Honda B-series engines: B16 & B18

The B-Series engines have become the most coveted Honda engines due to their reliability and the ability to produce high horsepower relative to their displacement. They are also readily available and can be found reasonably priced. The major benefit of the B-Series engine is also the ability to be transplanted into various Honda chassis, such as the Honda Civic.
The legendary engine of B16 serie was introdused in 1989. It was the first engine with VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control). Since that moment DOHC VTEC on the desk of the engine has become brand identity of Honda high-power
engines.
Eventhough all these vtec engines had been around for more than 20 years, they are still one of the favourite engines to be worked on. Especially the B16 and the B18 series.

The B16 family evolution

Generation		Chassis number : model	Compression	Power, ps @ rpm	Engine torque, N-m/rpm	Transmission	Red Line
1G 1988 1989 1990 1991	B16A	DA6: Integra RSi  DA8: Integra XSi  EF8: CRX SiR  EF9: Civic SiR	10.2:1	158 @ 7600	151 @ 7000	S1, J1, Y1, YS1	8000
	B16A1	EE8:CRX 1.6i-VT  EE9:Civic 1.6i-VT	10.2:1	150 @ 7600	144 @ 7100	Y2	8000
2G 1992 1993 1994 1995	B16A	DA6: Integra RSi  DA8: Integra XSi	10.4:1	170 @ 7800	157 @ 7300	S1, J1, Y1, YS1	8200
		EG6 EG9: Civic SiR II				S4C
		EG2: CR-X SiR, Del Sol	10.4:1	158 @ 7600	151 @ 7000	Y21	8000
	B16A2	EG2: Del Sol VTEC
		EG: Civic VTi	10.2:1
3G 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000	B16A2	EK4: Civic VTi  EM1: Civic Si / SiR / VTi	10.2:1	160 @ 7600	151 @ 7000	S4C	8000
	B16A3	EJ2: Del Sol VTEC EJ2: Del Sol VTi-T	10.4:1	160 @ 7600	151 @ 7000		8000
	B16A4	EK4: Civic SiRII	10.4:1	170 @ 7800	157 @ 7300	Y21	8200
	B16A5*	EK4	10.4:1	170 @ 7800	157 @ 7300		8000
	B16A6	EK4: Civic VTEC	10.2:1	158 @ 7600	151 @ 7000	Y21	8000
	B16B	EK9: Civic Type R	10.8:1	185 @ 8200	160 @ 7500	S4C	9000

1989 Acura Integra B16

1992 Honda Civic B16

B16 engine

JDM Civic EK9 Type R B16B

Honda Civic Type R EK9 B16B

Less commonly spoken about or even seen is the B16A6, found in the 1996–2000 Honda Civic in South Africa. Lastly, the infamous B16B was found in the extremely rare Japanese-spec Civic Type-R. This 1.6L sported a high 10.8:1 compression ratio and put out 185 hp @ 8,200 rpm and 118 ft-lbs of torque @ 7,500 rpm. To this day, the B16B stands out as a highly sought after swap.

Honda Civic EK9 Type R B16B

The B18 family evolution
The B18s are arguably the most popular members of the B-Series family. The B18 came in both non-VTEC and VTEC variations. The B18A non-VTEC powerplant was first seen in the 1986–1989 Accord Aerodeck, EXL-S/EX-S, and Vigor MXL-S in Japan. It was a 1.8L that made 160 hp and 128 ft-lbs of torque with dual Keihin carburetors. The B18A is hardly (if ever) seen stateside and are essentially a destroked version of the Honda B20A engine mentioned previously.

B18

The first B18 engine seen stateside was the B18A1 in the 1990–1993 Acura Integra RS/LS/GS. It was a non-VTEC 1.8L motor that put out 130 hp from 1990–1991, while the 1992–1993 version had a slight increase to 140 hp. The beauty of the 1.8L powerplant, however, was its 121 ft-lbs of torque. The B18A1 was then updated to a B18B1 that was found in the 1994–2001 Acura Integra RS/LS/GS bodies. The B18B1 became a popular engine swap candidate, often referred as an “LS swap” among Honda enthusiasts. The 1.8L made 142 hp and 127 ft-lbs of torque, but also became a donor for the LS/VTEC swap that became popular later on.

B18C5

The most sought after and arguably the most popular B-Series engine comes from the B18C family. The B18C engine inherits the best of all the B-Series has to offer, with a 1.8L displacement and DOHC VTEC technology. The B18C could be found in many different variations, similar to the B16A where the Japanese-spec engines were simply B18C, while the American-spec were B18C1s in the GS-R and B18C5s in the Type-R. Versions of the Japanese-spec B18C were found in both the popular Integra Si-R and Type-R. While there was no way to differentiate between the two engines, the Type-R B18C built 197 hp compared to the Si-R version’s 178 hp.

B18C

The US-spec B18C1 came from the factory in the Acura Integra GS-R model and sported 170 hp @ 7,600 rpm with 128 ft-lbs of torque. In 1997, the Type-R was introduced stateside and the USA-spec B18C5 made 195 hp @ 8,000 rpm and 130 ft-lbs of torque.

Japanese-Spec B-Series Engines

The most valued and rare Japanese B-Series engines  are the B16B and the B18C Type-R, found in the Civic Type-R and Integra Type-R, respectively. 

With the exception of the 1999–2000 Civic Si, the U.S. market was never fortunate enough to have a B-Series straight from the factory in a Civic. In Japan however, the B16A was extremely popular due to the fact that it came factory in the Civic.

Honda Integra DC2 Type R