ls vs civic

what is a better car overall, considering they are stock, a 99 integra ls or a 99 civic ex?

From a performance standpoint, I'd go with the LS Integra. Bone stock, a non-VTEC LS will push 140 horses while a 99 Civic EX VTEC Civic will push 120. Since the Integra has .2 more liters, it can produce slightly more torque as well. If you want to mod up your car in the future, the Integra is a better overall choice as well.

is an ls DOHC?

The only Civic i would EVER buy would be the 98-99-00 model Si

yes the LS is a 1.8L DOHC non VTEC. The Civic is a 1.6L SOHC VTEC. The integra pushes out 142hp and the civic is at 127hp. Yes, the better overall choice would be the integra since it's already DOHC and you can find way more performance parts for the integra than the civic. And the Civic Si coupe only came in 99-00. I have a 2000. Good luck on the car you choose.;)

i have another question, can i make and ls vtec?
how would i go about doing that and what would that cost?
and also stick or auto?

yes, you can do a head swap to either a gsr or type r and it would be vtec. the gsr head swap runs 2500 + 700 labor = 3200 at a import shop near my house. You can also switch to a manual but im not sure the price.

Kic, if you hadn't bought an Integra yet--and it sounds like you're interested--why not get a GSR? It'll save time, money, and effort :) I'm sure you can get a '97 GSR for around 12k nowadays....or if you can find one, nab yourself a the almighty Hype Rs :smoker2:

I would love to have a Type R anyday. But if I could, I would rather do an engine swap!

yeah, i was thinking about getting a 99 gsr for 15k, but im not sure how the insurance is gunna be since im only 18.

about how much would the insurance be on a 99 gsr? what about an ls?

to make an ls into a vtec isnt going to run you anywhere near $3200. whoever is giving you that price is charging you like double for the engine, and triple for labor. hes doing a lot of screwing.
you can get a b16a vtec engine form like 500, then use the vtec head for that. you should actually be able to do the swap yourself, im guessing this due to your calling it the 'project car'.

then if you want to goto inlinefour.com, they have the "ls/vtec Hardware kit". it comes with everything from fittings to instructions. it's like a hundred bucks.

the swap is really easy. just takes a little time.

dont waste the money on a type r. and a gsr is no better than the ls with a vtec. actually, after the vtec is finnished, you still have more money in your pocket than if you went with the gsr. and an engine, for extra parts...or sale.

Swapping engine heads by yourself is not easy at all...unless your a big Honda guru and actually KNOW what you are doing. One mistake on your labor and that can cost you! I say that $3200 is not bad with parts and labor.

if u do a lot research on the net about the ls v tec im pretty sure just about any one with the proper tools, instructions, and hardware can do it for less than $900, for $3200 i better be getting pistons rods etc other wise $3200 just for the head swap is way too damn much,... for all that i can get i/h/e, cams, pistons, rods, nitrous, well maybe a little more for labor if u have some one do all that for you..... i thought about the ls v tec and its not all that great but just my two pennys :bandit:

opk, well aftre you do the head swap you aint done, you need something to tell the head to go to the 3rd rocker arm, but you can buy th GSR engine, tranny, axles, ECU and everything for 3300, then you put in the tranny for the better gearing, the head and ECU from the gsr, then you put the LS head back on the GSR, sell it along with a tranmny, ecu and axles and everything, I bet youd at least get 1 G if not 2 for a running non vtec 1.8 with tranny, ECU, old harness and axles and eevrything. so now it is only 2300 bucks plus you have better gearing.




If it was me, Id buy a LS for insurance, then pay 6 G's and get the ITR swpa, insurance thinks it is a LS, you really have a ITR tho :D

what about an rs? is that the same as the ls?

mine is the RS and doesnt have PDL, CC, and no sunroof i think, the LS has that plus the PW, PM, PS, AC,

same engine and transmission

The RS is pretty much a bone stock integra, got engine, wheels and doors. good potential though

8i can live without cruise or PDL, i got PW, PM, AC, PS enough for me, id like a sunroof tho

to properly do an LS/VTEC swap is not quite as simple as dropping a VTEC head on an LS bottom end

there are differences in the B18C and B18A/B bottom ends

the VTEC bottom ends have more lines for oil and coolant, among other small things

doing an LS/VTEC swap without making the proper oil/coolant system upgrades to the LS block is a recipe for disaster when you cant provide enough lubrication or cooling.

LS/VTEC engine swaps are not reliable.. expect a drastically reduced engine life with this hybrid

If you want affordability, then get a civic and swap in a GS-R, LS/Vtec, ITR, B16, or whatever. insurance will be way cheap cuz its only an economy car lil civic. but you really have a type-r under the hood. A civic with a type-r swap will beat a integra type-r anyways. thats just what i suggest. Im gonna do the LS/VTEC in my CRX. that way i can get the LS now, start modding it, then in a year or whatever. swap in a B16 head and internals.

the 97 ITR coupe weighs 2600 lbs.
the 97 civic EX weighs 2460 and the DX weighs 2271

so yes there is a weight difference, but the ITR has better suspenson than a civic, so maybe the civic will be a bit faster on the straight away, Id say the ITR will win in any other sort of race, also the civic has disc/drum, teg has 4WDB, the ITR is just the all around better car, sure it would be nice to say i have a civic with a ITR engine and all this stuff, but Id rather sya I drive a type R


IMHO, the only thing the civic/ITR has over the ITR is insurance

yea? what about the fact that a type-r will run you 17,000+ and you can find a civic for about 8,000.

yeah, then the ITR swap is 6k just for parts so now you got 12 into the civic, then you have to havce the price for labor or the time of doing it yourself. I said in my oppinion, I didnt say everyone wouldbnt have the problem opf scraping up 5k more, or that everyone would want an ITR more anywyas, maybe they want the "sleeper" look. also, i like the look of the teg body more

IF anyone has a sweet honda or Acura check out http://members.aol.com/vtecv
If you want your car to look sweet check it out.

Originally posted by CRXkid
yea? what about the fact that a type-r will run you 17,000+ and you can find a civic for about 8,000.

Yeah, but even if you put an ITR engine in a civic, it will still have a really tough time beating a real ITR. The ITR engine swap isn't cheap...I'd say 5k for the engine alone, and another grand just for labor. Add that 6k price tag to your civic. THEN, don't forget, the ITR has a really, really light flywheel which will make the engine rev twice as fast as a ITR-civic without one. Also, the Type R weighs 2550, not 2600. Invest all that money, and you'll probably beat a Type R on a straightaway. Take it to the tracks against a real R (with a competent driver at the wheels of both cars), and the Type R will tear the civic a new asshole. Sorry, but it's not that easy to make a civic a better car than the Type R. Possible, but expensive. Just to name a few things, you'll need an LSD, strut/tower bars, bigger breaks, etc....that's just too damned much. After doing all that, the Civic will probably cost more than a real R, but you don't get the looks or the aura of rarity :) Don't get me wrong, I'm not dogging the Civic...I'd like to point a few facts, that's all :bloated:

ok, well, I know you are partly agreeing witht me, but the 5500 ive found the swap for was for the ITR engine, tranny, axles, ECU, harness, and shift linkage. so then you will have the light flywhel, the LSD, and then the brakes i mentioned, and the handling i agree wiht you, bt the 6k is for all that, not just the engine

yea, what are you talking about ITR00805? take an integra-r with about 200hp for 17,000 or take a civic with a type r engine, that gives you 200hp for only about 12,000. so if im doing my math right, that gives you 5,000 left over to do mods, that could be a turbo, bolt ons, and more. now i agree with you that the type r is prettier. but the guy that started this thread was asking about affordabily with speed. so i think the civic is the way to go for what he wants. or, he could get a CRX (my personal favorite) for only 3,000. drop a type r in for 6k, and that leaves him with 8 grand. a CRX with a type r engine, and 8 k in engine mods would rip an ITR a new one. but he didnt say he wanted a CRX, so i guess that doesnt really matter.

im sure he cares a bit about stopping once he gets goping fast, and being able to take a turn at the sp[eed hes goping also, also, we arent sayign it is better for him, we are just showuing you that the civic with the ITR engine isnt better all around

i agree, just because you got a better engine doesnt mean its better all around.

you guys obviously dont get what im saying. after buying the civic and the type r engine, he would still have saved about 5,000 over the integra type r. for 5K he could get bigger brakes, better suspension, and whatever else he wanted. the 5,000 would easily be enough for this stuff and more.