In our last installment of Project Integra, the B18C engine was pumping nearly 180 hp in 50-state legal trim but the engine had a ferocious thirst for oil. Our engine was consuming nearly one quart every 150 miles. We had a feeling the piston rings were on their way out so we made the decision that it was time for a new engine. Instead of putting in a fully built engine immediately, we first wanted to see how far we could push the factory B18C engine before upgrading it. Fortunately, we were able to locate a low mileage '99 B18C engine that made its way into the Integra's engine bay. Although there are many all-motor enthusiasts out there, we opted to pump up the power by turbocharging it.
We are currently working with Edelbrock to install their newly developed 50-state legal turbo kit for the GS-R. Edelbrock already offers 50-state legal turbo kits for both the Civic Si and Civic EX, and are in the final production stages for their GS-R kit. The kit is designed to generate roughly 250 to 275 hp in 50-state trim, but is capable of producing up to 350 horses with some tweaking. Needless to say, we look forward to installing the kit on the Acura (and because of the Edelbrock 50-state legal badge we can confidently pop the hood for police inspection). Street legal turbo kits? We love it.
In the meantime, we wanted to make sure that once the turbo kit goes in that the GS-R would be able to handle the newfound power. Previously installed on the GS-R was a set of Skunk2 Pro Series coilovers that we replaced in favor of Buddy Club Racing Spec coilovers. The Skunk2 performed flawlessly, but did not have the features (dampening adjustability and threaded base) we were looking for in a coilover system. The Buddy Club Racing Spec coilovers offer 15-way adjustability and come with a threaded base for height adjustment without affecting shock travel and spring tension. A threaded base is crucial if you plan on corner balancing the vehicle. The Racing Spec Damper also comes with a billet pillow ball mount to minimize upper chassis movement and more precise suspension feedback.
Working alongside the Buddy Club suspension is the Skunk2 Pro series adjustable front and rear camber kits. With the camber kit we can fine-tune the camber adjustment for maximum grip at the track and be able to readjust the camber for minimal tire wear on the street. To aide in chassis stiffening we have added front and rear strut tower braces from Skunk2 and an NRG Innovation 4-point lower brace to tie in the front suspension.
To further prepare for the turbocharged power infusion on the Integra we wanted to augment its stopping abilities with a set of larger rotors from Power Stop. The Power Stop kit utilizes a set of larger diameter rotors and brackets but reuses the factory calipers, keeping cost of the kit down. The slotted one-piece rotor is significantly larger than the factory. Power Stop provides an economical way of attaining the big-brake look and performance without the big price tag. The one-piece big rotor for the front measures in at approximately 12 inches versus the stock's 10.3-inches. In the rear, the Power Stop rotor came in at 11.125 inches versus the stock's 9.4 inches. A brake caliper adapter is provided to utilize the factory caliper with the larger Power Stop rotor. It took us about two hours to install the front and rear brake package. Power Stop provides all the necessary hardware for a complete install. Although the factory brake pads will work, we opted to use a set of Power Stop high-performance brake pads with the kit. After the bedding process, braking performance was significantly better with much less pedal effort required to bring the Integra to a stop. The Power Stop system retails for about $500 for the front and rear big-rotors, and an additional $150 for the brake pads. Not bad considering the car's braking performance and the overall appearance has been enhanced substantially.
Project Integra has come full circle from its initial 180 hp all-motor creation. We went from a heavily modified engine to stock, and now to forced induction. In order to jump to this next level, we had to take a step back to concentrate on squaring away the suspension and brake department before moving ahead with the turbo kit install. Stay tuned as we pump up Project Integra into a 250 hp 50-state-legal street machine.