Hi all... i'm a noob here and from another part of the world, so please don't flame me.. i'm looking for suggestions for my L15 engine

currently i have L15 Vtec engine on MT. This motor has run some Pnp, reamed throttle body, engine balance. using ORD header, downpipe, bpipe, and hks muffler with 2" piping. intake is using top fuel chambered open filter and NGK IK22 spark plugs. And I use Dastek Q for timing and AFR. wheel is using ssr type c 15".

From this I got 141whp with around 171Nm torque at 6000rpm. i'm keeping the rev limiter at 6500, since this is a daily driver.

I need suggestions on what to do next to increase power output while keeping stock reliability. What's the most economical choice between swapping engine with a K series and upgrading to Turbo for the L15? keeping in mind, i just do this for passion... i never go on a race...
Tks

 

Turbo L15 is more affordable than a K-Swap and comparable in power output depending on what you put together.

What sort of PnP work? What bore TB? You had someone re-balance the rotating assembly.. are you using a billet crank/forged rods or pistons?

141whp is pretty damn good, do you have a dyno chart you can post? What sort of EMS/Piggyback are you running? GE8 or GD3?

You are not going to be able to keep stock reliability if you are increasing power output so you may want to just throw that thought out the window. Can you make reliable power? Yes, but by default the stresses WILL be considerably greater because of the added cylinder pressure.

 

I did the usual PNP, smoothing out all the intakes and the head assembly. The bore TB is basically enlarging and smoothing out the plastic throttle body part, instead of the usual method of swapping it with Spoon's TB, etc. The Pistons and Rods are still stock. And I don't see the point of upgrading them unless I'm running turbos... And i'm not even sure whether anyone built forged rods and pistons for L15? oo and I've mentioned the piggyback is dastek type q.

yes, i have the dyno chart back home on paper... need time to scan it and post it up here. will do that in due time. the dyno graphs is achieved using ron95 pump gas and stock clutch which is running a bit on the slip side. I got an exedy 3puck clutch at home, that I figured can better deliver the torque.. but i don't use it for daily grinding.. too much traffic jam here...

all of the guys that runs turbo on their L15 only use small boost by fear of blowing up their engine... at least the ones i know... usually around 0,5-0,6bar... i'd rather go NA on that scale of boost... Even if I want to go turbo, i was dreaming of upgrading all the internals and cranking up the boost... but like I said, i'm not even sure whether anyone make forged internals for L15 or worse yet, whether the L15 block can survive? anyone has experience?

 

here's the dyno chart:

 

141Whp equals something like 155 or 160HP.... Pretty decent if you aks me!!

Bisimoto engineering makes sleeves for the L15 engine and i know Wiseco and\or CP pistons makes forged slugs. I've also seen Forged Rods but i don't remember who is making them!!

Marko!!

 

Thanks alot. it is preety decent for me as well for a car that size. But nothing compared to the K20 swap... Drool.... problem is i'm not an expert in auto motor... i don't really understand all the stuff that goes inside that motor..

i'll try to look into Bisimoto engineering for those sleeves.. but my question remains... is it worth it to have this L15 go turbo? It's no fun, if I can only get 170hp on a turbo L15... I was expecting more in the range of 200whp... but without having to blow up my engine on the third run....

 

Run rich, low timing with a ton of boost. You'll make a ton of power and safely.

You can already get pistons, rods and sleeves for the L15.

• Wiseco/Mahle - Pistons
  
• Crower/K1 - Rods
  
• Darton - Sleeves
  
• ARP - Con rod bolts
  
• ACL/Clevite - Bearings

Turbo is definitely worth it. I would reluctantly go to Bisimoto for the sleeves.. and only the sleeves unless you feel like having your bank account raped. You should be able to get them from Darton or Golden Eagle directly though.

PM me, I have already helped two Fit Freaks in Jakarta go turbo. Both of which are making more than 200whp.

The parts you need already exist. Bi$i will charge you more than necessary and insist he is the only one that knows what he is talking about.

He is certainly knowledgable and his work is quality but definitely not worth the premium he knows most Honda guys will pay because they don't know any better for the most part.

 

wow, that is one good news.. i'll definitely keep it in mind... currently i'm still gathering info and the funds. my first choice was to do engine swap though... seems i'll have lots more reliability keeping the k20 engine stock/minor bolt on mods. however if it turns out that i'm gonna invest too much in new engine, i'll turn into rebuliding the L15 with turbo... i'll keep u in touch... tks alot..

 

Hey man, nice results! But your Dyno graph says that you have 141BHP not WHP. That said even 141BHP at 6000RPM is fantastic!

And looks like the torque is around 127ft-lbs(172NM) at 5000RPM nice. But that 121 Ft-lbs at 3000 RPM, !

How much money do you have in your build so far?

 

Thanks man! yes, it says bhp in the graph, but actually it is whp. the dyno is measured at the wheel, not at flywheel. and the dyno itself do not compensate the numbers and convert it to bhp either. at least, that's the dyno's owner explanation. but, i've been riding a lot of small sized cars, and i quite believe the numbers to be 141 whp, cause i'm head to head with a 160hp golf 1.4tsi. In fact i can get ahead of it, due to weight difference i think.

I can even keep up with a GTI on shorter track, due to the torque. But I lost in top speed, and the GTI will eventually smoke me on long freeways

how much money? that's hard to say, this motor has been built for quite a long time, swapping parts, and whatnot, tuning it, retuning it, etc.. it's 6 years old now and i'm not good at memorizing prices especially since it involved frequent visit to the shop, just to swap little things / retune the piggyback / exchanging clutches / trying another air filter / trying another muffler / you get the idea...

 

Wow, how sloppy of them.

There are dynos in Europe that measure HP at the wheels then calculate driveline resistance(not sure how that works, probably during coastdown) to find out the estimated drivetrain losses. I figured it must have been one of those dynos .

But 160BHP at 6000RPM! And 90BHP at 3000RPM! You sure you don't have a 2.0L under the hood?

Pics of the engine setup?

So a Port and Polish, bored out Throttle Body, Engine balance, ORD header, downpipe, bpipe(?), HKS muffler w/ 2 " piping, top fuel chambered open filter(?), NGK IK22 Spark plugs. And a Dastek Q piggy back.

I dunno. That looks like a couple thousand $$$$ at least man.

 

Lol, there aren't that many shops have dyno in my country. So I can't complain. A couple thousand $$$ sounds about right... If you don't count the wasted money from trial and error this car has gone through. And believe me that's a lot. But I also saved a lot by buying 2nd hand stuff tho

 

If you do go boosted a Uni-Q wont be the ideal choice IMO. Respect on the healthy numbers thus far! You live at the coast?

@ Diamondstarmonsters- Been a while since I was here, so lemme do a slight threadjack , ARP rod bolt part #? and ACL bearings part #? Time I start planning for that myself...

 

Clevite Mains - ~US$33
Clevite Main Bearings - EXperformance.net

Clevite Rods - ~US$11
Clevite Rod Bearings - EXperformance.net

I don't have the ACL or ARP P#'s off hand at the moment.

 

well, i'm not going boosted just yet. still looking at a decent engine swap moderately priced... i'm more of those NA guys... I love hearing the engine rumble compared to the whistle of the turbo... once in a modding-competition, a friend of mine got pissed by all the other competitors firing up their engine and showing off their turbos... he then fired up his, an NA b20 with individual throttle body in a crx, it drowns out all the turbo whistle and shuts up the hall.. it just sounds like a monster.... uncomparable intimidation power... i'm not saying that the crx will win in a drag or anything.. just that it's really putting fear and intimidation on all the other turbo'ed dudes.. after that you can barely hear anyone showing off anymore. only 1-2 guys, trying to regain their dignity, before all of them shutting their engine down... it's really a hilarious scene... this happens around 8 years back, when turbo is booming (in my country) and everyone is jumping turbo'ed

and you're right, uni-q is not ideal for turbo at all... at a bare minimum you need the q+ and a turbo modules.. that is if you're sticking with unichip piggyback.. there are a lot of other options though, and i'm not at a point of deciding anything yet

and i live far away... in indonesia..

 

sorry off-topic, but whats the best manufacturer for bolt-on turbo kit for the GE w/ highest hp?