B20 Vtec

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EF9_boy

New Member
i just got a complete b20z and in the near future i want to go with a vtec head

other than the golden eagle kit, drill some holes, and run oil feed lines what do i need to do?

and also what head would be the best b16 or gsr? (thinkin gsr)

and do i have to get it tuned? (i dont think so but am not sure)


thanks guys
 
you dont need to drill any holes, all vtec heads have a plug that you remove and thats were you feed your oil to your head.

I personaly like to use the gsr head becuse it adds a bit of compression and has quench pads that ward off detonation.

You MUST get ARP rod bolts, if you dont you will break one and fling a rod.

Treat this as a rebuild, and you Must tune it if you want good power and a long lasting engine.
 
if you bolt a stock vtec head on a stock b20z bottom you will end up with about the same power as a stock GSR motor, or just a little more at best. the cr is low, and revving past 7k rpms is dangerous with the stock b20 rod bolts.

back when i first got my car the stock with bolt-ons b20z bottom/b16a head combo put down 159whp. and that was revving it to 8k (not recommended). if you do a light build of the motor you can easily make 200+whp with proper tuning, and it will be safe and reliable.
 
if you bolt a stock vtec head on a stock b20z bottom you will end up with about the same power as a stock GSR motor, or just a little more at best. the cr is low, and revving past 7k rpms is dangerous with the stock b20 rod bolts.

back when i first got my car the stock with bolt-ons b20z bottom/b16a head combo put down 159whp. and that was revving it to 8k (not recommended). if you do a light build of the motor you can easily make 200+whp with proper tuning, and it will be safe and reliable.


but the b20z has a 9.1:1 CR so wouldnt a vtec head gsr or b16 would make it higher compression wouldn't it?:confused: with proper upgrades and tuning would it be safe to take it to 8k or would it still be a bad idea?
 
If you properly build it yes apr studs and you should be good
 
but the b20z has a 9.1:1 CR so wouldnt a vtec head gsr or b16 would make it higher compression wouldn't it?:confused: with proper upgrades and tuning would it be safe to take it to 8k or would it still be a bad idea?

Like was stated earlier...higher then 7K is bad...its a sport utility motor that has a bottom end designed to rev much lower then a VTEC head wants to go.

Yes the compression goes up but I'm not sure the exact #'s (someone will chime in) And it will go up even more depending on the piston you put in

Change the pistons/rods/bearings and put all ARP bolts/studs to get up to/past 8K rpm's

IMO running any stock non-vtec bottom end with a vtec head is a bad idea unless you re-build and upgrade. It will run but who wants to rev to 6k?? You end up rev'ing higher and there goes the bottom (at least)
 
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non vtec bseries use the same rod bolts as the Dseries! think about it, you need arp rod bolts.

Also if you do go head studs, you need GSR head studs even if you use a B16 head.

now if you want to make good power you need higher comp pistons, and at least a itr ctr cam valvetrain.

YCP makes 84mm high comp cast pistons that will fit your stock rods at a great price.
 
b20z with a vtec head is about 9.6:1 cr. still pretty low.
 
Since you have the engine (not installed), you should just build it. Do a simple piston/rod setup, new main/rod bearing, arp rod bolts, new oil/water pump (99+ b20 oil pump is the same part # as the itr pump). Buy ARP head studs, new headgasket (B20), and you will have to switch the dowel pins on the head or the vtec will NOT activate.

As for the head, I personally like to b16a2 head. You can use the ITR manifold/tb with it, it flows better in my opinion, and depending on the condition of the head, you can run 11.5:1 cp pistons and still be able to mill the head to clean it up so it mates perfectly with the short block. My ls_vtec build had ctr pistons, 12.4:1 with the b16 head. got away with 93 octane (no pinging). I like ITR cams with that setup, and should make nice power in that b20 build.
 
i personally would get a b16 head, the casting flows better then the gsr, but you get better compression with a gsr one. you should get some good pistons too, everything you do to the motor will benefit from the raised compression. get some cams and a tune, and your car will be a little n/a monster.
 
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why dose everybody say the b16 head flows better?? it really dosent! That myth makes B16 heads sell for over $200 more than the gsr, the only advantage of a b16 head is the use of a ITR intake manifold, but a skunk2 mani is the same as a itr mani and are just about the same price.

Also DONT buy a B20 head gasket(same as LS non vtec) unless you want to take it to a machine shop and have it worked on, buy a cometic LSV head gasket at any MM bore you may need for the same price as a OEM. As for the dowl pins, well use LSV dowel pins, they make em and they are cheap.
 
thanks for all the info guys

while i have yall's attention what brand clutch should i run?
i dont need anything beefier than a stage 3 but am pretty sure a stage 2 would be perfect
i'm lookin at about 225whp goal might go with a shot to get that goal but idk
 
exedy is good for the money. clutchmasters is good but not cheap. act is good but has a lot of pedal pressure if you use the HD disc.
 
im running a clutchnet setup, and i love it. im using a stage 3 pressure plate, with their stage 2 full face kevlar disk. very easy to drive in traffic and grips like a mother fucker when you need it to. im able to chirp 4th with a stock b16a even though i dont have the use of 3rd gear lol.
 
B16 head is better ports flow same amount of air volume as a GSR head but the B16 does it at a higher velocity. The GSR head does up compression a bit so this makes up for the lower velocity. Honda did not just flip a coin when they picked the PR3 head for the Type R motors. Just do a light port job on a B16 head and it will flow close to a Type R. All Honda does is smooths out the ports and blows. This can be done by hand with a little time and care. I am doing it to my head before going to the machine shop.
 
IMO running any stock non-vtec bottom end with a vtec head is a bad idea unless you re-build and upgrade. It will run but who wants to rev to 6k?? You end up rev'ing higher and there goes the bottom (at least)[/QUOTE]
My stock B18b with IHE and tune revs to 7K all day long with no problems.
 
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