Alright, so Ive got a 91 ef si hatch. 165k on the original motor and car. I do alot of mountain driving, and Im finding my car a little underpowered (especially when Im in the middle of a pack filled w 240's and wrx's...). So Ive been looking at options for more power... And simple boltons for my non vtec d series, just arent worth it, I think... (unless anyone has had different results) sooo....

Is putting together a turbo kit for my d series a better option(and more cost effective) than a swap? Or vice versa... Id only want a t25 or a 14b, something that spools fast, and Id only be pushing 7 or 8 lbs... Would my motor (having 165k miles on it) be able to withstand that? Or should I be looking at a swap? Something like an SiR swap, or is a LSV a better way to go... I only want 175-180hp. Nothin crazy, since this is my DD.

 

a straight lsv setup with itr or ctr cams/tune/bolt ons and you will be MORE than good

 

How about a JRSC?

 

crx hf manifold dsm injector and turbo, good tune best bang for the buck, only about 500 all said and done

 

My buddy w a single cam ek hatch did the same thing. Hf manifold, w a t25 turbo from an SR motor...

I know its cheap to do, Im just worried about reliability. If I go that route, I dont wanna spend crazy money on building the motor. If I have to ARP stud it, and maybe run a metal headgasket, I dont mind that... but I dont want to have to buy forged internals, and i dont want to do crazy headwork...

The motor as is right now pulls strong for what it is, Ive never had a problem mechanically with anything. So you think itll be ok?

 

good tune and you should be fine with stock engine and low boost levels

 

i thought an si ef hatch had some vtec inside? lol. shoot put some bolt ons and tune tune tune and you'll be kikin ****. that way the police wont have to deal with a major turbo in the way of your engine bay. (here in cali its big deal)

 

only cost me about 300 at the machine shop to have my head decked, block honed, crank micro polished and they ordered me new bearings and rings. then another aprox. 200 or so for fluids n what not to assemble it (i did it myself). bout to start it up tomorow... just a thought

 

The stock motor for a EF si is a d16a6 non vtec motor... And its OBD0, so its not the best platform for tuning either... California police give you crap for that? That sucks. Im right next door in AZ, and the cops here dont bother you for that.

So the key then, if I went turbo, would be a good tune then?

 

i think a supercharger would be better if you want fast response and a DD (its not like am a pro tho)

 

I think a B20 would be hard to beat dollar for dollar, and it leaves room to grow (B20vtec). Just get one and a b16 tranny and I think you will be happy.

 

If you turbo your d16, I would definitely do some bearings in it. Would not hurt to tear down the block and rebuild with fresh bearings, hone, new rings, maybe even swap in some vitara pistons to lower your compression for more boost. I have not boosted, but I've read a lot of good things about the vitara pistons. I can tell you that if you turbo that old engine, you WILL do something stupid, and most likely end up spinning a bearing. Then you will be forced to rebuild, so you might as well do it on your terms... You cannot go wrong with that kind of build either. A d16a6 is a great motor, obviously not a B or K, but still a great motor.

 

Most bang for the buck is keeping your current block and getting a set of vitara pistons, some aftermarket rods, and getting a new head preferably d16z6 or y8, i would reccomend a cam for the head, then throwing it all together, it would be a mini me built for boost, if you want to keep up with the 240's and WRX's then you will need more then 7-9 PSI even with an incredable tune.

you stock setup can handle 7-9 psi with a decent tune.

Also if doing this id highly recommend a new clutch, atleast stage2.

 

if its just a daily i'd go GSR swap. LS/V and B20/V leave that lingering reliabiltiy issue. GSR swap will do you just fine.

 

D Series motor all the way... I can't even see a B series only a K
imo its w waste to go b16 either go d16 or B18 or K20.

The cheapest for you is going to be changing your a6 head and slapping on a z6 or use the a6 but change the cam to a stage 2 if using a6, I believe its called a VTEC killer cam, forgot who makes it tho... If you go z6 Your going to have to go ODB1 so you will have to add an adapter and ECU (p28)

I would also recommend changing your rings and main bearings in your motor, I just did a swap where i just fixed the head and after a couple of hours of running with the new head my rings went bad because of the higher compression the rebuilt head was putting out.

if your going to go turbo your motor wont last you anyways. anytime you do FI it seems the life of the bearings in your engine tend to shorten. Go NA if you are going to do DD. if not I recommend getting a second car to make your toy.
for the record, NA cause also be a bad build so don't think it is immune to human error and stupidity.

 

if hes looking for 175-180 he shouldnt go all motor d, cuz he wont even get close. and you recomend NOT going turbo d for him since its a daily... so why would a 100% stock b series that already makes that power reliably be a waste of time?

 

How much though, for the full GSR changeover? What 3k? Somewhere in that ballpark? I mean after motor, tranny, ecu, axles, shiftlinkage, mounts and everything else, thats what it accounts too right? And the B16 Id be lookin bout a G less. Round 2k give or take... The B20 doesnt seem like a bad idea, but some of my buddys have had bad experiences once they went to the vtec head...

If I could boost it for half that, and make close to the same power... Id be stoked. I understand building the bottom end is wise, but A. by the time I get done spendin $ on parts, Im back up to the price of a B again... B. Its my only car, so I cant have alot of downtime. A weekend at most. And a swap or slappin the snail on could be done in that time frame...

 

I think he was just referring to it being a waste of $$ to go from a d16 to a b16. Which it is, if your going B at least start with a ls motor so you don't end up swapping in another torqueless wonder that's marginally quicker. Go the home made turbo route, rebuild your bottom end, stick to low boost and enjoy beating on those 240's and wrx's .

 

Completely rebuild your bottom end is way cheaper then going B. Like $300-350 with all new gaskets and berarings with decking it and honing.

 

Yes Red is correct, He isnt trying to spend money, and if he is he should make it worth it. I don't believe having a D series and upgrading to a B16 Series will be worth it.

 

Maybe not a b16, yes a gsr is expensive to do, but its straight forward, drop in and go, no tuning and still risking blowing up on a turbo set up.. I guess my reasoning is based 100 % off reliability, its a stock engine, if you maintain it, it WON'T break. I've been down this road before so that's why I feel spending the extra money is worth it.

 

Also, you say you don't have a lot of down time? Why? Because its your daily, so risking boosting the d and possibly blowing it up, then your with out a car for who knows how long? These are all based of experience . Just my $.02