i hear alot about ppl swappin engines to b20's, b18's, and b16's.....but is there in hidden power that can be brought up out of a honda ex engine (d16y8)....i would like to swap engines but unfortunetly i dont have that kind of money yet...so would it be worth it to start just upgradin little by little or just to save the money and swap the engine...

thanks in advance:bigthumb:

Absolutely! The EX is the next best Civic to mod(aside from the SI) because it comes with VTEC. You can either swap, or save to buy a turbo kit for your car. I wouldn't waste money on afermarket mods if you plan to do this in the long run because then you have to just take that stuff back off and might not be able to use it.
Me personally, I would go for the swap first. You want a B series, they are a much sturdier platform to work off of. You can always turbo the B later, but you will get raw N/A power with a swap. Turbo on your EX might be unreliable, although lots of people have done it.

I can assure you 95% of the people that read this will tell you to swap. I will not however being an AVID fan of D-series motors. The Y8 is probably the best of all the SOHC D16's. Why? Well it has the best flowing head (that includes VTEC), it has the best flowing intake manifold of the D-series, and it has the most options for ungrading and aftermarket parts. It won't cost you as much to upgrade it than say if you had a DX Y7 head motor. I'd highly recommend maybe getting a Crane Cams brand camshaft. Probably a stage 1 since it's mild, but will help down low to my understanding. For you, modding up your D16Y8 may very well be cheaper than swapping in the long run. You won't have to yank your motor out for anything. You can preserve the mileage of it (engine milage will match chassis mileage) and you won't be joining the fad to do just because everyone tells you you should by swapping.

If you DO plan on building up your D16 rather than swapping out, check out this site (http://www.dseries.org). :cool: Good luck!

thanks for the replys guys they helped:biggrin: .....if ne one else has ne thing to add ...please be my guest:tongue:


by the way...i would like to keep this engine N/A...i dont want to turbo it because i want it to be more reliable and i need to drive it around more then race it around hehe:dogpile:

Since your in Westminster, visit InlineFour and see what they can offer for your Y8 motor. They are on Garden Grove bl. I believe if I remember correctly right by Golden West bl.

Originally posted by polish3001

by the way...i would like to keep this engine N/A...i dont want to turbo it because i want it to be more reliable and i need to drive it around more then race it around hehe:dogpile:

Nothing is to say that a turbo vehicle will be unreliable, there are plenty out there trust me. Not to mention how many turbo vehicles from the factory there are running around, mine included-87 Dodge Daytona Turbo.
N/A does not have anywhere near the potential a FI vehicle does.

so a FI should be just as reliable as a N/A...ight thanks man....i heard that puttin turbo on a car would make it less reliable...hehe learn something every day

Compared to a JDM engine you've never seen before and don't know how it was used, I would say going FI would be MORE reliable. You never know what you're gonna get when you buy used. But the engine in your car is only a couple years old and probably has well less than 100K right?
So I changed my mind, go turbo.:bigthumb:

i would never say that FI is more reliable then an NA engine and i am a big fan of both. the problem with FI cars is all the other stuff you have to worry about. for example on a turbocharged car, the engine must run for at least 3 minutes after a spirited drive so the oil doesnt cake in the turbo. the boost must be constantly monitored and controlled via a wastegate and blowoff valve but even then failure can occur causing overboosting and blowing the engine. with superchargers, if the belt breaks that turns the supercharger while driving, youre in some deep crap. not to mention your car will be running at a much higher temperature then before putting more strain on the cooling system. and for N20 inspired cars, there is the trigger happy driver who either squeezes too much or too often and blows the engine, and the extra wear and tear on stock internals if the engine cant handle it.

not to mention turbocharging and supercharging both cost more then an NA engine would. yes they would have more potential but at a higher cost.

i say build that motor to hell with high compression and some lumpy cams and go rape people. i drove a 92 hatch with a built sohc motor in it and that thing pulled like a raped ape with 3 people in the car, 17's, body kit, and full stereo with subs. it destroyed an rsx type s by 3 cars.

but my opinion is a little biased. i have a high compression LSVTEC in my hatch:iceslolan

Originally posted by PWMAN
Compared to a JDM engine you've never seen before and don't know how it was used, I would say going FI would be MORE reliable. You never know what you're gonna get when you buy used. But the engine in your car is only a couple years old and probably has well less than 100K right?
So I changed my mind, go turbo.:bigthumb:

I'd have to agree with this. If you turbo your motor and don't do much else mod wise, it'll still be pretty quick. Not Mustang Cobra beating quick, but much quicker than stock. As long as you keep the motor tuned and maintained as well as the turbo, it shouldn't be anymore UNreliable than if you were to build up the motor. Nitrous, now THAT stuff will make a motor unreliable over time. Edelbrock has a great new turbo kit for the '96-'00 EX Civics or D16Y8 motor. Check into it.

Yes Edelbrocks kit is awesome!

Originally posted by PWMAN
Yes Edelbrocks kit is awesome!

Something import and domestic drivers alike can agree on. :) It's pricey, but to my understanding one of the best kits available, and probably provides the most power gains from a kit alone out of the box.

hey guys thanks for the info.......now as far as the turbo goes and maintaining it..is it like i can pop the hood and do it in my garage or would i have to take it to a shop and have them do it every so often (almost like alinement)?

Ehh, you should be able to upkeep it yourself. :)

on that d series board they someone put up a post talking about a turbo kit for $1250 from a company called slowboy raceing. the person has a shop in PA somewhere anyone ever use this kit or heard anything about it.

Originally posted by 93weed_eater
on that d series board they someone put up a post talking about a turbo kit for $1250 from a company called slowboy raceing. the person has a shop in PA somewhere anyone ever use this kit or heard anything about it.

That kit sounds really crappy. The biggest turbo they offer is a T25, most come with a T20 though. Talk about low potential.

you get what you pay for though:icon16:
and im sure you can switch to a different turbo later on. sounds like a good starting point thats all.

Originally posted by 93weed_eater
you get what you pay for though


Exactly

Now, I'm not sure if you are good or not with engines but if you are. Fix up your N/A engine first. See what you can do with it first, learn about what it can do. Then go FI. I bet you will like the results.
When dealing with your engine and I'm not sure the money you have but if you don't like FI EX engine go with the swap.

DREEM :evillol:

hmmmmn going n/a is a choice all up to you.....going for large hp gains your looking at more maintenace. http://www.digitalstar.com/dirty91crx/images/69560.JPG dyno sheet of my car. im running a d15b2 non vtec with a 55 shot of zex. now the maintenace on this thing gets anoying....having to readjust valve lash once a month....having to run good gas.....im my opinion i would go fi. simple easier to use. oh and matt you were wrong on the y8 head charachtoristics.http://www.hadamotorsport.com/D16HeadComparison.JPG http://www.hadamotorsport.com/D16IntakePorts.JPG http://www.hadamotorsport.com/Y8IntakePort.JPG http://www.hadamotorsport.com/Z6IntakePort.JPG