Pondering a TSP built motor next year…..

[BlackhawkBill]

So I’m tossing around the idea of doing a fully built motor for my 2024 Aspec w/tech Integra. Problem I’m having is finding literally anyone that has done a built motor to see what I should to with concerning certain mods….necessary head work, fuel delivery, which turbo to run, ect. Anyone know of a website or even a Youtube channel that can help me with finding some of this info out?

Sponsored

 

[optronix]

I'll just ask it- why?

When I think of "built motor", an Integra A-spec doesn't come to mind, and is probably a major factor on why you're having a hard time finding anyone else who's already done it. Even the Type S, I'd ask what your intended use would be.

A 1.5L four-cylinder, front-wheel drive sedan isn't necessarily the ideal platform for drag racing. And if your plans include road track use, the A-spec has a lot of gaps to fill from a braking and suspension perspective before anyone needs to start thinking about a built motor.

I could pretty much guarantee that whatever money you apply to building up an A-spec- motor or otherwise- would be far better spent just upgrading to a car that's already a better fit for your goals. A Type S is just one option there, depending on what you want. I'd actually not recommend it if you want to just go fast in a straight line.

 

[its life]

Check out the civicx and civicxi forums. Whether you end up building your motor or not, I recommend upgrading the head studs as a preventative. The head gasket is historically the weak point of tuned L15s.

 

[BlackhawkBill]

I'll just ask it- why?

When I think of "built motor", an Integra A-spec doesn't come to mind, and is probably a major factor on why you're having a hard time finding anyone else who's already done it. Even the Type S, I'd ask what your intended use would be.

A 1.5L four-cylinder, front-wheel drive sedan isn't necessarily the ideal platform for drag racing. And if your plans include road track use, the A-spec has a lot of gaps to fill from a braking and suspension perspective before anyone needs to start thinking about a built motor.

I could pretty much guarantee that whatever money you apply to building up an A-spec- motor or otherwise- would be far better spent just upgrading to a car that's already a better fit for your goals. A Type S is just one option there, depending on what you want. I'd actually not recommend it if you want to just go fast in a straight line.

Just asking questions out of curiosity is all. Part of what I do when pondering a big decision lol! After doing said research and asking those questions it seems Id be better off saving towards getting a type S and modding the K20.

 

[dockleryxk]

So I’m tossing around the idea of doing a fully built motor for my 2024 Aspec w/tech Integra. Problem I’m having is finding literally anyone that has done a built motor to see what I should to with concerning certain mods….necessary head work, fuel delivery, which turbo to run, ect. Anyone know of a website or even a Youtube channel that can help me with finding some of this info out?

Talk to Savannah at TSP. She has built her Si. So same motor. It's pretty sweet. Have fun!

 

[LyonIV]

I'll just ask it- why?

When I think of "built motor", an Integra A-spec doesn't come to mind, and is probably a major factor on why you're having a hard time finding anyone else who's already done it. Even the Type S, I'd ask what your intended use would be.

A 1.5L four-cylinder, front-wheel drive sedan isn't necessarily the ideal platform for drag racing. And if your plans include road track use, the A-spec has a lot of gaps to fill from a braking and suspension perspective before anyone needs to start thinking about a built motor.

I could pretty much guarantee that whatever money you apply to building up an A-spec- motor or otherwise- would be far better spent just upgrading to a car that's already a better fit for your goals. A Type S is just one option there, depending on what you want. I'd actually not recommend it if you want to just go fast in a straight line.

Why is it always "Why" instead of "Why not".

 

[boosted_canoe]

Why is it always "Why" instead of "Why not".

same reason people see a glass half-empty rather than half-full

 

[StingertimeNC]

I also thought, "why?" I get it, you have the car, run what you brung, to each his own, etc. And easy to say why when you already own the type S. But I would ask why, if you plan to spend more than say 5k or so. If it's going to cost that much, I would totally find a way into a Type S first, then eventually start modding that car. (realize it's more than 5k to get into a type S, just wouldn't want to spend a ton on a car that's so limiting overall I guess.) Like to throw a bunch of money at a car, only to make it similar in performance to a type s, and now you have a car that's being pushed way beyond its limits.

Just thinking out loud. I'm not an expert in built motors by any means, just seems like it may be less reliable and such.

 

[optronix]

Why is it always "Why" instead of "Why not".

It isn't "always" anything. It's a public forum post soliciting opinions. I gave one in the form of a very important question.

And as for why not? I could take that in a nearly infinite variety of directions. I'm feeling a little spicy and bored this morning so let's just put it all on the table- it's a fair assumption that someone with an Integra A Spec may not necessarily be in the financial position where money is no object. Someone in that position should appreciate when someone challenges their position to do a "built motor" for a platform that is inherently compromised, knowing full well the rabbit hole that would create with all the ancillary mods necessary to just compete with a superior platform like the Type S, from a holistic perspective of what you're actually trying to do with the car.

Just start with a car that had a little bit of attention paid to it at the factory for these types of things rather than trying to reinvent the wheel with aftermarket modifications. Through experience I've found that leads to throwing money away on mods that don't really yield the expected benefit- and worst case, you affect resale value putting you even further behind your anticipated goals (that we still don't even know what they are).

Sure there's the argument of "making the car your own", but that's another story. That's why asked the question. If you just want to "mod for the sake of modding", then who am I to tell you how to spend your money. But that's not typically the direction people go when talking about a "built motor"- that has an inherent implication of motorsports activities, which is why I'd strongly recommend starting in a better place than an Integra A spec, which clearly was not designed with track use in mind. The Type S (and many other cars) was. That doesn't mean the Type S is the perfect car for track use, it's just irrefutably better than an A spec.

Hopefully that makes sense. End of the day this is just forum rambling, take it or leave it.

 

[LyonIV]

It isn't "always" anything. It's a public forum post soliciting opinions. I gave one in the form of a very important question.

And as for why not? I could take that in a nearly infinite variety of directions. I'm feeling a little spicy and bored this morning so let's just put it all on the table- it's a fair assumption that someone with an Integra A Spec may not necessarily be in the financial position where money is no object. Someone in that position should appreciate when someone challenges their position to do a "built motor" for a platform that is inherently compromised, knowing full well the rabbit hole that would create with all the ancillary mods necessary to just compete with a superior platform like the Type S, from a holistic perspective of what you're actually trying to do with the car.

Just start with a car that had a little bit of attention paid to it at the factory for these types of things rather than trying to reinvent the wheel with aftermarket modifications. Through experience I've found that leads to throwing money away on mods that don't really yield the expected benefit- and worst case, you affect resale value putting you even further behind your anticipated goals (that we still don't even know what they are).

Sure there's the argument of "making the car your own", but that's another story. That's why asked the question. If you just want to "mod for the sake of modding", then who am I to tell you how to spend your money. But that's not typically the direction people go when talking about a "built motor"- that has an inherent implication of motorsports activities, which is why I'd strongly recommend starting in a better place than an Integra A spec, which clearly was not designed with track use in mind. The Type S (and many other cars) was. That doesn't mean the Type S is the perfect car for track use, it's just irrefutably better than an A spec.

Hopefully that makes sense. End of the day this is just forum rambling, take it or leave it.

Of course you can have your own opinion on a public forum. The forum is here to have discussions. I said "always" because on other posts about engine and brake upgrades, you ask "why?" in a very discouraging manner. Maybe that's not how you're trying to come off, its hard to to tell in writing.

There are always "better" cars to mod, but then you start to spiral into "why mod the type s, just spend little more for an m3. Why get an m3, why not just spend more for a corvette" (or insert relevant car). But what you have is what you have, and squeezing out as much as you can is the fun part, at least for me.

A type s would have been ~$20K more then what I got my aspec for. A built motor from tsp is $3k-$4k plus turbo, fuel upgrades, clutch, and etc. can be bought with ~$10K. If the work is done by himself, you make equal power to a type s with a basic tune with that ~$10K. All that can be built in pieces, over the course of a couple years as opposed to ~$20K up front plus interest.

That being said, I agree with that the resale value will take a dive because no one wants someone else's project, at least I don't. You also lose any factory reliability and warranty.

 

[optronix]

Of course you can have your own opinion on a public forum. The forum is here to have discussions. I said "always" because on other posts about engine and brake upgrades, you ask "why?" in a very discouraging manner. Maybe that's not how you're trying to come off, its hard to to tell in writing.

There are always "better" cars to mod, but then you start to spiral into "why mod the type s, just spend little more for an m3. Why get an m3, why not just spend more for a corvette" (or insert relevant car). But what you have is what you have, and squeezing out as much as you can is the fun part, at least for me.

A type s would have been ~$20K more then what I got my aspec for. A built motor from tsp is $3k-$4k plus turbo, fuel upgrades, clutch, and etc. can be bought with ~$10K. If the work is done by himself, you make equal power to a type s with a basic tune with that ~$10K. All that can be built in pieces, over the course of a couple years as opposed to ~$20K up front plus interest.

That being said, I agree with that the resale value will take a dive because no one wants someone else's project, at least I don't. You also lose any factory reliability and warranty.

No, I'm being discouraging. That's the entire purpose.

Tell yourself whatever you want, you're still throwing money away. Sure you can spend that money all you want, someone will take it from you. Whether it's "worth it" or not is a matter of how you personally assign value and is subjective.

Objectively though, try to argue that spending ANY amount of money will make your car "better" than a Type S.

I'll wait.

edit- and in case you're wondering, I attack people who try to turn their Type S into drag cars too. It's a thankless job.

 

[LyonIV]

No, I'm being discouraging. That's the entire purpose.

Tell yourself whatever you want, you're still throwing money away. Sure you can spend that money all you want, someone will take it from you. Whether it's "worth it" or not is a matter of how you personally assign value and is subjective.

Objectively though, try to argue that spending ANY amount of money will make your car "better" than a Type S.

I'll wait.

edit- and in case you're wondering, I attack people who try to turn their Type S into drag cars too. It's a thankless job.

Okay, it's your right to be a wet blanket I suppose.

 

[optronix]

Okay, it's your right to be a wet blanket I suppose.

You can look at it that way... but again, ask yourself why you think spending 3-4k on a "built motor" for a car that clearly was engineered to be a lively commuter car makes your life materially and objectively better in any real sense. I am actually trying to do you and others in your position who are considering this a favor, as that money could be better spent on just about anything.

Of course there's a "call the baby ugly" component but I don't really care about that. The A-spec is a nice car, but it isn't a race car. Trying to make it one is a fool's errand and I won't shy away from that. Taking it personally is your choice.

 

[optronix]

Look guys, I get it that my take compels you to slap all sorts of emojis on my posts because I'm raining on your parade. But I thought of a (probably bad) analogy to help you see a little more into where my head is at.

When I see people trying to figure out how they can spend thousands of dollars in mods on a car that just isn't set up for success in that sense, it kind of puts me in a mindset where I feel like I have to stop people from hurting themselves. To me, it's kind of the same sense I'd get if someone came up to me and said they wanted to go boar-hunting with a .22.

For whatever reason I feel like this is a decent analogy; shooting a .22 can be an absolute blast! It's got just enough recoil to feel like something's actually happening when you pull the trigger. A solid AR-style .22 with a 25+ round magazine can make you feel like John Wick, ammo is hilariously cheap compared to 5.56 or god forbid something rarer or heavier like 7.62, and in a pinch it can even be used to defend yourself. But you'd probably have to shoot a boar 50,000 times to bring it down lol. It just isn't built for that application.

I'm sure there are tons of holes to poke in this analogy, but that's pretty much where I'm at with the A-spec. There is nothing wrong with that car, I think it's great and while I've actually never driven one, I bought my son a 2012 Civic Si and I love that car and I'm sure the DE4 is cut from the same cloth. And I'm not telling anyone to not throw some parts on it to make it louder or give it a little bump in power or flatter in the corners. But even just those minor bolt-ons can add up to thousands of dollars, and end of the day you just don't want to go too far down that road because there are severely diminishing returns.

That's my point, take it or leave it. I'm not trying to shit on your cars, I'm just telling you what a guy behind the counter at a "performance shop" wouldn't.

 

[Brittania]

Look guys, I get it that my take compels you to slap all sorts of emojis on my posts because I'm raining on your parade. But I thought of a (probably bad) analogy to help you see a little more into where my head is at.

When I see people trying to figure out how they can spend thousands of dollars in mods on a car that just isn't set up for success in that sense, it kind of puts me in a mindset where I feel like I have to stop people from hurting themselves. To me, it's kind of the same sense I'd get if someone came up to me and said they wanted to go boar-hunting with a .22.

For whatever reason I feel like this is a decent analogy; shooting a .22 can be an absolute blast! It's got just enough recoil to feel like something's actually happening when you pull the trigger. A solid AR-style .22 with a 25+ round magazine can make you feel like John Wick, ammo is hilariously cheap compared to 5.56 or god forbid something rarer or heavier like 7.62, and in a pinch it can even be used to defend yourself. But you'd probably have to shoot a boar 50,000 times to bring it down lol. It just isn't built for that application.

I'm sure there are tons of holes to poke in this analogy, but that's pretty much where I'm at with the A-spec. There is nothing wrong with that car, I think it's great and while I've actually never driven one, I bought my son a 2012 Civic Si and I love that car and I'm sure the DE4 is cut from the same cloth. And I'm not telling anyone to not throw some parts on it to make it louder or give it a little bump in power or flatter in the corners. But even just those minor bolt-ons can add up to thousands of dollars, and end of the day you just don't want to go too far down that road because there are severely diminishing returns.

That's my point, take it or leave it. I'm not trying to shit on your cars, I'm just telling you what a guy behind the counter at a "performance shop" wouldn't.

The Aspec and Si are great cars, they just don't have a good foundation for making big power. If you're not satisfied with the stock performance its better to swap to something different. The juice ain't worth the squeeze.

For an affordable FWD manual hatchback that can easily be modded for high HP, the GTI is the undisputed champion. You could easily swap from an Aspec to a GTI, add 5k in mods, and have a beast of a car.

Sponsored