Power Pages: Acura Integra 02/01

The Engine
What can we say about the poor old B18B motor? It has now been all but relegated to half-duty in the popular Frankenstein LS/VTEC swap. We gearheads here at Import Tuner still think that an unmodified B18B still has tremendous potential though. It has always had its fair share of torque, even when its horsepower numbers aren't quite as high as its VTEC brethren, and the block itself is still a veritable workhorse, with or without hybrid VTEC attachments.

Performance Components
There is a wealth of products available for the B18B motor--everything from power-producing pulleys to pretty little oil caps and dipsticks--so finding parts shouldn't be any problem unless you live in the snowy wastelands of Alaska. Our feature test items this month are the stepping stones to upgrading your vehicle--the intake system and the exhaust system. Of course, since the car was already lowered, we decided to upgrade the rolling stock as well with Tenzo's new Passion 5 wheel in a 17x 7-in. configuration wrapped snugly in Toyo's 205/40/17 T1S super grippers. We took the car over to the boys at XS Engineering in Fullerton, Calif. for a date with the horsepower rollers.

Dyno Testing
After the car was strapped down and we began baseline testing we noticed an inordinate amount of discharge from the exhaust and, when juxtaposed with the paltry 105.5 hp baseline numbers, we decided that the B18B's pistons rings had seen their day and needed replacing. For the sake of testing a true "real-world" application, we decided to go ahead with the test, in spite of the less-than-spectacular performance numbers of our test engine. For our first trip under the hood, we chose the HP Motorsports Cyclone Cold Air System. HP's intakes are application specific--no multi-fit 3-in. pipes here--to optimize the speed and volume of the incoming air, depending on the characteristics of the engine. Each HP intake also includes the company's own Cyclonic filter which reportedly spins the air in a funnel-type configuration, creating a faster flowing vacuum-type effect for the incoming air. Installation was fairly straightforward and relatively easy to do. With the new intake, the injured Integra still managed to eke out an additional 2.6hp for a total of 108.1hp. For exhaling duties, we chose the ever-popular GReddy EVO. Made of SUS (stainless steel), the EVO is designed for maximum ground clearance, with the muffler canister tucked into the car's body and an offset tip to compensate. Piping and canister styling is similar to the Power Extreme series so we expected the EVO to perform just as well, even under these adverse conditions. Indeed it did; bolting on the system netted an additional 1.9 hp, with a small but consistent gain throughout the Integra's powerband. The final output after the intake/exhaust one-two combination peaked at 110.0 hp.

Conclusion
Now, before you start laughing at the motor, realize that it has 130,000+ miles on it. For a seven year old car, that's a little on the high side, but it is in the general mileage vicinity as most other cars its age. If you drive a '94 Integra or are running an early B18B engine swap, chances are your motor is at or close to the same condition as this our test engine--some food for thought. With this in mind, we are now looking into the possibility of giving the motor an extended lease on life by replacing the worn internals. Since the B18B is still one of the most versatile Honda/Acura motors on the market today, we're sure that you'll keep your eyes peeled for upcoming Power Pages on this soon-to-be revamped road warrior.