Aftermarket cams for B18b? Worth it?
 

I've been toying with the idea to upgrade the cams in my B18b motor. Nothing crazy, just up to a stage 1 profile. It is my daily driver, and I don't want some lumpy ass idle, lol.

To those that have done it, did you find it was worth it?

Any brands to recommend or stay away from? The brands that keep coming up when I look are Skunk2 and Crower.

Thanks :thumbsup:

I am or was in the same situation. No idea what your goals are, but if you DD your ride, I figure you do not want an all out top end beast. Something fun and reliable I am guessing?

Here are my conclusions:

1) A decent set of camshafts are around $500-900 new. Depending.
2) A good tune is required (so factor in some money for this as well) Obd1 business etc..
3) Valvetrain- depending on how agressive your camshafts are and other variables. There are too many to go through with no info.
4) Dyno graphs do not show much power after scouring Honda tech, team - integra etc..

In the end, a supercharger or small turbo build up are your better options. I do not think it is worth the time or money to try and extract NA power for the B18B (personally). Not saying that some LS-Vtec do not put out power- but you need to spend $$ Think Hytech, pistons, sleeves etc..

Yup, you got it. Fun and reliable :)

The whole reason I went with the B18b was because it was my DD, I could run 87 gas, and I could get a way newer, better condition motor. Plus, if I wanted to, this motor has the lower compression needed in case I did go Turbo/supercharger.

More people seem to suggest going the supercharger route, as it's my daily driver. Kinda crappy in one hand, because the choices are limited at best with the s/c. Looks like Vortech is my best bet, but I've heard that these are super loud! Not always a bad thing, but I don't know anyone personally thats had one. I poked around you tube, but it's still tough to gauge the noise...

You sound like me.. Yes, loving the 87 octane, had a DC2 before and to be honest, GSR wasn't worth the premium price tag.

My ride was supppose to be stock, but then came along the optional kit, shaved moldings, suspension etc.. And lets admit it, the dc4 is slow and kind of boring stock.

Check out the Supercharger thread on Honda-tech, I think you will be convinced (especially the dyno graphs). For DD, I don't think you can go wrong, low bottom end power and decent torque for a honda.

Did you end up going the s/c route? Or planning on it?

Yeah, getting all the parts together right now to make sure it is as reliable as possible. It came down to either:

1) Swap- Too pricey
2) LS-VTEC: Not saying that these builds are not reliable, but the SC route seemed better. For maintenance wise, you only need to check the pulleys from time to time. And I like the fact that if my blower goes, I can still driver her home as opposed to Boost.

Still missing my injectors (going with 440RC I think) and just ordered Fuel pump. And I am thinking about getting a 2.5" exhaust system. I have a retarded DC sports right now.

Does anyone here know any local shops that have dealt with tuning supercharged hondas?

Cool, good luck with the build. I'm anxious to hear how it turns out :)

I would give Garage Five a call. I'm sure they can help you out, and if they can't, they'll know who can. They were the ones who recommended going s/c for daily driver, so at least you'll know they're on the same page as you.

Get a Vtec head and go that route. I know its a bit more of cost but that gains are way worth it. If you spend 500$ on a set of cams you can spend that on a head and produce way more power than you could ever get out of a non Vtec head. The limitations of the Non-Vtec head really don't justify adding power adders. Don't get me wrong I know of LS blocks that are boosted that run 12's all day but you have to boost the shit out of it. Don't forget to do your Rod Bolts before you do ANY other power mods though.

Berz out.

So you're saying just stick on a vtec head (from like a GSR, Type R) but don't do a complete LS-Vtec conversion? So I still won't have Vtec, but still get the advantages of the better flowing head?

No No lol you do the conversion but everything comes with the head. All you have to do is run an oil line up to the head for the Vtec. Golden Eagle conversion kit is the one I used. It comes with a nice adapter for the back of the block and an oil line.

I would stay away from GSR heads just because of the limited intake choices but if your going to just set and forget it then a GSR head will be fine. Try to find a B16 head if you can... type R heads are to expensive to justify the cost.

Berz out.

Thanks, I am building the charger myself. And I think G5 only tunes Hondata. I aint that ballin to run hondata.

And if you decide to do the head swap, I would try and grab the b16 as well. The golden eagle kit is on sale at Honda-tech as well.

Lol, ok... I didn't think that's what you meant, lol. I kept thinking, that can't be right!

How much was the Golden eagle kit, if you don't mind me asking?

Crap I don't remember it was around 100$ I think? While your at it you should probably get ARP headstuds and ARP Rodbolts. They are not totally needed if your just going to run a stock setup but if you plan on upgrading in the future you might as well do things right the first time now so you don't have to take the head off down the road. I would def. get the rod bolts though because you will be revving higher with the vtec head.
You will also need a new gasket obviously. The golden eagle kit comes with dowels for the Vtec conversion and perfect instructions.

Berz out.

As much as I'd love to do the LS-Vtec conversion, after pricing it all out today... it's still a ton of money to do it right. And when you're doing something like this, going half way is just asking for trouble. Same with a s/c or a turbo... for my DD, it's not worth the cash.

I think what I might end up doing, is getting a 2nd car as a project car. That way I can do a more agressive build, and have a fun car to take out on the weekends, and to Mission.

I might end up doing the camshafts after all, then once I get her through AirCare, I can do a proper tune and just leave it at that. I'm glad AirCare is only every 2 years...

You will be able to aircare with the cams in. I'm almost certain of it. Especially if your getting it tuned... you can get an aircare tune to run whatever cams you have its really easy. I've tuned cars with harsh cams to get through no problems.

Berz out.

i say why not?

If your turbo is shot, you can still drive it. Just unhook the charge pipe.

Garage5 have dealth with many hondas, give them a shout.

why don't you keep it non-vtec, a nice set of Crower 403 cams and dual valvespring makes decent power with good low-end torque, and still keep stock idle, you can still run octane 87

not to mention that vtec components are much more expensive
for VTEC conversion, you'll need these:

VTEC conversion kit - $250
vtec dizzy - $100
complete vtec head, IM, TB..etc -$500
ECU - $50

these parts are $900 down the road

I did end up keeping it non-vtec, and i did end up going with the crower cams. Did the whole 9 yards. Cams, springs/retainers, cam gears, converted to OBD-I w/Hondata, and a basic street tune.

I was happy with the results :) It's no rocket ship, but it's definately way more fun to drive.