Doing a rebuild this summer...my last major decision..Help?

**PickleTeg** · May 14th, 2006, 03:45 PM

Ok guys....here is the deal. My B18b is tired and in need of a rebuild. I have the a JRSC with LHT intecooler on my car now and once I get this thing overhauled this summer, I plan on running about 10 psi and getting it tuned by Jim. The major debate in my mind is whether or not a 10 psi intercooled B18b on Hondata warrants the need to run forged pistons? I am looking to have 200 whp or so with this setup when it is all said and done. I want it to last for at least a few years or so before I start having ring/piston issues. Or, I could go OEM replacement pistons and do a .25mm overbore to make everything nice and clean. Can I get some good input here guys? Honestly, I would just run the forged but I don't want nasty piston slap issues in my everyday driver. I would really appreciate any input here. Thanks guys in advance.

BTW...I got Jim's pulley now and with the LHT I am getting a little over 7 psi on the boost gauge ( I was seeing 5 before).I am at 5000 feet of elevation so I am not too worried about hurting my poor motor any more....I hope.

**mgro** · May 15th, 2006, 12:28 PM

Originally posted by PickleTeg:
The major debate in my mind is whether or not a 10 psi intercooled B18b on Hondata warrants the need to run forged pistons? I am looking to have 200 whp or so with this setup when it is all said and done. I want it to last for at least a few years or so before I start having ring/piston issues. Or, I could go OEM replacement pistons and do a .25mm overbore to make everything nice and clean. Can I get some good input here guys? Honestly, I would just run the forged but I don't want nasty piston slap issues in my everyday driver. I would really appreciate any input here. Thanks guys in advance.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">If carefully tuned, I don't think you'll need aftermarket pistons for 200WHP. If you've set your mind on putting in new pistons anyway, I'd opt for forges ones. Its probably cheaper then OEM, and it gives you some headroom for future growth (I know you want only 200WHP now, but that'll change [img]wink.gif[/img] )
I think (but have no experience -yet- to prove this), that you won't have piston slap issues if you go tight enough on the piston to wall clearance. I'm using a set of Rollerwave pistons (Endyn) for my new block. The pistons come with advice for pretty tight piston-to-wall clearances. TOO told me that my engine should run without significant piston slap, if built according to his specs...

**PickleTeg** · May 18th, 2006, 01:11 AM

Thanks Anyone else with good/bad experiences/info?

**JRCivic** · May 18th, 2006, 09:18 PM

Consider the MAHLE pistons. The cylinder/wall clearance can be as tight as the OEM pistons... and they are much stronger.

**PickleTeg** · May 19th, 2006, 03:34 PM

I know SRP are supposed to be low expansion pistons...are they able to run tight clearences too?

**PickleTeg** · May 19th, 2006, 03:38 PM

I can't find Mahle pistons anywhere online for a B18b...SRP's ok for piston slap?

**PickleTeg** · May 30th, 2006, 05:34 PM

Anyone?

**JRCivic** · June 2nd, 2006, 09:19 PM

Mahle doesn't "Officially" make a piston for the B18B... however, remember that the bore, compression height and pin size are the same for ALL "B" series engines, so other than the compression values actually being lower than advertised (remember the B16A has a 42.5cc chamber and the B18B has a 45.7cc chamber), you can in fact use them.

By the way, I keep what you need on the shelf most likely. Call me.