HELP: Kanjo Racer


civic.kanjo

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Jan 25, 2020
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Hi guys,
I really want to build myself a kanjo racer out of an ek9. I have a budget of £15 000, though I can stretch some more. Is was thinking of a k24 engine swap but I am an unsure as to whether it will fit (there is only one way to find out I suppose). Can anyone perhaps tell me the 'done-thing' when it comes to Kanjo racers, or point me to the right people.

Thanks in advance,
Cameron
 
AFAIK a K24 is no bigger than a K20 and should fit. The ultimate would be a K24 with a K20A head. You will leave a lot of recent turbo hot hatches in the dust with that config. Get a good LSD to put the power down, especially in lower gears.

Also, cage, good suspension (Ohlins e.g.), good brakes (DC5's, Wilwood etc). I'd put some extra attention to aero, to keep the car stable at higher speeds. I do wonder if an EK9 is the right to continuously drive at very high speeds. Stability at 150mph wasn't the prime objective of the car...

Is the 15k for the car and mods or only mods?
 
I have the car but no engine or gearbox, so just the mods. Also, I got linked to this just last night by a former racer:

"Running the Osaka Loop is all about driving ability, which makes the Civic a perfect machine for the job. Since it is important to maintain manoeuvrability and nimbleness, you won’t find very many Civics that are over-powered. Popping the hood of one of these Hondas will more than likely reveal a highly-responsive B16A engine, or its larger displacement brethren, the B18C. Rarely will you ever see a K-series engine swap and the B-series engines being used do not even have major modifications to them. Since this is such a high-risk hobby, the possibility of ruining the car or losing it is always a factor so it just makes sense to keep the modifications minimal. It is also traditional to keep the motors lightly-modded because the old Civic one-make circuit races of old were often relegated to having basic mods or no mods at all."

Going on that information, I will more than likely get a B18C Type R JDM engine. I need a cage for obvious reasons, is there one you would recommend, same with the suspension? The majority of Kanjo civic I've seen have no aero, but I will look into that.

Thanks for the reply.
 
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Disclaimer: I am no kanjo-expert, just trying to apply logic :p I have no idea about cages.

I wonder if you should get a B18C; while those are excellent engines, the piston speed on very high rpm is is higher than some F1 cars. Therefor they are a little bit more prone to wear on very high rpm than a B16b. I could be wrong, but I am assuming that the engine will work more in higher RPM's than on average? If you are driving and accelerating on WOT in 4th gear, then it will take longer before you can shift than when you accelerate in 2nd, which will never happen on a highway. On the other hand, you could install a B18C anyway and maybe not trash it all the time ;) I'd stil long for a K20 though I think...Unless you think the way you are going to drive is as high risk as the writer of that text says it is. But then I wouldn't invest 15k at all. So maybe you should tell us what you think of that first.

If on a budget because of high risk: B16b for reliability, get a better 2,5" exhaust, good CAI, ECU and remap, really lower the car as that is easy profit in terms of aero, do it with the likes of MeisterR or something, DC5 brakes for great stopping power, cage, bucket seat, maybe some braces, strip the car and gooooooo.
 
Note: The car doesn't need to be road legal (Jap regulations) but can't be an all out track racer either, if you get where I am coming from here ;).

I was gonna go for the B18C as it has better torque in the lower gears, really not sure. Let's be optimistic here and presume I won't crash it. The only reason I am sceptical about the k series is the drop in handling, which I suppose I could make up for in aero. The budget is not for risk for anything, simply the amount I have at the moment. To answer your question I will be using WOT on and off for about 10-15 minutes at a time.
 
Would the K20 give such a difference in handling?
 
Would the K20 give such a difference in handling?
Not if you set the car up properly

If you have £15k to throw at it and cant get it set up right with a K20 you have some issues.

Guy I race with dropped a K20 in his EM1 and spent about 4k sorting aero and handling and its now 3 seconds a lap quicker and much more responsive
 
I will do some research into it. Thanks for the help guys. Another quick question is there any difference between a UK EK4 and a Jap EK4?
 
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