did i make a good choice by going b-20 over b-16????

ok my mechanic was in the works of dropping a b-16a into my 91 civic dx sedan when he offered me a b-20 non vtec for $200 more!!!! installed. i went ahead and accepted the offer. was this the right choice im looking for power and reliability at the same time since thats my daily car. and does anyone know the specs on b-20 non vtec and do u think i made a good choice.

im going vtec in about 2 months.

well... at least its a CALI legal engine now :) b16a1 isnt

is the b-20 smog legal? even with vtec head? i know b-16 will pass if you change everything to the exact of a del sol and taking to a ref.
but i want to know if this was a good choice. keeping in mind i do want power and reliabiltiy

what tranny are you going to use though ???

do all you guys live in california or something because where i live there is no emissions test whatsoever. as long as your car has a catalytic converter it passes the "emissions test" :D

Originally posted by Redline_civic91
is the b-20 smog legal? even with vtec head? i know b-16 will pass if you change everything to the exact of a del sol and taking to a ref.
but i want to know if this was a good choice. keeping in mind i do want power and reliabiltiy

Any USDM engine such as b20 is Cali legal. JDM engines are not. I dont see why a vtec head would cause it to be illegal, I think if they look at anything it would be the block.

so which engines are legal in CALI?
cuz Ive got a 89 dx, im thinking of LSVTEC
what about the d16z6? is it legal a turbo?

Uhhhhhh, maybe someone should make up a cali smog FAQ because you guys a spilling a lot of false information. 1) A jdm engine is perfectly legal as long as the engine is as new or newer than the car you are putting it in. 2) The reason a JDM engine might not pass smog is because JDM engine dont have the same smog components as a USDM engine therefore you can put USDM components on them and make them legal that way as well. 3) As long as a JDM engine is tuned correctly and you have a working cat it should pass.

I was reading somewhere that if you go to a smog ref, they check on your engine #, and they know which are USDM and JDM engines. Thats why i thought JDM engines arent legal. If you just take it to a smog tech place to get it smogged most of the time the techs dont notice what engien actually came in your car. What i mean about cali legal is being able to get a BAR sticker, like EF_LSVtec did.

Heres one story about it

http://hybrid2.honda-perf.org/casmog.html#legalzc

i dont really car about smog laws right now i still have two years to smog it.

so do u guys think i made a good choice?? and i dont know what tranny he's using

If it was me, I'd say that the B16A will be the better engine as it's designed with performance in mind. Even better would be a B18C as it's also VTEC already.

But hey, it's your car - you go with your instincts on it :)

It was a good chioce. Just throw a vtec head on it now. :)

Any USDM engine such as b20 is Cali legal. JDM engines are not.

My Zc passed.

Originally posted by Bleebdat
2) The reason a JDM engine might not pass smog is because JDM engine dont have the same smog components as a USDM engine therefore you can put USDM components on them and make them legal that way as well.

:confused: Isn't that the whole point of getting a JDM engine?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but:
smog components = restricted flow
restricted flow = less power
JDM = less smog components = more power

Or were you suggesting throwing on USDM parts until inspection is done then putting JDM back on?


And about the B20/B16 debate, I'd go with the B20 because 1) torque and 2) good turbo potential :devil:

I've heard a lot of reliablity issues with the B20/VTEC frankenstein, so I'd go Turbo B20 :smoka:

Originally posted by Melt


My Zc passed.


your ZC looks like our d15b or d16a6 so :silly2: :)

damn its been 3 weeks and i still dont have my car back. it was finished but the check engine light came on i think he said he needed to change the resonator box. should have it in a day or so. i will post my comments about it.

should have good torque and from what i have seen it likes upgrades so no worries