VTEC or TURBO!!?

diarmo111

i know its like asking how long is a ball of twine but vtec or turbo and why?

Armin_Tamzarian

diarmo111 wrote: »

i know its like asking how long is a ball of twine but vtec or turbo and why?

Depends on what your aim is I guess.

Turbo, from a performance point of view.
Vtec from an ecomonical point of view.

Vtec works by utilising variable cam profiles.
At higher RPM the more aggresive cam profile kicks in to get better power out of the engine.
However, the engine will be limited by the natural air flow into it.
A turbo overcomes this by basically ramming air into the engine.
As air is the main component in combustion, more air = more power.

Also, it's typically easier to make much more significant gains when modifiying a turbo engine as opposed to a N/A.
For example, decatting / changing the exhast on a turbo can make a huge difference whereas doing the same on an N/A usually won't make near as big a difference.

The problem with modifying tubros sometimes is that people don't realise the implications of what they are doing and end up causing damage through overheat, turbo failure and the like.
Turbos need to be restricted, fuel pumps may need to be upgraded, etc.

If you want a fast car that you can modify and also use for daily driving then something like an Integra is probably the wisest choice.

If you to go take modifying a bit further and so for serious power and aren't worried about economy and spending lots of money then I guess I'd go for a turbo.

JimmyCrackCorn

Bit of a pointless thread with such a vague question.


Are you buying?
What's your budget?
What running costs are you budgeting?
Is there any aspects of the engine types you want to discuss?
Is there a point?


warning
If this thread turns into a vtec beats all thread with no topic I will lock it.

FearDark

Vtec yo

diarmo111

Are you buying? yes

What's your budget? 3,000

What running costs are you budgeting? ...

Is there any aspects of the engine types you want to discuss? which one would be more sustainable, which would be most reliable, the difference between both etc

Is there a point? well i have always liked both vtec and turbo cars for example the eg6 and ek9 and the gt starlet and gsr lancers!, and am stuck between which one to choose from!

and no its not a bickering thread i am willing to start, its simply wanting peoples opinions on both engine typed cars that might have had some experience with them.

Testament1

It's difficult to say for sure which one would suit you better as when it comes to turbo engined cars there is such a wide variety to choose from and a lot of them can be drastically different to the next one. Like you mentioned a GT Starlet and a GSR Lancer, the first big difference you'll notice in those 2 is the running costs alone!

Personally I think you need to draw up a bit of a shortlist of cars you'd like then do some research from there. Try get a test drive in a few different cars and see which feels right to you. 3 grand can get you a lot in this market. Something like a decent S14/200SX should be got for that kind of money for example.

If it was me I'd be going down the turbo road if I could afford the running costs of a decent car. VTEC is good and all but nothing beats the feeling of being pulled forward effortlessly when boost comes in!

JimmyCrackCorn

3k in todays market will buy allot.

Sir civic is cheap to run as a standard car. Modified its expense as your insurance doubles.

If you buy a Honda buy a type r as all the sensible mods are done for you.


A 200sx was mentioned. I had one years ago fantastic car, finding a clean one is difficult as drifting is the new trend. Also if your not good with a set of tools leave it standard. They can be fiddley.


Gsr lancers and starlets I know nothing about. Iv not driven either.


The usual advice applies to buying get on the respective owners club forum and read everything you can relating to the model of car.

Iv broken all the above rules and it just makes it a more expensive hobby.


Best of luck and post pics or your banned

freestyla

Driving experience is different between NA and turbo. The best if can try few of those mentioned here and you will find out yourself what you like.
Both engine characteristics NA and turbo have own sweet points. Turbo kick with minimal lag is like rocket feeling while fat NA torque is more like jet flight.

Also it does come down to money as well because it's seriously hard to own a turbo and not doing any mods.. and always desire more power.. easily could spend thousands.
NA tuning cost even much more if you want to gain the max out of engine, but since you are aware of astronomical expenses, you are probably not starting modifying unless ofcourse your fat wallet

Armin_Tamzarian

Before you do anything else OP, have you gotten any insurance quotes on the sort of cars you're interested in?

david

Cubic centimetres beats all at the end of the day. Just saying.

Compton

TD red I

CianRyan

shblob wrote: »

TD red I

Armin_Tamzarian

david wrote: »

Cubic centimetres beats all at the end of the day. Just saying.

CianRyan

Armin_Tamzarian wrote: »

+1

Nothing quite like an American't 6L V8 pushing out a MASSIVE ~200bph...

MR.DIICK

Vtec all the way but you could turbo it win win situation

Armin_Tamzarian

MR.DIICK wrote: »

Vtec all the way but you could turbo it win win situation

It was definitely worth registering an account to say that.

CianRyan

Any turbo'd VTEC engines I've seen just seem to rev all over the place and become a bit mental.
Still, I'd say it's some feeling driving a 500bhp Civic.

Armin_Tamzarian

CianRyan wrote: »

Any turbo'd VTEC engines I've seen just seem to rev all over the place and become a bit mental.
Still, I'd say it's some feeling driving a 500bhp Civic.

Aside from what that would do to a FWD I doubt a stock Civic engine could handle anywhere near that sort of power.

I don't know why people bother doing things like that.
Some people seem to think that VTEC is a form of magic.
If they want that sort of power they should buy a turbo charged engine and forget about VTEC.
Change the cam shaft to one with a more agressive profile if they really feel the need.

ottostreet

I'll have Mivec please. Or just a big engine.

CianRyan

Well a VTEC engine could probably take a small turbo if it was set up right but putting massive turbos in otherwise stock civics seems to be a pretty popular thing, can't figure out why.
Any videos about tend to show massive amounts of torque steer, you'd want to do a RWD conversion to the yoke, and then, why bother?

Me, I'll keep my big turbos to the likes of the SR20 and the 13B.

Armin_Tamzarian

CianRyan wrote: »

Well a VTEC engine could probably take a small turbo if it was set up right but putting massive turbos in otherwise stock civics seems to be a pretty popular thing, can't figure out why.
Any videos about tend to show massive amounts of torque steer, you'd want to do a RWD conversion to the yoke, and then, why bother?

Me, I'll keep my big turbos to the likes of the SR20 and the 13B.

I think there comes a point where you have to realise that you've gone far enough with a car and it's time to move on to something else.
You'll always get the die hards who'll just stick with the one car and modify it to ridicuolus extremes but I don't see the point.

Converting an N/A to a Turbo is not something that I'd ever consider doing.