it can be done...These guys made over 600 on a k-series. I know your B-series can handle that.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/showth...&highlight=hpc

 

i would just boost the motor how it is. if you lower it you are just going to need more boost to get to where you would be at with the higher cr.

 

bingo!!!

 

ok, just found out i have an ls block with a jdm gsr crank, gsr head, tb, and intake manifold. car has jg valve springs and retainers. haven't really heard of this setup. this would still be considered an ls/vtec combo right?

 

Yep. But you need to think about what kind of power that you're looking for. These cylinder heads are 10 times better than any EJ257 or EJ20, so the turbocharger typically used to make similar power is a little larger than you're used to. even 8-10 psi on certain sizes give much more power than 20psi of something that is 44lbs/min or so. so remember that. No open source, no Access Port, no need to worry about a MAF. Let us know of questions if you need help with the transition from Subie to Honda.
P.S. Unlike subies, Hondas get stolen on a regular basis, so invest in security first before any additional parts.

 

thanks for the info. i am looking at around 400-450whp daily driver. although i'm a bit worried with the 11.5:1 pistons. i've been doing a lot of research on several forums and most people are saying don't boost, while a few others are saying it's ok, with a good tune. i am close to several good tuners - speedfactory/fluid motorsports in tacoma, wa, so i'm not too worried about the tune. should i be fine with my current setup, motor wise, other than the supporting mods - turbo/fuel? the motor does have aftermarket rods/pistons/head bolts. also, should i invest in an aftermarket intake manifold and cams?

i wanted to get into honda's because subaru's are also now a dime a dozen, to the point that i think honda's can now be considered sleepers. although i do miss the boxer engine sound. wrx's are no longer appealing and the sti's are just plain expensive. i got this semi built b18 eg with 8000 miles on the block for $3800, so that leaves plenty of room on the table for my budget for some performance mods. i'm looking to spend no more than $3500 - it is feasible to reach 400-450whp with the budget in mind?