Sav

I really dont want to go through with all the other swaps out there.... I dont plan to swap this in immediately either...

I want to pieces this up and build it over say atleast a year or so of time. I wanted to see what the local honda guys might have had experience with if any at all with a CRV motor into a hatch/sedan/coupe.

The b20 has really stayed in the back of my mind for awhile now and its something i really want to do...this would inevitably be a boost project in the future.

Reason why i come here and not the other honda forums is because I want to see what the local people in this area think of it and if they have any experience or have done this swap so i can get first hand advice and so on.

heres a pic of the hatch...i dont post pics anymore of it, latest pic i have of it, if the colors look weird its cuz i was messing around with burn and dodge earlier today.

thermal

What exactly do you want to know? I understand that you plan on boosting this in the future.... for a street car or track car? What is your power goal?

I ran a B20B in my 99 civic EX. Nothing especial. Just an LS tranny, LS IM, LS ECU. It was a daily driver. No issues....

Sav

well i want a daily driver, i wanted to know if it was as simple of a drop in as any other swap, this would be for street. For power....i think no more than 250 at most with boost...I was just curious if there were any hitchs or side steps involved with a b20 as opposed to be a b18....

seems like theres not....

BAD4DR

Everything I've read says it's similar.
With a modest power goal of 250, and the inherent lag in a turbo option, would you consider doing a N/A motor. The B20/VTEC combo should easily support 220-230 hp with judiscious mods, and the powerband and throttle response would be a bit better, to boot. (Basically, actual performance, there shouldn't be much difference, with the N/A being more "fun" or "sporty" to drive.)

thermal

The actual swap is just like any B swap.... Just consider what I said before.... LS IM, LS ECU, and obviously... a B-tranny (with b linkage). For boost, let us know what kind of budget you have planned for this....

Sav

i really wanted to just have this engine sitting in my garage and just build it up. I figured my budget would be no more than 3grand....im sure it will go over given other things. Daily driven, NA or Turbo...i havent given NA much thought but if i wanted to go naturally, id want it to be nasty

thermal

Well, B20's are thin walled... However, 250whp is not really that hard to achieve. For $3k, I say look into an SC61/GT35 or atleast a 57 trim T3T4. Get you a decent turbo manifold tho. InlinePro makes good stuff or find you a ramhorn made by a reputable fabricator at Honda-tech.

Given the title of this thread "B20VTEC", what VTEC head are you gonna use? Here are some useful info that you might like:

HEAD:


GENERAL MOTOR SPECS:

Verbal

You will also get a different comp. ratio based on the head you use, it will be a little higher with the GSR head VS. the b16 head.

I have seen some b20's make 300whp, and i have seen many crack a cylinder. They aren't as forgiving.

BAD4DR

Out of curiousity, is that the intake flow, or the exhaust flow?
My personal feelings, are that a turbo couldn't care much (it matters, but not so much) about the intake side. The exhaust side controls potential horsepower, but must be balanced with spool considerations.

You can do 250 hp on fairly low boost with the Sc61 or GT35 series, but those turbos are optimal for 400-600 hp applications.

I've recently noticed the Treadstone T3/T04E 50 trim. Looked good for low-boost. Stage2 T3 exhaust side, with a .48 A/R exhaust housing. They dynosim says it should provide very good mid-range power comparatively, and meet the goal he's looking at 10 psi or less. Granted I don't have as much experience, but I feel that would be a reasonable, and economical route.

BAD4DR

They won't tolerate knock.
That is why turbo sizing is critical, as are ensuring the proper fuel is there. People assume pressure cracks the sleeves, but it's knock. I've seen a pretty good write-up on that by a performance shop that built a ~650 whp 1.6 on stock cylinders. They did it by ensuring it never saw knock. Conservative timing, meth injection, making sure the IAT's were low. And they ran it for 2 full seasons according to the write-up, before they re-built it.

He has a very modest goal. The turbo I listed will meet his goal at around 10 psi (or less) according to the dynosim. The SC61/GT35 series will meet the same basic power, but with a good bit less mid-range based on spool.
That may be an advantage, as timings are ususally tuned high during mid-range acceleration for N/A purposes, and that may cause detonation. That's why I asked about that particular selection. I'm wanting some feedback from the turbo guys who've been doing it a while.