NA mild power plan

I was wondering if my plan was good for just some mild power gains. I'm mainly looking for a way to help me off the line power, so I don't have to wait for the VTEC to kick in. I'm thinking at first just a 8lb flywheel, followed by some headwork, even though I know that for the most part headwork usually adds top-end. Then that would be followed by something that I haven't thought of yet. I'm tired and in the middle of a lecture so I decided to hop on and check out what all has been going on since I last left and it seems that there is still some good advice being given. I don't want to go FI because I feel that NA is more reliable in my opinion, it just seems like it. So any info would be appreciated but SHINFO will be frowned upon...SHINFO stands for Shitty Info. Thanks again.

Maybe get some Type S pistons (so you won't have to worry about compatibility with the sleeves)? Some cams, even if you go mild with the (again) Type S ones? Just don't go crazy with the head work. Get a port match and find someone who is skilled enough to give you exactly what you want, more power for street use. Specify that and you should get what you're looking for

^^^agree. Type S pistons to raise your compression slightly and mild cams. Anything more than a "street" cam will kill your low end torque and off the line will suffer unless you launch at 6000RPM.

8lb flywheel will help and also some underdrive pulleys.

Another way to raise torque is to increase displacement. Maybe a stroker kit?

just to get you thinking about another route, why not take that money you're going to spend making another 10-20whp and put that into a turbo setup?? You could see some serious gains and wouldn't have to touch the internals at all...just dont get too greedy!

300whp is easily attainable on a stock internal H series...and with good spool times

Correct Schister but...

I don't want to go FI because I feel that NA is more reliable in my opinion, it just seems like it.

But Gearnuts you should consider what Schister said - you'll spend 2-3000 dollars building an n/a engine and gain around 30 hp...

or spend 2-3000 on a turbo setup and you can gain a few hundred hp...
...well, on stock pistons maybe more like 100hp. Turbo setups can be more reliable than you think. Like EVERYONE says: It's all in the tuning.

If you went with a turbo setup on a stock H, you wouldn't be able to have high boost levels, since the compression is so high, right?

Correct Schister but...

But Gearnuts you should consider what Schister said - you'll spend 2-3000 dollars building an n/a engine and gain around 30 hp...
or spend 2-3000 on a turbo setup and you can gain a few hundred hp...
...well, on stock pistons maybe more like 100hp. Turbo setups can be more reliable than you think. Like EVERYONE says: It's all in the tuning.

He's only looking for a mild boost in power to get him off the line (assuming he means low to mid range power), so it doesn't seem like he plans to spend anywhere near $2-3,000.

Type S Cams $550+ shipping: http://www.hmotorsonline.com/shop/sc2000search.cgi?what=page&item=10020
Type S pistons (without rings) $200: http://www.hmotorsonline.com/shop/sc2000search.cgi?what=page&item=10021
Then the P&P work.

He'd spend around $1,000 to get it all done. I'm not trying to rag on anyone, but turbo is not the answer to everything. Not everyone is looking for wheel spinning power, some just want a little extra power to make their car more fun to drive.

If you went with a turbo setup on a stock H, you wouldn't be able to have high boost levels, since the compression is so high, right?
You wouldn't need to have high boost levels. The higher the compression, the less boost you need to make the same power.

No need to get pissy - I'm just throwing ideas out for the man.

Yes, pistons and cam can be had for under $1000 but you're leaving out a lot to make it look less expensive - why would you buy pistons without rings? And mildly upgrading the internals won't do too much unless you also upgrade your ECU and possibly your fuel pump?(don't know for sure about that) - and you'll want a CAI or SRI, and headers...and exhaust...there's another $1500 or so....

No turbo isn't the answer to everything - it just makes more sense than trying to build an engine that's already pretty well built from the factory (that's why bolt-on mods don't improve things that much on an h22 - there's not much room for improvement).

after boosting my car i will never build any more NA Hondas....it just isn't worth it IMO

Dollar for dollar you're going to make more power if you turbo, but you're right, that is not the answer for everything. Also, turbos can be perfectly reliable IF you do it correctly....the horror stories you hear are from people who dont know what they're doing and then blame the turbo setup for their mistakes....

I'm not getting pissy at all. Just simply stating my opinion based on what the creator of this thread said. He doesn't want to go the forced indcution route and just wants some more power at low-mid rpms. I completely agree that turbo is the way to go in most occasions. However this isn't one of those typical threads of "I want to make my car a lot faster so I can go street/strip racing". So inexpensive parts seemed like the best route, in my opinion. It just doesn't seem like the best option, for the price tag and what he wants. And making sure the car is reliable also cost quite a bit of $ alone; ems & tuning. If it was a fully built engine with low comp pistons and sleeved (unless you can find some good pistons that work with the stock sleeves), then I could see spending all that extra money to go turbo and get it tuned. And an intake, header, and exhaust can be had for far cheaper than $1,500. You don't need to go all out for a mild power increase.

So, the compression/boost will balance out one way or the other?

dude get some euro spec cams a mild head work some euro spec cam gears and shafts header exhaust intake and depending on the year and model maybe a head, seen this one guy belt out 235whp with that set-up on an 01-02 type-s, and turbos can be just as reliable as NA it all depends on the tune and setup.