Wondering which swap I should do for '89 Civic DX hatch?

 

have you converted to obd1?
is your car DPFI or MPFI?
do you have a budget?

 

I haven't done much yet because I'm determining which to do. I'm for sure going OBD1, I need to convert to MPFI, and my budget is whatever it needs to be for best power down. My other question would be can I convert to MPFI without having to get a BAR in CA to pass smog?

 

that question i wouldnt be able to answer. Mississippi doesnt require smog.

 

Dang!! CA smog rules suck, hopefully I move before I do my swap so it doesn't matter, haha. I've heard a Turbo D can be better then Built B in some cases

 

but think of the reliability of a turbo d. too much upkeep IMHO.
i would go with a built LS vtec

 

How are they power wise?

 

i just rode with a guy that had an LSvtec with some bolt ons run a DA integra with a built high comp LS. and the LSV waxed the DA

 

They make roughfly 160 horse stock. I have one in my EG and i love it. Built right they are lots of fun. If you want all motor b seires without a budget then why not go gsr?

 

depends on what your looking for, reliability or like saturday sunday night fun, LSV is fun BUT there can be alot of problems along with it depending on setup, think about it, how come honda never made a LSV from factory? they knew we were gonna eventually try it so i would honestly go with the simple b16 all motor, they pull hard in ef's

 

i would go GSR if thiers no budget, more stock power then the b16 and it wouldn't take much to bump up the hp more. i'm going LS/V with a gsr head all built and i'm only shooting for 180-200whp. if your looking for power, like more power then 250hp then go boost, you'd spend a crazy amount of money trying to get alot of power out of an all-motor setup

 

if you have to ask this question, i mean by all means please do not take this the wrong way... but dont go ls-vtec. 90% of people dont build them right (yes there is more to do than just slapping on the head and going) and end up with a complete mess that will give you nothing but problems... if your still interested there is a thread around these forums i could fish up for you that is pretty much the end all exact how to thread for it

i would just go b16 would be fun and more on the budget side

 

This is very true. I made the mistake of buying one that wasnt done right (got a good deal on it cause it came with the car so oh well) so far ive had to put about 400 more dollars in it to get it working right. This conversion is not for the weak of heart and not for someone who wants to plug and go. But i personally love my Ls-vtec but there is not really much of a point if you can afford to just get a b18c other then to be different.

 

well the lsv has been shown to be a very potent motor when done right esp the b20v but ive heard those are even harder to pull off right, so if you do it right its def worth it... just doing it right is the hard part. ive heard of some that last 2 weeks while some are still running 5 years later without a hiccup

 

mine is at 16k so far since ive fixed it and i havent had any problems but im also pretty nice to it. But ive had well over 15 come through my shop that were just trash. If your not going to it right, you shouldnt do it at all.

 

I currently have a b20 with b16 tranny and a ton of head work and its fun but i feel like my b16 was faster. B16 turbo is fun too. Mine made 351 @ the wheels stock bottom end. Pieced together turbo kit

 

I have my current d series non vtec runnin in the 15s, idk if it would be better to turbo or go B and go NA, that's my question?

 

Do you want a turbo or do you want n/a power?

 

Which is more reliable?

 

N/A is less of a hassle in my opinion. Less things to go wrong and easier to get going. But again this is just my opinion. Im sure i will get flamed for saying it. A motor will only be as reliable as you build at and drive it though. If you use and abuse it, it wont last as long. If you cheap out on parts or dont install correct hp rated parts, its not going to last as long.

 

If money is no problem type r swap or k20, stock reliability.

 

^^^ i agree if $$$ aint a prob just go for it

 

I raced a eg6 with a b16a in it and my crx with a d16a6 and he barely hurt me except 4th wen he barely pulled away. so im gonna say go with the turbo d16 vtec

 

and yes wat ^he said^. go with a k20. cant go wrong there. my buddy down the road has a crx with a k20 and it flys

 

When you turbo a b16 its way different then what you get when you turbo a d16. All motor comparisons wont show you that.