Boost or swap?

[lloydbanks]

"Howdy all, this is my first ever post. I'm very new to modding, in fact, to cars in general... I own a '99 Cxi (ek1) with a d16y4. I've been toying with the idea of an engine swap, but after reading a couple of threads here I see people turbo d series engines. If I didn't turbo, I'd think about going b18c, or even a k20a (if that's possible, again, my knowledge is very limited)... Which option would give me more bang for my buck. This car is my daily driver, but I want a really quick off the line car. :wave:

[djgarv]

i'm considering something similar myself
i guess u have to ask yourself - as a daily driver, what are the most important things. Both options will be fast obviously...and if done properly, probably cost about the same.
My primary concern is reliability. If it's a daily driven car i don't want it to be in the workshop 4 days a week. As a noob, that was the worries i had with turbo cars but have since changed my mind somewhat. Hondas are strong and reliable and can handle it. Something pornstar pointed out to me the other night to help make my decision even harder...was that even if in the event something screws up and ur d16 blows - they're pretty damn cheap to replace so it isn't all that bad. Still, i can't help but think an engine swap, once done properly and completed, would be less hassles over the long run. Depends what you like i guess - i like that rawness of a revving b18 and have always felt that turbo seems a little artificial or a little like "cheating"...but each to their own. "Bang for your buck" i don't think will make a difference. If (and you should) do them properly, they'd probably cost about the same once it all adds up.
Love it how it's so easy to break down pros and cons for someone else. It's never as easy for myself....sigh

[lloydbanks]

really? you reckon a turbo'd D series would keep up with a b18? I guess I'm suprised cuz the D stock is so gutless... What would I be lookin at cost wise do you reckon? I figured like 8k...

[djgarv]

someone correct me if i'm wrong....but u'd probably be able to do either option properly/well with an 8K budget. i have no idea as to which is faster but i'm guessing it'll depend on how well u drive and obviously the size of the turbo. i guess what i'm trying to say is...unless u have a specific target - e.g. "i want a car that does under 11.5 secs" or whatever - u'll be pretty pleased with the power of eithe option.

i think your decision should come down to costs, what direction u want to go in (turbo/na), which setup is more reliable/trouble free in both installatoin and long term maintenance.

[tRipitaka]

u also have to take into account ur insurance..
if ur still a P plater.. insurance will sky rocket..

[lloydbanks]

well I'm on my open licence, but I thought having a turbo'd car under 25 (I'm 23) is still VERY expensive on insurance... What about a k20a? would that be WAY out of my budget (if my budget was around 8ish,000)? I just like the k20a cuz I've seen a couple of vids of k20 civics absolutely SMOKING other cars...

[djgarv]

ask wlee02 about his insurance - he's 23 (or 24?) and it went up by a grand total of $200 or something ridiculously cheap, after boost

so no, not necessarily

[lloydbanks]

oh cool. Well, that's encouraging. Maybe I had it all wrong :) While I'm on here, I don't mean to change the topic of this thread, but anyone know what the redline would be on my d16y4? It didn't come with a factory tacho, so I don't really know how far I can push it...

[djgarv]

hehehe don't mean to be a smartass but if it doesn't have a tacho, and someone said 7...8...9....or whatever...how would you know how far to take it anyway? but no sorry i have no idea...i'm guess 7 or 8?

[lloydbanks]

cuz I put an aftermarket one in :)

[djgarv]

ahhhhhh hehehehe

[filoaccord]

h22a al the way :D

[nickiipoohz]

depending on how much u're planning to spend altogther on your car.. but if u dont wanna spend too much.. turbo charge it.. i heard u should get like 70-100% gain from the d series engine.. with stock internals...
but lets say u had a bit 'extra' dosh.. go get a b16A transplant (easier to register) then get a turbo.... vtec + turbo *drools*

[lloydbanks]

hey filoaccord, I see you're a fellow Brisbanite... is the h22a vtec? same price range as b18? Are there good places in Bris that'll do swaps?

[lloydbanks]

yea nickiipoohz, but wouldn't it be hard to to find a b16a newer than '99?

[filoaccord]

u got to have a h22a vtek if not its useless lol dont know about the price range but ring up auto asian sapres or honda wreck at the coast they might have one to get my conversion done is 2500 bucks gotta wait till my car is back hopefully next week. let me know if u need someone to install it

hey filoaccord, I see you're a fellow Brisbanite... is the h22a vtec? same price range as b18? Are there good places in Bris that'll do swaps?

[Perry]

ur cxi motor just redlines around 6900rpm and the cost for K20a converrion is around 15K, ur budget is around for a b16a motor, might b just enought for the rear disk conversion as well

[lloydbanks]

Is it possible to get a b16a newer than '99? All the ones I see on the net are like 1st & 2nd gen... Doesn't that make 'em like late 80's early 90's?

[aimre]

how nuch is it to put a h22 in a civic?

[Mugen_B16B]

r there ne places in bris selling b18c type r engines??? u should get one of those in ur car

[lloydbanks]

Well I don't know of any places is brisbane that sell 'em, but I found a few of 'em that I could get shipped over (half cuts)... They were 8k minus shipping... Then I spose you got another 2,500 for the install filoaccord reckons... couldn't you get a turbo conversion for well under that???

[nickiipoohz]

lloydbanks
i dont think you really need to find a 99 model of the B16A unless you're really fussy. Because My car is a 96 and the H22 is a 95 engine lolz.. basically the RCA only checked the engine code on the sheet and the code on the engine. All they did was make sure it wasnt stolen or the capacity isnt anymore. but thats Melbourne for you, they asked me if i had an engineer's certificate and i told them that this engine came with the car lolz

[SpOOn-FED]

"Howdy all, this is my first ever post. I'm very new to modding, in fact, to cars in general... I own a '99 Cxi (ek1) with a d16y4. I've been toying with the idea of an engine swap, but after reading a couple of threads here I see people turbo d series engines. If I didn't turbo, I'd think about going b18c, or even a k20a (if that's possible, again, my knowledge is very limited)... Which option would give me more bang for my buck. This car is my daily driver, but I want a really quick off the line car. :wave:

hey which evr engine u pick has heeps of bang for your buck
but if u ask me id look for a B18C engine power to weight in a civic is massive heeps of potential.....and then if u want even more kick turbo it if you want
N/A it if u please too but whatever you want do it H22A and B18C engines have heeps of potential..........
various drag teams around the world use the H22A engine for drag racing but that doesnt meen go out and drag it just goes to show that this engine is very reliable and has countless potential...
if u want to track race B18C is the engine for you, if you look around enough youl find some imported ones for rounds $3500 but look around properly dont just take a look at 1 or 2 places great buys for engines are hard to come by alos if u do chose ot buy an engine make sure how many k'z its done and its history and if it was stolen or lijit..........
be careful....
oh and turbo'z are a little tempermental in front wheel drive cars at times unless it comes stock, strengthen your engine mounts and prepare to spend a fair bit of money and a fair bit of time away from your car........
because when turbo problems occur it takes a fair bit of time and money to re-tune and fix them..............
jus choose wisely be careful and if you do your research rite you wont be disapointed.....
good luck.....

[_CiVIC_]

consider those AVO bolt-on-turbo kits man!! They come with all the necessary accessories to run stock internals without causing damage, and they usually go for around the 3k mark without installation.. But installation shouldn't be too difficult if you know what your doing, if not you can get a mechanic to do it for around 1k. Stage 1 AVO kits come with a GT28 turbo, this should give you at least a 30% increase in power, I have a d16y5 motor, and I was told the same thing by Shift Performance Parts in Sydney.. Give Shift Performance Parts a call in Sydney and they should direct you in the right way for the right price. :) PM me if you want their number dude.

Cheers.

[kraiye]

i saw a h22a conversion goin pretty cheap somewhere.... i'll try and dig it up for ya.
would be awesome upgrade but seeing as its your daily driver and your in brisbane it may not be a good idea for the summer months... u'll lose your A/C

[Zdster]

Last post was 13/6/2005???

[Mikeyas]

Always a good discussion though. I am toying with both ideas..
And basically comming up with the relaibility issue. But the AVO kits do provide some hope. But h22a also looks good! But i want my aircon@#%@$^@#^@%&@$&

[aznpsuazn]

Lloyd i think you should consider other options also.
Your '99 CXI is valued at around 11-13k depending on condition, and this combined with ur 8ish 000 gives you around 18-20k to spend altogether on another car. You could be looking at a nice Civic Coupe VTI-R or an integra VTI-R. Think about these options also cuz they are within your budget, and the motors are already factory = reliability + no insurance hassles. I must admit that these 2 are styled much better than the cxi civic, but well thats a matter of opinion.

[mugeneration]

swap. or get a new car.

[kraiye]

Last post was 13/6/2005???
oops my bad
i was looking for another thread and stumbled on this one
i usually look at the dates but obviously missed the year
lol
oh... good reading for the n00bs ;)

i've seen my fair share of forums and if any one can dig up a rediculously old thread its OH! :thumbsup:

[bored]

have u considered selling your car and buying another car

[civicCXI]

so the k20a swap cost around $15k aye. I remember that there's a website that has all the price list of the engines (b16,b18,k20 etc) and the spec. But I can't find it anywhere. Any1 lucky enough to find this website?

[blastnpast]

Hey i got the same sorta ideas i own a 99' ek1 and wanna do a conversion. I was stuck on either turbo or b16, h22a? I am still on p's but may do a conversion once i am off them therefor turbo became an idea, man i am still tossing up which one and stuff :S