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Originally Posted by KrNxRaCer00
i'd have to disagree tho w/ u. i don't think of ls/vtec as a bad thing at all. has honda ever released a turbo motor from the factory? yet, how many ppl would agree that is the #1 way to produce power from our small motors.
jus because honda didn't do it, doesn't mean it isn't right. the ls/vtec can be a reliable motor IF u have it put together by someone who knows their hondas. IF u do check-ups/maintence on the motor OFTEN. it can last a long time if u do it correctly, or u could blow it w/ in a couple of months if u do a shit job.
really, don't knock the ls/vtec, it isn't jus a "fad" its too strong of a motor to be that.
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Since you asked...
Honda hasn't made a turbo car because because Honda doesn't build drag racers. It isn't just because they can't figure out how they work. Road racing requires predictability and reliability. Turbo motors offer far less of both. For instance, compare how often DSM's break down compared to Hondas. And also consider that you are coming out of the apex of a turn at the limits of the car's road holding ability. You're in the gas accelerating for the coming straight stretch. Then, just before the car has settled up the boost spikes and your race rubber goes spinning (if you've never run on R-compound tires you can't understand). NA engines offer very smooth and predictable power delivery. Also, of a FI and NA engine setup puting out the same power, the NA will be faster. Since Honda makes road racers they use the engines better suited for that purpose.
Honda DID build an LS VTEC. It's called a B18C!
It's foolish to think that Honda hasn't explored all of the options at their disposal when building performance engines. I think they're doing pretty well considering they still hold the title for the two highest hp/liter engines in the world (NA) Type-R and the S2000. Honda put enough effort into developing "LS VTEC" to know that it wasn't a simple head swap. Higher rpm required a different rod ratio. So they sacrificed a little displacement, added some oil squirters and a knock sensor, raised compression a little, oh yea and added a cam lobe. That netted them a 30hp gain. That's better than most aftermarket companies can do while still keeping gas mileage, engine longevity, and noise pollution in check. Even better than that, they tweak IM's, cams, and compression a little more and come up with another 30hp! I'd say Honda did a pretty good job. And I'd also say that it's foolish for a couple of hobby enthusiasts like us to think that we know better than Honda.
That being said, the reason to modify an engine is when your goals don't line up with that of the engine manufacturers. For instance, we want more power in place of fuel economy, noise pollution, and engine longevity (maybe some, not me). So what goals does an LS VTEC meet more efficiently than other Honda engine packages? The only one that really comes to mind is a random tuner that happens to have a lot of VTEC heads and non-VTEC blocks laying around. Otherwise, a B18B turbo or a B18C NA package can still get better gains cheaper (assuming that the builder would spend the money to make a reliable LS VTEC. FWIW, the longevity of a well-done LS VTEC is 30-40K miles. Poorly assembled units will only last 10-20K miles. That's why sometimes they are referred to as race engines. Race teams don't mind blowing an engine every other week as much as the average consumers do.