well since you have an EX it would be better to invest in an engine with vtec like the b16 you were talkin about, you can get a b16 for about 2k...but whatever floats your boat...thats just something i would do....the hp of the LS is about 142 and i dont know the torque and the b16 is about 160 but the LS has more torque than the b16...its actually more about what you like more