I have a B20 in my 94 ls. I love the good bit of torque that this motor gives me but im ready to step it up a bit. I can't decide whether to go B20/Vtec, or a boosted B20...

B20/Vtec Ive heard can be a cheap alternative to making good power.. however Ive also heard that they can be a lot of maintenance and arent very reliable... Which seeing that im a student on my own is something I dont have the money to keep putting into the motor... I want this to be a do it once and do it right...

B20 Turbo would be a good choice but B20 arent notorious for boost because of the weak cylinder walls.. I would probably get a Benson B20 block.. however I dont know the cost and what all is included with the block... My boost goals would be around 12 psi on low boost and about 19-20 psi on high boost. Ive heard that would be easy in a benson block...

Btw if you couldnt tell im a bit of a noob so take it easy.. Let me know if you have and links, tips, or info on either route.. Thanks any help is much appreciated!

 

the way your looking at things maybe vtec might be the best way for u to go.. cause trying to be boost that high your going to be needed to be changing alot of things so u wont blow your engine. cause going that high u not just going to re inforce your bottom block but also build your head as well to take that much boost

 

B20/vtec can be very reliable if it is built properly... there are a ton of ls/vtec b20/vtec build ups on this site read the how to's and if you have ay questions you can contact me because I have had a lot of success with these motors and have not had any problems thus far... I would say go for the b20/vtec build you will find that after you do the proper research that these will be the more cost efective build.

 

if you could please direct me to some of these links, and let me know what all will I have to tap and such?

 

well a couple of my friends run b20 vtec and they say its great.

 

If I did go B20/vtec would I have to build the motor any? I just know that the B20 has very thin cylinder walls.. Also I need to know what all I have to tap and such

 

click this link: Ls/vtec B20/vtec This is probably the best build thread on the subject. If you go all motor you won't need to do anything as far as sleeving. I run a golden eagle block guard in my set up and I put it in just for added safety but it is not needed. Swapping the pistons for OEM high comp pistons is highly recomended and if you cant find OEM high comp pistons for your B20 RS machining makes a good set of cast pistons for this set up. If you are daily driving this car I highly suggest not getting forged pistons. Forged pistons have different expansion rates than cast and call for looser clearences which will result in a knocking noise everytime you start your car and will continue until your car hits normal temp. Get your rods shot peened or you can upgrade, again not needed.

also check out this site The Old One/EnDyn. Read the tech articles they show their method of routing the oil fitting (I recomend this) and they also show the founder of endyn Larry's civic. He built a very indepth b20/vtec that makes 300 bhp. This article will give you a lot of helpful tips to getting the most out of your motor.

Well if you have any more questions just ask.

 

you should get a shorter geared trans first

 

anymore opinions?

 

I would also like to see more opinions , especially from those who are boosting a b20. I am also a noob & plan on building a b20 turbo but not until I do all my research , I don't want to be dissapointed.