Cams


Marcus Butlerus

Marcus Butlerus

Donator
Donator
Joined
Aug 11, 2008
Messages
657
Hi Guys,

I have been looking at engine mods for my 1.5sohc VTEC. currently i do not have enough money for a EK9 or a full engine conversion, so i was thinking would cams be a cheap(ish), good way of making a bit more power. just looking on your veiws on this. also could somone put me in the right direction on where to get some good cheap ones:secret::nice:

Thanks Very much
 
Alright butler its Ramsay, how you doin? didnt know you were a member on this forum. how is the car going? Honestly mate I read into modding your engine when I had it, its the D15Z6. There isnt much you can do with it for more power unless you spent alot of money on a turbo, etc. The best thing would be to save like a bitch and get an engine conversion, because as I know, you have a good base to work with. You can pick up a
H22, B16A2 or a B18C4 engine for no bad prices these days with everything included, you just need patience to find the right one! :)
 
Plus the words "good" and "cheap" wont come in the same sentence for cams! also you only have one so it would just be CAM!lol :) you should also try the D16 turbo forum its really good for info on D series engines. There are a couple of D15Z6 engines with turbos and they are good reads, they would help you with any mod questions.
 
Ask your Bro what am like at saving:)) Aye thats good advice btw. Cheers Bob. I was Hoping Someone would say that to stop me wasting my monies lol, Thanks Bud
 
Aye Malc has told me mate!lol how is the car anyways, you get the timing belt done yet? you have the best civic to save money, its cheap to run and has cheap insurance and tax!! Get you finger oot son. I think you should start by stopping smoking!!lol easier said than done tho eh! :)
 
mark u canny save money so u wont bother ha ha.
a hoy
 
I had to make the same decision....

I prefer to save money for a B18C swap
 
ramboteamjon said:
Honestly mate I read into modding your engine when I had it, its the D15Z6. There isnt much you can do with it for more power unless you spent alot of money on a turbo, etc.
Click to expand...

Just because it's an engine that wasn't well received in other parts of the world, doesn't mean the engine itself has no potential to develop more power.

In the states and particularly in Taiwan where SOHC motors are most prevalent, the D16Z6 has made impressive gains for what it is.

1_164570309l.jpg


Here's a baseline run vs. a cam dropped in with NO tuning.

1_632524708l.jpg


Baseline vs. fully tuned

1_461030671l.jpg


fully tuned vs. B16A.


There's no doubt in my mind that a B16A with cams will OBVIOUSLY produce more power, but if you already have the Z6 and don't want to spend the money to do the swap, you can have a lot of fun for a lot less money with properly chosen parts.

SOHC motors are generally cheap and plentiful compared to any twincam swap. They are also much easier to work on. They also weigh less (70lbs IIRC) which is always a bonus.

What kind of times can a car like this pull?

It's good for 14.7s at over 90mph. Granted there are other mods involved (4.7 final/LSD/flywheel/clutch/lightened car) but given the entire package here - it will still be cheaper than a B16A swap and it will certainly be faster than the 16A going in. It would even give stock B18C4s a run for their money.

I should know....I have a similar setup in my hatch.

n835255482_1965525_3245.jpg


oh and this is the kind of header that was used. A quality $100.00USD special.

eBay Motors: 96 97 98 99 00 HONDA CIVIC STAINLESS HEADER+TEST PIPE (item 160290568286 end time Jan-05-09 12:45:49 PST)
 
RA I do agree power can be made with SOHC engines, i just don't think its worth it. 140whp is not really anything to write home about, even with extensive head porting tuning and high compression 170whp is hard to achieve, especially since the OP is working with 1.5 liters.

By the time you have spent the money to make ~135-140whp + gearing would the money not equal or exceed the cost of a b16 swap which makes 135whp out of the box and already has very short gearing? Even with the 4.7 the OEM b16 gears are all shorter (except 1st).

and the d16 graph is from a dynapack, is the b16 graph also from the same dyno or is it on a dynojet?
 
The point is that 140whp is just as much as a stock B16A is making and for some that is exactly what they're looking for on a budget.

The 16A hardly has "very short gearing" - but I am, of course biased on that given the fact that we offer gearing to shorten things up to make up for the torque deficient 16A/B.

Both cars were run on the same dynapack.

The breakdown really is the same when we're comparing it to a stock 16A to this mildly built Z6. Except the Z6 is "complete" for the cost of a 16A swap. The Z6 has "everything" already to outperform the 16A in stock form and to, at the very least, keep up to somebody who is going to spend $1-1.5k more to get ahead.

Let's not forget the hidden costs of performing maintenance/labor on a swap. Not everybody is mechanically able. Anybody who says an engine swap is cheaper than a cam install...well... run far away from that shop or stop puffing from the backbox.
 
Your right RA, i forget not everyone has access to a full mechanics garage (im spoiled) and the cost of install plus fluids, tune up, axles, clutch, mounts etc... can all add up since most people do all that at once while the engine is out... well at least me and my friends do.
 
Thanks Guys, I have read a fair bit on this now and an engine swap sounds better as this is still open for mods, whereas if i were to do up my motor then i will run out of options. This is what i have gathered from reading up on this. Cheers, Marc
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top