ls vtec or turbo options, i need help

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R

ryangt

Senior Member
Ok, i am finding myself needing more power. I have a 91 crx dx/hf with a 91 ls motor with ys1 tranny. the swap is fine but i just want more power. I am toying with two options from what ive read in the forums.

Turbo the LS - big power/ lots of maitnence / expensive

Go LS/Vtec - big power/ unreliable/ sort of expensive

Im just curious about personal experiance on this stuff. What have you guys had that a good setup. I want a good power upper, with not a ridiculous ammount of money being spent, im looking at about 2000 to put into one or the other. Please keep in mind i would be doing all the work myself in a limited garage in san diego.
thanks for any help you guys ahve to offer.
 
lsvtec unreliable? here we go again. go lsvtec dude. whoever said lsvtecs are unreliable can go screw themselves. The idiots who cut corners are the ones that say they are unreliable. what do you plan on changing if you go lsvtec?
 
werd to the taco man. if you want a reliable lsvtec, get a p28, have it chipped, the get either a gsr or b16 head and buy the lsvtec kit from golden eagle. really the only thing that would make it unreliable is either doing a home made kit (and then it depends on the person who's building it) or using an untuned p72. if you use the p72, itll still run decently, but it can cause problems.
 
well the thing that gets me is that there are so many write ups on how to build a reliable cheap lsvtec thats good for 7k rpms and people still screw it up! Its mandatory that you buy new oil and water vtec pumps for high reving. Buy a GE conversion kit to make it easier also. thats reliable enough and will get you close to 160whp. tuning is a must when you modify the compression and other characteristics that greatly improve fuel and air flow.

Many people think that just because its got a vtec logo they think they can rev the piss out of it. you cant! remember ryan that the bottom end is still a stock ls. once you change the rods or at least get arp rod bolts you hve greatly prolonged the life of your motor. Either of these are a must especially when taking the pr4 piston and swapping with something of a higher compression(common are pr3 or p30 for really high comp.). HELL........... HERE READ THIS!

https://hondaswap.com/general-tech-articles/assembling-ls-vtec-32829/

AND YES i have an lsvtec. this is my second one. the first one lasted at least 5-6 yrs before its doom on the the dyno. specs were pr3 pistons on stock b18a1 bottom end. gsr cams, 4-2-1 dc header, dual valve springs/retainers. all that on stock crx dx exhaust got me 172whp with chipped pw0

my rebuild consists of forged and balanced bottom with 11.3.1 comp. skunk2 s2 cams along with valvesprings/retainers and a P&P job and new 2.25 exhaust and chrome tuned p28. i know i'm pretty close to 200. reliable? hell yeah i drive it to work everyday AND i have A/C. gotta have it in Fl
 
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go taco man. woot.

im glad you said the water pump and oil pump. those are so manditory i almost forget to say them.
 
i'm on a roll today baby! i've been posting and helping left and right. woot woot!!!

i just read some more......... Ryan i think $2000 is enough to build strong lsvtec crx. dude My first motor would run high 13's on street tires. all you would really need is the head with intake mani($500 at the most),pr3 pistons(i got some p30's with rods for $160 so i guess they would be alittle chreaper on ebay)) and some gsr cams ($80) which are pretty cheap. The rest you would have to buy brand new or at least know they are in good condition.

and your good enough to ride with it untuned....Pw0 obd0.
 
thanks. hope it helps with some questions and gets rid of some rumors as well. Man i hate when the first thing that comes out of someones mouth is.....''i like lsvtec's but they are unreliable'' even though they never even owned one!!!!!!!!
building an lsvtec is like building anyother engine. you have to make sure that one part can hold the power of the next part. and make sure all the parts are strong enough to handle YOUR FOOT.
 
i know my next honda will probably be an lsvtec. it looks like its either gonna be a DA or an EG. I have a feeling im gonna have more fun in the next car than i have in any other.
 
thanks for all that great info, im not one to cut corners at all, and have always done the work on my cars right. Im actually torn right now, because the car is being finicky about starting lately, it wants to click at the main relay alot, then after crewing with it, it will miraculously start, and its not like i was forgetting to hook stuff up correctly either. I really at this point cant even decide fi i want to keep the car, or get rid of it as is and start a 95 or so hatch. The ls/vtec does sound nice, but im scared to build something more form this car with its electrical gremlins the way they are.
 
i would be too....id get a different shell to work with
 
too bad your in cali. I'm gonna have my crx for sale soon. nice clean shell and pretty good interior. that would make a quick car for and lsvtec.
 
yeah, i mean i love crx's no other car is feared by so many mustang owners haha

The car was a dx, i yanked all the wiring and replaced it all with a clean uncut hf wiring, and it worked perfectly, but its just being a pain right now.

i think i want a newer hatchback, they are so smooth lookin, and theres one for sale down the street for 2500obo hmmmmmm
 
usvispeedracer:what vtec cams r good for ls /tec ..keep in mind that iam only red lining at 8,000 rpm,,,to stay away from r/s/ danger zone 8,500 vtec rpms ,,even thow i hav a fully rebuilt buttom end all after market internals and bored out to a 1.9 liter block .iam asking cuz u could say type r cams but i wouldent get full efficanciy on them cuz tpe r cames were set to a higher red line ,so i did some search and found out that gsr cams r great with ls/vtec convertion ,or stay with b16 cams .any sugg or imfo
usvispeedracer@yahoo.com iam also going 2 boost soon 8lbs of boost with the ls/vtec set up...then i will have a 300 HP daily driven integra
 
Im doing an Ls-v setup myself but am having trouble whether to use the CTR pistons because my buddy said i maight have clearance problems i dont want my valves playing drums w/the pistons
 
Yes, topself. the Gsr cams are the ideal for that oem idle while having the lower redline than the ITR
 
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