Been trying to decide which route to go. I have come down to two swaps, let me know what you guys thing. I do not have the money to spend on a CRV/Vtec. As of right now, I am poundering over either the B18A or the B20B.

I do understand that the B18A will be relatively easier then the B20B overall speaking.

Can anyone let me know some pros and cons between the two motors?

Mainly - what type of performance I am able to expect.

Out of the two, which I would have more future upgrades capabilities.

Thanks all for the help!

Ian

 

Isnt lost projects a nissan site? I would go sr20 instead.

 

read up on the motors and then ask the question again .. the b20b has less hp than a ls and only 12 more pnds of tq. However the compression is way lower on the b20b therfore a great f/i motor. decide what you want to do with the motor and then ask what kind of motor you want.

 

I did read up on it. I am not that worried about performance right off the back. As of right now, I am just looking for the right motor for future build-up once I have the money. I have read quiet a bit in regards to the LS. When I do lookup information about the B20, there's limited info that I am able to find. There are a lot of information about CRV/VTEC, but not to much about B20. No matter which motor I decide to go with, I will eventually go turbo. There are a lot of examples out there with LS turbo, but I have not found much literature on B20 Turbo.

Lost Projects is a Nissan oriented site. I know quiet a bit about 240s, but when it comes to Hondas, I am a rookie.

Some extra info - my purple 240 on my site, ran a best of 12.42 @ 116. That's without LSD, with 205 series tires, no suspension (cut springs and blown shocks). My wastegate actuator was also messed up (12lbs only).

I suspected with LSD, fatter tires, a decent suspension, and 18lbs of boost, the car should be mid 11 material.

Thanks all for the replies.

Ian


[Modified by Lost Projects Performance, 11:36 PM 1/19/2003]

 

B18A
Horsepower: 130 hp
Max Horsepower: 6000 rpm
Torque: 121 ft-lbs.
Max Torque: 5000 rpm

B20B
Horsepower: 126 hp
Max Horsepower: 5400 rpm
Torque: 133 ft-lbs.
Max Torque: 4300 rpm Maximum

the B20 may have less peak HP power, but will have a broader, and more of a usable power band. peak power ratings were used long ago for marketing ploys to sell cars. the manifold on the B20 was designed to give the low grunt that the CRV needs. swap it out with a OEM B18B, and the B20 will stomp the B18 into the ground

 

First of all it depends on what year b18a you get as to how much power they have...the 90-91 has 130hp and 121ft/lbs...the 92-93 has 140hp and 126ft/lbs. As far as the b20 being a better engine for turbo...that is untrue. Go to the forced induction forum and read up on the b20's...they have horrible sleeves and their rod/stroke ratio is very shitty. Most people who have turbod them have blown them up because of this. Dont get me wrong....you can turbo the b20 but expect to keep it below 8lbs unless you build the crap out of the engine. There are people who have daily driven LS's running 10-12 lbs w/o any problems. I studied this same subject for a month and i decided to buy a b18 because of the ease of the swap and it seemse to ba able to handle a little more abuse than the b20. Good luck on whatever you do man.

Sean

 

i think that the B18a has a higher redline... the CRV isnt made for high reving... other than that it is a pretty close comparison... the B18A is definatly "easier" though...

 

FINALLY, some great opinions. I am kinda stuck in the middle of the two now. I know one thing, I am not going to build the motor. I don't tend to stick with one car/one project for a long period of time. I am also not looking for extremely high horse power. The CRX will be a daily driven car, with that in mind, all I really want out of the the CRX is reliability and some fun. I'd be happy to be one of the 'faster' Hondas out there. If there's a car I can't out run, I'd just go home and get my 240.

But seriously, I just want a reliable car that's also fun to drive at the same time.

Wish there was someone out there that has somewhat a similar project that has some proven results.

Ian

 

Stock bottom end B20 200+ NA HP.
www.importreview.com/dyno/2.0/CRVtec1.jpg

As to the R/S of b18's and b20's, thet are identical.

 

any one have anything to say about the b20z?

 

The JDM B20B is different thent the USDM one. It puts out the same power that the USDM B20Z does. It has 9.6 compression raito and 140hp. I know a guy on superhonda.com that has run 14.3 w/ the lower hp USDM B20B.

 

The b20's have thinner cylinder walls from what I've heard. And which you would have to re sleave them for for boost (around a grand). Money wise I would go with the B18A1.

 

Just re-read the post.... sCeRaXn beat me to it..... Anyways, the B20 has potential if you have the money to build it right.... But the B18A1 is still the cheaper way to go.

 

The B20s have a 7mm sleeve one peice while the other Honda blocks have 9mm sleeves and are seperated design, different from the B20. Throw some 92-93 LS cams into your B20 and you have some more power. The only difference between the two B18s is the intake cam the the 92-93 is a little hotter then the older B18. Thats where the 10hp come from. So Ive herd.

Blaze

 

First of all, you CANNOT choose an engine based on stock Honda figures. Because if you do, the B20 does not look like a good choice. But keep in mind that the power and torque ratings of the CR-V are artificially low due to the poor intake manifold, poor exhaust manifold, and restrictive OBDII ECU. If you use a better ECU (like the 1994-1995 P75), 1994-1995 LS or Skunk2 intake manifold, and a good header, power output from the B20 is MUCH better. How much better? Well, with all this stuff, I am getting 141WHP, 129ft-lb torque (measuered at the wheels) from a similar B20 setup in my HB. In comparison, an LS with the same mods typically only makes about 130HP, 120ft-lb torque.

As for B18A/B18B vs B20, there is no comparison. The B20 is WAYYYY better. My HB started off with a B18B. And I was quite disappointed with the performance of that engine. I was expecting that 'great' LS torque that everybody talks about. But I didn't get it. But things are MUCH better with the B20. So don't make the mistake I did. Save yourself some cash and get a B20 right away.

As for the B18B being more 'revvable', this is not true either. They both have the same 6800RPM rev limit. They also share the same rods and crank. Therefore, they both have the same rod ratio (1.54:1).


[Modified by StorminMatt, 3:47 AM 1/22/2003]

 

it all depends on what you are going to do... if you want to go with a stock block turbo go with the ls... very nice. will run low 13-high12s depending on some other things. if your going to build the block go with a b20. the b16 is a better na motor. and the b16 tranny is not turbo friendly. it will work but a ls tranny is a better option for turbo applications. just my 2cents

 

go b20 nonvtec for NA.
itr im
built b18 cam and valvetrain
P&P
gsr/itr/ctr rods or what ever is longer than the b20's. i dont recall off hand (watch your c/r, b20b are shorter pistons. if cr isnt high enough use the b20z pistons)
lightened flywheel
s1 trans
lightened pully
62mm tbody
exhaust size- 2.157" ID (i wont tell you my formula)
ARP rod bolts

b20 boost:
forged rods + pistons if more than 500hp (ballpark)
re sleaved block
P&P head
high lift low duration cams
titanium valve train
itr im
62mm tbody
3" exhaust
turbo of your choicearpm rod bolts
lightened flywheel
lightened pully

 

i'v run a b18 b20 and a crvtec, and the b20 would blow the b18 away any day. i'm running a b16 with a built head and individual throttle bodies and it can hardly hang with my crvtec with a stock b16 manifold. b20 all the way, i can't wait to put mine back in.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by redsin &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the b16 is a better na motor. and the b16 tranny is not turbo friendly. it will work but a ls tranny is a better option for turbo applications. just my 2cents</TD></TR></TABLE>

ok so yeah boost doesn;t love short gears that will allow it to spool quicker and give u faster 1/4 times and higher ets. don't use the ls tranny. get a gsr, b16a2 hyrdo, or a type R tranny, those 3 are much better for boost or n/a. and with the torq u would get from the b20 the shorter gears would give u a great jump out of the whole. if u don;t like really short gears use the gsr tranny. the b16 hydro has really short gears but is great for dragracing. also imo go with the b20. the high torq downlow will get your car out of the whole fast and buy adding cams, intake manifold, intake header and exhaust u can bring back the hp in the higher rpms.

 

:werd: to storminmatt

http://hybrid2.honda-perf.org/tech/b20/

I have a b20 and it is better in all aspects than the b18a that was in there first.

Ben

 

Just to let you know that from what I have seen the B20B and the B18A are very comperable motors. They both run very compareable 1/4 mile times. The B20B does seem to pull alot harder however the B18A still pulls good its self. However for the cost of the B20B you could just do a B18C swap and Kill either motor. I just want you to know that when I had just a B18A with basic I/H/E in my 88'dx hatch I ran a 14.8 in the 1/4 mile on street tires and beat out a 90' CRX dx with a B20B in it and his best that night was a 15.1, he was running street tires as well. I now have a B16A head on my B18A bottom and feel that my car is now capable of Low 14's or maybe even high 13's on street tires. Just giving my 2 cents so please people dont crack or voice your opinions on me or my words.