Rooftop voter

I have a 1994 integra RS that I am planning to turbo, but I just found a 98 GSR at a good price. The question is, how much more benifit am I going to see from turboing the GSR vs the Stock b18b motor? Is it worth it to shell out more money now and get the GSR and turbo it when I have the funds, or should I just turbo the B18? Is vtec vs non vtec that big of a deal when FI is brought into the mix? I also know that the GSR has a better tranny, but I figure if I stay with the RS I can just find a GSR tranny at a junkyard or whatever and just switch them out. Am I correct that it is do-able and that it will just link up? Also, I can swap out for a b16a1 head with minimal amount of headaches if I'm not gonna run Vtec, am I correct on this? Thanks, Ramsey.

Also, I found a LS/Vtec conversion kit on ebay, how reliable are these? says no machining involved, is this true? I heard it was a risky procedure, does this make it easier?

emspilot

Search man...search!
This topic has been covered in great detail.

TheOtherDave™

1) At the same boost level, the GSR's B18C1 will make more power than the B18B1. Where your 94 RS will be making about 170 wheel horsepower at 8lbs, the 98 GSR will be making about 220 wheel hp, all others things equal.

2) When it comes to trading cars, only you can make that call.
However, I would just turbocharge your RS rather than take a chance on the health of a newer GSR. What's to say the previous owner didn't beat the piss out of it?

You can make up some of the difference through higher boost level and minor headwork. Also, the GSR transmission will help your acceleration times, despite the lower redline of the RS motor.

3) Slapping a VTEC head on a stock B18B1 block is a recipe for a short-lived engine. Search the term "LS-VTEC" build and you'll see that the process of building such a motor is not a cheap proposition. This goes double when you're paying other people to turn the wrenches.

4) The B16A1 is one of the most overrated engines ever. Sure it has 160hp, but it has jack shit for torque. Also, depending on emissions laws, this engine may not even be a legal option for you.

5) The "VTEC Conversion" kit is just a set of hoses and an adapter to faciltate plumbing the oil feed line to a VTEC head. While they claim there is no machining involved, you still have to mill out the head for the B18B1 dowel pins. And after that, you're still dealing with a marginal bottom end. (see #3)

Next....:run:

TheOtherDave™

And yes, for the love of GOD, search. :a:

Rooftop voter

I was thinking I'd get closer to 225 at the wheels with 8 pounds. That's a lot less than I expected. Hmmm. I think I may just try and get the GSR. I tried searching and I did find some answers to my questions, I just mainly wanted to hear opinions on the Turbo vtec vs Turbo non vtec. I can't put a vtec head on and not run vtec? I thought I could put one on just for better flow?? Anyhow, thanks guys. Oh yeah, I guess there's no way to know if the other owner has ragged it, but I guess it's a chance we all take when buying used cars. Anything you guys think that I should be looking for especially when looking at a GSR to see if it was abused?

Snoopy

just have the stock head ported and polished

Provocateur

The Golden Eagle kit comes with conversion dowels that are tapered to allow fitment into the vtec head and non vtec bottom end without machining.

Ls vtec is the way to go for big FI power. While you are putting the head on, you might as well change out the pistons and rods and you could have a stronger, faster motor for less than $1500.

Provocateur

Any decent sized turbo could get an LS motor to 225 whp at 8 psi. Power at a given psi is based on the turbo size and how many CFM it flows.

Given your situation, I would suggest keeping the LS, turbo it with a properly sized turbo, and if you want more power, go the ls vtec route.

Buyimports2

IMO vtec costs more when it comes to dollar/hp. Instead of buying a car with vtec, if you took that extra money and put it into your turbo build, you will probably get more horsepower in the end. vtec is good, but I think it's over rated. A vtec engine with 30 more hp than a non-vtec costs like 3 times as much.

WiseGuyOnCouch

i agree with buyimports allthough you'll see i have a gsr, when i originally bought the car i knew little to nothing about the differences, but i did know that an 01 gsr has leather and i can't stand not having leather seats in my car(as sad as that sounds). but really listen to schmoo he's been preaching the word of turbos for a long time and going with a turbo on your rs is the route i would go b/c vtec just adds another(i don't wanna say problem), but quirk if you will into the equation of turboing, besides your overall goals can be achieved by simply raising up the right amount of dollar signs no matter the original platform