Honda is known for building durable engines that outperform most of the competition in their class. Because of that, Honda’s motors are often the preferred choice for tuners of JDM cars. In fact, they are still popular today, including engines that were already developed in the late ‘80s. 

You can find loads of builds that utilize the B16 engine, including ones that generate well over 500 hp, and around 1,000 in the most extreme cases. While the B16 is great, the B18 series pushes the possibilities even further. With a larger displacement and more horsepower as stock, the B18 can make for even more insane builds. 

There is a B18c that makes 1,400 horsepower out there! In other words, the sky is the limit with these motors. Here are the best 3 mods to give your B18 more power and get at least a little bit closer to such amazing builds.

Fast Road Cams for Serious Performance

Fast road cams are one of the first things that come to mind when thinking about how to seriously improve the power of your B18 engine. 

With the B18 engines, fast road cams can usually add around 15-20 hp alone, which is about a 10% boost. Together with other modifications, such as fuel injectors, valves, and remapping, this number can be brought a lot higher — somewhere between 50-100 hp. 

So, what exactly does upgrading to fast road cams do? Adjusting the design of the cams changes the intervals at which the intake and exhaust valves open and close, thus creating a more powerful ignition with a richer mixture of oxygen. On most engines, the intervals need to be prolonged in order to let more air in.

It is important to note that factory cams are designed to provide the best in terms of fuel economy, efficiency, and durability. Upgrading to road cams can result in lower gas mileage and other issues. However, if you are tuning a race car, this will not be as much of a problem. 

Although you’ll get a boost in horsepower, road cams usually bring more torque than anything else. On the other hand, horsepower in the low-end range may decrease, which is balanced by a horsepower boost in higher revs. Either way, getting a set of fast road cams is a good first step towards building a proper B18 performance rig. 

Intake and Exhaust Upgrades

As with other upgrades, the intake and exhaust modifications go best in hand with other mods. It is a vicious circle, isn’t it? Intake and exhaust upgrades will not do much to your B18 engine alone, but they can immensely improve the effectiveness of other mods.

A stock exhaust system can restrict flow, thus hindering the power efficiency of the engine. For example, the Honda Type R with the B18 engine had a redesigned exhaust system, which was specifically made to allow for a faster flow rate. 

The Type R exhaust can thus be a good basis for an upgrade of your B18. Catalytic converters and mufflers also function as restrictors, and besides decreasing power, they also hinder the sound of your car. 

Keep in mind that going with the largest diameter of the exhaust can actually result in the exact opposite you are trying to achieve. Large exhaust can, in fact, decrease the flow rate. Ideally, the diameter should be between 1.5 and 2.5 inches, and you should also pay attention to the material and overall shape of the exhaust system. In the end, the exhaust system is also responsible for making the engine sound well. A good sound makes driving even more fun, so do not skim on the exhaust upgrade. It is basically a 2-in-1 package!

Exhaust headers and an aftermarket exhaust are just one part of the equation. To make your B18C push more power, you need to feed it more air. For naturally aspirated builds, the best way to do so is to mod the intake manifold. Most people will tell you that the stock intake manifold that comes with your car is more than good enough for slight power upgrades. However, if you’re looking to extract the most you can, you’ll either want to port the stock manifold or get a fast aftermarket one from Skunk2 or similar vendors. 

Ultimately, if you decide to go with a B16 engine head, you can snatch a Type R manifold, which is arguably one of the best options out there. 

Forced Induction

Fitting a turbo on your B18 will significantly alter its characteristics. While many drivers appreciate the linear power delivery of naturally aspirated engines, turbocharging allows for large power gains and is thus a common mod for the B18 engines. The mod can be more difficult to implement and tends to be on the rather expensive side but the increase in horsepower surely makes up for it

Fitting the B18 engine with a turbo kit means changing lots of components besides the obvious turbocharger. Intercoolers, turbo manifolds, downpipes, oil supply lines, and fuel management, all of these need to be taken into account when considering adding a turbo to your car. 

Additionally, you’ll need to beef up the internals if you want them to handle the extra power in a reliable way. That usually means getting forged conrods, aftermarket performance pistons, sleeving the engine, and more!

Another important point of every turbo kit is fuel management. The turbo will change the amount of fuel needed to be injected into the cylinders. So, to make everything work, you’ll need to get yourself a set of larger fuel injectors, followed by a more capable fuel pump and other features.

Overall, a turbo is one of the most advanced mods you can perform on your B18, but it will yield lots of additional horsepower for the legendary VTEC engine. Fortunately, this aspect of B18 modding is a well known territory to the most of the community. You can expect plenty of support if you decide to go down the forced induction route. 

Honda B18 Engine — Great Out of the Factory, Perfect When Modded

With such a massive community and aftermarket for performance upgrades, the Honda B18 engines are simply the perfect choice for beginner and advanced tuners alike. With so many possible upgrades, every build is original. The level of engineering, considering that the B18s are over 30 years old now, is impressive, as they are still relevant even all these years later.

If you are thinking about an engine for modding, this one is a safe choice and with the enthusiastic community, there will be always someone capable of helping you, should you run into any issues. In addition, the engines were developed with reliability and durability in mind, which makes them perfect for tuners. What more could you ask for?