F22A1 at high altitude. 30+hp under $500 worth it?

[Harriers Wake]

Greetings,

Spent my afternoon reading through the 30+hp for under $500 thread. I'd like some feedback concerning the application of the aforementioned a4/a6 mods at high altitude. If I had to guess the whp for an F22A1 in Albuquerque is probably around 100 if its healthy. Would it be worth swapping these parts in or just go the H22 route. I realize boost is a big help at altitude however, I'm not trying to dive that deep into the engine bay at this point. I can handle a swap or bolt-ons myself, just not too comfortable with tackling boost just yet.
Thanks in advance.

[deevergote]

H22 is always going to be the better option, as you'll get that extra 75hp in stock form (meaning modifications will only increase it from there... or you can just enjoy stock reliability and fuel economy...)

High altitude always hurts engine performance (and your F22A1 likely puts out even less than 100whp at high altitude... that's basically what one should expect at sea level). Still, the upgrades in that thread should still give a decent boost. Call it 20 or 25 instead of 30, perhaps (and 30 is really just a guess anyway). If you can do those mods cheaply, go for it. If you want a more noticeable gain, save your money for the H22A swap.

And I feel the same way about boost... it requires a LOT of work to do it right, and it's not cheap to do all that work. The gains are worth it, but drivability and reliability can suffer, even when it's done properly. I had an H22A in my now-recently-deceased CB7, and honestly, it was perfect. It felt like it belonged.

[owequitit]

I was at 5,000 feet in AZ when I did most of those mods, and I am absolutely an advocate. More power is more power.

That said, the H22 is more power still, but not a lot if you aren't in VTEC.

[deevergote]

That's very true about the H22A. That's one of the reasons I genuinely liked it, honestly. It felt like the F22A at low RPM. A little more grunt, but not huge. However, when you reach the point that the F22A runs out of breath, the H22A comes alive. VTEC is a wonderful thing You can have your cake and eat it too!

The H22A is well worth the expense and effort, though keep in mind that even with an H22A swap the CB7 will continue to be slower than many non-performance cars sold in the last decade or so. The car will be very fun to drive, but somebody's grandma in her 2010 V6 Accord or Camry could pull away easily if she had a heavy foot. I've driven much faster cars than my CB7, however... and the CB7 remains one of the most enjoyable.

[sonikaccord]

It's all relative. You will still gain the "30hp" but only at sea level. I feel it would more than likely increase driveability versus just peak hp. It should give you more oomp on the low end.

[92LxCoupe92]

If you do decide to go H series. I recommend an H series trans as well, unless of course all you drive are the highways (freeways? lol).

[irelandmc]

Keep an eye on CL. I've picked up several decent (<150k mi) F22A6 motors w/ECU for a couple hundred bucks each. IMHO the complete motor swap is easier than replacing an intake/exhaust/cam.

A bit of the A6 incremental power also comes from a crank scraper in the oil pan, and you're going to have to lift the motor to get that gain anyway. Some day when you're ready to H swap you will have the experience of picking and placing a motor in the bay already.

Honda publishes 125 BHP for the A1 and 140BHP for the A6. Whatever you get at the wheel, +12% is +12%.

[Harriers Wake]

Thank you all for the excellent input, and I apologize for taking forever to respond. Life went a little insane for a few weeks. Deev, i've lurked the members rides for the better part of a decade and your input as always is stellar and I believe you have convinced me to hold out for the H. The car is getting some preventative work done at the moment just to keep the F22 on it's feet in the interim, but it's gonna be like driving a snail for a while at this altitude. Also, i'm all for granny's camry taking me at the light, having a CB is gonna be more of a nostalgia experience for me than a nail-biting speed monster one, plus i'm more into handling. I just want an H for that sporty feel. @ 92lx, the H trans is a must for me, and I'd want the M2B4 or nothing else. I agree that 4k on the tach @80 in 5th gear would get very old.

[gloryaccordy]

Long blocks and DSM parts are cheap. If you have the time and desire I would do a mild turbo build. Also upgrade your cooling as thinner air = less airflow for cooling which is bad with boost. I think you could build something decent for the price of an H22 swap.