engine build dilema

[AccrDRcR]

i have a h22 motor with 4-1 headers and i want to know if i plan on dropping around 3-4k in the motor what type of power am i going to look at? and will NA or turbo be my best bet power wise. im just looking for rough estimates not facts jus need some ideas so i can blueprint things out.THANKS!

[Joey GT-R]

There is no formula for how much you spend and determining horsepower. However, there is usually a strong correlation between money spent and 1/4 times. How much power do you want to begin with? Turbo? N/A? Nitrous? Is this a daily driver? What kind of racing will you be doing with it? Before we can give you an educated answer, we need an educated question.

[deevergote]

I could throw $3000 at an H22 and make no more than 10whp. Easily.
I could also throw $3000 at an H22 and make an additional 200whp. Easily.

It depends what I spend that money on... and how reliable I want it to be.


You will make more power with turbo, without a doubt. However, a proper turbo build can be very expensive (as can a proper N/A build.) On a limited budget, you run the risk of blowing something up.



Honestly, asking such a generic question isn't going to help you, and it will only frustrate the members of this site. You're going to be ignored by the experienced members, and you'll have a lot of crap information thrown at you by the noobs that think they know what they're talking about. Your best bet is to research. Look at other peoples' setups, and see what you like. Then do research and see what it would take to copy that setup, making any changes that you see fit. That would be your best bet. Once you pick a direction, you can start doing some more serious research on pricing.

[rexload]

Way too many variables as mentioned above.
Just doing ALL work yourself VS paying a shop is a HUGE difference.

4,000 is a pretty serious budget in the Honda world assuming you have 4,000 put away JUST for the engine (don't forget you need solid suspension, brakes, and tires too with the additional power) because you can make some serious power with the right parts.
With the right plan and the right parts you could be making 250whp naturally aspirated.. but once again assuming you can do a lot of the work yourself
With turbo you could potentially end up with significantly more power for the same amount of money (but more traction problems).. but once again, a proper turbo setup isn't easy to do as mentioned above.. and if you have to pay a shop for bottom end work, turbo install, and tuning, then you'll be spending way more than 4,000 by the time it is all said and done.

[AccrDRcR]

ok apologies about being vague but, its my daily driver and im not looking to take it on the strip but if anything take it on some canyon runs. i dont want to have too much power to wheels that i cant keep it on the road and i would preferably not want NOS just cause of the wear it puts on the motor. i have progressive sway bars and a strut and tower bar. im going to be getting suspension too but that isnt in that motor budget that i gave.

[deevergote]

Actually, a motor that's tuned properly for nitrous oxide (NOS is a brand name) can be very reliable. When you spray, you're only putting that added wear on the engine at that time. With turbo, you're subjecting the internals to abuse whenever you hit boost. With a high-revving N/A motor, you're subjecting the internals to extreme tensile stress.

Anyway, if it's mountain runs you want to do... I suggest focusing more on suspension, tires, brakes, weight reduction, and overall balance before you even touch the motor. You'll get far more enjoyment (and be safer!) out of a GOOD suspension setup than you will from a powerful motor and a sad, soggy 20 year old suspension... or a cheap, budget-built suspension, which is what I see more often than not on here. That H22 will give you more than enough power as it is.

Look into:
Quality shocks and springs (H&R springs and Koni Yellow shocks are a fantastic combination). A full coilover setup could be good, but the spring rates are terribly high in just about every coilover offered for our cars... and unless you really know how to fine-tune such a setup, it'll be wasted. I suggest keeping that fine tuning to the engineers, and just buying quality springs. The Koni Yellow shocks offer some adjustability that you can play with.

Front and rear sway bars. Progress and Suspension Techniques make good ones.

A traction bar. ESP is the way to go here. Don't get a cheap one from ebay... they're not safe.

Chassis braces (ESP is the place to go for this as well... www.explicitspeedperformance.net)

Polyurethane bushings (Energy Suspension or Prothane for these.)

A QUALITY adjustable camber kit (TASauto's adjustable front control arm kit is the best you can get... rears, I think Megan Racing makes some rear arms that are decent.) Don't go cheap on a camber kit... if they break, you lose control of your car.

Be sure to replace all bushings and ball joints that haven't been replaced by the upgrades above.


Tires, take your pick... just get a quality brand that will suit your needs. I'm a big fan of Dunlop, personally.

Brakes. TASauto offers a ROH (rotor over hub) conversion. You can also upgrade to larger rotors by various means (Prelude, TL, Accord wagon...)
If you don't have rear disc brakes, you can do that conversion as well.


If you shop around, you can find a carbon fiber hood and trunklid (the trunklid will be harder to find, unless someone is making them again.)
You can yank out the seats you aren't using, and remove things like cruise control, AC, etc... to shave off some weight.

[Joey GT-R]

You're still kinda vague man. How much is too much? You said no Nitrous, but you didn't say whether you wanted N/A or Turbo. I agree with the deeverman. Take that 4 grand and improve suspension first. During that time you can do more research on the kind of setup you want.

[AccrDRcR]

much appreciated deevergote that helps a lot and my reasoning for not choosing a route for set up is cause i want just some personal experience advise for the type of driving i want what would be the best route turbo or NA and which one will get me i guess further progress wise with the funds i have. and as for suspension i was looking at the kyb illuminias are they any good and how much are the konis with the HR compared to the kyb ive found them for average 600

[deevergote]

Tokico makes the Ilumina, not KYB. KYB makes the AGX.

Both are inferior to the Koni Yellow shocks.

[Joey GT-R]

If you're doing canyon runs there will be lots of accelerating and decelerating so I would recommend a N/A setup as a turbo might not stay in boost much. Or you would have to look at small one that builds boost starting at 2k and max boost at perhaps 5k. I would go N/A with perhaps a 75 shot of nitrous. 275-325whp is all you really need for that kind of driving.

I recommend only the best in suspension for canyon runs. I would say check out Koni with some Ground Control coilovers, Function and Form Type 2.5s, or AMR Engineering coilovers.

[AccrDRcR]

Thanks guys for all the help I'll do some looking into on the products and such