alright so i got a 97 civic ex that for some reason came with a d16y5 O.o and a d16y8 head on it. i have no clue what tranny it has. i started saving up so i can fix some stuff under the hood. so my question is what would be the best bang for the buck: a swap or turbo? or just get a new car lol thanks

 

boost... even a b18 is weak and d series can make 200hp reliable on stock block. and cost less to boost then a itr,or gsr motor swap

 

Turbo is always going to be the cheapest way to go fast.

A stock b-series swap will cost more than a good turbo setup, and stock b-series swaps are not very exciting (unless you've got a b18c5)

Turbo will always be the best bang for the buck.

 

but its not the easiest

 

Swap is easiest but boost gets better results. but is WAY more intricate to pull off.

 

Indeed.

 

Depending on your budget go H2B. My wife is looking at getting a CRV so I get her hatch. If so this is the route I'm going.

 

swap, your only gonna be happy for a few months with stock motor and boost.

 

And how long with just a swap? Even less.

 

Basically this. Once you catch the bug, you'll never have enough until you have too much. Boost it for now, then when you decide you want more, you can either build the stock block/head, or swap for something else with minimal change (read: manifold) to the new motor.

 

^^^This is exactly what I'm doing now.

 

Yep, I'm in the contemplative process too. I'm split between Swapping in a B16B which I'll have to build anyway, or just building the D16Y I have. Having a turbo doesn't make a swap any harder than an N/A swap is. grumble, just noticed the 15G in your sig. Are you running a TD04H-15G? I'm running the 19G, love that little snail.

 

You can go either way on this, jyst boost the d with a good tume, slightly larger injectors and a better fuel pump and start building a low comp engine on the side so if your engine blows or when your ready you can swap your built engine in and reuse the piping, intercooler, turbo.etc

 

You won't really need a fuel pump until you get to the building phase. The stock can handle 480cc injectors and 10PSI from a small turbo easily.

 

Get one anyway.

 

Boost son!

 

when will people learn Psi don't mean dick squat

 

I think you told me "never".

 

I love your Sig! lmao! where can I get one of these flux capacitors you speak of!? I think my motor can handle more boost with it!

 

i think i forgot about that ugh

well back in 1985 ofcourse

 

There you go, edited. When in Rome, man. When in Rome.

 

alright thanks guys! so basically i can use the same turbo setup on both engines?
what brand for the turbo kit would you guys reccomend or have had the best experience with? oh and i only have 110xxx miles on my car so i dont think a swap would be convinient since my block is still young ^.^

 

Don't get a "kit". You'll either spend twice as much money, or get some China crap that'll blow itself up. You can use most of the same turbo setup on both engines, you'll just have to replace the exhaust manifold and maybe the downpipe.

What turbo you use is all up to personal preference. Sit down and research the hell out of turbo flow rates and what they mean. Learn how to read a turbo flow chart (really easy to learn, if you can take a night to yourself and read). Some turbos will spool fast at lower RPM, but have limited top end power. Some turbos won't spool until the higher RPMs, but make great power. You have a smaller engine, so look for a smaller turbo.

Speaking from personal experience, TD04H's from old Evos and other DSMs are great for our tiny motors. I'm running a 19T, and I think grumble is running a 15G. Fast spool at lower RPM, but they can handle something like 25PSI before they run out of power. Not saying your motor can handle that output stock, but down the road if you decide to build the block up, you won't have to worry about replacing it. Manifolds are a time a dozen for that particular turbo, and downpipes can be fabbed by any competent exhaust shop. From there, it's just dealing with oil feed/return lines (couple of options here, look it up and decide what you want to do), fuel (you'll need to upgrade your injectors, and possibly your fuel pump), and tuning. There are plenty of options out there for all of the above, so just take some time and research. An intercooler and piping are a dime a dozen as well.

The most important thing here is take your time. I spent 6 months learning about turbos before I even ordered my first part. Get to know as much as possible before you go slapping parts on. It'll help you know when something is wrong, it'll make the process a lot easier, and at the end of the project, it'll make you feel like you've really accomplished something. Too many people out there take boost for granted.

 

dang, thanks for all this info man i really appreciate it. ill for sure research this whenever i have time. try to learn from some proffesionals and stuff. thanks again!

 

LOL I'm far from a professional. Like I said, I just wanted to make sure I did it right. Measure twice, cut once. The measuring took 6 months, but it was well worth it. If you start asking in-depth questions about head building, I'll stay in the peanut gallery and learn what I can