Okay i know that any type of swap will usually put you into the higher modified category, and you are up ugainst big spenders, or all out built cars. I just recently dropped a Y8 into my coupe to replace the anemic Y5.

Now, since this swap will pop me into a category I will totally be outgunned in, I am considering either stepping up to a b16, JRSC'ing the y8, or the edelbrock kit for the y8. I know I won't have outragous(sp) power, I'm just looking for a realistic 150 or so whp. It will still take a while to get any of these upgrades, so in the meantime i plan to put in lots of class and seat time.

What's the best option for a mostly street driven car to realize these goals?

 

You'll probably have to cut through a lot of "anti D" sentiment but...

I say stick with your SOHC and boost that sucker. Besides, you already layed out some $$$ for the d16y8 (right?) in the first place. I currently autox a civic hatch with a d16y8 and a custom turbo kit I put together. If any FWD can be competitive in SM, this combo can in my opinion. Dollar for dollar, you'll get more power out of a D series motor than a B until you're into the 250+ whp range. And I'm talking reliable power that you can autox or drive to work every day.

The Forced Induction forum is a great place to lurk awhile to figure out how you may want to go about boosting your motor. But here's my take on how you might want to. First off, I wouldn't come near a JRSC for 2 main reasons. #1: they're overpriced, and #2: they're slowwww. The Edlebrock kit is pretty awesome, but holy crap what a price tag! I think that GT28 ball bearing turbo is about as good as it gets for what you're wanting to do though. Why shoot for 150 whp though? You may want to look at a basic Greddy kit. They're cheap, reliable, and if you get an intercooler and make some changes to the fuel system, can handle 200 whp no problem. If money is tight and you're pretty handy how about a "junk yard" kit? Check out http://www.homemadeturbo.com, or IM me. I can give you all the info about my turbo project. BTW, I invested less than $1000 in this project and I've been completely happy with my setup for 7 months now, daily driven... hard.

 

First of all, thank you for a very informed reply. Everything you mentioned does sound pretty good, but i think i have to give you some background, it's a 97 hx coupe(no sunroof, but power windows , P/S and mirrors, no ac.

I did just pay for the 99 Y8 and z6 tranny. I have enough parts from my old y5 plus parts from a friend to build another Y8. So i am prepped as far as having an extra to work on to. The only thing is that NOONE except JR and Edelbrock make a legal kit for the 96-98's. And if I daily drive I want to make sure to stay out of John Q Law's hands. That's the only reason i consider those 2 options as opposed to the greddy kit, heck I'd rather get one of those and call it a day. But I do want to get my stuff CARB ref'd. The only other option I can think of is to build the y8 NA, but then $ to power(since I want to be legal) is still pretty pricey...

 

Oops. I didn't notice in your sig you're from Cali. I live in the sticks (literally) where a state inspection costs $11, and consists of honking the horn and checking the blinkers.

You're right. The Greddy kit won't pass smog on a Y8. I don't think Greddy is ever going to get around to a smog legal d16y8 kit either. Well, in your case I think I'd spring for that Edelbrock kit (if it's available... early spring... Hah!).

>>>I have enough parts from my old y5 plus parts from a friend to build another Y8. So i am prepped as far as having an extra to work on to.<<<

In that case, you could build the short block for boost. A set of 9:1 pistons and LS rods (cheap but a lot stronger than d16 rods) will work with that Edelbrock kit to produce more power than you could use on an autox course for sure. BTW, the d series sleeves can handle nearly 300 whp without any trouble. Assuming a good tune...

 

good bet, hmmm just found out i can get the JRSC dirt cheap, about a 4th of the edelbrock kit. Can I just do a similar build to get more out of the SC?

 

I'm not sure what effect building the motor would have on a JRSC. If it's a great price though, might be worth thinking about. I suppose you could probably turn around and sell it again for what you put into it if you don't like it. I'd be cautious though. There are a lot of dissatisfied customers out there.

The 3 big problems with it in my opinion are cooling the intake charge, adjusting boost, and cooling the intake charge. Some sort of "aftercooler" is really needed for any type of use besides the drag strip. To quote someone... "the first time you floor it, it feels great, the 2nd time, so so, and the third time there's nothing at all...". By the time you get to the end of an autox course, charge temps will be super high. Aftercoolers for JRSC's are pretty expensive too... And for increased boost, you can swap to an 8 lb (or 10 maybe?) pulley. What a pain though compared to a turbo.

And, not that this will factor in to your decision since this is the roadrace/autox forum but it's something to think about... line up 2 Civics on the drag strip, one with a JRSC at 8 lbs and the other with a turbo at 8 lbs. The turbo Civic will spank the other one. And don't buy into the "instant torque" thing either. The right turbo will deliver gobs of torque just as quickly, much more efficiently, and have a much higher peak power output at the same boost level.