Why the Honda K-Series Engines are Legendary
Slideshow: We pay homage to Honda's K-Series Engine, one of the best 4-cylinder engines ever made.
K-Swap the World
To understand why these little guys punch so high above their weight class, you need to look at their anatomy. Designed with dual over head cams for efficient air flow into the cylinders that vary from 500cc in the K20 to 600cc in the K24, they’re known for high revving characteristics and massive power output for their size. The block utilizes aluminum to keep things light with cast iron sleeves. Cylinder heads are also aluminum, which further aids in the reduction of weight. Contrast this to other engines on the market and it’s easy to see—in part—why they are so popular. Honda got the basic formula correct right out of the box.
Reliable and Affordable
When you look at what cars these engines came in, you will find a common theme: mass production. Generally speaking, in the automotive industry the more specialized something becomes, the more expensive it gets. It also means that more R&D has to be done to keep things reliable. These engines are cheap and plentiful compared to many other options out there and as a result, the aftermarket has taken to them to a level Honda probably never saw coming. If you’re building something custom that needs to go fast, not break the bank, and fire up every time you ask it, you’d be foolish to not look at these engines.
>>Join the conversation about the Honda K-series engines right here in the Honda-Tech Forum!
Power and Torque
For such small displacement, the performance tuners have managed to extract from builds utilizing these engines is nothing short of phenomenal. Drag cars with no turbos, superchargers, nitrous, or batteries have managed to run quarter mile times in the low 9-second range. Companies like Koenigsegg charge customers millions of dollars to get behind the wheel of their latest and greatest supercars like the Agera RS—a 1,360hp monster that burns E85 and has active aerodynamics. It barely gets into the 9-second club with a time of 9.96 seconds.
>>Join the conversation about the Honda K-series engines right here in the Honda-Tech Forum!
Boosted Builds
Just because these motors are on the smaller side compared to an LS or exotic V10s, it doesn’t mean they won’t claw your face off when you throw boost at them. Several drag teams who have built turbo systems for these engines are exceeding 1,000 horsepower like it’s nothing. The weapon of choice, in this case, is often the K24 as the extra displacement helps in generating power. Though, many people are outputting absurd numbers with only 2 liters. Purpose-built drag cars in these categories are running in the mid-6-second range with rev limits of over 10,000rpm!
>>Join the conversation about the Honda K-series engines right here in the Honda-Tech Forum!
Packaging
Horsepower, torque, and physical weight of an engine are one thing—packaging is another. All the 'get up and go' in the world won’t help you if the engine you have is a million feet long or sits too high in the frame to make your car handle respectfully. Honda’s K-series engines are really small, which means you can fit them in almost anything. Mazda Miata? Yup, fits that. Mini Cooper? Fits those too. Custom tube frame hill climb build? Guys are using them in those, sure thing. These engines are used in everything that needs to be really small and pack a big heavy punch. You don’t see guys throwing V8s into 1,000 lb short wheelbase racing cars for a reason. K20s and K24s provide balance, which allows a car to dance through the bends. This is one of the hidden gems of these motors you never hear people talk about.
>>Join the conversation about the Honda K-series engines right here in the Honda-Tech Forum!
Final Thoughts
These engines are capable of great power, massive torque when boosted, and super performance that blows the doors off supercars. But they can be more much more than that. Mildly tuned in the right package, they can be one of the most reliable and consistent ways to go fast, and that’s what makes them so special. Few can lay claim to the impact these engines have had on the aftermarket community, with car enthusiasts all around the world chomping at the bit to build one of these 8,000rpm screamers. The appeal is vast and wide and it’s not hard to see why. The K-series is one of the best engines ever made.
>>Join the conversation about the Honda K-series engines right here in the Honda-Tech Forum!
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