Hi guys,

I'm new here & require opinions or suggestions on enchancing my car performance.
Now I'm using the stock A18A 1.8L 12-valve twin carburetor engine with 4-speed automatic transmission (110HP). This engine to me, are very old, felt very under power, have slow acc, & worst of all, can go top speed of 150km/h only! .
Because of that, i hope i can get some advices from all the sifu's here on how to upgrade my car around 200+HP in most efficient money spending & time consuming way. (if can, fuel efficient also)

So which 1 is the best solution?

1) B16A swap + Basic intake and exhaust modification = 160+HP ( below target, but cheap?)
2) B18C swap + Basic intake and exhaust modification = 170+HP (near target, reasonable price i guess?)
3) B16B swap + Basic intake and exhaust modification = 185+HP (slightly below target, but expensive)
4) B18CR swap + Basic intake and exhaust modification = 200+HP (on target, damn expensive)
5) K20A swap + Basic intake and exhaust modification = 200++HP (slightly above target, expensive?)
6) Others?

FYI, I dont mind spending a lot, as long as it is well spend. (eg. for me, spend RM10000 to add 100HP is well spend, while RM500 for 1HP is not) Btw, I have minimal/basic knowledge only on engines & swaps. So, pardon my noobyness pls & thx in advance

Hmm.. if i hav a budget around 15k, what can i do then? How much is the average cost for eng swaps, eng intake & exaust modifications? Is installing turbo to my current engine an option?

again, pardon my noobyfull questions, & thx in advance

Thx for the insight guys..
But along with that, there r some questions:

1) How much do b18c gsr halfcut cost?
2) madman: wat do meant by small v b16a & big v b16a? izzit SOHC & DOHC?
3) stormlcc: u mentioned on f20b, is it the bluetop ver found in accord SiR-T? whats the average price 4 it?
4) Pajero 4D56: 13B-DEI or 13B-REW? & is it even possible to install them inside my hood..?

and again, i apologise if my question sound very nooby-like.. & thx in advance!

f20b sounds nice to me now How much does it cost?
i've tried search'n through the net & found it around $700. If converted to RM... around 3k?

thanks guys for the positive responds.. I really appreciated it..

as far as the discussion goes, i think i'll go for the f20b.. the task now is where to find 1..
but I still have 1 question though,

stormlcc: i've search around the net & could'nt find the s-tronic gearbox u mentioned.. correct me if i'm wrong, but i've only found out there is a S-Matic automatic transmission, & it comes with Accord SiR only.. plus, the engine was rated 180hp not 200hp.. the ones rated 200hp was inside Accord SiR-T (manual transmission). I've found this inside wiki though..

If this is true, which 1 should i choose? manual with 200hp, or 180hp with s-matic?

haha.. prior to open this thread, a mechanic from a shop juz behind my hse called me & told me he found a f20b from half-cut shop at puchong area.. lolz... half-cut price told by stormlcc was spot on, around 5k+.. plus he said can choose either wan MT or AT same price.. overall cost around RM8k++... should i go for it?

Hi guys, i think i juz roasted my eng.. cmin back from subang, suddenly car shutdown.. stopped & smoke cmin out from the eng bay
I guess the car is yearning for a new eng then

I met the mechanic b4 to confirm the pricing & ask him the details on the halfcut. He told me RM5700 for small v f20b NO VTEC.. if wan big v f20b w/ VTEC, hav to add 1k

So, after bargaining with him;
big v F20B VTEC halfcut + wiring + dashboard + new exhaust system (extractor+2"piping+bullet silencer+muffler) + workmanship = RM9k++...
a good bargain or a rippoff?

Found both f20b DOHC VTEC MT & AT w/ S-matic halfcut today by frens.. MT cost RM4500 while AT was RM4000..

Decided to go for MT bcoz of the extra 20HP but the problem now is to choose the right workshop to do the swap.. Got several interesting offers from the local & fren recomended workshops;

1) new, small workshop located behind my hse - can kawtim within 10-14 days (worst come to worse b4 cny) - Initially, overall price around RM3000. Later, after said wan to do sumwhere else, lower price to RM1800 (w/out eng service, no new timing belt, etc.)
2) fren recommended workshop @ kg subang - said by my fren can kawtim in 3 days (worst, a week) - Price, initially 2K.. told him too expensive.. later call me back & said RM1300 (told me for the sake of frendship)
3) father's fren workshop @ klang - said takes time but worst will be 1 month. Oso said they have done the same eng swap for the same car several years ago. Plus, the car is at his workshop for some time now bcoz owner not usin it. Give him RM1800 can kawtim d.

So which 1 is the better choice?

Anyone can give me any examples of good branded 4-2-1 extractor for f20b, where to find and the price fot it?
Modify exhaust cannot pass jpj? but my current exhaust system already rusty & broken d.. wat to do?

Thx guys, all of ur responses help me o lot..

Bought the halfcut today, got minor prob with it (Vtec didn't open at high rpm when we check) . But got warranty d by them. They say if no open after swap, they will open it thierself. Then went to my father's fren workshop at klang. Saw the car they said b4, a 3rd gen prelude 4WS w/ f20b swap . It was done 10 years ago, w/ f20b AT modified to MT, and that car was built for track purposes (juz the way i liked). Sadly that car was abbandoned & looks in a bad condition . So decided to do the swap by them since my father trust them & seems like they're very experieced with swaps (especially honda's).

Overall Cost (now) = RM4500(halfcut) + RM1800(everyting till the car is roadworthty) + RM200 (tow to klang ) = RM6500

Later I'll try posting some pics on the swap process..

Regarding the exhaust system, I guess I'll hold on to the stock extractor (as adviced by majority of u), but current piping & muffler certainly must change coz current 1 r rusty & got holes all around the place. So, can anyone give me the pricing for several good quality mufflers pls

*Vtech -> Vtec corrected*

This post has been edited by wuzz_ere: Jan 31 2010, 03:36 PM

I think that's the case here, coz we revved the eng both in neutral & in 1st gear oso cannot open vtec..
So we'll w8 till the swap finishes & see if the problem solved by then..


1st of all, wat is lantai engine? Sry i'm a noob here, so still not fully understand some of the terms used here..
Secondly, yes, the nsx eng is powerfull.. but how in hell can i swap that eng under my hood Anyway, I'm trying to make a roadworthy car here.. So a 3.0L eng is out of the question then..

Juz to make it clearer to everyone, im trying to make a car that if not all, have most of these characteristic;
- fast, enough to compete wif current civic type-r, hence the 200+HP (less prone of me kene tapau by my frens wif new cars)
- safe, "with more power, comes greater responsibility" (less prone to c me in hospital, or worse, graveyard)
- roadworthy (less prone to kene tahan everytime roadblock)
- reliable (less prone to be in 'park beside highway/road situation' )
- fuel efficient (less prone to meet with 'org minyak' everyday)
- eye-catching, prefer towards hot-chicks though, not thieves (less prone u c me single till im 60)
- flexible, can be easy &comfortable for either city/highway driving or type-r mode (less prone of chicks leaving my car & call taxi after several speedbumps/plothole, or couples of 'eng mati', or several mins of sweating, or hours of slow boredome)
- cheap (less prone 4 u 2 c me on side walk eating garbage, begging money)
that enough 4 now i think.. haha..

Btw, saw the f20b on mudah.com.my .. cheap, but it's AT they usually rated with 180hp..

Regarding Vtebo, what is 0.7 bar? Cost for overall turbo+installation? Sry for the noob questions, & thx in advance

Thx for the turbo lesson bro
but I think I'm heading to the NA way for awhile due to large FC & diff of HP from previous eng..
I scared the car cannot tahan too much power, & I cannot tahan money flowing like river, later my car & my head oso explode

Later if I feel the car still lacking power, maybe I'll go Vtebo

This post has been edited by wuzz_ere: Feb 3 2010, 07:28 PM