b20 turbo or ls/vtec

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Mufasa1987

New Member
I have a 1998 ls and I have decided that I want to make her faster. I have been reading forums and talking to people and I've been told to go with a b20 block with a gsr head for the vtec conversion. This car is my daily driver. I also have an obsession with turbo's. My budget is not limitless, would it be ok to use a b20 block with the b16 head with a turbo kit, I would get new rings, rods, and maybe pistons just to be sure that I dont blow it up. Any suggestions would be great...Thanks!!
 
my bad i meant the stock ls head thats on the car now...

So you want to take the LS head and put it on a B20 block? If that's the case, then you might as well just swap the entire B20 in. The B20 and LS heads are the same. The difference is in the intake manifold, so you'd want to swap that over or get an after-market one...
 
so let me ask you this...is it better to run a turbo off a complete b20 or a stock ls...better meaning quicker and atleast more reliable?
 
Honestly I'd just turbo the stock LS. It's a little more stout then the B20 is...less likely to blow it up. How much power do you want to make?
 
i agree bro, i would run bout 9psi on a stock b18 with no worries about blowing the engine. might be able to run more but i know 9psi is plenty and if tuned right its would be pretty nasty...
 
I mean that was my original thought, but as i kept reading and people were saying different things about how it would blow up the motor. I mean this ls is the fastest car ive owned to date so im sure just a turbo would give me the thrills I crave. What would you recommend I change to ensure some reliability without spending a fortune. Is it better to buy a turbo kit seperately? well not better but cost effective? Because I dont have an unlimited budget. Is there anything I can do to "test" the motor like compression tests and stuff to make sure mine particular is ok? I've been waiting for someone to encourage the turbo ls. Thanks
 
It seems like the ones who say no to the ls turbo either boosted way too much on the stock motor or didnt maintain it n caused it to blow
 
i agree bro, i would run bout 9psi on a stock b18 with no worries about blowing the engine. might be able to run more but i know 9psi is plenty and if tuned right its would be pretty nasty...
9psi? this doesnt really tell him much, considering that your stock engine will respond differently to that amount of pressure than the OP's stock engine will.
you also must consider the size of the turbo, mileage on the engine (which effects the efficiency of the engine), tune, etc. too many variables to just spit out a number like this.
I mean that was my original thought, but as i kept reading and people were saying different things about how it would blow up the motor. I mean this ls is the fastest car ive owned to date so im sure just a turbo would give me the thrills I crave. What would you recommend I change to ensure some reliability without spending a fortune. Is it better to buy a turbo kit seperately? well not better but cost effective? Because I dont have an unlimited budget. Is there anything I can do to "test" the motor like compression tests and stuff to make sure mine particular is ok? I've been waiting for someone to encourage the turbo ls. Thanks
I personally have a built and turbo'd LS, and i love it.
the thing to remember is that you're turboing a stock engine, so it is probably going to have a decent amount of miles on it. if its anything over 200k miles, you might want to consider a rebuild before you go turboing that engine.

below 200k (and i mean well maintained 200k) is still going to require a great tune and a solid setup. make sure the engine doesnt leak oil, or use a lot. check to be sure that everything is in good working order before you even attempt this.
go over your car's brakes, suspenison, etc. more power means you need more control.
It seems like the ones who say no to the ls turbo either boosted way too much on the stock motor or didnt maintain it n caused it to blow

poor maintenance on a turbocharged engine is just asking for a mess. i consider a solid tune to be a part of good maintenance, so make sure you have someone lined out to do that. DONT DRIVE THE CAR TURBOCHARGED UNTIL YOU HAVE IT TUNED.
 
the car has 145,000 miles and has been maintained regularly and every 2000 miles an oil change, replacing parts when they get old or go, starter, alternator, rotors etc....I've taken good care of the car and has only had minor repairs. I have yet to encounter an oil leak or leak of any kind. Its going to receive a suspension as well, i already have springs waiting for a check to get struts upper lower control arms etc...I think i have made up my mind...would you suggest replacing the rods or piston rings for example because ive read they arent that strong on the ls. Thanks for your help
 
9psi? this doesnt really tell him much, considering that your stock engine will respond differently to that amount of pressure than the OP's stock engine will.
you also must consider the size of the turbo, mileage on the engine (which effects the efficiency of the engine), tune, etc. too many variables to just spit out a number like this.


sorry i should have been more specific but didnt really think i had to be, considering anyone that wants to turbo their ride i would hope has some mechaincal experience lol, good point though matt.

i assumed tht his engine was in good operating condition or he wouldnt be wanting to turbo it. and about the 9psi, its just what i hear was the tops on a stock engine, and a few buddys run 9psi on a stock engine. sorry didnt wanna go into too much detail all at once lol ... peace bro
 
the car has 145,000 miles and has been maintained regularly and every 2000 miles an oil change, replacing parts when they get old or go, starter, alternator, rotors etc....I've taken good care of the car and has only had minor repairs. I have yet to encounter an oil leak or leak of any kind. Its going to receive a suspension as well, i already have springs waiting for a check to get struts upper lower control arms etc...I think i have made up my mind...would you suggest replacing the rods or piston rings for example because ive read they arent that strong on the ls. Thanks for your help

if youre leaving the engine stock just let it be. boost it and go until the rings go out, then rebuild the block and go for more power :)
 
and about the 9psi, its just what i hear was the tops on a stock engine, and a few buddys run 9psi on a stock engine. sorry didnt wanna go into too much detail all at once lol

PSI really means nothing unless you name a specific turbo. 9 PSI on a tiny turbo versus 9 PSI on a giant turbo is not the same thing. That's why it's really better to "go into too much detail" rather then not enough when talking about this kind of thing... :D
 
i have a 94 dc2 ls an i wanna make it to a ls vtec ..what do i need an how do i do it???
 
I have a question what do you think would run better a lsvtec turbo or b20 turbo
I think the b20 turbo will have more power simply because of the displacement of the motor. Now, I heard that the b18 can last more on turbo but that can be fixed for the b20 by resleeving it with better sleeves and changing the rod bolts and if you want peak performance use a p8r head. :)
 
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