Tokyo Joe

Ok ok I know all about the b18 builds and K20 swaps and all the serious power adders you can do with a Honda motor, but what I want to know is what kinda of builds would be better for me if I wanted more life out of the motor instead of insane horsepower. I want to know about the builds that might last 200k w/o replacing a head gasket/ tranny every other year. Maybe I am asking for to much but I have no plans of getting rid the civic so what do you think? Are huge cams/ and big turbos out of the question? Is it better to stay with SOHC or with DOHC? Do I beef up the internal with performance parts and balance them? How much horsepower is too much for the civic? I haven't a clue. All I know is how to get tons of horsepower cheap but this time I want something super reliable. I would love to hear from some veterans on the matter.

94EG8

If you want something super reliable i'd look at a GS-R or ITR swap, everything will be OEM honda and fit just like it came that way from the factory. Will be every bit as reliable as a factory engine.

dizzyroc88

builds - 200k mi dont exist


and theres no such thing as too much power phhhhhhhfff

donut.

how are only gsr and itr swaps reliable? I'd say every honda motor has potential of reaching 200k. Just because you swap a k20 in a eg/ek or any other chassis that didn't come with that motor, it doesn't mean that it will magically become unreliable.

The only way I can see a motor "build" last 200k without fail is if you add bolt-on mods like intake/header/exhaust and do your routine maintenance. I wouldn't touch the internals if you want to last 200k. It also depends how you drive.

DAN!!!

D16z6

94EG8

I never said that. I said GS-R/ITR because they're the most powerful stock engines you can drop in with stock parts

The engine itself no, its the associated stuff, mounts and axles. You have to go aftermarket for that stuff and the axle angle is rarely perfect, in the case of an H-series its downright bad. K-series trannys are also no where near as tough as they should be.

kozanatos

Anything from japan I guess if it is true low mileage.

good luck finding a low mileage z6 here in the states ( what I would've purchased if I could have found one)

Get a JDM D15B (Vtak YO) and get the exact mileage.
Replace everything and don't beat the snot out of it, let it warm up, perform regular maintenance, etc?

idk My stock D15b7 is still running at ~200+ (p/o` swapped cluster)

Tokyo Joe

awesome guys awesome ....just the advice I needed ...but one thing I am kinda stuck on is performance cams. I love the sound of a 292 cam but unsure of the affects that would have on the life of the motor.

donut.

I see what you're saying, but the associated things have nothing to do with reliability of the engine or the potential of reaching 200k. That should be considered maintenance. Will he never need to replace an axle on a B series? No. The K-series tranny is weak, yes we all know that. Like I said, it depends how you drive. No motor/tranny will last 200k if you beat on it everyday. Read the original post again. He's talking about how he can make power out of an engine without sacrificing reliability. You're talking about everything else.

OP, if you want to go with a performance cam, ITR/CTR is where it's at and you'll maintain reliability.

kozanatos

cams: toda vtec killers

Vindicator9000

If I wanted to build something with the most power and reliability, I'd K-swap and just drive it to death.

As it is, I have a stock GSR swap in my EJ8, and I drive it to death. 238K on the car and counting!

chewyv

Spoon Sports. They are very well into reliability and performance. That's why you always see them on endurance tours. Honda motors come very well balanced from the factory already, but if you do want to fully balance the rotating assembly to the gram than it wouldn't hurt(would hurt your wallet).

thumper64

I never hear about vtec heads just going bad from normal driving. LMAs can wear out, but that's more if you run like stage 3 cams and stuff that are hard on them. I would think that running the motor all the time like that wouldn't be too good for it.

Based on what I know about motors.
If money were no object: I'd install a deck plate to gain some deck height, install longer rods (better rod/stroke ratio, make it safer to rev higher), knife edge the crank and get really nice rods as light possible while still strong enough. Get pistons coated on top and sides to reduce friction and provide protection.

Realistically: Use cast or some other low expansion pistons, then balance it all and keep tolerances tight with pistons, rings and bearings. Keeping compression under 12:1 and not running anything more than like stage 1/ITR/CTR or 2 cams with only the minimum springs needed. And of course good hardware, seals, rings, and...a good tune.

thumper64

J swap if you want power and reliability...assuming these motors will run like their 4 cylinders always have.

-__-

if you maintain your sh** and not drive your car hard any Honda motor should be reliable. idk

thumper64

How about the H22 motors with the FRM sleeves? Those things are garbage since they eat rings.

kozanatos

have you listened to them idle? They sound cool...

Pothole987

true, because when you modify what is on the car originaly, you are just gonna cause more problemsdown the road.

and i have been hearing about k series trannys being JUNK on booosted cars. (6speed)

300whpej

anything with the right amount of care and common sense should last a while. swap a motor, then make it healthy, then drive.

jacki eg6

i have a gsr block with b16b pct pistons n acl bearings, ctr head n itr ilm,itr p73 ecu, 98spec itr s80 wit 96 4th n 5th gears. its drove everyday n imo its a cheap set up(in dis country anyways) n it gives plenty of power n reliability.

v8killaz

any stock motor swap will be reliable as in engine/tranny wise
j series k series would be good options for reliability and a good power gain in a smaller car

AGENT_47

200k miles is YEARS away man , jusy buy what you can afford

My Del Sol only has 72k orig miles on it and it's 17 yrs old

94EG8

Well, lets say for example you have an H22 swap in a civic, what happens when you break an axle in the middle of nowhere? You can't just buy one at autozone, you have to order one. If you're on trip hundreads of miles from home, thats a pain in the ***.

They're just plain junk. I've seen lots of guys destroy gears on bone stock RSXs and Civic Sis. Stuff that really doesn't show up on 15 year old B-series trannys. I've seen one with a broken shift fork, screwed up mainshaft and whole host of other problems, all with about 80,000kms on it.

Pothole987

yea the gears are made cheaply. and its simple to get an axle for an h22 in a civic. all you need is like 3 different axles from different cars to build
Theres an Autozone in Miramichi?

98civdx

Any swap can be realiable, theres people that daliy j swapped cars, and countless number of k swapped cars.
Go for what ever your budget will allow.