IMO - I/H/E + few degrees more timing. A good 4-2-1 header is going to make the biggest difference overall. 89k on a sohc is barely broken in.... I have 105k on my D16Z6 and it has almost dead equal compression and leakdown between all the cylinders - plus I have a lot of headwork done to it. As long as you maintained the engine, don't worry about it. BTW - switching from 10w30 to 5w30 oil is good for up to 4 extra hp on a sohc vtec!

 

Thanks for the advice and that bit of info on the oil. Never knew that.

 

zc sohc = 120hp
zc dohc = 130-135hp

A fully built sohc will never match a dohc in anything...you can stroke one all you want, compromise reliablity and a cammed gsr engine will still put down more hp and tq. Hell, JG has a dyno of a built sohc, bored out to 1.8 and a sc at 9lb, it put down 200 whp and like 150ftlb of tourqe. WOW. If the sohc was so hot why aren't the top drag racers running built sohc in the allmota class? because they are not trying to reinvent the wheel! Honda does a lot of homework, they pay people more than anyone here on this board probably makes for r/d and 'they' feel that the sohc IS NOT the performance engine otherwise they'd put it in a Type R and not an EX civic get the point? Unless it's a turbo sohc, it's not gonna be shit. I own one now, have owned 2 before and once you go to any dohc engine life is just a little clearer that you WASTED thousands on a sohc and it would have been faster by just saving an buying a stock dohc. I sold my Teg and am now in a 97 EX, this is by far the slowest car I have driven in a while...I am torn now because I can buy a turbo or sc but when the engine lets go I'm not going to put another sohc back in there. i don't want to invest any money in any parts for it, I think I might just by a small shot again so I can transfer it to another engine. I'm sure I'm opening up the floodgates to all the ricers that beat lingenfelter (sp?) corvettes w/ their sohc turbo setup at 10lbs not even hitting 200whp.
If everyone thinks all a sohc and dohc dif is is cams think about it harder, take your sohc, put 10.5-1 slugs in it, a more aggresive valvetrain and it still won't beat a stock 2nd gen B16A on a dyno. stroke the same sohc to 1.8 keep the compression the same and it STILL won't be able to match a B18C1...once again, proven methods will always win, don't try to make shit happen that hasn't and won't work otherwise everyone would be doing it. Every idea everyone here has had for some badass sohc setup has been tried and failed or else it would have caught on.

 

On a dyno you'll BARELY clean up 10 more hp for what? $1000? Take that money, buy a used JRSC, get 140+whp and 124+ftlbs on 6lbs of boost, usually less than $1500. I hate seeing people just waste $$$ on 10hp. My answer is dyno proven, can you show me a dyno of ANYONE getting 4 hp out of a 5w30 oil change? I challenge you to...good luck, I'll even accept a car that hasn't had an oil change in 10,000-15,000 miles.

 

Hell yeah man, preach on...... Take the SAME money and get a turbo and make more power than the JRSC.

 

ok, i want a turbo now, and also got a trani set aside

 

I have a SOHC VTEC, and I've owned a DOHC VTEC. There is a difference. And they're not apples to apples stock. There's no doubt that if you drop turbo or SC into it, or I/H/E into the SOHC and not into the DOHC, that it's gonna go faster. But as SiR-DC2 said above.... you can do so much with a grand or $1500. It's not necessary to go jump off and do a B series swap. The D series are good engines too... don't think that if you don't have a B16A or a diff DOHC that you're engine's sh!t and that you might as well just start over again.
-Mindi

 

 

Like I say, don't get it twisted, but the only reason I keep my sohc is for FI and nothing else, I could swap and make good power but I've learned a lot of hard lessons, the main one being if it's not broke don't fix it. I will be going turbo after I buy my new brakes, timing belt, water pump, carpet kit, headlights, repaint the car-so hopefully by the end of June I'll have my turbo setup. Good luck.

 

'Nuff said......