Vut's Turbo EM1 Civic Coupe
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;" id="AutoNumber1" border="0" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="justify">
Quick specs
Owner: Vutha
Car: 2000 EM1 Civic VTi-R Coupe
Engine: Turbo charged B16A DOHC VTEC
Coming from the southern state of South Australia this edition of the Ozhonda feature car looks at Vut’s Turbo charged Civic Coupe. A well dressed car with all the factory bits n pieces, Vut has elected for an AVO turbo kit with some essentials upgraded along the way. However this car isn’t about pure looks and power. Vut also has many ‘toys’ that tickle his aural appetite. A very expensive yet extremely satisfying hobby that he has picked up, we took some time to find out what the motivation behind his project was.
Why did you agree to be the current Ozhonda feature car?
I agreed to have my car as the current Ozhonda feature car as I thought it would be good opportunity for fellow Ozhonda members to check it out further if they wished and it would allow them to get to know me a bit better.
What made you want to modify your car?
I selected a Honda as my parents didn't want me to buy a turbo car, so VTEC was the next best thing. However they never realised that I would eventually boost it in the end… ha! It's not everyday that you would hear the pssst of a blow off valve coming from under the bonnet of a Civic Coupe. My original plans were to whack an ITR engine but then thought it wouldn't have enough torque so I went the turbo path for the extra torque. The goal was to get at least 200kw atws but due to some other parts still on order from DynoDave and a few more parts to be put in I will have to wait a bit longer before I hit the 200fwkW mark!
What made you buy a Civic coupe given all the other Honda models out
there?
The main reason I selected the VTi-R coupe was because it was rare and I like to be different. There were only 4 left available at the time I purchased it!!! Also I was shown pictures of the next generation civic and the look didn't appeal to me.
Have you had any other cars and how do they compare to the Civic?
Prior to the civic I owned a '89 Limited Edition Mazda 626 turbo with four wheel steering. The 626 had a lot more torque being a 2 Litre turbo however, it was quite heavy. Hence not as quick as the stock civic and the handling was not up to par.
Despite a huge power increase thanks to the turbo charger you've also installed Type R cams and adjustable Cam gears which are known to perform well in NA applications. What's your reasoning behind this and why not go for cams more specific for turbo applications?
From the extensive research I conducted I discovered that the Type R cams are suitable for both N/A and turbo applications as a mild upgrade. At the time I was unsure which path to take, either full out N/A with a B18C5/7 conversion or boost the B16A2. I settled with the Type R cams as I could upgrade to more aggressive cams if I stayed N/A or leave them for boost. I guess they gave the best of both worlds whilst retaining a stock idle.
You're currently running on stock internals and a stock drive-train which seem to be holding up fine. Do you think the stock internals can cope with the power you are making? Are there plans to rebuild/upgrade later on?
Yes, the stock engine and drive-train are holding up well, they can take up to 12psi with optimal tuning. Currently I am only running 6.5psi for daily driving and when I'm in the mood I run 9psi. For those racy days (VTEC yo!) I switch to 10psi on overtake mode. The great tuning and low boost means there is not much stress on the internals.
My future goals have been decreased to getting 200kw atw, which I should be able to achieve shortly with the other parts I am waiting on plus more tuning. I originally had plans to do a complete engine rebuild and go with a larger Garrett GT3040 turbo and all that follows, however I have recently just purchased a RWD car which I have decided will be my next project…for drifting.
What is it that you were aiming for when building up your Car? Do you plan to run it down the quarter mile or take it out on the track?
Keeping in mind I drive my car daily, I built it up for street usage. The Garrett GT28R being a ball bearing turbo starts to spool at around 2K RPM which gives the B16A the good torque it is lacking down low. Overall the power band is smooth and gives instinctive power when required.
After my much awaited parts have come in, been installed and tuned, I will be taking the (turbo) EM1 down the quarter at AIR (Adelaide International Raceway) and attempt to take it to Mallala for some track time to see how well she goes.
Finally, if you could start this project over again what would you do differently and what would be your advice to people out their wanting to turbo their Honda?
I am pretty happy with the way the car has turned out in the end, however if I started the project over, the few things I would change is that I had the turbo kit collecting dust in my room for about 2 years before I whacked it in. I also wouldn't have gone so extreme on my sound system, believe this or not, so far I have gone through 3 decks, 2 DVD players, 2 JL subs and onto my third custom boot install. I also would have gone for a slightly bigger turbo like the Garrett GT2871, but in saying all of this, I don't have any regrets at all.
My advice for other people wanting to boost their Hondas is to do a lot of research, then to ask plenty of questions when purchasing. It helps to go for the good quality name brand products and have a fantastic tuner. I would recommend PROECU to anyone wanting to upgrade the management system for their Hondas as they are one of the best out there.
If anyone has further question or require advice, feel free to PM me and I'll be happy to try and help out.
You said you wanted to give a few special people some thanks?
Yes for sure! Thanks to my girl Thanh for being so patient with the whole thing and help with finance, my family, the SAHAU guys, Evan and John at PROECU, Steve from Steve-O Imagery and GT Autosound.
More Specs:
In car entertainment (ICE)
Alpine CVA-1005E monitor head unit, Alpine Ai-Net 6 disc stacker, JL Slash series amp 500/1 and 300/4, 12 inch 12W7 JL subwoofer, 5.25 inch MQ Quarts Competition Q series splits, 6x9 MQ Quarts Reference series rears, 2x 1 farad stinger capacitors, stinger cables and hardware, Dynomat sound deaden all-round
Intake modifications
Garreett GT28R, Avo manifold with heat shield, Avo dump pipe, Avo bar and plate intercooler, HKS sequential blow off valve, Apexi air filter
Exhaust modifications
Avo catalic converter, 2.5" custom intercooler and turbo piping, 2.5 inch custom exhaust with Jun BL resonator and HKS carbon fibre Ti muffler
Engine modifications
Civic Type R camshafts, Civic Type R double valve springs, Toda Racing cam gears, RC 550cc injectors, AEM fuel rails, AEM fuel regulator, Apexi pod fitler, Hondata head gasket, Walbro 255L fuel pump, Pivot voltage stabilizer and grounding kit, Extreme heavy duty clutch, clutch cover and 5.5kg lighten flywheel, ASE custom catch can, NGK spark plugs leads, NGK spark plugs
Suspension modifications
Koni coilovers, Mugen slotted disc rotors front with Endless brake pads, stock disc brakes
Rolling stock
17x7 Titanium Buddy Club P1 rims with Yokohama AVS ES100 215/40/17
Cosmetic modifications
Honda OEM front, side and rear lips, Honda OEM rear spoiler, Honda OEM fog lamp kit, 2 pairs of Phillips Diamond Vision bulbs, Clear side indicators, carbon fiber spark plug cover, custom painted rocker cover
Interior
Civic Type R steering wheel, GReddy gear knob, Civic Type R shifter boot, Integra Type R shift link, Integra Type R shifter, Greddy/Trust EM-1 electronic boost controller with Greddy Remote Switching System, Defi control unit with Defi Oil pressure and Defi Water pressure gauges, R-Spec VTEC controller, Boomerang car alarm
I would like to thank Vut for taking the time out to be the current feature car and Steve for his lovely shots of such a beautiful car. We hope you enjoyed reading about Vut's car so stay tuned for the next Ozhonda feature car!
</td><td align="center" valign="top">
http://www.ozhonda.com/gallery/data/...t_fa-thumb.jpg
http://www.ozhonda.com/gallery/data/...ut_g-thumb.jpg
http://www.ozhonda.com/gallery/data/...ut15-thumb.jpg
http://www.ozhonda.com/gallery/data/...ut_c-thumb.jpg
http://www.ozhonda.com/gallery/data/...o8dm-thumb.jpg
http://www.ozhonda.com/gallery/data/...ut_j-thumb.jpg
http://www.ozhonda.com/gallery/data/...ut16-thumb.jpg
http://www.ozhonda.com/gallery/data/...ut17-thumb.jpg
http://www.ozhonda.com/gallery/data/...ut_k-thumb.jpg
http://www.ozhonda.com/gallery/data/...ut12-thumb.jpg
http://www.ozhonda.com/gallery/data/544/3vut5-thumb.jpg
More Images
</td></tr></tbody></table>
