Okay, for starters, I had a D15B7 in my car orignally, now it's a 97 B18B1. I can notice the increase tremdously with the ls (w/ a cold air and cat-back exhaust, only costed like $350 total give or take, I think a little less). Point is, even my girlfriend can tell the difference, the car don't bog on steep hills, or hills on the freeway, the LS motor's low end torque really pulls the light-weight civic. Lets face it, low-end torque rules the streets. Most races, especially street races (if you are into that, I DO NOT street race) are won in the first 60 ft. The LS is a better base to start with, plane and simple. Sure, you can throw 5 grand into a D15, but it stats out with 90-100 flywheel hp, so you need to gain 40-50hp just to CATCH the stock LS in HP. We all know that will cost a lot, it will require a complete re-build on a d15 or you'll most likely blow it up. Thats 5 grand and you are comparable to the LS. There is no replacement for displacement. Say you spend 3k on the LS swap, completed and installed, $2500 if you do it yourself or get a good motor price. I have seen people pull it off for less than that. Thats still 2k more on a bad day, 3 k on a good day. Build yourself a turbo kit, that's plenty of mo ey to do it if you make your own kit. An LS block can handle 12psi on stock internals when tuned right, no problem. SO there you go, 5k 250whp for the LS, or 5k, what, 150, maybe... 180 on the D15? You I'll take the LS, plus it will have gobs more low-end torque than the d15, and isn't even close to maxing out it's pontenial. An LS can achive 400-500hp boosted and build-up. Good luck getting a 400-500hp D15. Sure, a sohn cam d-series can be built up, we all know that. I have seen some very fast ones. But it's alla matter of goals and trade off's. If you want to prove and show the world what you can do with the d-series, by all means do it. For others, a b-series swap or an ls/vtec or cr/vtec are better options. Still, that doesn't change the fact, the LS, or any b-series, ina better base to start with, when it comes to attaining high speed and power. They have mopre potenial for higher output, which translates into a greater pontenail for higher speed. If you want to build-up a d-series, thats cool, but I am sick of this agruement, it's everywhere...."d-series build up is the way to go, b-swaping sucks and is dumb" or "build-up a d? Bad idea." geez, look, we ALL know the b-series is a better base engine to start with, higher intital stock hp and torque output and much greater hp and torque potental. Still, that doesn't mean it's the choice for everyone, like I said earlier, it's about goals. Swapping or building up a b might fit one person's goals, but not anothers. I personally am well aware of what a sohc d-series is capable of, but it's wasn't what I felt I wanted to persue with my money.