Should i LSVtec?

[sablan02]

alrite guys and gals..this is my first post. It has nothing to do with what i need for a lsvtec and wat not, but rather on if i should do it? About my car.. Its a 94 LS with about 201,xxx miles on it. Yea i know, a little high but still runs good. I was thinking of swapping into a GSR motor with LSD but money seems to be the issue right now. So i was wondering... Would it be worth it and ok to build an LSVtec on my engine with so many miles? im guessing it would be a little cheaper to do than a swap, but i wanna know if it would be reliable to last for a while? i was probably thinking of getting new pistons (ctr), water pump, belts and all other stuff. Anyways..wat would u do if u were with a car with so many miles? and oh.. i live in california and im not really familiar with emission. If u need any more info on my car..holla. thanks and peace

[Snoopy]

if rebuilt with new parts, you pratcially have a new engine. have it built right, tuned right, and dont go revving the piss out of it and it can be reliable.

[sablan02]

yea but is it worth it? should i just go straight to a gsr swap w/ lsd?

[White98LS]

Are you going to have a shop do the labor? If so, a rebuild with some new parts and an LS/VTEC conversion isn't going to be much - if any - cheaper than a good low-mileage GS-R swap (which remember comes with with tranny gearing more suited for a VTEC motor). I've never been a huge fan of either option if you're on a limited budget (both make some sense if you have money to really open them up, but relatively stock it's a lot of money for a less-than-earth-shattering increase in power). Given the choice though I'd opt for the GS-R swap I guess, especially if you can get a good deal on one with an LSD.

[Sirfallsalot243]

I vote GSR swap. LSVTEC will still leave you with your 200k mile bottom end, which will accomplish nothing. If you want some good power, for VERY little money, and a VERY easy swap, look to the B20. On HmotorsOnline.com, you can get the complete longblock for like $600 plus shipping. From there, it drops right in, its practically the same motor with more displacement.

If you want more power after that, you can CRVTEC that, and throw on a GSR or B16 head.

[flyingtoaster]

LS/VTEC doesn't appeal to me because you're stuck with a B18B bottom. It's not that reliable of a setup to turbo, so it's better to stay N/A. However, you'll have to upgrade the cams for good N/A power and most aftermarket VTEC cams are designed to make power poast 9,000rpms. That's great for a GSR motor, but you're stuck with an LS redline with an LS bottom end.

...So getting more than 190 crank on an LS/VTEC would invovle building the bottom end to raise the redline, which is out of your budget.

BUT you can get 190 crank on your LS motor with a proper 2.36" or 2.5" full exhaust, stage 2 cams, and a few other toys, it would be relatively inexpensive, and you would not have to worry about the LS/VTEC blowing up.

[White98LS]

Originally Posted by flyingtoaster

LS/VTEC doesn't appeal to me because you're stuck with a B18B bottom. It's not that reliable of a setup to turbo, so it's better to stay N/A. However, you'll have to upgrade the cams for good N/A power and most aftermarket VTEC cams are designed to make power poast 9,000rpms. That's great for a GSR motor, but you're stuck with an LS redline with an LS bottom end.

...So getting more than 190 crank on an LS/VTEC would invovle building the bottom end to raise the redline, which is out of your budget.

BUT you can get 190 crank on your LS motor with a proper 2.36" or 2.5" full exhaust, stage 2 cams, and a few other toys, it would be relatively inexpensive, and you would not have to worry about the LS/VTEC blowing up.

Read my damn mind. Very good point about cams too... I've never been comfortable recommending high-revving LS block setups that aren't completely built up the right way (meaning $$$). Did I mention how unfailingly reliable my LS setup has been despite thrashing around at constant near-redline (including hitting the limiter pretty much every run) in autocrosses every other weekend? 74k, doesn't burn a drop of oil, perfectly smooth and solid, 30+mpg. Hell, I'm getting 30mpg WITH autocrosses thrown in on 87 octane. For a little over $2k it blows a stock GS-R or LS/VTEC, or even B20/VTEC out of the water.

[Snoopy]

not all cams need to be revved to the stratosphere to make power. some are engineered to make great midrange power and torque. buddy club spec3+ and skunk2 pro1 cams come to mind.

[flyingtoaster]

Originally Posted by Snoopy

not all cams need to be revved to the stratosphere to make power. some are engineered to make great midrange power and torque. buddy club spec3+ and skunk2 pro1 cams come to mind.

A custom grind would be ideal if one knew what specs were good until about 7200rpms.

[Sirfallsalot243]

The thing that is appealing about LSVTEC is that it provides a motor with good bottom end torque, while still making power up top. The LS motor kind of goes flat up top, as opposed to VTEC which keeps on pulling. The stock 7k rpm redline isnt bad, all things considered. You could keep it at stock redline and make good power.

I disagree with the notion that LSVTEC turbo's are unreliable. My builder daily drives his 325whp LSVTEC on 10psi. As long as you have a properly built motor with a turbo friendly compression ratio, you shouldnt have any problems.

However, I think the main reason to stay away from LSVTEC is that it wouldnt solve your problem. You issue is that your motor has 210k miles on it. Swapping out the head wouldnt change the fact that the bottom end is getting near its last leg.

[Snoopy]

Originally Posted by flyingtoaster

A custom grind would be ideal if one knew what specs were good until about 7200rpms.

why do a custom grind when buddy club spec III+ fits the bill already