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MPG after a B16 swap?

12K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  flyingtoaster 
#1 ·
Let me start by saying that this is my first post, and I'm very new to the import scene, so much or all of what I say / ask may be clueless. So small words would be appreciated ;) I did check the archives & didn't see anything, but I may have missed it...

I just bought a '93 del sol s with the D15b7 motor (126K miles), automatic transmission, and a busted A/C. It's my new daily driver, and I'm getting about 33 mpg going 75 miles @ < 25 mph and 25 miles at 70 mph per day. That's quite a bit better than my ford explorer on the same trip...

Anyway, it's going to cost me close to $1K to fix the A/C -- about $300 in parts & $700 in labor. So I think to myself "Gee, for another $900 in parts, I can get a JDM B16 with <60K miles and an A/C compressor that works, and for another $500 in labor, there's a shop in town (Baltimore) that will put it in".

I'll be staying with an auto tranny (please don't yell at me -- see the part about 70 mi / day at < 25 mph). I'm not looking for a 12 sec car, just one that merges & cruises comfortably.

So, my question is, what would a D15 -> B16 swap do to my mpg? Would the car still be sensible as a commuter car? I'd prob look to de-tune it enough to run on 87 octane, if possible, to save $$. Or should I just fix the A/C and leave it alone, at least until the D15 dies, if it ever does.

All comments appreciated.
dave.
 
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#2 ·
I would say keep it the way it is. Don't ruin a b16 by puttin an auto tranny on it, and detuing it. It's made to run on 92+ oct. I wouldn't run anything less in it. It would run on 87, but like crap and you could blow it up. I would if doing the swap, make it a 5spd, and run 92+ oct in it. That's my .02$.
 
#4 ·
dstrout said:
Let me start by saying that this is my first post, and I'm very new to the import scene, so much or all of what I say / ask may be clueless. So small words would be appreciated ;) I did check the archives & didn't see anything, but I may have missed it...

I just bought a '93 del sol s with the D15b7 motor (126K miles), automatic transmission, and a busted A/C. It's my new daily driver, and I'm getting about 33 mpg going 75 miles @ < 25 mph and 25 miles at 70 mph per day. That's quite a bit better than my ford explorer on the same trip...

Anyway, it's going to cost me close to $1K to fix the A/C -- about $300 in parts & $700 in labor. So I think to myself "Gee, for another $900 in parts, I can get a JDM B16 with <60K miles and an A/C compressor that works, and for another $500 in labor, there's a shop in town (Baltimore) that will put it in".

I'll be staying with an auto tranny (please don't yell at me -- see the part about 70 mi / day at < 25 mph). I'm not looking for a 12 sec car, just one that merges & cruises comfortably.

So, my question is, what would a D15 -> B16 swap do to my mpg? Would the car still be sensible as a commuter car? I'd prob look to de-tune it enough to run on 87 octane, if possible, to save $$. Or should I just fix the A/C and leave it alone, at least until the D15 dies, if it ever does.

All comments appreciated.
dave.
I hope that whoever is doing this swap for you knows what they are doing. Auto B swaps are a pain in the ass to wire up. Auto D & B wiring is totally different. You can't run 87 on a B16, even if you retard the timing to the max. If you're looking to save gas, just get a newer SOHC swap. 96+ SOHC are way peppier than the older SOHC.
 
#5 ·
Don't bother with the A/C, dude. Running A/C in your car compromises fuel economy (gas mileage) and performance. I've owned 4 CRX's, all with 1st Gen B16 swaps but all of them were manual transmissions. Even with doing my stop-light-sprints every now and again, I was getting about 25-30 mpg. The only mods I had were a short ram intake, a cat-back exhaust, and a short shifter, nothing serious.

With the kind of money you'll spend on parts and labor to put that motor in your car, you'd be foolish to put a functional a/c unit in. Just open the windows. Besides, don't del Sol's have targa-tops anyway?
:p
 
#6 ·
Heh -- no A/C is not an option -- I live in Washington DC. 'nuff said for a daily driver...

I've actually pretty much decided to go with a mini-me set up, and boost it to 180-ish HP. That should be a bit zippyer, and I can do that cheaply over time. Someday I'll do the B-swap, but not yet...

thanks,
dave.
 
#7 ·
dstrout said:
Heh -- no A/C is not an option -- I live in Washington DC. 'nuff said for a daily driver...

I've actually pretty much decided to go with a mini-me set up, and boost it to 180-ish HP. That should be a bit zippyer, and I can do that cheaply over time. Someday I'll do the B-swap, but not yet...

thanks,
dave.
I don't think you can boost on 87 octane. The automatic transmission will fail, but you probably know that. In Hondas, manual transmissions are consistently a second faster 0-60 than automatic, so man up and learn stick. You'll get better gas mileage, too.

If you really want auto, then a USDM auto LS motor/tranny can be had for less than a manual LS or B16, since people like to get rid of them for GSR swaps.
 
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