High Compression b20

ASSISTANCE Hybrids & Advanced Aftermarket Engine Performance
1

I want get a b20 motor and just found out there was a high compression b20 from 99+ crv that puts out 147hp for $650 out the door.
I assum the pistons are to thank for the good hp numbers compared to a 91 ls motor that spits 130hp.

so my delima was I can do 1 of 3 things.
1 buy a ready to drop in high compression b20
2 build a regular low compression b20 with b16 or any high comp pistons that will render the same results.
3 build a b18a block with b16 or any high comp pistons to get better results and avoid any future delimas with the cali state reff and smog.

2

just do the B20. and, you cant put B18 or B16 pistons in a B20…they dont fit.

3

do more research. talk to local shops who have done the shop. you live in cali and have the luxury of having majority of the larger shops closer to you than 80% of the rest of us lol. just ask em how to beat smog.

btw:
b16 = 1.6L
b17 = 1.7L
b18 = 1.8L
b20 = 2.0L

like he siad, cant put smaller pistons in a larger bore engine.

4

my bad i was thinking of the ls motor, ive heard some people use b16 pistons on a ls block.

back to my question would it be the same of cheaper to use a bare b20 block and after market high compression pistons that will render the same results.

5

i think i am unsure of what you are asking…what is your budget for this first of all? what kind of power do you want to make? is this going to be a daily driver? racer? drag car? track car? etc…there are a ton of things that will factor into your decision…usually money is the big one. so, if you want a simple, reliable, fairly quick engine, throw in a B20 and be done with it. building something up with aftermarket stuff gets expensive quickly. i know. i’ve done it.

so:
-budget?
-what kind of driving will it see?
-power goals?

6

if i had to say what my buget lands id say maybe $1500 on parts alone and within a time period of maybe 6-8 months to get it all up and running.

im want to have my car drivable for a daily commute of 30-40 highway miles a day. but i want it to have a good bump in torque and hp for the occasional open road. I just want it to keep up with most compact cars and fun to drive all in one package…

I know i might have to dig in some carb legal skunk2 cams and head work but im wondering if i can avoid it with a simple swap.

7

$1500 is not enough for the things you want to do (cams/etc). buy a high compression b20 swap, and enjoy.

8

okay, well that does sound like you need a B20 swap to me…a mostly stock b20 will give you the reliability you are looking for, commuting 40 miles a day too…

now, are you going to be installing the engine yourself? or are you paying a shop to do it? that may have more impact on your budget as well. like iceman said, you really wont be able to afford much else in the way of parts, after you get her in the car.

but - it is a great platform to start with. i swapped a lower compression B20 into my EG hatch (inteded to turbo it) and let me tell you, that thing was fun and very quick! that engine was completely stock, with the obvious intake and exhaust. the only thing i would have done differently, is swap an LS 5th gear into the GSR trans i was running. that thing screwed up to 80mph, then the party was over.

so, with all that being said- get that B20 in there, start driving it, then you can always throw a GSR head on it later down the road as money allows. anything internally you want to do to [any] engine, adds up QUICK. cams, springs, retainers, machine work…yada yada…

good luck dude!!

9

Just a little more info about bore:

b16 = 1.6L 81.00mm
b17 = 1.7L 81.00mm
b18 = 1.8L 81.00mm
b20 = 2.0L 84.00mm

10

I got my High comp B20b from www.hmotorsonline.com for $1000 shipped. I absolutely love this engine! Great response, pulls hard, (chirps tires in 1st, 2nd, 3rd!) & pretty quick to boot. I highly recommend you get your engine from hmotorsonline. They are the #1 importer & NO ONE has any complaints about them. Mine was almost brand new looking inside.

Check it:

I swear it seems like it was barely driven. The seals & gaskets were brand new, (or @ least they seem that) & the exterior was immaculate. You could tell they didn’t clean it themselves cause there was some dirt on the bottom of the intake manifold from some up splash. However, it still looked new! Buy from them & you too will get a stiffy when your engine arrives!

As for the horsepower numbers, the 147hp/135tq is a little off. It’s more like 160hp/ 140tq. 147 crank hp is like 128 to the wheels.

The reason for this is that the B20b is in a heavy ass van/SUV w/ a sluggish auto transmission & a bunch of power starving emissions components. When the engine is put in a lighter car w/ a better geared manual trans, the power is uncorked.

Here is a dyno chart from a G2 member w/ a high comp USDM B20Z in his teg :

The only mods were intake, header, 2.25" exhaust, a lightweight flywheel, & a street tune w/ CHROME. 146hp/137tq to the wheels! You can’t get these numbers on a street tuned engine w/ mild bolt-ons that only baselines @ 147 crank hp. Not to mention, this is a lower HP USDM B20z high comp; so imagine the numbers available w/ a JDM high comp B20b! The owner said he could have probably could have gotten closer to 150 w/ a high flow cat.

I have intake, 4-2-1 header, high flow cat, & 2.25" exhaust on mine now. I will be adding a better flowing SP header w/ a 2.5" collector, 11lbs flywheel, a Blox intake manifold, & getting a street tune in the future. The goal is 165-170 hp to the wheels. It should be a very attainable w/ this setup.

As others have stated, this engine is a great platform for some serious power. Get the proper bolt-ons first, then enjoy. Later on, you can turbo or Vtec it. Or both!

BTW- a stock JDM high comp B20b in a DA will beat a stock 99 Civic SI. Youtube it!

In conclusion- JDM high comp B20b FTW!!!

:getsome::manual:


Figure that out!

11

Hmotors is a great place, I’ve heard nothing but awesome things from them. But another place to look for motors (and other used parts you might need) is car-part.com. It’s a nationwide junkard search engine with really awesome prices! Got my B20z local for $800 with 80,000 on it and a 30day startup warranty. Did the timing belt & cam seals, water pump/tensioner/spring , oil pan & valve cover gaskets, Exedy stage 1/Fidanza 7.5lbs. That thing got down for just a stock motor! Kept the crazy intake manifold too, it looked so weird haha:

12

where do the newer b20s from 97 and up get the extra hp. I mean fromthe 120hp to 147hp thats a big jump. almost a 30hp difference.

13

The 96-98 B20B has 8.8:1 compression, a high rise intake manifold, and a crappy set of cams.

The 99-01 B20Z has 9.6:1 compression, a low rise intake manifold with a funky resonator box on it, and a better set of cams (same as the B18B’s of the same year).

14

ok so lets say i buy the b20z with 147hp and run it on my obd0 ecu and skunk2 pro intake manifold. wouldnt my obd0 drop its hp i mean really putting some thought that the b20z from a 99+ is a obd2 so the numbers will change right?

15

yea i wanna know about this also because this the way im going but im gonna get a b16 tranny to go with it

16

If you are really concerned about it, convert to OBD1 and have it tuned. OBD0/OBD1/OBD2… all of ecu’s that you would use are going to be for a 1.8L not a 2.0L (unless you converted to OBD2 and got a B20 ecu which is not much better since it’s tuned for the highly restricted CRV anyway).

17

yeah but nobody wants to tune a stock b20z on a obd0 or 1 ecu.

I get your point i guess it just comes down to the person doing it.

18

The dyno sheet posted earlier was from mine - 146whp is at least 160hp at the crank and that was after being tuned on an OBD1 ecu. Would you run a 190hp Type R engine on a 160hp B16 ecu? 130hp OBD0 or 140hp OBD1 ecu running a 160hp+ B20Z is the same difference. From experience, mine ran like crap on the stock OBD1 ecu. After tuning, it runs way better than the stock engine ever did and gets better gas mileage, too. I just pulled off 30mpg with a B16 transmission (cruising at 75-80 on the highway and putting my foot in it at every traffic light). The 8.8:1 B20B is probably close enough to the B18A to not notice a whole lot of difference, but the B20Z in my opinion needs to be tuned in some form to run right in an Integra.

19

can you use the ls b18a1 aftermarket headers, stock valve cover and intake mani on a b20b or b20z?

20

Anything that will bolt onto a LS will bolt onto a B20… it’s basically just a 2.0L LS. Aftermarket headers made for a DA will be the best fit. Putting on a B18A valve cover would result in deleting the PCV valve which is a bad idea and the B20 valve cover looks better anyway. If you get a low comp B20 with the high rise IM, you will have to switch the IM out. With the high comp, you wouldn’t have to switch it and the B18A one is a downgrade (an OBDII B18B IM would probably be best).