B20b has less hp than the B16 but it has way more torque than the B16 consider 111ft lbs. to 129or something ft. lbs. torque is what will make your car accelerate from a standstill. Hp wont do anything until about 5500rpm. Many road racers are swapping out thier B18s and B16s for stock B20s bec they have more torque out of the turns. I have a jdm eg6 civic with the original b16a and Y21 tranny (US Y2K civic SI) its fun but its a torqueless wonder. Ive bought a B20 that I will be installing as soon as I get all the parts together, but keep in mind that my car originally came outfitted with a B series Vtec engine, so the ECU, wiring, Vtec head, and mounts dont need to be sourced. Ive heard stories of people doing B swaps into EF's and complaining about vibration. so thats another thing to consider.

 

If your going NA then for sure the more torque engine, B20, would be the nicest option. But if you want to beat that ITR, consider saving and doing FI. Get your 300 hp easily out of any B series motor. The B16 will be your best bang for the buck and a more reliable option if FI, although GSR is probably better but more $. How much is a B20 anyways? what is your budget? what are your expectations?

 

a N/A 230-250hp car is faster than a turbo'd 300hp car. because a turbo cant scavenge exhaust efficiently, feeds hot air into the intake and bakes the hell out of your engine compartment. (ever seen the engine compartment of a daily driven non factory turbo car?) the heat factor is like 1500 +F thats hotter than the oven in your kitchen.

 

Gingas,yeah like the other guy mentioned,number one is what can and can't you afford.Two,what's your goal 1/4 mile,street racing,reliability.Three,do you want a high reving engine low torque off line or big torque off line non high reving unless you go frankenstein(LSVTEC)or crv-vtec head.I have a 91 civic si I had 2 years and I've had the stock sohc 108 hp,then a jdm dohc ZC,B18A LS motor(130hp)people who did the swap lied said i had a 94 LS motor(142hp)wasted $3000k which what led me to a B16A.I love it.I had all kind of experiences in a short time.I love the high reving motor 8200rpm.I do notice the vibration.Is that all B series in EF's.good luck,gingas

 

Yes I have seen the engine compartment of a daily driven non-factory turbo car, one sits in my gagrage
...Your theory about the n/a car being faster isn't necessarily true. A lot of it has to do with the power under the curve (look at a dyno sheet) N/A engines create a broader power curve compared to a boosted engine that is more peaky.
A 230hp boosted honda with a smaller turbo (many people including me use larger turbo's for more overall power and better flow) will rival a 230hp N/A honda given the same specs (car wise). I'm not here to argue whats better, I am just throwing that out there. Also Turbo's do create heat when compressing air, but intercoolers do a great job or dissipating that heat prior to entering the engine...

Lastly,
Horespower sells cars, torque wins races.

 

8 valve CX engine would do nicely.

 

These are some good points here.

It is the Area under the curve which shows a lot. It is pretty much a fact that a NA of equal hp/torque > turbo. Turbo does cook the shit out of your engine and lowers reliability a lot. You will no longer drive a super reliable car. If done right and not overboosted or prepped with correct internals it can be decently reliable, but not like a NA built correctly. It will cost ya! Anyway, back to the topic, the 3 points above there are really good. Gotta know where you wanna go.