speedy-crx

i have a b16a in a crx and im goin to pull it as soon as i get my parts i was wondering if this would be a good setup
1.ctr pistons
2.itr cams
3.itr i/m
4.p&p head w/ 3 angle valve job
5.ballanced pollished gsr crank
6.crower rods
7.skunk2 valvetrain
8.spoon or mugen thin head gasket

and one more question what are the best pistons for b16 i want n/a so i just want high compression someone said something about 12.5;1 compression with rollerwave pistons or something like that i would like more info pease

speedy-crx

anyone

poison

having ctr pistons and the mugen head gasket will give you about a mid 11:1-ish compression..

if you are looking for 12.5 range the rollerwave pistons would solve that problem with the 1 layer headgasket.

You may also mill the head .003" over and raise the compression about a full point running about 12.4-ish also with the 1 layer head gasket.

speedy-crx

do you know were i can find those rollerwave pistons

ill phil

Ok, got some questions and suggestions for ya.....

First, are you going to use the B16 block to build off of? If so, then ditch the GSR crank idea. B16 and B18 block have different deck heights and you'd need custom stuff to make it work. At least pretty positive thats the case. IF you are going with CTR pistons just stay with B16 rods and crank and possibly upgrade to ARP rod bolts (I doubt that the Crower rods would be necessary and may take some machining to fit OEM wristpin).
Are you going to just use ITR cams? If you, then don't worry about Skunk2 valvetrain (i've heard mixed reviews), just go with something cheap like ITR outters and Portflow Inners.
The CTR piston and Spoon/Mugen Headgasket idea on the B16 would put you around 11.2-11.4:1 I believe or somewhere there abouts. Sounds like a good bottom end especially depending on where you are located, Octane and how you are going to get it tuned.
Just some thoughts..... good luck-


[Modified by ill phil, 5:13 PM 1/19/2003]

speedy-crx

Thanks alot man that helps alot
anow i have a few q's for you
1.ive heard good and bad about milling the head for higher comp. is this good or bad?
2.do you know anything about rollerwave pistons good or bad?
3.with the setup you described what power would i be looking at
4. your talking about bottem end tuning what on the block can you tune?
5.someone said something about apr head studs because stock ones stretch and distort in high rpms true or untrue?
6.would it be worth the money to do this or would it be better to do some hybrid like lsvtec or b20vtec remember i need a reliable car it is my only means of transportation
7.can you give me any info on engine building because i would like to do the work myself but the valvetrain work sounds complicated or is it just some minor tuning and tourqing?
8.would it be worth it to resleve to a 1.8 or something like that?
9.with the higher compression the only gas i could run would be 93 would that be bad for it or would i have to get some of that race mix for it that bumps it up to like 110
that is all thank you and anyone who helps

ill phil

Ok, milling the head can be good but may also have some negative aspects. I would much rather just use a thin headgasket or higher comp pistons than milling the head, but thats just my opinion.... I'd like to have some room to work with (mill) if a disaster happens and I need to resurface my head, but a slight mill to bump compression may not be bad.
I've heard good things about Rollerwave pistons and have talked to a couple of people who were satisfied with them.... no personal experience with them.
Power wise out of that set-up... I honestly can't say. It would really just depend on the tuning, but considering the bump in compression I'm sure you wouldn't be disappointed.
ARP headstuds definitely would not hurt. They are strong and thats what I will be using on the new motor I am beginning to work on. As far as the stock ones go, its up to you. For a CTR piston/cam set up in a B16, its not that extreme and wouldn't need to rev the **** out of it to make its full power so stock may be fine.
I'm sure that this set-up would be pretty reliable as far as driving it daily. I'll let you know since I'm considering building a pretty close b16 bottom end for a friend But as the muscle car guys say..."theres no replacement for displacement".
As far as engine building goes.... if you have someone to help you who knows what they are doing- thats the easiest way to learn. that and a Helms As far as valvetrain... I haven't worked on mine yet, but soon will be tearing down my head- I'll let ya know how it goes.
If you want a 1.8 get a GSR block or LS.
I think that 93 octane should be fine if you're not going over 11.5:1. Many people run higher comp on 92/93 with no problems. I will be running around 12:1 on 93 octane and know a guy locally running 13.3-13.5:1 on 93 octane with no problems and an amazingly strong untuned motor.

As I've stated before- this is my opinion on things. I'm sure there are many other guys who work on their own motors or have done more engine work than I have and have their ideas and opinions to share.