SoullessJapaneseMachine

iTrader: (1)

This is not a "what should I get" thread. I just want to discuss and list the pros and cons of each option.

My daily driver ej8 has 170k on the original engine and tranny. I don't want to race it, but I do want to improve acceleration, esp torque. I want you to list pros and cons, advantages/disadvantages, for:

B20 swap with gsr or b16 trans, or
turbo kit for y8 with stock internals.

I want to look at the whole picture. You should think about:
gas mileage
prices
difficulty of labor
reliability
maintenance
long term outlook

Let's have an intelligent discussion

thehatchninja

depending on tuning, and what turbo you use you can actually improve over the stock mileage.

1CaMw0nDeR

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread/878010

JDMguy88

I dont know how strict they are in NJ, but if you want to look at the whole picture the legality of a B20 swap is questionable as it is a light truck motor and you drive a passenger car. Also just saying a turbo y8 with stock internals is way to open ended, do you have a power goal in mind?

A properly tuned single cam turbo can be very cost friendly and you can actually get better mileage than stock if you dont push it to red line everytime you drive the car. Its pretty easy to turbo a single cam as well. With a good tune a single cam turbo will be very reliable. Maintenance isnt really that different on a turbo car.

A B20 swap can also be priced attractively and the gas mileage will also be good on a stock B20 as it is a stock honda motor and hondas just get good mileage stock. I dont know how mechanically inclined you are but pretty much any swap into a car that already had vtec, like your ej8, is simple. B20s are reliable when left stock and not beat on all the time, but if you plan on going into high rpms alot I would recomend building the bottom end as the bearings in the B20 arent really fond of much higher than 7,500 rpm. Maintainance is straight forward.

As for the long term outlook, in a civic I would be happy going either route. A B20 is fun but over time it will leave you wanting more, i.e. vtec, which costs more than just simply turning up the boost a little on a turbo car. I hope that covers some what you were looking for.

SoullessJapaneseMachine

iTrader: (1)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JDMguy88 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I dont know how strict they are in NJ, but if you want to look at the whole picture the legality of a B20 swap is questionable as it is a light truck motor and you drive a passenger car. Also just saying a turbo y8 with stock internals is way to open ended, do you have a power goal in mind?

A properly tuned single cam turbo can be very cost friendly and you can actually get better mileage than stock if you dont push it to red line everytime you drive the car. Its pretty easy to turbo a single cam as well. With a good tune a single cam turbo will be very reliable. Maintenance isnt really that different on a turbo car.

A B20 swap can also be priced attractively and the gas mileage will also be good on a stock B20 as it is a stock honda motor and hondas just get good mileage stock. I dont know how mechanically inclined you are but pretty much any swap into a car that already had vtec, like your ej8, is simple. B20s are reliable when left stock and not beat on all the time, but if you plan on going into high rpms alot I would recomend building the bottom end as the bearings in the B20 arent really fond of much higher than 7,500 rpm. Maintainance is straight forward.

As for the long term outlook, in a civic I would be happy going either route. A B20 is fun but over time it will leave you wanting more, i.e. vtec, which costs more than just simply turning up the boost a little on a turbo car. I hope that covers some what you were looking for.</TD></TR></TABLE>

great post, very thorough

JDMguy88

Thanks

slvrcvc93

I agree I put a stock 99 B18b in my coupe I got better gas mileage than i did with the single cam. My 95 single vtec had 220 on the dash! I took care of it. But if your looking for more torque with less maintenance id stick with a Stock b20 with the trans in my opinion. With the turbo motor you might get attracted to pushing it a little harder and not to mention you have 170 on the dash.

A fresh motor might be better for you, 170,000 unless your doing a full rebuild you might not get that good gas mileage. Lol im actually taking my turbo gsr out of my car and putting in a 2001 single just because daily driving on premium is starting to get a little expensive.

SoullessJapaneseMachine

iTrader: (1)

bump anyone else?