Cams for b16a

[jimsta]

Hi guys,

Realli looking for some advise on cams that i can use with stock motor (for now). I currently have SRI and 2 inch system. I also have a PFC and type r valve springs, valves, and retainers but are not installed.

Im wanting to use the type r valve springs so i realli want to get same nice cams that are a bit more aggressive. Im looking for aftermarket cams (skunk2, toda, or any other nice cams) and what stage can i go for the cams?

I planning to track it every now and then but it is used as a daily.

Any advise would be great.

Cheers

[ekcoupe]

go for stage 1, stage 2 will be much more expensive as you will have to tune it.

but its probs a good thing to get a tune after you intall

good luck:thumbsup:

[VTec1987]

bc3 would be nice

[intacivic16v]

I've got a full b16b type r head on my b16a and i was thinking of up grading to bigger cams on it. But i wasn't to sure how aggressive i could go with mine either. My set up is b16a block b16b head and type r higher compression pistons running on a microtec computer, it made 156hp atw's to give you an idea. power is awsome from about 6000rpm all the way to rev limiter at 8250rpm

[intacivic16v]

i'm also not sue how b16b cams would compare to stage 1 or stage 2 cams, which i would love to know if anyone can fill me in

[Limbo]

Stage 1 is slightly more aggresive than the stock CTR/ITR(99+) cams

I believe that on stage 3 and up it is recommended that you upgrade your drive train beyond the ITR ones.

[2ds]

Slightly old but always good value (should give you an idea of what you can put in with your current valve train)

http://hondaswap.com/reference-materials/b-series-cam-guide-12660/

[jimsta]

Thanks for the info 2ds :thumbsup:

cams is always a hard thing to decide. I noticed on the info page that skunk2 stage 1 cams it recommends cam gears. Is it needed?

has anyone else got skunk2 stage 1 cams in there b16a with ITR valve springs? and is it running fine? also another cam that im interested in is the Toda spec A cam.

Cheers

[intacivic16v]

Great info 2ds, thank you

[Limbo]

With cam gears, they allow for abit more movement in the power band.
Even on stock cams there is a slight gain to be had with cam gears.

[jimsta]

bc3 would be nice


would Buddy Club stage 3 cams work with type r valve springs? or do i need to change them??

[2ds]

With cam gears, they allow for abit more movement in the power band.
Even on stock cams there is a slight gain to be had with cam gears.

To extrapolate what limbo said I think the rational for this is that you've already purchased a set of cams and are probably building an n/a engine so you may as well get the cam gears and get that extra hp gain as you'll be living with it for ever. Either that or you'll get new cams later on and can re-use them.

I've been contemplating cam upgrades myself for a long time.

Stage 1 cams seem nice and easy because you can usually just put them in and keep your valve train or use a type-r one but if you're doing that you may as well put in the cam gears and get an ecu and tune it and then you've spent a fair bit for not much power and if you want more power your only option is to toss the cams and buy a new valve train.

Stage 2 cams seem to usually require the whole deal, new valvetrain, cam gears, new ecu and re-tune but they also have much more decent gains. While you have the head off may as well have it ported and polished, etc.

Stage 3 cams will require all of the above + higher compression pistons and while you're at it may as well balance the crank and get stronger rods, etc and now you've spent 10 large and have half as much power as if you boosted it.

This is just the impression I've gotten over the years, I'm sure some of the builders can correct me, but I was thinking about stage 2 cams because I could always do the bottom end later on and get gains out of it if i wanted.

Either way you don't want stage 3 cams ;) (I'm not sure if buddy club spec 3 are stage 1 or not)

[VTec1987]

I used mine with stock type r spring, just don't rev past your rev limiter and you should be fine

[jimsta]

I used mine with stock type r spring, just don't rev past your rev limiter and you should be fine


Did u do any internal work? or just cams? what mods does it have and what powa gains did u get if u dont mind me asking?

cheers

[SlobberGoat]

I vote OEM CTR cams.

[DD2]

Was in a similar position to you recently.

I'd suggest deciding on your goal and working backwards on how to achieve it.

Personally decided against upgrading my cams and instead spent my money on a 4.9fd and LSD. Makes a very positive difference and utilizes what little torque the motor has. Much better bang for buck and the car is much more fun to drive.

If you want more power I'd ditch the b16a and replace it with b18c or build a b20

IMO it's money down the drain if speed/power is what you want from a N/A 1.6lt

Either boost it or leave its internals stock.

That's my 2c :)





Hi guys,

Realli looking for some advise on cams that i can use with stock motor (for now). I currently have SRI and 2 inch system. I also have a PFC and type r valve springs, valves, and retainers but are not installed.

Im wanting to use the type r valve springs so i realli want to get same nice cams that are a bit more aggressive. Im looking for aftermarket cams (skunk2, toda, or any other nice cams) and what stage can i go for the cams?

I planning to track it every now and then but it is used as a daily.

Any advise would be great.

Cheers

[dougie_504]

Hi guys,

Realli looking for some advise on cams that i can use with stock motor (for now). I currently have SRI and 2 inch system. I also have a PFC and type r valve springs, valves, and retainers but are not installed.

Im wanting to use the type r valve springs so i realli want to get same nice cams that are a bit more aggressive. Im looking for aftermarket cams (skunk2, toda, or any other nice cams) and what stage can i go for the cams?

I planning to track it every now and then but it is used as a daily.

Any advise would be great.

Cheers

I recommend:
- Install all that Type R internal gear
- Port job
- Skunk2 Pro Stage 2 cams
- CAI
- 2.25" exhaust
- ECU and tune

SRI IMO isn't really that useful other than for sound so I'd prefer to have a CAI so that I get that extra bit of power. For the money you pay to convert from SRI to CAI I reckon it's a great deal for the gains you see.

Type R internals should go in, simply because you have them and they're good stuff. I think you may as well do a port job too in order to complement the head work.

Skunk2 parts are generally a great deal for their quality and cost. Stage 2 should be fine if you swap over those internals and if you want to go on the track it would pay off very well to go ECU and tune.

And if you build the head up a bit 2" is probably a bit small. I use a 2" on my B16A but if you're doing a good head build then 2.25" would help you see the best of the potential results.

[intacivic16v]

I recommend:
- Install all that Type R internal gear
- Port job
- Skunk2 Pro Stage 2 cams
- CAI
- 2.25" exhaust
- ECU and tune

SRI IMO isn't really that useful other than for sound so I'd prefer to have a CAI so that I get that extra bit of power. For the money you pay to convert from SRI to CAI I reckon it's a great deal for the gains you see.

Type R internals should go in, simply because you have them and they're good stuff. I think you may as well do a port job too in order to complement the head work.

Skunk2 parts are generally a great deal for their quality and cost. Stage 2 should be fine if you swap over those internals and if you want to go on the track it would pay off very well to go ECU and tune.

And if you build the head up a bit 2" is probably a bit small. I use a 2" on my B16A but if you're doing a good head build then 2.25" would help you see the best of the potential results.

Yeah thats what i had pretty much decided for my car, i've already got the type r head and upgraded ecu on so i was thinking of putting stage 2 skunk2 cams (anyone got a ruff idea how much power gain woud be in the stage 2 Skunk2 cams?), the aftermarket plenium i just purchased, the adjustable cams gears i am curruntly using as paper weights, new exhaust, port and ploish job and a good air box set up.

the main reason i am staying 1600cc is for racing class (1300cc- 1600cc not 1600cc-200cc, only really comes into it at a state level), but that really depends how serious you are going to take your racing. in my opinion there is no 1600cc engine that will get close to a honda 1600cc. unless ofcourse they have spent a s#@t load of cash

As DD2 said a lower final drive and good LSD are a great improvement, put not the best if the car is a daily driver, will get very annoying on the highway and around tight corners

[dougie_504]

Do it, take photos and keep us updated :D

[intacivic16v]

yeah i've been meaning to do a build thread after the crx got written off a year and a bit ago.

[jimsta]

cheers for all ur advise.

i personally want to keep the b16a and do it up slowly to its potential as i realli like to rev the motor out. as for cams, im still not sure what to get.

[intacivic16v]

man i really recomend a type r head or type r cams cus you have the other stuff. when i put it on my car and swapped back to the low ratio crx cable gear box and re tuned the thing it was a totally different car.

vtec was set slightly higher the increase in power when vtec kicked in all the way to limiter was unreal. Have a look at some of my grafton video's on youtube and you will be able to see the difference yourself.

and the way i look at it, you could then do what i'm thinking of doing (skunk2 stage 2 cams) later on when you want more power, and don't forget intake manifolds etc whenyou get the chance.

[OMG.JAI xD]

You like to rev?
Get vtec killer system.
Uprated valve springs. You can run 13:1 compression ratio and 11K rpm pretty safely. Less rotational mass.
Though that might set you back 5K or so just on parts for the head.

Sounds like a rotor on idle. Beast.

[trentd]

Brian Crower Cams, they make very good camshafts for honda's. i run them in mine.
now how i see it is. stage 1 - won't be a noticible difference?
stage 2 - noticable but considering you will have to change the valve springs and retainers you might as well go stage 3 for the extra few bucks.
stage 3 - lumpy as!

so its a hard decision.
i ended up going stage 3 forced inducted brain crower cams and now the car idles horrible. feels like it will stall. its good though i like it :)

[jimsta]

Brian Crower Cams, they make very good camshafts for honda's. i run them in mine.
now how i see it is. stage 1 - won't be a noticible difference?
stage 2 - noticable but considering you will have to change the valve springs and retainers you might as well go stage 3 for the extra few bucks.
stage 3 - lumpy as!

so its a hard decision.
i ended up going stage 3 forced inducted brain crower cams and now the car idles horrible. feels like it will stall. its good though i like it :)

I like revving the car and have started to look into toda Vtec killers. If i do end up going down this track then the car wont be a daily but will be a weekend car to drive around.
im just a bit worried about the compression side of things if i go vtec killers. Currently it is stock but if i go vtec killers, im not sure if the compression will be rite for these cams. Please correct me if im wrong.

Cheers

[trentd]

Just depends how you treat it.
It is addicting the vtec, i was driving a eg with the b16a with cam work and having the better cam made you wanna rev it more.
i guess it depends on how you treat it. if things start to go wrong, fix them on the way.
With a good tune you should be alright.
Your oviously upgrading retainers, springs, tappets? maybe even valves?
thank you

[jimsta]

yeah I look after the car and give it a good service every 5000km. I pretty much baby the thing around the streets but hammer it on the track :)
I just love the natural sound that the engine makes up high. As for the upgrades, they will be all considered in due course.
I just need to find the rite cams first before i can make any other decisions.

[intacivic16v]

has any one got any opinions on Toda spec C cams??

[jimsta]

i would also like to know on peoples thoughts on the Toda Spec C cams...

iv only been reading up over the net and looking on utube to c what kind of monster it is...

[TODA AU]

Spec C's can be very effective in the B16A,
What is critical is the supporting combination & tuning.
When installed & tuned correctly, the idle is very smooth & torque increase is from just above idle.
Get it wrong & they're lumpy & unstable at idle, this is your tell tale.