Tuning Honda DC2 1800cc for race / circuit

[Mark83]

matthews677 said:

a racing filter (approx £150 for a v.good one) will add an extra 20-25bhp (and sounds sooo good in v-tech)!

V-tech FTW woo!!

[Marf]

[andy97]

Is it possible to fit a 2 litre engine from the Civic Type R or DC5 Integra into a DC2 easily. Ie is it just a drop in job or are their major changes to wiring harnesses etc required?

I ask because the series I am considering racing a Honda in has a 2 litre class limit; there are a couple of DC5s out in it already and the DC2 1800cc engine might be a bit low on power in comparison. I don't want to go to the extra expense of a DC5 but if I can find a DC2 & a Civic or Inegra DC5 donor vehicle it might be worth considering an engine swap.

[pbirkett]

Not worth the bother frankly mate.

It will cost about £5k for a K20 transplant, and the car will not be much quicker than before, and will be worth less than it was before. The B18C also sounds better IMO, a more charasmatic powerplant.

For that kind of cash you could turbo / supercharge the B18C and it will be much quicker than a std K20...

If you really want that engine then you should just go straight for a DC5 / CTR / S2K.

If you really want a DC2, get the JDM, its slightly more powerful, and not much in it at all straight line between it and a DC5, but handles better.

Each to their own and all that...

[breezy]

mat205125 said:

The simplified regs mean I want up to 1800cc, and plenty of tuning potential (circa 220+bhp). The smaller and lighter the car the better .... reliability would also benifit the pocket, which was why I suggested the DC2. A 200bhp 106 / C2 is also in consideration.

S13 200sx?

Cheap as chips now. 1.8 Turbo from the factory, would see your power goals and considerably more torque at a sensible level of tune. Aftermarket parts are plentiful and a good owner network. LSD on the later cars too.

Absolutely no idea how light you can get them but I'd hazard a guess at 1000-1100kgs stripped?

[jonnydiscopants]

If regs allow, a turbo kit from Peak boost will more than do the job along with 550cc injectors and hondata s300 ecu. Direct bolt on and can run 300 bhp on standardinternals, although, if i was going to be thrashing it, id at minimum get a block guard, h section eagle rods, acl race bearings and CP pistons. Nice strong reliable build then on about 10 psi of boost

[DanielJames]

matthews677 said:

a few of my mates who have had them have claimed to gain anything from 35-50 bhp from them due to the fact the mid section of the exhaust is actually restricing the engine slightly and giving it slightly better fuel economy. therefore take it away and supposedly you gain more power! im only going from what i've heard but if its true then why not do it?

I know its a 7 year old thread but its come up on Google, which means it might come up on Google for someone else, so I need to point out that this is bullst.

Plus, if they were to fit a small exhaust to reduce performance, this would likely have a negative effect on fuel economy anyway!

Without engine mapping you'll be lucky to see 5-7bhp from exhaust and air filter upgrades.

[Kozy]

You'll be hard pushed to get 250bhp out of a B18C on a genuine dyno. Throw as much money at it as you like, but the ICE has operational limits and 250bhp is about it on the B18C without some trick fuels or a complete grenade of an engine.

If the regulations stipulate it must be the original engine, it must be NASP and it must be sub 1800cc, then if your budget I would look at using a B16B crank to destroke it to 77.4mm, then sleeve the block to take it up to an 84.5mm bore.

The idea here is that the shorter stroke allows a higher maximum RPM, and the increased bore replacing the lost capacity means the torque won't drop. Same torque + more RPM = more power. You're changing the specification to give more headroom on those operational limits and this is the only way to go above 250bhp.