Bluebeautycrx91

I'm going to my first even in 2 weeks I have a 94 civic hatch si. Lowered and some suspension upgrades and good set of Toyos.

So my question is I have a healthy z6 with about 16k
I also have a ls/v-tec with gsr trans.
So what would you guys do? that have been running auto cross for a wile?
I don't want to lose on any handling so question later on if I swaped it would I lose any handling?

Jujutsuka

AutoX I would say an engine that is able to respond out of lowspeed turns is good. As far as handling... it is tuned based off your driving and power output.

Timmerrr

Dont do the swap if you want to be competitive for a while. Doing a motor swap will put you in SMF and that would require full slicks. probably a cage crazy spring rates ect to be competitive.

Jujutsuka

He already has a K20 Z6 in a 1994 Civic Hatchie that's a swap.

Xian

Ah, I'd have assumed a D16Z6 since that's the Z6 the car came with.

As a novice, run what you've got and then update down the road. I can say for SMF that a K-series engine will be the better choice anyway...

Jujutsuka

Ah, sorry i'm not fresh with my D series.(so many)
Then you are probably right. lol
I guess I automatically assume people racing hatchie's have an engine swap.

Bluebeautycrx91

Lol yea should have said D16z6.
So I should just leave it for now? I just want to go have some fun at this very moment. Next season will be different.

Jujutsuka

It's really up to you.
How important is it for you to be competitive in Autocross?
Do you want to build your car FOR autocross?
Or do you want to build your car for something that's fun for you.

People who are competitive in Autocross or SCCA or any other racing club/association. They build their cars to meet specs to fit in a class.

Me? I love Road racing, AutoX, and Uphill/Downhill events. I'm building my car for what is fun for me. I'm about to hit up the AutoX just to tune my car not really be the "top in my class"

Swapping your engine won't ruin your handling. But it will definitely throw you up in class in SCCA. But depending on where you live your hatchie may be beast in your area. I used to live in Gulf Coast Alabama. And the highest times were be put down by a damn near stock S2000 and a built Miata. Plus the drivers were veterans too.

Xian

Swapping his engine (again) won't do *anything* to his classing. Why? Because he's already in SMF at the very least. SMF allows swaps and bases weight off of displacement. A K20 car will weight more than a B18/B17 car but it'll also make more HP.

I guaran-damn-tee you that the biggest thing slowing that car down right now is the guy driving it. I'm not trying to be an *** but Autocross is a very specific sorta discipline that's way different from what you learn on track. Not to say that the OP is going to be "slow" initially but there's definitely a learning curve and swapping engines isn't the solution. Getting oodles of seat time is the fix. I'll also suggest not getting suckered into running R-comps for a while... loads of money and hassle but at least it'll negatively impact your long term learning curve. lol

CW-ITR

iTrader: (11)

^ I agree with what said above. Unless.... the op is dead on going to run the other engine from now on and the timing is right, the fund is there. Then, do it. Swap away!!!

mdb4879

One, since his car is an Si I would assume he has a D16Z6 since that's the original motor. With that in mind, he could put the car in STS and be locally competitive with little money in the car depending on how good of a driver he is and how good the competition is. I personally wouldn't swap in the B series simply because an Si isn't the base chassis I would start with more an SMF build. A B swap will weight roughly 100lbs more than a D series swap. It will adversely affect the handling bias (oversteer/understeer balance), but it can be tuned out with different spring rates and sway bars. A D16Z6 will have plenty of power for a novice driver and will be a good training tool to get every bit you can out of the car. Just take a look at how fast a nationally competitive 1989 Civic Si can be with a 118whp A6 in it. An EG will be heavier, but it can be locally competitive in the right hands.

Second, for those commenting about a K swap's weight, a K20 swap will weigh the same as a B18 swap (roughly). A K24 would be slightly heavier. The K swap will corner balance better than a B swap due to the weight distribution from the motor placement.

If you want cheap fun, I would run the Si with the Z6 in STS and either sell the B swap to pay for expendables (good tires, 15x7.5" wheels, brakes, etc.) and registration fees, or buy a CX or VX hatch for the B swap and make that a dedicated SMF car. Or get a CX/VX and sell the B swap to help pay for a K swap. If you just want a fun street car for occasional track use then go ahead and do the swap.

marka

Howdy,

This one, with a healthy dash of "don't put a ton of vehicle prep in right now to go faster".

Take whatever car you have and go autox some. The only prep you need is basic safety stuff like making sure the wheels will stay on, etc. etc. etc.

Find out if you like it first. If you do, then worry about modifications.

And if/when you get to that point, start by deciding if you want to be competitive in your class. If you do, the thing you do first is chose the class you want to run, then the car and modifications you make.

If you like autox but _don't_ care about being competitive in your class... Well, I have no experience with that. :-) I would say if you get to that point, just do whatever mods you think will make you faster.

Remember though that nearly invariably, the most important mod is the 'driver mod'... Generally speaking novice to a couple year in drivers are slower than their car. Chances are that the OP will be too, as was I and pretty much everyone I know. Given that, focus on a reliable car that has a setup that is "good enough" rather than being super trick.

Also, let folks at the event know you're a first timer. Generally speaking us autoxers are a friendly bunch and will be happy to help make sure you have a good time. :-)

Mark

Bserious_

From my experiences of circuit, its highly recommended to change your oil and transmission fluid first. Run a 0 weight oil. Need the lubrication for high revs. If you have upper control arms front and rear and rear toe adjusters. I recommend an alignment as well. I run 2.5 negative front and 2 negative rear. Slightly toe out in the fronts and neautral in the rear. I have 10k springs in the front and 8k in the rear. If you have wheel spacers...make sure them ***** are on tight. But its recommended to run straight rim without spacing. Bleed your brakes all around. As far as engine upgrades. Make sure your intake filter is fresh. New sparkplugs are in as well as cap,rotor and wires. Check coolant and under you car for any leaks because they inspect. And have fun....auto x and circuits are not meant for raw hp. Its about aerodynamics,suspension, brakes and tire setup...if you have the driver skill modm then thats more then enough to do damage with...remember to heel-toe and never downshift by just putting the gear to 3rd then 2nd and let go of the clutch without rev matching it...u will f up ur transmission if u do that...hope my insight helped you out. Be safe.

Slytherin

Having been autocrossing for 5 years now - I would say your setup really doesn't matter for the first season, as you are going to be learning and doing rapid improvement as a driver. I actually reccomend that people who are just starting out have a car not well setup for auto-x so that the car does not have the ability to cover up and compensate for fundamental driving flaws.

Just my thoughts.