| Auto Repair and Maintenance - Exhaust Notes
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All In The Family ReunionFirst, I love the mag. In the June '05 issue is a brake upgrade story for an EJ Civic using Legend and Prelude parts. Will this swap also work on a 1993 Integra? Also, which Legend calipers did you use, the two-door or four-door variety?Justin CvitkovichEdwards, Colo.
The June 2005 Honda Tuning article about the Civic brake caliper upgrade was really interesting. I wanted to know if the brake upgrade will fit a Civic's original 15-inch rims. I also noticed that NSXs come with double-piston calipers, the '91s even sat under a 15-inch rim. Does the NSX brake caliper also fit on a Civic? What about single-piston calipers from the 1991-1995 Legend, 1992-1994 Vigor, 1997-2000 Prelude, 1998-2000 Accord V6 or 1997-2000 Integra Type R? They all have 15-inch rims (of course nothing smaller than 14-inch rims). What is the rotor and caliper size difference?Yaoman Via the Internet
I was intrigued by your "All in the Family" article and wanted to do the same thing to my 1988 CRX Si. What parts would I be able to use? Would the same thing you did to the Civic work on my CRX or will I have to use something else? I have 1999 Civic Si rims on it and drum brakes in the back. What parts would I need to switch back to disc? Can I use the rear trailing arm of the Integra like you did? Thanks. Your magazine rocks.Jason Enochs
Honda made it easy on us with brake upgrades. Any 1988-and-up Civic or 1990-and-up Integra is eligible for this swap using the correct front knuckles, specifically, the knuckles from a DC2 Integra (it doesn't matter which one) or an EG/EK EX or Si model. The calipers we used in our swap are from a 1993-1995 Acura Legend coupe. These calipers can also be found on a 1994-1995 Legend four-door GS.
The Legend dual-piston calipers are very similar to the NSX calipers, with a few differences. The NSX caliper is made entirely of aluminum, which makes it significantly lighter than the Legend stoppers. The pistons in our Legend calipers, however, are about 2mm larger than those of an NSX, which equates to more clamping power.
Both calipers have the same bolt pattern and share the bolt pattern with the clampers from an Accord V6, Prelude VTEC, ITR, and a few other cars in Honda's lineup. The 11-inch rotors and larger profile calipers do necessitate more space under the wheel than the stock ones, especially if you're starting with a DX or CX chassis, which come with even smaller front brakes than the ones we replaced on our '96 EX project. The larger brakes will not fit under 14-inch OEM steel wheels. They fit perfectly under our 15x7-inch Falken Hanabi wheels. You'll want to make some measurements to check fitment for each specific wheel application.- Dr Barrios
Conflict of InterestIn the June issue two articles piqued my interest, "What's Your Angle?" and "Still the One." The first article mentions that a longer rod gives the piston more time to dwell, creating more efficient flow of the intake and exhaust gases. The second article is about building a LS/VTEC and using the LS rods connected to P73 ITR pistons.
Wouldn't it be better to use the ITR B18C1, C5 rods at 138mm rather than the LS B18A1, B1, B20B4 rods at 137mm to produce more horsepower and/or torque? Would there be clearance issues with either LS, B16, or B18 VTEC head? Could it be possible that the long rod might hit the block at the bottom or with the piston coming out the bottom? With this longer stroke, would it cause the engine rpm to slow thus creating a slow motor that doesn't make any power?
Is there any other insight that you might be able to shine on this subject? I greatly enjoyed the articles and more of this nature would be awesome.Anonymous
Yes, you can use the GS-R crank and rods in an LS block without any problems. The GS-R has longer rods because the GS-R crank has a 87.2mm stroke with a 1.58 rod/stroke ratio vs. the LS's 89mm stroke with a 1.54 rod/stroke ratio. (Both blocks share the same deck height.) The GS-R has a better ratio but the 1.54 from the LS is still fine.
Whether it's better to use the GS-R crank over the LS is a matter of opinion. I've seen short-rod motors make power and I've seen long-rod motors make power. The build we did was a budget setup to give examples on what works. Take this knowledge and use what you've learned to put together your motor your way. When it comes down to it, there is really only one way to find out what works: hands-on experience. - Eugene CastroPro Street ImportEugene@prostreetimport.com
Thirsty on Top"I have a first-generation B16 in a 1992 Honda Civic DX and I did the swap myself. I just can't get it to run right. It feels like it is running out of fuel at high rpm and I can't feel VTEC. I have only one code, it's for the knock sensor. I have a P30 for it. I have the OBD I injectors off of a D15 so I don't know if there are giving enough fuel. Any ideas would be appreciated. KyleVia the Internet
The injectors from your stock D15 should work just fine for your B16. Both motors come stock with 240cc injectors. If it feels like a fuel problem you might want to start by changing the fuel filter; a clogged fuel filter will be more apparent at high rpm than it is down low. Also, if you are using the OBD 0 distributor instead of an OBD I unit, check the wiring and make sure it matches correctly. It will help to have wiring diagrams for both the motor and the chassis.
As for you not being able to "feel" VTEC there are a couple of things that could be causing the problem. Make sure your VTEC solenoid is clean. Also make sure you have it wired correctly. Having the wiring diagram should help you immensely.
Remember, the feeling of VTEC is subjective. The big lobes may very well be engaged and you are just expecting more from it than you should. VTEC engagement is a view blurring-fast-and-furious-nitrous-shot-like experience. Ideally, the crossover would be in a place that would lend to a linear torque curve rather than a big jump in power.- DB
What the F?I have a 1994 Accord Ex. What would you say will give me the most bang-for-the-buck? Would you boost the stock F22B1, build the F22B1, spray nitrous on the F22B1, or swap in an H22? I was thinking about building the internals and then boosting the F22B1 for two reasons. First, the money I would spend on the swap could just go in the engine. Secondly, I don't know anyone with a boosted F22B1. What do the pros at Honda Tuning think? Can you point me in the right direction?Ryan BrightVia the Internet
The answer to this questions is a matter of opinion. The F-series motors have potential to be unleashed, but more often than not they are swapped out for an H-series. A boosted F22 with a stock bottom end can make well into the 200-plus wheel hp range and still be reliable. If 200-wheel hp doesn't sound like enough to you, adding forged bottom end components such as pistons and rods will help the F hold up to a few more horsepower. The H22 is a bottom-end torque sandwich with all the fixings. Any of those options will make for a great daily driver. The cheapest solution is just boosting the stock F22. Building the F bottom end and boosting it will probably be very close in cost to the H22 swap and will make more power. Good luck. We bet you'll be pretty happy with which ever route you choose.- DB
Subframe PreservationHello. I own a 2004 Accord sedan. I didn't like the OEM suspension setup so I switched the rear sway bar to a 22mm sway bar. If the sway bar is too thick, I heard it may tear the frame of the car. Have you guys heard of this problem? Is there a way to compensate using different spring rates to lighten the swaybar's load?Chunting ChenEugene, Oreg.
We have seen this problem happen before. Most often it happens on cars that do not come with a stock rear anti-roll bar. Since your Accord came with a rear bar we advise you not to be too worried about tear-out. If you are planning on doing custom spring rates, your best bet is to go with a coil-over system that allows for standard linear springs. Once you have the coil-over set up you can try different spring rates until it feels right.- DB
Hydro WoesI have a 1992 hatch with a D15Z1 engine that I recently blew up. I bought a 1991 LS (B18A1) engine and tranny to swap in. Now that I'm really getting down to the wire I noticed that the B18 tranny uses a cable-activated clutch and the D15's clutch is hydraulic. Can I swap the hydraulic system from the D15 onto the LS tranny or am I going to have to find a newer hydraulic-clutched tranny for the B?JeremyVia the Internet
While there are kits that enable use of a cable transmission in a car that came stock with a hydraulic system, we don't recommend using them. The main reason why kits like that are useful is the off-chance that you have some special cable tranny that is so important that you have to go out of your way to use it.
For example, you came up on a cable B16 tranny off of that guy down the street with a Quaife limited-slip different, a 4.7 final drive and a set of carbon synchros already installed for, say, $500. That tranny would justify being used in an originally hydraulic car. Cable LS transmissions are a dime a dozen. We recommend trying to get your hand on a hydraulic B-series tranny, preferably from a VTEC motor. The VTEC trannies have shorter gears and some even have OEM limited slips.- DB
Bad VibesI have a 1990 Civic EX with a B16A swap. The mounts are billet with the softest available polyurethane bushings. I was expecting to have more vibration than stock, but the resonance inside the car is almost unbearable. It's the kind of low, resonating sound that causes headaches. It smooths out a bit at cruising rpm, but at idle it's like having a big subwoofer droning a continuous tone out of the dashboard. The mounts were just torqued to spec. Is this to be expected with these mounts, or is there something I can do? Are there quieter mounts available?GraemeVia the Internet
This is a common problem with polyurethane mounts. A couple of factors play into how much vibration comes through the firewall. First, the durometer of the polyurethane plays a large role in the severity of engine vibrations. The reason why we use these mounts in the first place is to prevent the motor from moving, which in turn helps with traction, weight balance and handling. Some racecars even use solid mounts to further prevent the engine from moving.
On the street we can't run solid or near-solid mounts because we can't pick up chicks in a car that sounds like an electric razor sitting in a bass drum. Some aftermarket engine mount manufacturers offer choices for the durometer; choose soft for the street unless you are a badass and you can get chicks anyway.
The other factor in engine vibration is balance. A balanced motor reduces vibration inside the motor and affects the resonance outside the motor. Take a stock D-series and drill holes on one side of its crank pulley, then watch what happens. Take a Spoon-built, blueprinted and balanced motor and put it on one single solid mount-all it will do is sit there and purr. Maybe you should consider balancing your rotating assembly if you ever have your motor apart. Other than that, we're sorry to tell you, but you'll probably have to just grin and bear it.-DB
Big-Block BoostI own a 1998 Honda Prelude and a turbo is definitely in the future for her. Stock is just too slow. My question is, if I keep the boost around 5-7 psi is there a need to upgrade the internals? I bought her six months ago and to the best of my knowledge she's stock throughout. Also at that boost should I upgrade the fuel system? Thanks for the help, and keep up the great work.Bj ParoSellersburg, Ind.
A good rule of thumb for us Honda Heads has been to boost between 6-8 psi on a stock motor. That is assuming a few things. The motor should be in good working condition before boosting it. Make sure all routine preventive maintenance is done and there is good compression and leakdown readings for all four cylinders before you decide to throw boost into the mix.
Make sure and size the turbo correctly. A huge turbo will make more power, but it will take longer to spool up, and the stock internals can't handle the extra power anyway. Try somewhere in the vicinity of a GT28RS turbo for your H23.
Last and most important is tuning. This is where your question regarding the fuel system comes into play. When you add more air to the mixture entering your engine, you need to add fuel. Some form of engine management is necessary to boost your Prelude. For a low-boost application, some will use a rising-rate fuel pressure regulator and call it done. A regulator like this will provide the extra fuel, but it lacks in tuneability.
The next step up would be larger injectors and a piggyback computer such as an A'PEXi S-AFC or a GReddy E-manage. These piggyback computers offer limited tuneability and are better suited for a daily-driven car where reliability is an issue. The best option would be a stand-alone ECU. Hondata, AEM, A'PEXi, HKS, and a few others make a computer suited for your ride. A stand-alone will allow you to tune pretty much any parameter you want, but the cost is at least twice as much as a piggyback unit. Good luck and happy boosting. - DB
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