B16A1 vs. B18C1

[emerge]

Sup guys. I just have a quick technical question about the two motors. I have a 97 civic ex (automatic) and I'm planning on swapping the motor and tranny. I wanted a B16 at first, but then I fell in love with the B18. Now I met a dude with a B16-swapped Civic and he swares that it's the better deal. This is due to motor cost, tuning, and parts. I just wanted to see what you all thought. If you vote, PLEASE EXPLAIN WHY YOUR PREFER WHICH MOTOR. Thanks!

[YZ125rider21]

ya man b16 run close to a b18 for 2/5 the price that it would cost for the b18c...but if moeny not a problem get a b18c...if it is a problem oyu will be happy with a b16...be diff go with a b20vtec

[jcrx]

Originally Posted by Americanfeagle03

ya man b16 run close to a b18 for 2/5 the price that it would cost for the b18c...but if moeny not a problem get a b18c...if it is a problem oyu will be happy with a b16...be diff go with a b20vtec

Don't "help" people if you don't know what you're talking about.

To the poster, you have a 97 right, that is OBD II, the reason why the B16A1 is so cheap is that 1) it is old, 89-91, 2) it is ODB 0, and 3) has a cable actuated tranny.
Your car is OBD II which means that the OBD 0 motor will need to be converted to OBD II which is a pain in the ass, expensive, and illegal in most places since you have to have the same year or newer motor to replace the one in your car. Basically you'd have to replace all the sensors on the head, injectors, distributor, ECU, and run two o2 sensors. Now the tranny, you could get a conversion to run a cable in your hydraulic car, but IMO it is not the best route to go, and it is an extra expensive.

Your best bet is to try to source a 96-00 B16A or B16A2/3 from a 96-97 Del Sol, 99-00 civic Si, or JDM 96-00 civic SiR/SiRII, all of which are going to run you about 2200 + shipping for the complete swap.

IMO you' be happier with what you originally wanted and go for the B18C1, which even though runs a few hundred more, is worth it.

[Thepeug]

If money's not an issue, I'd definitely go with the b18. If it is, however, go with an OBD II b16. With the b18, you're paying an extra $1000 for ten more hp and 13 more lbs of torque. $100/horse is bit expensive.

[civic_runner>]

hey stephen shoot me an email at [email protected] i dont know if you have seen my car latley put i got a mugen lip on it and just dropped it yesterdayand got amber corners.herray jdm the true way to go. but i dont know if this happened to you or not but my steering all wacked after i droped it got alot of play in it. hit me up

heath

[jcrx]

Originally Posted by civic_runner>

hey stephen shoot me an email at [email protected] i dont know if you have seen my car latley put i got a mugen lip on it and just dropped it yesterdayand got amber corners.herray jdm the true way to go. but i dont know if this happened to you or not but my steering all wacked after i droped it got alot of play in it. hit me up

heath

Try using the PM feature, the rest of the world doesn't care.

[Thepeug]

My thoughts exactly.

[edman24]

ok well people seem to think its not worth it to pay the extra couple hundred for "10hp and 13lb/ft of torque" thats a bunch of bs. its very well worth the extra money. equally modify a b16 and a b18. which is faster? the b18 everytime. who says torque is useless? what because your car is light you think you dont need torque? torque wins drag races, not revs and high end hp. the b18c is better and only slightly more expensive. go b18c.

[civic_runner>]

i thought this was a forum where you talk with people/friends about cars not whine like a baby and cry and complain because im talkin to a friend about a car in a forum. what this place called again automotiveforums.com ohh ok

[mycivic]

Originally Posted by jcrx

"...Your car is OBD II which means that the OBD 0 motor will need to be converted to OBD II which is a pain in the ass..."

OT real quick. i always see the "OBD" word. what does it mean? whats with OBD 0 and OBD II? thanks in advance.

[jcrx]

Originally Posted by civic_runner>

i thought this was a forum where you talk with people/friends about cars not whine like a baby and cry and complain because im talkin to a friend about a car in a forum. what this place called again automotiveforums.com ohh ok

Public forum or not, there is still a private message feature for a reason. It is used when you are talking to one person in particular, about something the rest of the people on the board could give a shit less about, or is completely off topic and has no use for the public at large.

OT real quick. i always see the "OBD" word. what does it mean? whats with OBD 0 and OBD II? thanks in advance.

On Board Diagnostics. 0, I, II, IIb indicate the emissions tier that they control, aka the years when certian emissions compliances were met. The plugs are different between the years, also the parameters that they monitor are different, and programmability is different.

OBD 0 pre 92
OBD I 92-95
OBD II 96-98
OBD IIb 99+

[mycivic]

Originally Posted by jcrx

On Board Diagnostics. 0, I, II, IIb indicate the emissions tier that they control, aka the years when certian emissions compliances were met. The plugs are different between the years, also the parameters that they monitor are different, and programmability is different.

OBD 0 pre 92
OBD I 92-95
OBD II 96-98
OBD IIb 99+

ow ok. makes sense what everybody was talking about now. thanks again.

[Ricochet]

I think he meant to say A2 instead of A1. Either way, I'd buy the C1 if you got the money. I raced my buddy in a gsr and barely took him, so imagine that same amount of torque pushing a lighter Civic. When I found a mint condition '01 B18C1 for sale, but was the same price as my B16B.. so they're not cheap.

[Thepeug]

Originally Posted by edman24

ok well people seem to think its not worth it to pay the extra couple hundred for "10hp and 13lb/ft of torque" thats a bunch of bs. its very well worth the extra money. equally modify a b16 and a b18. the b18c is better and only slightly more expensive. go b18c.

Extra couple hundred? I don't think so. For a good engine, a B18c is typically $1000 more than a b16. I agree, torque is very important, but the extra money is not justifiable if cash is very tight.

[HondaIntegraXSI]

I say get a Obd-II LS B18B1 motor, or even a JDM B18B2 motor and port and polish the head (about a $1000 buck job)and Intake manifold, add the big three (i/h/e), a fuel pump conector kit($10), and add 25 ibs accel injectors($175). this combo will amke about 170-185hp and will make lots more Tq than any GS-R, and you don't have to wait for v-tec to kick in, so you will kick their asses off the line. And if you wanted to turbocharge it later on you would be more ready to perform a turbo install.