B16B in CRX- yay or nay
 

IF you wanted to build a reliable , fast, agile and peppy daily driver (and occasional Auto-X'r), and your budget's around 10k, would this be a good idea? Considering the B16B has 185lb out of the box, a ridiculous redline, and a pretty easy swap to do on a CRX...
B16B, intake, exhaust, header, new coilovers, brake conversion to say like a GSR- yay or nay?

nay.

or buy a swapped eg/ek for 4k. or buy a jdm wrx/sti for 6-8. lots you can do with 10k

FishTaco gave fails, but did not suggest you an alternative autox car or criticize the build plan.
1exotic gave a nay, again with no explanation, suggestions or criticism. Automatic FWD hate?

Productive.

Epicbeardman, I'd suggest you create a thread on Honda-tech in the Road Racing/Autocross & Time Attack forum. You have a good basic plan already it sounds like, but they can give you very detailed feedback on things like the weight of every specific model and year.

has it been long enough that we can call that retro? classic?

that was my wet dream when i bought my first car (CRX) at 16..... 12 years ago

yay if you want built not bought

otherwise, for 10k there are some other options, such as RHD imports

Hmm.. I failed because he's asking about the most common swap in the Honda world. There's a reason why. Google + CRX + b16 swap = thousands of hits.:fullofwin:

2nd fail is for the "nay" without a reason.

Ahh makes sense :thumbsup:

b16b (from the JDM EK9 CTR) would still command a pretty high price, no? and I think you meant 185hp, not 185lb torque.

have you considered the price of a b18c1 swap? do you already own the CRX?

How much do RHD CRX SiR's go for now a days with the glass roof?

I specifically asked about the B16B. The B16B is less common in CRX's than the other B16 models. At the same time I wanted to know what RS thought. But thanks for your input.

Nay. Man, you know whats pimp, a Datsun 240z with a rb26dett. That's what I wanted when I was young and dumb. Way better and faster than your crx b16b.

I think I said 185hp. ANd ya I considered the B18c1, but the B18c1 is a slightly harder swap than a B16B, lower redline, b16b 185hp out the box (if you take a B18C1, add the extra cost of swapping, plus mods to make the same power, it will cost more or the same amount) and a better transmission. I also want to keep it N/A.

More than you can afford, pal.

Do what dbaz did, B20/vtec in his CRX did it like 5-6 years ago?
all under 10k back then its still reliable

Buy a EK Civic with a B16 swap for under 6 and spend the rest op performance upgrades.

Go B18c1.

B16B is an impressive motor..once you're in VTEC..but in real world situations Torque > Horsepower.
B16's in general are gutless, even a K20a3 would be better in a CRX.
You will be much happier with a C1, as well as a C1 responds better to mods.
B16's in general with N/A breather mods will no nothing, but more so especially in a B16B, it's already tuned from factory.

1exotic is a big hater when it comes to anything non exotic. Since when did you see him take any pics of civics? Not the best person to ask.

with all options. power folding mirrors, glasstop, auto climate control, leather seats, back seats, power folding mirrors etc. 13-15kish. have seen some at a lower price though, unless they are missing options. but an importer would charge 14kish+ as i found out while icbc was trying to appraise my car.

10k to put in a crx.. Honestly the b16 isnt worth it. I got bored of it quickly. Its an upgrade from d series but meh. I would go with a type r engine and suspension upgrades. I was contemplating going from 2litre to kseries swap but with all the fab work etc and to do it properly its going to be over 10k. With a built bseries if you do it right is good enough for the crx if you are planning on tracking. Sure the k20 is good for shits and giggles but the bseries is good if done right.

personally i have a b18c1 thats been bored to 2l. it has enough torque to make it fun and when tuned/built can put out decent power for a light car

I believe a k24a1 (CRV) k-swap is a great option for the power levels one would be looking for in an autox car. People fixate on having a k20a ($5k) or a k24a2 ($3k), but the head in a k24a1 flows equally to that of a k24a2 minus vtec for a very affordable price ($800-1000). Buy a low mileage motor, don't spent a fortune on going with a built motor and forged internals that you don't need. Get K-Pro or AEM EMS, I/H/E, vtec killer and a tune and you'll be hitting more than any mild b-series build could ever achieve for less money, because of the increased displacement. Yes, the swap is a bit of a PITA into a CRX, but the money you save by not buying a b18c5 or b16b would cover the increased cost of mounts and such.

umm if you look at all the small items you need for a kseries its what truly adds up. the motor isnt really what adds up. bseries crap is cheaper because there's more options on who to buy from because there's more demand still. i almost went k24a1 route(had a wrecker offering full motor for 400) but it still was more expensive in the end
kpro 1000
axles 350
clutch line 100
mounts 400
etc etc etc

i personally dontl ike the way crx's look, so i'd get a 96-2000 hatchback

but i guess that's quite a bit more money.

heres a suggestion. buy my rhd honda del sol with a b16. lol jk

Considering the 10k budget, a K swap is just out of the question. A lot of work, labour, and $$ to do it properly. A B series swap is MUCH more cost effective in the long run. There are still a million aftermarket parts for them, and it's a tried, tested and true swap.

If you can find a decent B18c5 motor out there, that would be my pick. A ton of fun in stock form.... however, there is no reason you couldn't build up a B20. That would be a lot of fun as well. You have so many options, it's a great position to be in.

...and frankly, Honda should have had a b series motor in the CRX from the factory, or at least in the Si models anyway... :fullofwin: