Hey guys, Ive tried searching a few websites and forums but keep getting conflicting advice. Im trying to find out the differences between the DOHC and SOHC. I know DOHC is 2 cams and SOHC is one, some like the SOHC and some the DOHC but whats the better engine? Each good for different purposes? Obviously to my Noob mind the DOHC sounds better but some people rave about the SOHC. Rather general question I know but just interested. Thanks

 

The only advantage that the SOHC has over the DOHC is price, but even that is going up again.

 

i once pm'ed Bisi saying that he would have gone more faster than he is now if he were to use DOHC.. he pm'ed me back (in his usual polite n down to earth manner) saying that he prefer sohc bcos of less weight(one cam) compare to 2 cams..so thats an adv over dohc. well he explained it in more technical term that i dont remembered every words he wrote but in general thats what i understand of his statement.

well no one can argue him especially with the 9's run in his Insight.

 

SOHC is far far less superior to the DOHC VTEC.

going heads up dohc vs sohc the dohc vtec is far far far more superior than sohc vtec

with dohc vtec's high compression 10:5:1

high rev output some up to 9k redline

high horsepower output

intake cam and exhaust cam ( better for tuning capabilites)

factory performance geared motor

factory performance geared is the key thing about dohc vtec, be it the b18c/5 b16a/1 ect. these motors are geared purly for high power and anything related to it. their transmissions are geared very low for quick rev and their motors are geared for high rev (which is a great key for both motor and transmission)

the sohc have thier differences but its ALOT harder to make alot of power with sohc if you are going NA. and if you are going turbo since it is sohc the single cam doesnt make for great tuning capabilites.

but in general b series have ALOT of things going for them, high power,high compression,high rev, low transmission grearing, double cam,VTEC, great tuning capabilites

 

Fallacies!

Most of them anyway.

The seperate intake/exhaust cams are a benefit. The rest is relative.

FWIW, a stock motor argument is worthless here. Both motors are capable of putting down respectable numbers. However, the B-series is better suited for very high power/efficiency applications.

edit: please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

 

well taking into consideration that the b16 are:

high horsepower.
high rev.
short geared.
high compression.
dual cam vtec.

i dont believe those are fallacies. true they both put down respectable power. but you are very correct you will more than likly never get a straight answer out of a forum as they are all going to have different opinions. alls you can get is the hard FACTS, and compare the 2 engines otherwise it will just be here nor there. dont confuse OPINIONS with FACTS.

i could list a ton of reasons why heads up factory sohc to factory b16 and why the b16 would be a more respectable motor to build. i have built a d16 before and have been on the ''sohc series is better'' now i totally understand that b16 is where it is at. i guess it is just one of those things if you can afford cheap get cheap and if you can afford expendsive you will know why cheap is cheap. i will give you my OPINION on b16

they feel much more like a ''race'' motor, the transmission shifts quickly and the high runs fast and high rev, making for a ''race'' like expierence when driving. modifications to the transmission ie: lighter flywheel,bigger clutch,aftermarket shift linkage. only farther the b16 expierence. and that is only the start on the transmission

 

I throw in the towel.

 

if you want cheap and don't really care about blowing stuff up go with a sohc. they are easier to find and easier to work on. to go fast with a sohc then it'll take some money but easy and cheaper to replace when you blow it up. dohc is the way to go for more power with less work done. a stock dohc vtec in almost any car is fun to drive but a sohc in stock form is very boring. it's all about how much your looking to spend and what for.

 

not comparing a b16a to a d16z. just a single cam motor to a dual cam motor, the only real benifit is for tuning. you can adjust overlap, and exactly when you want to open the intake and exhaust valves, without having to adjust them the same amount. but, if you plan ahead enough you could build the cam timing into the single cam. so all else being equal between two hypothetical motors, that is the only beneift i know of.

 

I concur.

 

It all depends onyour budget, and how far you want to go with it. you can do a single cam up that will run in the 12's all motor if you want to, than again you could buy a stock type R and it will run 12's out of the box. I have witnessed single cam Non Vtec cars destroy B16's, and Gsr's both, all that was done was a cam and a programmed brain, two inexpensive things.

 

There are really only two differences.

1. B16 has a better flowing head

2. B16 has a larger bore/smaller stroke while the D16 has a smaller bore and larger stroke.


Basically, that equates to the B16 being all around superior. The D16, having the larger stroke, makes more torque. The B16, having the shorter stroke, makes less torque but can rev higher.

Overall, the B16 is a better motor. The following is typically seen:

D16:
Redline - 8,500
Max HP - 450

B16:
Redline - 10,000
Max HP - 700

However, the B16 only makes slightly more torque. It should also be noted that the B16 has a better r/s ratio compared to the D.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by b18sihatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">well taking into consideration that the b16 are:

high horsepower. ORLY?
high rev.
short geared.
high compression.
dual cam vtec.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
i could list a ton of reasons why heads up factory sohc to factory b16 and why the b16 would be a more respectable motor to build. i have built a d16 before and have been on the ''sohc series is better'' now i totally understand that b16 is where it is at. i guess it is just one of those things if you can afford cheap get cheap and if you can afford expendsive you will know why cheap is cheap. i will give you my OPINION on b16</TD></TR></TABLE>

I have about $10,000 tied up into my D16. Not cheap by any means.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
they feel much more like a ''race'' motor, the transmission shifts quickly and the high runs fast and high rev, making for a ''race'' like expierence when driving. modifications to the transmission ie: lighter flywheel,bigger clutch,aftermarket shift linkage ORLY?. only farther the b16 expierence. and that is only the start on the transmission </TD></TR></TABLE>

That is only the start? Apparently you fail to realize that the D16 vtec's and B16 vtec's use the same gearing. They essentially use the same transmission. Good job on separating out the "facts."

 

well let me separate the the major difference from d series transmission to b series transmission LSD. D series are not factory lsd equipped making that one HUGE difference in transmissions. again making the b16 far superior than the d series.

The b16 s1 transmissions also have the same gearing as the type r transmission... just because the transmissions are greared the same in b series and d series doesnt mean that they respond the same way to the motor. and just the simple fact that b series can be factory lsd sets the b series far apart from d series as the motor makes more power better traction becomes a must to get that power to the ground... true you COULD get a lsd to put into a d16 BUT.

that just goes to show you the frame of mind that honda was having when building the motors, you dont make a high reving,high compression,short geared,lsd equipped transmission for everyday driving it is clear that this motor was built to be set apart from others.

and due to the simple fact that the b16a were equipped in JDM crx sir and JDM Civic sir's in 88-91 then come out in later years in the US in the 99 si's with very little changes to the motor other than the OBD just goes to show you that honda must have thought it was a worthy motor to keep basicly the same platform of the b16 from 88-91 then show up again in 99.... not to mention the b16 dohc vtec wasnt the first motor to show up in the states as the first introduction to DOHC VTEC was in the early b17 gsr equipped with dohc vtec.

people ALWAYS try to downplay the b16 or b series motors in general when rocking a D series...

there are very few motoring flaws with b series as over theyears honda has changed a few thigs and correct things they thought could be changed.

for example the 88-91 jdm b16a1 is 160hp and 111tq then the 92-95 jdm sir b16 is 170hp and 113tq honda made a compression change from the 88-91 to the 92-95 jdm sir's

then as you see honda used the same compression as the 88-91 to use in the b16a2 pulling out again smaller tq numbers but same 160hp

 

lol...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EnzoSpeed &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">There are really only two differences.

1. B16 has a better flowing head

2. B16 has a larger bore/smaller stroke while the D16 has a smaller bore and larger stroke.


Basically, that equates to the B16 being all around superior. The D16, having the larger stroke, makes more torque. The B16, having the shorter stroke, makes less torque but can rev higher.

Overall, the B16 is a better motor. The following is typically seen:

D16:
Redline - 8,500
Max HP - 450

B16:
Redline - 10,000
Max HP - 700

However, the B16 only makes slightly more torque. It should also be noted that the B16 has a better r/s ratio compared to the D.
</TD></TR></TABLE>
What's the original poster really asking? Enzo's reasons are about specific engines. None of these things (flow, bore/stroke, rod/stroke, etc.) are really FUNDAMENTAL to the number of camshafts. You could theoretically design a new engine with 1 cam, having all those good things.

DOHC takes more room for 2 cams - SOHC's advantage for size & weight & cost.

DOHC can easily adjust cam timing separately for intake vs. exhaust.
DOHC can place each camshaft closer to the valves, for lower reciprocating mass.
DOHC often allows better placement of the spark plug (at least makes it easier).

 

the OP wants to know the differences in motors, b series verse d series since a noob prolly just asking the basic differences, altoh there are MANY underlining differences in the motors that we havent touched. how they are built, differences in bottom ends and top ends. cfm flow numbers between the 2. rod to stroke ratios. compression ratios ect. if we were to go down the list and list the differences in motors, b series would still come out on top as its a FACTORY GEARED PERFORMANCE MOTOR not to discredit the b18, but the b16 seem to be better balanced from factory than b18... but b18 can do wonders with boost..

basicly if boosted they both can put down numbers.

if NA then you would be forking out a ton of money to get it to make any power. b series would win in NA i guess my opinion shouldnt count bc i am so for the b series. i mean what proof do you d series peeps have that the d series are better than b series? envy?

 

WHAT ABOUT THE DOHC ZC

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by compprat &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">WHAT ABOUT THE DOHC ZC</TD></TR></TABLE>
not a very advanced engine.

Bvtec heads outflow Dvtec heads.
Bseries is capable of more displacement.

if you want to make power
increase efficiency, increase displacement, increase RPM.

 

yes the zc seems not too advanced as there isnt many aftermarket parts for them making them harder to mod, i would rather have a sohc than a dohc zc. mods are there for sohc than the dohc zc

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by b18sihatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
i mean what proof do you d series peeps have that the d series are better than b series? </TD></TR></TABLE>


Bisi comes to mind...


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">envy?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes, must be. I could have bought a $2,000 b-series swap, but instead I spent $10,000 on my D-series and now I'm "envious" of the "b-boys.'

Actually, I don't think anyone in this thread claimed that the d-series was better. We all know the b-series is better. I think the real issue is how did you become such a goober?

 

well its obvious that with 2 different motors, you will get people who like d series and you will get people who like b series. you take the good with the bad. both can make power... and now days K series is becoming popular like the b series were a few years back, the ''car scene'' phases out motors as the years pass.

 

this discussion is to biased . .. and a burned out topic

Fact: b series motors are better than d series .. bottom line

Opinion/Statement: ill keep my Y7 before i ever waste money on a B16 ..

 

i got a question i got a stock d16 y8 98 civic ex running on a t3 t4 turbo with a large intercooler now i got everything stuck assept i added an msd ignition kit ignition box and the coil thats the kit and also added the FMU to the kit now everything else is fully stuck from the engine nd im running it at 8psi the turbo is a .50 trim how much power you think it has built with those mods and how long you think this engine well last with running like this

 

go get it tuned by a competent shop