This engine is tough to explain-I'd call it incredible, but that may be too strong... but considering the fact that this 1.6 Liter engine is normally aspirated (no turbo or supercharger) and complies with all emissions tests, while pulling a 2600 lb. car (plus passengers, etc) to 60 mph in only 7.xx seconds is pretty darn good. 1.6 Liters of displacement is one of the smallest engines you'll find on any passenger car (outside of gas/electric hybrids) in the US. Most cars like the Neon, Focus, and Golf use a 2.0L engine- that's huge compared to this, and they only make from 115-140 HP, where this 1.6 develops 160 HP!

How does such a small engine develop so much power? Easy. High-lift camshafts and a lot of revs. Sounds easy, but tough to develop.
• High revs-you need a balanced engine that won't rip itself apart over a hundred thousand miles. Honda performs this action by:
  • 1)using well built, balanced components, with a counterweight on the crankshaft; and
  • 2)the b16 has a large piston bore, with a short stroke, so at high rpm the piston doesn't have to travel as far up and down the cylinder walls, which creates less friction, thus less heat and wear. This is what they use when building motocycles and formula 1 engines. The drawback? A weak low-rpm output. A long piston stroke gives good torque, but short stroke is the opposite, so that's where the next part leads...
• High-lift camshafts-Take your normal Neon and put in some radical high-lift camshafts, and what happens...lots of peak power, but a horrible idle, and no chance of passing emissions testing. That's where VTEC comes in. VTEC is a system which allows two types of camshaft profiles to exist on one actual camshaft. The engine computer (ECU)has specific variables (load, oil press, temp., etc) which are used to determine when to switch from Dr. Jekyl to Mr. Hyde, from the "low-rpm" cam profile to the "high-rpm" profile. So the engine runs on the low rpm profile for normal use below 5500 rpm (on this engine), and when the correct variables exist it allows a switchover to a high rpm profile that is similar to a typical racing cam. The best of both worlds. Clean emissions, excellent idle, and a killer top end, all from one engine. This is the reason for the high rpm capabilities- if it only revved to 6000-6500 rpm, like most 4 cylinder engines, there wouldn't be much of a need for a "high rpm" cam profile, but by extending the useable rpm range, a system such as this works wonders. Toyota and others are using their own versions of this technology now, and Honda has even refined it for more flexibility in their upcoming engines.... can't wait to see what they can do.

VTEC has been used since the 1991 introduction of the Acura NSX, a high-performance car that made 270HP from a 2.7L V-6. Honda then used it in the 1992 Integra GS-R, which developed 170HP from 1.7L, and a simpler form in the 1992 Civic EX and Si, which used the VTEC just on the intake side, since they used a SOHC engine, where the others were DOHC. For 1994 the Integra became a 1.8L producing the same 170HP, and a few yr's later the NSX got a larger engine, now 2.9L, producing 290HP. The Civic's had to retain just a SOHC VTEC up until 1999, when the DOHC b16a2 was released for the US-market Civic Si. The funny thing was that in Japan they had been using this particular engine since the early 90's in all of their Civics, from the CRX to the sedan, but we didn't get it until about 8 yr's later.. sux for us. At least engine importers can get the older versions of the b16 for use in CRX's and other Civics, and they're pretty cheap, but rare.

Now back to our story...

The Si gets a little help utilizing the energy that is created by the b16 in the form of a short-geared transmission. Honda shortened the final drive ratio of the transmission, as well as the specific gear ratios, to the point that if you shift quickly at redline in each gear you will still be in VTEC of the next gear, all the way up to 5th gear, keeping you in the powerband. You gotta like that. Drawback? High-rpm at highway speeds. When some cars will be at 2500-3000 rpm, you'll be at 4000 or higher. This may seem high, but when your engine redlines at 8200 you still have a lot of rpms to spare. Plus the engine is balanced enough that you may not notice how high you're revving at the time, and in time you get used to it. Ride around town at 4000 rpm? That's screaming in a Focus, but just getting warmed-up in this guy.

Here's some specific stats of the b16a2 of the 1999-2000 Civic Si:
• Type- DOHC inline 4 cyl.
• Bore and Stroke- 77.4mm x 81.0mm
• Displacement- 1595cc
• Horsepower- 160@7600 rpm
• Torque- 111 lb-ft@7000
• Head and block material- Aluminum Alloy
• Compression Ratio- 10.2:1

And this is the transmission stats:
• 5 speed manual
  • 1st gear- 3.23
  • 2nd gear- 2.11
  • 3rd gear- 1.46
  • 4th gear- 1.11
  • 5th gear- .85
  • Final Drive Ratio- 4.40

Various stats of the 1999-2000 Civic Si:
• Curb weight-2584 lb.
• Wheelbase-103.2 in.
• Length- 175.1 in.
• Width- 67.1 in.
• Height- 54.1 in. (Not mine, though!)
• Brakes- Vented disc front/Solid disc rear
• Sway bars- 26mm front/13mm rear
• Weight Distribution- 62.2%F/37.8%R
• Factory Rims/Tires- 15" alloy rims, Michelin XGT V4 195/55VR-15
• Suspension-
  • Front- independent, unequal length control arms, coil springs.
  • Rear- Independent, Pivoting trailing arm with 1 forward lateral link, 2 aft lat. links per side, coil springs.
• Fuel tank- 11.9 gal.
• Estimated perf. (based on various tests)-
  • 0-60- 7.1-7.6
  • 1/4 mi.- 15.4-15.9

Hope this helps clarify some things as well as answer any questions. Any further questions can either be e-mailed to me or taken care of by stopping at ClubSi, the meetingplace for Si owners, whose link is on the main page.

Technical data pulled from Car and Driver, Velocity, Turbo, and Import Tuner magazines. Intro paragraphs are of my own word.

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