turbo vs. swap...

There seems to be a lot of pluses for either of these. The ultimate goal for me is to gain good, reliable, efficeint power. With a turbowed d16, it seems that a really good, safe setup can run a max of about 14psi; but this cost a lot of money and there are tons of little things to worry about. The swap however, doesn't make as much power but it is basically a plug and play situation that will cost less in the long run. The swap I am refering to is a jdm 2nd gen b16a into a 5th gen civic ex.
Any suggestions
Note, I am just trying to start a thread in the new forum and feed my quest for knowledge as I still havn't found a good civic.
Later,
Ktulu

It really all depends on what you want from a setup. The nice thing about a swap is you still have a base platform to grow on, especially if you put a turbo on the swap motor later. If you just want a decent amount of power you can put a Turbo on your D16. You can get the greddy kit for about 2200 w/ Intercooler. Where as youll be spending about between 2500-7000+ for a swap depending on if you do the work yourself and what motor you decide to go with.

I say if you want huge amounts of power then Go with the swap and turbocharge it later.

But if you just want some added power to your D16 then go with the turbo. (You could get a Greddy turbo kit in the 13's. With some internals and may have about the same amount of money in it as you would if you went with a swap.)

Basically depends on what your ultimate goal is. Good luck in your decision

I'm in the process of doing BOTH! I'm getting a JDM H22 and throwing a turbo on that!!

Originally posted by super 96 accord
I'm in the process of doing BOTH! I'm getting a JDM H22 and throwing a turbo on that!!

Thatll be nice... Should definately have plenty of power for you thats for sure... What turbo kit are you going with?

Well, at first I thought I would be able to smog a turbo. So I was just planning on getting a small one to keep it legal. But upon further talking w/my installer, he said that I wouldn't be able to smog any turbo. So then I got kinda mad, but then I got happy, because hey, now I can get the biggest damn one I can find! I think I finally decided on the Drag Gen II kit for the prelude engine I'm getting. I haven't been able to find a Gen III kit for it from them. I've heard they make one of the best kits so I wanna get the best. My car is gonna be in Low rider euro when I'm done with it. I already have the letter of intent :)

what kind of "little things" would you have to worry about on a turbo setup? changing the oil every 3000 miles? *ooOooOOoO!*

turbo motors arent more maintenance than a non-turbocharged motor.

The thing that's gonna suck though, is that my registration is gonna be HELLA expensive. The reason being is that every time I need to do a smog check, I need to have the turbo taken off and then put back on afterwards. So my registration is gonna run me an extra $600! OUCH!! But it will be worth it w/all them ponies :)

I'm not sure about extra maintenance on a turbo engine because I've never had one before. I do know that the gas is gonna be expensive too because you have to buy the super.

super 96 accord: Are JDM motors smog legal??? I didnt think they were unless you add all the smog stuff on.. I dont know much about the smog stuff since Im not in an area that checks for it (yet). I know Fmax has a pretty good kit for the prelude, it uses a T3/T4 turbo, which is the same as a Drag Turbo. Click here for link ->F-Max (http://www.f-max.com)

Drift: turbos arent really that much more maintance as a built NA motor. You have to make sure all your air and fuel are tuned out right and some dyno tuning is almost a must (but this isnt different for a strong NA motor). You also need to make sure all your internals are in good shape before you install a Turbo. You can change you oil ever 3000 miles witha turbo just like you should anyway, unless you notice that your oil is breaking down to quick, then you aught to look at changing oil brands, changing it more often, or maybe keep you oil cooler with an oil cooler or something. I would suggestion running synthetic oil with a turbo, or any performance motor for that matter, it lasts a little long, which will aid in protecting your motor.

If you want anymore info on Turbos just ask, If I dont know. I can find out for you.

It might be hard finding a shop to do the swap for you to make it legal. It'll be even harder finding one to actually right it out for you that they'll make the swap legal. There's a great shop by where I live that does swaps all day long with no problems. They do the wiring really good so it'll pass visual and they should pass out the pipe. Also, you HAVE to put in an engine that's at least the same year as your car.

Example: You CAN'T put a 95 engine in your 96 car. But you CAN put an 96 engine in your 95 car.

Originally posted by super 96 accord
It might be hard finding a shop to do the swap for you to make it legal. It'll be even harder finding one to actually right it out for you that they'll make the swap legal. There's a great shop by where I live that does swaps all day long with no problems. They do the wiring really good so it'll pass visual and they should pass out the pipe. Also, you HAVE to put in an engine that's at least the same year as your car.

Example: You CAN'T put a 95 engine in your 96 car. But you CAN put an 96 engine in your 95 car.

I knew that you couldnt put and older motor in a newer car. Is there a reason you dont go USDM? They should be legal. Aslong you as you stay OBDII (for hondas that 1996 and newer) You might have a little less power but you wont have to worry about it.

Originally posted by Racing Rice
Drift: turbos arent really that much more maintance as a built NA motor. You have to make sure all your air and fuel are tuned out right and some dyno tuning is almost a must (but this isnt different for a strong NA motor). You also need to make sure all your internals are in good shape before you install a Turbo. You can change you oil ever 3000 miles witha turbo just like you should anyway, unless you notice that your oil is breaking down to quick, then you aught to look at changing oil brands, changing it more often, or maybe keep you oil cooler with an oil cooler or something. I would suggestion running synthetic oil with a turbo, or any performance motor for that matter, it lasts a little long, which will aid in protecting your motor.

If you want anymore info on Turbos just ask, If I dont know. I can find out for you.


thanks. i was being sarcastic.

Originally posted by drift



thanks. i was being sarcastic.

Well maybe someone else can use that info then..

Hey, I'm 15 turning 16 jan 4th. and I'm gonna be buying my first car probably within the next couple of weeks. I'm gonna buy a 5th gen coupe and then save what money I have left over and put it toward a second gen B16a. The best deal that I have seen on it is at www.jdmclub.com . I will turbocharge it eventually but not right off the bat. But, if I were u then I'd still go for the swap first.

LATER

Well since I know my mechanic knows his stuff I know I don't have to worry about it ever not passing. And the main reason is because it seems to be better for the shows if you have a JDM.

Originally posted by super 96 accord
Well since I know my mechanic knows his stuff I know I don't have to worry about it ever not passing. And the main reason is because it seems to be better for the shows if you have a JDM.

Thats cool man.. good luck with the swap, I was just asking cause Like I said I dont know much about the emissions stuff.

Thanks for looking out. Trust me. I was VERY cautious about deciding on getting a JDM engine because I cannont afford to just have this as a show car. It's my daily driver and as such, I have to be able to smog it. Of course the shop can't put that on paper what they're doing but I've seen and talked to several people that have had the same thing done from him before. He even takes the car down to the referee board and does the inspection. It's cool because when you get a new engine, I guess you get a new VIN# for emissions purposes. When I finally start doing the stuff (very soon) I'll be sure to post lots of pics and info on the goods and bads along the way.

You should check out www.nippon-motors.com. They have the 2g b16a for less than 2grand with tranny and ecu (doesn't specify what ecu though). By the way, I want to do the same exact thing that you are doing. Hopefully I will find the right car for me this weekend. I've been searching for about a month now.
Later

The DRAG 3 Turbo kit isnt street legal???? I think it is. Its just not CARB exempt, meaning it is illegal in Cali, but since i live in OHIO im aight to use the DRAG 3 kit, right???? Also, how baddly will it affect my emmisions??? I have a b18b and i want to go with a drag 3 kit, but im affraid that after installation i wont pass emmisions check!!!

All you have to do is slip the inspector a few bills and he can over look your problem. That's what I did on my last inspection. I had a couple of things that weren't working and he just let me know. When I got the cash I fixed the problems, which were a broken seat belt and blinker.

Originally posted by Adampops
The DRAG 3 Turbo kit isnt street legal???? I think it is. Its just not CARB exempt, meaning it is illegal in Cali, but since i live in OHIO im aight to use the DRAG 3 kit, right???? Also, how baddly will it affect my emmisions??? I have a b18b and i want to go with a drag 3 kit, but im affraid that after installation i wont pass emmisions check!!!

No man, I dont think the Drag3 is emisions legal. The small Greddy kit is to a point util you start modifying stuff. Where I live in Ohio I dont have to worry about echeck cause we dont have it. But the bigger cities do.

Originally posted by SkyNex721
All you have to do is slip the inspector a few bills and he can over look your problem. That's what I did on my last inspection. I had a couple of things that weren't working and he just let me know. When I got the cash I fixed the problems, which were a broken seat belt and blinker.


That can work on the visual inspection. But they can't do crap for ya on the machine test unless you give them a helluva lot of $$$$$$and you roll another car just like yours on the rollers. Out here in Cali our DMV renewal form has to be scanned in on the machine along w/our vin number at time of testing. IT SUCKS!! But it's easy as hell to get away w/the visual though in a lot of places in the bay.