im getting ready to tear apart my b20b and and rebuild it and i wana know everyone's opinion on what they would choose for a good daily driver cam that will make good power. im going to run a p8r head as well and i wana know also if i upgrade to basically a stage one cam, is it necessary to swap out my springs and retainers? thanks for any input!!!

 

slapping on a vtec head would make better power gains than having a bigger cam in a non vtec head, and if you are swithching to a higher lift/duration cam it is always a good idea to do springs and retainers. If you're already there might as well put them on for reliability's sake.

 

yeahh. i know that bro, that wasnt really what i was asking though. no offense, i appreciate the advice i do NOT wana do b20 vtec. im going this way because one, im really not workin with much money. two, i plan on boosting down the road and only wana do b20 on boost when i get to that point. i do see your point on the springs and retainers, its just that i only got 84k on my motor and if im only upgrading to a stage one or two as long as its tuned to make power in the same rpm range, plus maybe a little higher i was told id be ok sticking with the stock springs and retainers. but again, id still like to hear what people think about a good cam setup for my daily. thanks!

 

crower cams always seem to do well in non vtec motors. I would suggest you upgrade the valve springs and retainers tho. Just remember that tuning is key, so dont just slap stuff on and expect it to work. Behind those cams, you need more air, so a bigger manifold would help out as well.
If you plan on leaving the car stock at that point, then get the car tuned and have fun.

 

yes, the 404's seem to be verrry popular. there is a set of jg 301's for sale on a forum in my area and its a good deal but i dont know much about them other than they are regrinds but the guy said they would be great for an all motor b20 on the street. is that a downfall that they are regrinds? i think i will go ahead and change the springs and retainers. the p8r head i got has a verry big intake manifold on it stock but i donno if i should run that, if it will even fit, or if i should just bolt up the ls intake like i got now

 

and im def gettin it tuned, i know better than to think imma make pwer by just throwin in a set of aftermarket cams lol

 

I try to stay away from regrinded cams...thats just me tho. I rather know im buying something brand new that hasnt been molested in any way.
The b20 intake manifold will not fit, it will need to be swapped out for an LS or Skunk2, blox etc.
Besides that, you are on the right track buddy...

keep us updated

 

yeah i feel the same way really. thanks for the tip on the intake, ill look into getting a skun2 manifold if i can afford one. my goal is 160 hp, i was hoping to achieve that with the p8r head some cams, header, SRI with a velocity stack and filter and some good tuning. it already has 2'' id exhaust out to a turbo style muffler which by the way sounds pretty damn good, got it at car quest for 30 bucks, looks just like a dynamax muffler

 

404's are a bit large if you're planning on staying within stock RPM range, IMO, and also if you're keeping stock compression. I have Brian Crower stage 2's (BC022 is the part #, I believe) which are midway in between the original Crower 403 and 404 cams, and I love them. (this is in a stock bottom end B18B1, with crower valvetrain)

 

oh my mistake i thought the 404 was considered the stage two selection. ill have to look into those ones you mentioned. thanks

 

may i ask why you believe this? i was planning on running the 404's in my b18b1 in the stock rmp range but im in the research process

 

i researched them a little last night, the 403s are rated to make power between 1250 and 8000+ rpm i believe. the 404's are more radical and exceed that for a power range, more for straight drag racing i suppose

 

also, some thing to consider if you are going turbo down the line is that the all motor cam you are buying will probably be incompatible with a turbo setup, and you will have to install stock cams again for optimum power. turbos do not work well with high duration/lift cams.

I would suggest you start planning for your turbo build now. save your money and hold off on the cams for now, the $400-600 you save now can buy alot of thing for your turbo build. build it right once.

Turbos do not have to be expensive, you can easily do one for 1200 if you buy used parts here on HT there are alot of deals going as people are selling there parts in this rough economy.

no matter which route you chose tune, tune, tune GL.

 

instead of spending all that money to get a 20 more hp, why not look at gearing. gsr tranny, lsd, final drive and lighter flywheel might make you faster than cams, header.....

 

i actually thought about just saving for the turbo build because i did infact research and discovered it wouldnt be wise really to use those cams with a boosted setup. it would take me a while to get the money to do even the cams alone for na, and i dont think id be happy after spending that much with the results. its the only thing i have to drive for now so i might as well save and do it all at once i guess. im just ancy to build something and make some power! lol oh well, guess il just stick to beating on single cams for now.

as far as the tranny advice, it would be a wise investment but i wouldnt need an lsd behind an na b20 i dont think. my ls is grinding slightly in high rpms into 3rd, i just recently changed the fluid and that seemed to help but it didnt get rid of my problem so when the time comes to pull it out i will most likely go back with an ls, i like being able to cruise at 80 and not get droned out of my car. besides, i believe the 1st and 2nd gear ratios for a gsr trans and ls trans are the same. a lightweight flywheel is NOT gonna make power for me, the revs will drop quicker between shifts with a lightwheight flywheel so that will be the last thing i go spend money on