Turbo or swap??

For a 92-95 civic si, would it be best to turbo or swap the engine? I don't really want to spend like 5 grand on a good swap..also how much HP will you get out of a turbo, and what are the best ones for a 92-95 civic? Thanks.

First of all welcome to AF. You could do either. The 92-95 Civic Si/EX isnt bad with a turbo. You would not be spending $5000 on a swap either though. You could get a B16A(engine, tranny, ecu) all for about $1600. The install would put you right up to about $2500. It's your choice really what you want to do. If your not wanting to spend alot of money then go turbo...then of course if u want higher boost then you will have to end up buliding up the motor. If you get the B16A for example then you already have a DOHC and you can end up tuning it better than a SOHC and you will find alot of aftermarket support for the B16. Good luck on deciding.;)

Yeah, the thing is i'm Canadian, so something like $2500 in US dollars will be around 3500-4000 for me. Saving up for that could take a good while.

Also, when you swap an engine, do they change the miles on the speedometer to what it is for the new engine?

Personally, I'd save up for a B16 swap.... there's much more potential in that motor than the SOHC could ever have. If you want to buy the motor peice-by-peice, www.thepartstrader.com usually has peices of engines for sale... you might actually be able to peice one together for cheaper.

We are both facing "the question" I have a 94 si and I can't make up my mind. I think b16 is the way cause you knnow your gonna turo both sooner or later plus you can get a lot of help with a b series...not so with d. Either one is good but I need help sometimes so I think "b" is bedda

Originally posted by Si2000 Vtec
Personally, I'd save up for a B16 swap.... there's much more potential in that motor than the SOHC could ever have. If you want to buy the motor peice-by-peice, www.thepartstrader.com usually has peices of engines for sale... you might actually be able to peice one together for cheaper.
So the lil SOHC doesn't have potential huh?
Get an Intercooled Greddy kit at 8-10 PSI and race any B16,GSR even CTR with bolts on to see what the result will be. SOHC has potential .....the thing is that nobody wants to discover it

You can get more HP and Torque numbers on that SOHC SI engine safelly with a GReddy kit for less than what a b16 swap would cost. So don't tell that Swap is always the "best bang for the buck thingy"

There are alot of guys running 8-10 PSI's on a stock engine safelly(ask VTC CIVIC)
Also, i think there is a NIRA driver runing 11. something on an all motor SOHC, SO!! don't say theres no potential on the Sohc.
Do your math and calculate how much HP you will need to ride a SOHC in the 11 seconds......Likelly More than 215whp

im also in a similar situation but ive decided to be patient and do it right. I want to a drop a B18 out of a GSR , bored out, port and polish, type R internals, in my civic. now i will have to wait a long time for the money but it will pay off in the long run. after its in next thing i want is a turbo :D so i can have my cake and eat it too.

Originally posted by hobbesboarder
im also in a similar situation but ive decided to be patient and do it right. I want to a drop a B18 out of a GSR , bored out, port and polish, type R internals, in my civic. now i will have to wait a long time for the money but it will pay off in the long run. after its in next thing i want is a turbo :D so i can have my cake and eat it too.

Man, I wanna do the same thing, but w/o the p&p. Too bad my money is slowly deteriorating....But what a force to reckon with!