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Several people told me that the only difference between the ex v-tec and the lx non v-tec, is the head. so would it be possible to change it?
i have an lx automatic and i hope to change it to a manual ex someday.
please let me know.

 
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quoted from boilermaker


First off... the EX is 9.9:1
You can get an D17A2 for cheap enough that it isn't worth your while to swap the head, ecu, tap an oil line for the solenoid, wire it up, etc....
You can probably grab a whole engine for $1200 or less. So if you gotta have it, just buy a whole engine w/ tranny and drop it in. But to be totally honest with you, you'd be better off saving a little more, buying a turbo kit that'll give you about 165 WHP on the engine you got rather than wasting money to get maybe at the most an extra 7. I don't understand why having VTEC is such a mythical thing. The engines are tuned so you have power with the timing and lift engaged, but you gotta get there first.
Honestly I'd rather take VANOS, CVTC or VarioCam and have my power the instant I stomp the gas... but I need a little more money first.

It takes more than the head to do a VTEC conversion, and its gonna cost almost as much as a K20 engine to get it done right... all for 5-10 HP or whatever the EX adds.... it just ain't worth the effort. Even with internals, etc... you'll have to build one hell of a motor to equal the 200 HP of the K20.


overall. not worth your time and money. swap or turbo. turbo auto is cool.

 
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damn, well i guess maybe i should try to do a swap then.
i would like to trade it in, but i know i would loose a lotta money on the deal, plus i have allready done a couple little mods on mine that are kinda neat. (just wireing stuff).
well i have heard that in canada there are a lot of shops that deal with tranny swaps. so maybe i should se if they could do and engine swap with a tranny. how much do you think the two of them would run? like 3000; or less?

also, if i did swap for a ex egine then would all the parts that say ex only work for my car, or are thier other problems.

BTW THANKS for the HELP^^

 
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the thing is...by changing out ur lx engine for an ex engine, you also have to replace the exhaust system. The lx/dx header is not like the ex header, the cat is located further down on the ex. If you change the lx exhaust for an ex exhaust, you also have to change the sway bar to a EX spec one.

Way to much stuff to do for 7 hp.

 
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if you are going to swap... dont get d17 .. just swap with k20a3(rsx type s) or even k20a engines.
anyways you could just keep d17 nothing wrong with that. just get SF turbo. probably around 2500-3000 for turbo

 
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well, i am getting a injen cai right now, and i would be kind of a waste if i ended up getting a differernt engine besides the d17, cuase then the intake wouldn't even work.
but i was planning on getting a different exhaust anyway, either one from tanabe or skunk2.

 
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regardless, the main question is, why the hell would you spend thousands of dollars on 7 horsepower?

 
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if you decided to swap. you can always sell it. im sure SOMEONE will buy your intake off you.
swapping ex engine is not worth your time and money. dont waste your money on 7-10hp

 
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i suppose you guys are right.
**thinking back** u know i never really had a lot of say in this car. i really like it but i think i might want to rethink some of those major ideas i had.
* i am still going to do some fun mods that will help me enjoy the car more like intake exhaust, speakers.*
but i will wait for the bigger things like turbo.
instead i think that in about 4 years (when i grad. college) i will try to buy a new car. i hear that the new civics are gonna be pretty cool, so who know what they will have in four years! anyway, i will be able to choose everything how i want from the very begining. that way im not wasting money on things that i could have gotten for the exact same price in the first place.
i appreciate all the help you guys have given me. thank you. : )

 
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Most people I know who get the EX rather than the LX is for the sun roof lol...thats why my girl got an EX instead of LX so why the hell would you just swap the head for another 10 hp or so LMAO!

 
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....haha NEPTUNE...I ended up with the original boilermaker speech...cause i asked that question about a month ago...if you have to do the VTEC head....get lucky and find one at a junkyard....and try to get it for the low...if youre a mechanic....im sure you could do it for around 700 or less

 
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...ohh and dont flame me....but why wont EX headers fit an LX?

 
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you can EASILY get vtec engine for $400-500.. but not worth trouble... i would NEVER do it... vtec on sohc just isnt worth the hassle.. and i LOVE to hear about people buying the EX for the sunroof and trim and stuff.. they ALL hate that extra 200 lbs down the line!!!!!!!!!!>...

 
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200 lbs maybe...but first off you dont feel it that much, b.c. Ive taken lots of LXs and they are supposed to be able to take EX's b.c. of weight diff, but also I guess that 7 hp Vtec can help a little bit since you think that 200 lbs will make a huge diff, I guess it evens out...and I dont think any of us would hate a sunrood down the line, I mean its a nice luxury to have, ask your girl shed know, she was hangin out mine the other day with her **** flashing haha jp

 
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I've heard that the general rule of thumb is for every 100 lbs of weight saved you gain about 10 hp. , but that wouldn't show up on a dyno, obviously.

 
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the LX header has its cat located basically on the header. Its shorter than the EX. The Ex header has its cat located further down, thusmaking the header longer than the LX/DX header. You can replace the LX/DX header, but it would require a new EX exhaust system. But you cant just get the EX exhaust system. There is not enough clearance with the LX/DX sway bar. That means you also have to replace the sway bar and any other screws/bolts/bushings/etc. that go along with it.

 
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well the main reason that i would want to swap to an ex is not becase of the extra power, but because so many of the extra parts we all want are for the ex only.
take for instance the VAFC 2.- people are saying its going to be one of the best parts for our cars. but it requires an ex, it requires a V-tec.
its reasons like that for which i want an ex.
and cambo u said i would have to replace exhaust and some other stuff.
but suppose i was planning on getting a new exhaust anyway?

 
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yes, to have the v-afc be beneficial, you need VTEC. but since you dont have vtec, you can use the s-afc. basically its the same thing but it doesnt have the control for vtec (which you dont have anyway!). If you were planning to get a new exhaust, then do it at the same time you swap D17s (no matter how stupid it would be to do such a swap...unless u blew ur engine). I mean, you can do it, but its more labor entensive and not as cost-effective. When you say the other mods....like what? theres nothing thats coming to my mind that isnt offered for the lx/dx.

 
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just wanted to jump in with a correction. I believe the figure is more like "for every 20lbs you save you add a horsepower." So for 100lbs you're talking 5 horse...for the ex's 200 lbs you are talking 10 horses. If i'm wrong someone do correct me, i have no problem with being wrong. But this is what i've always gone by

 
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^^
that sounds more correct to me, but i've always gone by 25 lbs = 1 hp.

 
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ey neptune..... just change your exhaust system from the LX to an EX... what i've learned is that most of the HP difference between da LX and da EX is just the exhaust system....

If you want to learn more, go PM ohmysac.....

 
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exhaust is HUGE difference on the cars... ANYONE that ever put a header on a dx/lx knows they just made a WORLD of difference... i dont take to kindly to gurlie jokes since i intend to marry my gurl, and love her very much, but weren't you watching as my gurl was all over your gurl in my car while we passed you by.... while i stiill had my 19s on in my so-called slow DX that takes pretty boy EX's all the time...??? and everyone here is backing me up, so even sayig our cars didnt even out in power due to header, the weight diff. makes up for the hp diff, and YES, everything is out for dx/lx that is out for ex... only difference is slightly higher reving in ex... but once my turbo's on this weekend none of that will matter now, will it, and your gurl is helping me pay for it btw....

 
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^^ who and what the hell are you talkin about? your not making any sense to me.

 
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i always thought 10lbs=1hp, 20-25 sounds high

 
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Why waste money on buying a header when your going to purchase FI? I stopped at the intake. I dont wanna be wasting any more money.

 
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Because like me he probably didn't have the money for a turbo at the time he got the header. That's why I'm going to get a header, no fundage for a turbo.

 
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300 bucks towards your turbo only 2700 more to go.

 
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i got header cause it is fun for now... can ALWAYS resell if you buy a good one... you lose a little money, but how long do you wanna roll around town slow as a dog and tell people... my turbo is coming as soon as i save all the money.. i mean really.. also, when i bought mine, SF kit wasnt out yet.. i waited 3 months for my header to gte here because of kamikaze being on such back order!

 
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well, i am quite hessitant to put a turbo in, not only the cost, but from what people tell me, it wears out the engine really fast.
anyway, i do want to get an exhaust, but im not going to buy the oem ex exhaust i would rather get a good aftermarket one. when it the tanabe hyper coming out?

 
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Exactly... Uh, I wanted to change my body type from the coupe to a sedan. How much would that cost exactly?