Hey guys I'm pretty new to the Honda game and I'm going to start my first build soon. And my first question is the obvious, NA or Boost? I want to shoot for about 250whp. I've got a B18B1 no mods at all. Eventually i would like to go up in power but right now i just want a good benchmark to shoot for. Let me know what would be best for reliability/power/cost not only short term but eventually going up in power as well. Thanks in advance!

 

boost, but thats a beast that will require constantly checking fluids, hoses, pressure gauges, etc. ive ridden in boosted cars and hands down i want one badly, but im not ready financially for that road. boost isnt cheap, but its worth it.

 

well then you just answered your own question, anybody who has been in the game of power and reliability will tell you boost is the way to go for maximum power but n/a is the best way for reliability, your b18b1 which we call the ls motor can have a vtec head slaped on it and if you build the head and swap rods and pistons you could have around 220whp and as long as you take care of it you could have that motor for along time, ive heard about a guy that just turned 85000 miles on a built b20vtec motor, and im not much into boosting honda motors because im for the reliability so imma all motor guy so since this is your first build i suggest you take it one day at a time as i was coming up in my early days of a newb i learned the hard way of being patient and i broke alot of stuff, so be patient and keep us posted on what your future plans will be and ill help ya as much as i can and welcome to the honda family!

 

IF you plan on keeping the d series,boost it..

i'm totally against boosting personally, i think its just the easy way.. i'm a all motor guy..
I have a b20vtec making around 250-260whp in a eg.. should do low 12s and its daily driven ...not to mention i have some nitrous on top..

 

well i personaly if it not an everyday drive... and u know how to take care of it id say boost. a b18b is low compression from what i know...im not a pro lol but i know how to get around.. boosting a low compression is not a bad idea and it could b reliable and good as long as u take good care of it... treat it better then a laidy lol ... now question.. shouldnt u get more out of a b18b if u boost it...well with a good setup ...i think u could reach 300hp. gdluck mannnnn keep us posted

 

i would do ls/vtec and rebuild the engine and i think you should have 190 roughly and thats more then enough for anybody like me! (i go to highschool) haha

 

plenty of reliable boosted honda engines out there... have a few friends that have had their 300whp plus setup for 4plus years! its just on how you build it,how you take care of it, and who tunes it...not cheap but deff worth it! i didnt cheap out on anything and i got around 10k+ in my setup

 

Boooooost.

 

na all day. unless you are building a racecar.

 

Boost is the beastly way to go. My Hondas are put together realiaby and havent left me stranded yet.

 

lag sucks on the street though doesnt it?

 

If you got a good wastegate and tune its not to bad. My EM1 launches ok and once I hit boost It stays in boost. It depends on what your using the car for.

 

ls vtec is a great way to go but so is boost!!! honestly to do both you need a good set up and the right person to build it with a tune too...both boost and lsvtec are good ways to make power but the price is similar its easier to go boost since you don't have to take the engine apart but it needs more care like mentioned above in the post... lsvtec needs the block and head to get tapped for the oil lines and change timing belt,waterpump,and oil pump... but with boost you just add the parts to it... you choose of which thing to do... but if your engine is nice and strong just go boost

 

If you got the money and the resources... boost it up, If you are going for reliability... I'd go N/A... N/a is more than enuff for most people... and is way more reliable, but then reliability also depends on the build and the help and the resources that you have, but for me if I wanted boost I would have gotten an mr2 I got a honda for power +mpg lmao... but i'll still always have boosting my jdm d15b in the back of my mind xD...

 

Its statements like this that could have someone neck deep in parts and still not know what they are doing. Theres a thread in the FAQ section about how to properly build an LSV setup, and 250whp on that would be in the upper limits of pump gas potential.

You could do a log manifold, t3 turbo, johnny race car intercooler, and a few other parts and have 250whp EASY on an LS. People are just scared of boost because of horror stories or not wanting to check over/tune their car. I will just say this

If you tune your car it will be good back to you

My friend nicole has a 383whp gsr, STOCK motor, pump gas, just with a good tune. My other friend Cody had again, a bone stock gsr, 9psi he made over 300whp. Once he built the motor he was running a 450whp daily driven pump gas sedan, its not rocket science, its common sense, get the thing tuned and it'll last you for quite some time.

 

regardless of what you choose, please dont skimp out on parts... that's where the problems originate from.

 

Most ppl would say n/a, just because they are reliable... I personally love boost.. I have an eg with n/a jdm b16, with skunk 2 head and I race it hard every weekend and have won races that nobody expected me to win, but still dd it... but still I want more! I was once in your shoes, trying to decide on wat to do. So I was patent and finally over the last yr I have peiced together everything I need for turbo.. Im going lsv.. using stock sleeves, forged internals, built jdm b16 head, ramhorn turbo mainfold, garett 3076 turbo, and peiced together turbo piping and lines..

Turbo isnt cheap.... But really its watever you actually want and wat your willing to spend. If your wanting reliable stuff stick with n/a, with few mods, but if your wanting hp and your willing to spend, go boost. Really it all comes down to budget....

 

and i clearly stated what "COULD" be done on a all motor build, i wasnt telling him "HOW" to do it, geez dude take it easy

 

If you're looking to make 250whp, there is really only one option: boost. It can be done NA, but will cost an outrageous amount of money. On the contrary, with a simple turbo setup, you can EASILY make 250whp on the stock block with a ~$3k or less turbo setup. Check the Forced Indcution forum for more insight

 

Sounds like boost is more for me What internals should i plan on swapping first?

 

And also thanks for all the useful information i'll try to get a build thread going ASAP

 

Making 250+whp daily driven on a built b20vtec, stock sleeves.
in a hatch, it run downs turbo lsvtecs...

 

For the power you're trying to achieve, the stock block will suffice. Stock B series blocks can be safely pushed into the low to mid 300whp range on a proper tune. Check out the Forced Induction forum and you'll see many stock block setups

And you probably spent more than I did to build it too. Also, you said it yourself..."in a hatch"....if i was to dump my setup into a 2000lb hatch, it'd run down practically anything on the road. The one other things i love about turbo setups, is that if i do get beat, a simple turn of the boost controller and a retune and i'll have an extra 50-75whp safely on my setup. I'm not saying this to knock N/A setups, but rather stand behind my own choices

 

N/A for everyday
Boost for everyday is just high maintenance

it's like dating an average chick to a top model

 

along with weight there is another HUGE difference.....you are using a B20 block which means more torque.......an old saying says "HP sells cars, torque wins races" so more torque combined with less car equals winning..........but the OP doesnt have a B20, he has a B18. you take 2 LS blocks properly build one for N/A with a 5k budget, and properly build the other for boost on a 5k budget and the boosted motor WILL win in any race you want(same driver).