How would I go about getting more torque from my stock 94 ls? I lug it around town for mpg and I want a little more grunt. I wouldn't even mind sacrificing a bit of top end to fatten up the mid and bottom. Would a short intake or long intake be better? How are 4 into 1 headers making power differently than a tri-y (4-2-1)? I don't wan't to change transmissions because I need the ls 5th gear (wish i could make it longer) and I'm not doing a hybrid.

Also, my distributor is quiet when I start the car (completely cold), gets loud as hell like a sack of marbles after a min or so, then is silent again when the car is at operating temperature. Any clue what this could be? I thought bad bearings, but why would it get quiet again?

 

Install the GS-R transmission, you will like it, 5 gear speed/MPG/torque is not noticeably different then the LS transmission but 1st, 2nd and 3rd are way more fun.

Replace the distributor before it fails on you at some inopportune time, I think you are correct bearings/bushings are on their way west. 94

 

Can't do a gsr trans. Much highway traffic near me moves at 75 mph just to keep up much of the time. Car would suck on the highway. That's why I want to change its power curve a bit.

 

bolt on's wont do anything. you already have the torquiest 1.8L honda engine. next step up would be a b20.

 

I have the GS-R transmission on my 94 RS, I drive the 400km from Kelowna B.C. down to Vancouver B.C. on the coast 2-3 times a month at speed limits of 90/100 and 110kmh, I have absolutly no problems on the highway, the little diff. in gas milage is well worth the other advantages of the GS-R transmission. 94

 

I had a GS-R for a decade and had no trouble with it on the highway. And the slighly higher revs are more than made up for by the extra passing power and hill climbing power.

Or you could just buy my GS-R transmission and put an LS 5th gear in it!

As far as making more torque, there's not much you can do as there is only a certain amount of energy that can be gotten from 1.8L of a/f mixture. You can 1) increase compression, 2) use forced induction, 3) increase displacement. Since these are all pretty costly, the recommendation to "cheat" by shortening the gearing is a good one.

Edit: although B20 swaps are easy and cheap so that's something you might want to consider

 

110 km/h is less than 70 mph...
Gs-r is not happy at 75-80 with that trans. ( or at least I wouldn't be happy at approx 4 grand on the highway.)
I'm not willing to worsen my highway driving to improve my around town driving. I want both, and It's obviously possible, just by what method.
Maybe the B20 is the way to go.
But I only want a bit more grunt and I don't see why I can't tune the car to do that. I know certain mods will increase efficiency as well as power...to a point, which is why I wanted to look at headers and intakes. I know a very large exhaust won't help torque.
maybe something like a stock type r setup?

As far as Cheating goes, It would be cheaper to drop the oil pan and swap pistons (assuming the bore is not out of round and the crosshatch is still there) than build a hybrid trans and swap it.

 

The GS-R transmission in fifth gear, at highway speed, revs about as high at a given speed as an LS transmission does at about 10 mph more. But keep in mind the throttle opening is smaller, so even though the revs are fractionally higher (400 rpm or so), the engine is also fractionally quieter than an LS engine would be at the same revs.

I'm telling you, the GS-R transmission is fine on the highway. I've spent hundreds of hours on the highway and driven literally from coast-to-coast. Don't knock it unless you've tried it.

For making more power you've got to either increase displacement or combustion efficiency. In practice there is a little that can be gained with tuning, since honda engines are a little rich with the ultra-safe stock tune. You can also gain a little by decreasing backpressure. High flow cats and wide exhausts result in improvements across the ENTIRE powerband. You can probably gain a few wtq with I/H/E and a tune, but the butt-dyno improvement will probably not be noticeable. Also keep in mind that boltons have NVH penalties, meaning they may well be more intrustive on the highway than a GSR transmission.

If you're dead-set on keeping the LS transmission I think a B20 swap might be your best option.

 

X2

I have driven the car from Kelowna to Winnipeg and back, that's almost 2000 km, 3 times and 100s of km of highway driving without any problems. 94

 

The B20 looks best to me. I'm almost due for a clutch so I am considering it. How would the mpg suffer if I drove sensibly in comparison to my car now? If it would be a considerable loss, I might as well just run what I've got a little harder and just do a clutch.

 

A motor swap for 7ftlbs more torque and 9 less hp compared to the b18b1?

That would be insane.

As other have stated THE SINGLE BEST mod is the gsr trans, when I put one in mine, the difference was night and day. I looooooved it. But, since you seem to have your mind up about it..

Get an intake, generic eBay will do, just buy a good name brand filter and your set.

PLM 4-1 header, very good for the money, can find on eBay

Exhaust of your choice.

and last, get a tune for those mods.

 

torque multiplication. making the most out of what you have.

http://teammfactory.com/articles_torque

 

Good read. I understand the concept, and it makes it clear hybrid gsr would fit me best. I'm not comfortable doing this myself. Are there any outfits that sell them prepped to drop in that way that don't cost an arm and a leg? The swapping part is not a problem. Transmissions scare me. They don't like me.

 

That MFactory article is slightly misleading because it doesn't mention that you also "run out of gear" faster with short gearing. So you'll accelerate 20% harder but you'll also have to shift into a slower gear 20% sooner. The end result is that the car feels much faster but is actually only slightly faster. But if responsiveness is what you're after it's the way to go.

Transmissions are very easy to swap. A GS-R transmission bolts straight on with no modification needed. A competent shop should do it easily enough, although it's probably not exactly cheap.

 

I can swap the transmission. I won't open it up to do a hybrid gsr/ls 5th gear though. I'd need to find a pre converted trans, then I'd go to town.

 

Btw 4-1 header is for higher rpm compared to 4-2-1 which gives more power to bottom, less top. So if you want more on bottom don't buy a 4-1!

 

You'll be fine on the highway. LS bolt ons isnt really worth it. You arent going to gain much and what is a little boost in your hp/tq gonna do for you? You dont seem to drive it that much to make use of it considering your complaint about highway driving. I do 80 avg on the highway and i enjoy the pick up at any speed. Changing the 4th or 5th is good suggestion.

Wants more power feel but wont do the single best mod you can do to the ls for the price.. gsr trans.

 

That's true. Best midrange mods would be 4-2-1 header, CAI, high-flow cat, and 60 mm or larger catback of your choice.

 

First thing first. I'm gonna get a distributor. The rest of this just looks like a lot of money I'm preparing to waste. Maybe if I just drove the car a little harder, I'd be happier. Sure it would cost a bit more for fuel, but comparing it to building a transmission or swapping a motor.. For my next car (I'm hunting now for another Teg.) I'll just make sure it's a GS-R I buy, and rock it till the wheels fall off.

 

Maintenance always comes first.

Thats the second you've mentioned it might be better if you drove it harder, exactly how do you drive out of curiosity? What rpms you shift at etc

 

ok i have a 91 teg with B18C1 and GS-R trans buddy has 93 Teg LS with LS trans.

my GS-R trans turned 3200 RPM for 70 MPH his LS trans turned 2800 for 70 MPH

bigg diff is on hills i can just push down on the gas in 5th he has to down shift to get the same amout of power

also we drove 550 Miles one trip and stopping to get gas at the same time and same places.

we started with top off tanks and drove off if we stopped for gas we both filled up

i was running premium as was he and when we got back we topped off again added up the whole trip and the ls trans used $12.00 more in gas then the GS-R i had added 558 miles to my car but his showed 549 miles.

so after seeing me get 9 miles more for $12.00 less he now has a GS-R trans and is getting 35 miles more per tank from in town driving.

 

I don't beat on it much. I haven't had it long and I've been slowly doing the few things it needed. Rotors/pads all around, trans oil change, fresh coolant and hoses, etc. I'm no stranger to cars but I'm just funny when it hasn't been fully gone through soup to nuts. Even then, the only time I flog it for all it's worth is getting on the highway. So I'm either slow stop light to stop light crawling around in second gear that is too long, or on the highway at 80.

What are the optimal shift points? Maybe I'm shifting at 25-2800 1-4th in town. Just loafing along. Gas mileage seems to be good that way. I was getting a touch of pinging so I'm running 89 now and its happy.

 

Around town I'd expect better mileage from the gsr because of the transmission. I would think the ls would be better on the highway at lower rpm. Surprising to hear. I guess the gsr really leans out on the highway when the motor is revving like that.