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December 2025 New Car IncentivesWhy the Honda B-Series is B-Loved
The Honda B-Series motors originated Honda’s revolutionary VTEC technology, capable of providing equal parts efficiency and power.
A Pillar of Tuning Culture
If you’ve got an old Honda sitting around in need of a new engine you’ve got two prime candidates for a swap: the B-Series and K-Series Honda motors. They are the first and second generations of Honda first VTEC engines. Of course, the newer K-Series gets a lot of love today, but the preceding B-Series deserves consideration as it too offers great reliability, VTEC’s combination of fuel economy and power, and an eagerness for tuning.
The B-Series originated as a 1.6L four-cylinder in the 1989 Acura Integra, Honda CRX, and Honda Civic. It’s VTEC variable valve timing allowed the B-Series to produce equivalent horsepower to displacement, 160 to be exact, all without the help of turbocharging. High redlines above 8,000 rpm made the B-Series a joy to wring out for lead-footed drivers. And having originated in Hondas of the 1990s, the K-Series is an easy fit in just about any Honda of the time.
What Is VTEC?
So, why can’t these Honda guys shut up about how awesome VTEC is? Because it is awesome. VTEC was developed by Honda as their secret weapon to get more power out of their low-displacement engines (abiding by Japanese Domestic regulations) without resorting to forced induction like turbocharging or supercharging.
VTEC stands for Variable Timing with Electronic lift Control. The variable valve timing employed in VTEC involves unique multi-part rocker arms and three lobed cam shafts. In low RPM situations, two lobes on the cam shaft are active. Only under specific conditions (which we’ll get to in a moment) does the rocker arm switch to employing the larger third lobe. This larger lobe creates greater lift for the valves, allowing more air and fuel into the combustion chamber, thus producing more power. This allowed VTEC-equipped motors to offer the best of both worlds, low-RPM efficiency and high-RPM power.
The VTEC system monitored engine temperatures, engine speed, oil pressure, and throttle position and when conditions were met, typically somewhere between 4,500 and 5,500 RPM depending on the motor, switched from low/moderate lift to high lift, providing a boost in power.
The Best of the B-Series
The first of the B-Series and the first VTEC engine was a 1595cc inline four cylinder featured in the 1989 Acura Integra and Hondas Civic and CRX. The B16A had an 8,000 RPM redline and produced 160 horsepower, making it the first production engine to match or exceed 100 horsepower per liter.* The second generation of the B16A, released for the 1992 model year, featured new pistons and a higher compression ratio that allowed it to produce 170 horsepower. The B16B powering the Civic Type R (in 1997 a Japan-only Honda model) achieved 185 horsepower and revved to a redline of 8,400 RPM thanks to a 10.8:1 compression ratio, new cam shafts, valves, and springs.
The B18, and specifically the B18C, is considered by many to be the pinnacle of the B-Series motors. The B18C lie under the hood of the JDM (Japanese Domestic Manufacturer) Civic Type R and Civic Si. The B18C5 is the most legendary of all. The JDM version in the Integra Type R was capable of 200 horsepower while the US version settled for a still outstanding 195 horsepower.
The largest of the B-Series were the later B20 engines. These traded horsepower in favor of gains in torque and skipped employing VTEC altogether. You’ll find B20s employed in the Honda CR-Vs from 1996 through 2001.
Building Your B-Series Project
Natural homes for a B-Series swap are of course Hondas. The CRX, Acura Integra, and EK (fifth) and EG (sixth) generation Civics all featured B-series at one time or another. The Honda S2000, which ran F-Series motors making between 237 and 247 horsepower, can accommodate a B-Series but that’s a swap for those cases where the original motor is no longer healthy and you’re intent on tuning the new motor.
Speaking of tuning, the best starting point for modifying a B-Series would probably include upgrading intake and exhaust for better breathing and more power. A cold-air intake and a 4-1 or 4-2-1 exhaust manifold are good places to start but will also call for remapping the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) to ensure your engine can take full advantage of the extra air flow.
Other upgrades to consider for a B-Series could include a new throttle body, adding an oil cooler, installing racing cams (basically going from the variability of VTEC to a high-end skew all the time), and upgrading plugs, valves, pistons, and the fuel system. You can also take these legendary naturally-aspirated engines and add forced induction in the form of turbo- or supercharging. Like the later K-Series, the B-Series is a durable engine capable of handling double, even triple its stock horsepower, especially with upgraded componentry.
*GM famously achieved similar results in matching displacement and horsepower with the fuel-injected version of the 283-cubic-inch small-block V8 featured in the 1957 Corvette made 283 horsepower. The Chrysler 300B, however, had beat them to the punch a year earlier with their 354 Hemi V8 hitting 355 horsepower (with its higher 10.0:1 compression option).
