I know this should go in the civic forum, but from what I have seen this forum has more people with NA knowledge. If this must be moved, I'm sorry...

I have Skunk2 Stage 1 cams, and skunk cam gears on their way here. I will not be able to upgrade the valve train or ECU until summer. According to Skunk2 the stage 1 cams do not require an upgraded valve train, if I keep my stock rev limit.

How true is this? I know that I shold wait until I have all the parts before I install the cams, but I can't afford it all at once, and it'll kill me to have a set of cams sitting in my room all summer when they could be in my car.

I have a vafc, but don't plan to get on the dyno until I get the whole setup completed.

So my question is, will it be ok to run the S2S1 cams, and gears on a stock b16a valve train until I can afford to upgrade the valve train, and ecu?

Thank you, and again I'm sorry if this being in the wrong forum causes a problem.

 

If you keep your stock valvetrain you will be able to use them up to stock rev limit. However I do NOT suggest doing it.

Why put the cams in now, when you're going to have to pull them out again to do the valvesprings. You're only making your job 2x as hard. If you're gonna pay someone to do it, you're paying 2x to do the same job, or if you're going to do it you're wasting your time, unless you have nothing better to do. But if you arent going to tune your car until summer, i would just wait. Do it once do it right. dont half-*** things. my .02 cents i stand to be corrected.

Arno-who still thinks HT should have a NA forum.

 

It's ok to run Sk2 stage 1's w/stock valvetrain, as long as you're not planning to rev it out to 9k

 

Man.. I will warn you...
Don't do anything till you have all the parts to do it right. Unless you have can afford to break your motor and replace everthing if something fails. I have learned the hard way.

 

Upgrade your springs and retainers, atleast ITR or even aftermarket if you have the $. I personally would not run those cams on B16 spring and retainers.

 

I thought the idea behind the stage 1's were that it was essentially a stock replacement and you didn't need to upgrade your valvesprings, etc?

Edit: Ohh... right, this is a b16a. In a b18c5, you can just plop them in and rev to 9k no worries, correct?


[Modified by io_burn, 6:35 PM 3/27/2003]

 

i was in the same position at the begining of this thread and now by the end of this thread ive decided im gonna save a few hundred more bucks and get the valve train and build my head all at once

im going s2s2 with s2 valve train in my b16a and maybe spoon 1st gen or jun cam gears or maybe one of each

 

Stock valvetrain with stock redline is fine. I've been running Skunk2 Stage 1 cams for a good amount of time and have had NO problems whatsoever... and I redline my car all the time.

 

And you my friend will learn the hard way when you drop a valve, meat cleaver your head, put a half inch hole in your piston and crack a sleeve. Is it really worth it? Those that don't believe will also learn the hard way like many of us already have.

 

Preach it bruva!!!

 

those cams i heard rip

 

Ok you guys are right, even though Skunk2 says I can use my stock valve train, it isn't worth the risk.

This site kicks ***, as I was reading your responces another member imed me and said he has ITR valve springs and retainers for sale. I think as long as they are in good shape I'll buy them and do the job right the first time around. I still however, will have to wait on the ecu, and tuning until summer, but this way I won't risk hurting the motor with the stock b16a valve train.

Thanks for all your help!!!

Also will the itr valve train be good for when I increase the rev limit with the CTR ecu? If I upgrade to the itr valve train I'm leaving it, and not getting the skunk valve train. Is this ok?


[Modified by v00tecsi, 1:48 AM 3/28/2003]

 

Nice intelligent post there buddy.

Newbie postwhores

 

His statement was true though. I thought your comment was even more useless.

 

check out the NA forum in clubsi.com. they have a ton of info on these cams.

 

Any cams you put in your car that have even a few degrees more duration than what you had in there will "rip". Anyone with half a brain knows that. Maybe my post was just as useless, but that kind of stuff annoys me. Just look at his other 5 posts.

 

let the Mods deal with this stuff and just chill out. its the internet...go and have a

 

At least he's being helpful instead of trolling.

 

Well I decided to just do it all right the first time.

I have a choice...

ITR valve train from a member here for 135.00 used

or

Skunk2 valve train for 360.00 new

What do you guys think? Mind you these are stage 1 cams!!!

 

a friend of mine has been runnin stage 1s for a while on stock valve train with no problems....but if it were me i would upgrade just to be safe...if you are plannin on stayin with the stage 1s then i think ITR valve train would be fine...but if you have the money go with the skunk

 

See originally i was just going to run thr itr valve train with the CTR ecu, and leave it at that. If I spend the extra on the Skunk valve train, then I would have to get a chipped obd 1 and harness!!! ERRRRRR i dunno what to do, and I am on a budget.

I mean they are only stage 1's so I would thik the ITR valve train and CTR ecu which will take me until a 8600 redline is good enough for stage 1 right?

 

You could get the Stage 1s and the ITR valvetrain, and just get your ECU chipped with an 8500 rev limit. It seems to me that would be much cheaper than getting a CTR ecu. Also, and I'm not sure about this, when you put cams in a B16a you should also put in ITR lost motion assemblies.

 

I didn't think I could have mine chipped out??? Also I thought the CTR would have been better because it already has a more aggressive program...

Not to sound like a dummy, but what does a lost motion assemblie do, and what is it?

Thanks

 

I don't think you can have the si ecus chipped. You can rechip p28s.

Eric

 

You wont need the LMA's from an ITR your stock B16a ones will work fine for that.

Search for LMA's or Lost Motion Assemblie in the search. LOST motion assemblies are what the vtec rockers run on. Simply put, LMA's are the spring units that keep the Vtec rocker arm in contact with the cam lob when Vtec is not engauged