I have a 90 Integra RS with 165000 miles. I will be paying a shop $1500 for an lsvtec swap, this includes the basic swap with intake manifold, throttlebody, distributor, ecu, etc. Now I will provide the oil, fuel and water pump, timing belt etc. Is this good enough or do I still need to go ahead and make more changes? I know that the stock pistons will run low comp. with this setup, so I can go ahead and change those and get CTR, but will they fit on the stock rods. Don't tell me to do this myself coz I can't and won't. Any suggestion is truly appreciated.

 

if i was u i would go with the ctr pistons and they will fit ls rods but u have to have 1mm shaved off of both ends where the piston goes over the rod?

 

I've heard conflicting stories about running CTR pistons. I was planning on using them in my LS/vtec setup but in discussing that with someone who has built them before I was told the compression ratio would be to high (12.5 to 1) to allow for any type of adjustment using timing. You also would have to worry about what octane gas you are running. I was told that JDM ITR pistons would be better due to a lower compression ratio, around 11.8 to 1 if I am not mistaken. Among other things I have done are ARP rod bolts and head studs, type r water and oil pump (which isn't neccesary but I'm doing it), ITR intake manifold, Portflow inner valve springs and Type R outer valvesprings. If you are going to go LS/VTEC then do it the right way the first time.

 

Maybe I should save a little bit more and then get the conversion. Thanks for the advice.

 

is there any chance your gonna sell your motor in like 6 months??? im lookin to get one around then

 

For the money it costs to do this right (since you're paying for your labor), you might as well do a low buck fi setup. You'll have a better hp/$ return.

 

If I have not sold my LS/VTEC by then, you could buy mine:
LS/VTEC longblock.97 LS bottom end (B18B)-blueprinted.New bearings and seals. 0.25mm over CTR pistons and CTR cams.ITR valves and lost motion assemblies.Crower valvesprings and titanium retainers.ARP rod bolts. Ported B16 head. $2500-obo.
By the way, no problems experienced running CTR pistons. On the contrary, the engine pulled hard all the way to redline, no detonation. If someone is building you an LS/VTEC, just make sure that they do it right. Some shops are just slapping them together, thus the reputation of LS/VTEC's being unreliable. Done right, it is every bit as reliable as any other Honda engine.

 

check your PM's