stick with a D..
Do you plan on tackling this project on your own ?

if you gotta pay anyone to do anything forget your 2-3k..

 

I was a motorcycle technician for most of my 20's, and have worked on cars before. I feel I could install the hardware, but I would have to have someone tune it. But also have no experience with a turbo system. I might pay to have it installed. If it costs more than $5k I'm ok with that, as long as it's extremely reliable and will last.
Do you think I should invest in building the motor in addition to the turbo system? Crank, rods, pistons, cams? If I am only wanting 180-200whp?

 

as long as it's extremely reliable and will last.

you have to get this out of your head , unless it means something totally different to you than it does to me...

 

So there is no way to make a turbo D16 last like the factory motor? This is what I wanted to know and get opinions on.

 

Being blunt, you bought the wrong car for what you want/need.

Messing about with cars to increase their power by 75%+ is a labour of love and not about having an A to B daily.
I can't speak for the USA, but a budget of 5K plus your EX would open up a lot of better choices here in the UK.


On the other hand, you could install a turbo yourself, pay a real pro to tune it and have a lot of fun. Reliability will depend on the integrity of the build & components, maintenance, keeping the boost low and driving style.

My take is this:
If the EX really is mint, keep it stock and nurture it. Use the $5k to buy a hooligan. Example 1: get a Miata and go everywhere slowly but sidewards. Other ideas might include an MR2 or something home-grown that's 20 years old, plug-ugly but has a V8.

 

I'd say the B swap is more reliable than a turbo D build. It will still cost a bit to do it properly either way you go. The turbo D will be faster hands down. Just 7psi with small turbo i beat a JDM B18C TYPE-R swapped EJ1 with the 4.78 final drive.

 

Hmm, food for thought. How long have you had your turbo D and how much hp? Also what turbo/setup are you running?

 

Well it's down right now cuz i suck with electrical disagnosis. I made 176whp and 189wtq on 7psi with a greddy 15g. It's faster than the semi built ls/vtec with stage 2 cam set up i had (175whp and 135wtq and 120lbish heavier). The ls/vtec setup lasted twice as long tho without any issues. Parts cost more for bseries stuff too. People practically throw out D series stuff. Also i hated only making real power only in vtec.

 

Turbo and reliability shouldn't really be used in the same sentence when it comes to slapping something onto a N/A motor. It's possible, but not probable. Jackson racing use to make a supercharger kit for the D16, if you can find one of those you might reach your HP goal, but even with that reliability could still pose a threat.

A turbo will eventually make you nuts... one of two things will happen. 1. Reliability will take a dive and you'll be wrenching on it all the time. Or 2. The sweet taste of that "boost juice" will cause you to make you want more, and you'll end up wrenching on it all the time.

Just my $.02

 

If you want 200 go and factory stock reliability, start thinking K swap.

 

Hope you saved atleast $4500 for that k swap...

 

I would think it would cost a lot more than $4500 for a proper k swap...

 

depends on how much of a go getter you are...

 

Well, the B18 I have has a jdmB16 head on it. It would need to be completely rebuilt.
I think I'm going to start tinkering with the D16 that's in it and learn some while I save and eventually do a K swap. I would like to find a wreaked tsx.....

 

Well, the B18 I have has a jdmB16 head on it. It would need to be completely rebuilt.
I think I'm going to start tinkering with the D16 that's in it and learn some while I save and eventually do a K swap. I would like to find a wreaked tsx.....

If I were to put the ls V-tec in it, I would have to find a different transmission right? I am mechanically inclined but have never swapped a car motor or transmission. It sounds very involved and difficult