K20a INSIGHT by LHT

[MrLHT]

LHT proudly presents the first real K20 Insight we named “K-Sight”



This project has been under wraps for the last 4 months but is now ready and on it’s way to the NOPI Nationals in Atlanta.

The object was to build this and as OEM as possible, Meaning it’s not a stripped out race car. The LHT way !

We have tried to cover every angle possible so make this a real streetcar. It has AC (Factory climate control), Power steering (Factory electric), ABS, S2000 cluster (100% operating), upgraded braking and suspension and a much stiffer chassis.

We stiffened the whole car by welding extra braces, as well as building a complete sub frame, which ties the whole front together, and course the whole thing is aluminum.
The mounts are Honda OEM mounts from various Honda Vehicles so the car is very smooth with no teeth chattering. In fact you can’t feel it idle in the driver seat.

Now for numbers, with very little tuning the car is making over 200whp with a very quiet exhaust and tied with a JDM 6 speed transmission accelerates like a rocket. The car feels very tight and has great feel due the extra bracing and a custom alignment.

For the gas mileage folks, so far with very little tuning the car has averaged 48mpg with about 60% highway and the rest stop and go. This includes the 7 runs on the dyno. I’m confidant it will break 55+mpg once tuned. With the ability of the Hondata K-Pro we have had the car at 19-1 AF ratio with 40 degree of advance with no issues.

Thanks to our Sponsors:

Hondata,
Import auto Salvage,
Drive shaft shop,
NOPI,
Clutch masters,
Autoway Honda,
Superior auto body,

Special thanks the people behind the scenes.

Steve M He made this possible, I can safely say the best wiring guy on the planet
Jack P. The engine bay paint, wheels and attention to detail.
My Wife, For letting me work till past midnight many, many nights!

Now for the pics..More to come

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k231/lhtperformance/K-SightWM.jpg

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k231/lhtperformance/K-SightWM3.jpg

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k231/lhtperformance/K-SightWM4.jpg

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k231/lhtperformance/K-SightWM2.jpg

Come and see it NOPI !

[Gixxer]

That thing is tits, any idea on the weight of it now??

[chi town brat]

congrats to the whole team.

[180SX]

We have corner scales !!!

Hats off... I rarely bat an eye at project cars any more, and almost never post in another shop's forum, but the execution is perfect on this one.

40 deg at cruise w/ 19:1 ? I know K series are well designed. Did not know the combustion chamber was that good.

Martin S.
XAT Racing - WE ARE DRIVEN. (http://www.xatracing.com)

[YARO]

WOW this is a very nasty project.. great Job!!

[chet]

very cool.

i guess my only complaint is with the rear wheel covers which i could never get used to. i know they are 100% functional and honda engineers designed the car to get incredible gas mileage...i guess i just wish the covers could be pulled to have the car look more like a crx.

in any case, awesome job. the whole car looks very clean and well built.

[mtber]

Very nice build John!

I think you should ditch the green concept & make it a drag car ;-)

[mug]

So when is the boost coming?

[MugenR]

Wtf!!

[MrLHT]

Thanks guys. We are really happy the way it turned out and the way it drives.

We're not trying to be green but a "Real" car. Everyone has a stipped out drag car. NOT my thing.
Today it's going on a 500+ mile drive to NOPI, We'll see how it does.

[The Spectacle]

Congratulations! Pics are showing up here at work but I bet its a sight to see. I'm sure it will turn heads at NOPI.

[Alpha]

40 deg at cruise w/ 19:1 ? I know K series are well designed. Did not know the combustion chamber was that good.


+1 :-o

Looks great John :thumbup: :thumbup:

[jawbreaker]

Wow no wonder you have not had time for a haircut!!!! looks great John.

[ZCCRX]

WOW!! Now that's a swap!! Amazingly clean install, looks like it just rolled out of the factory.

[integra]

Thats pretty cool....would rather have seen it in a fit with the same gas mileage.

[DavidEK]

well john I didn't know you did K swaps...how much would you charge to throw one i have in my fit? (ballpark)

[DC2-R]

LHT has always done good work. keep it up guys.

[MrLHT]

Thanks for the imput guys. The car just had it's road trip to NOPI and back with great results. 1300 miles+ and it was a blast to drive.
More updates later , Just got back into town.

[11psiGSR]

I was able to take a closer look at the Insight at NOPI this weekend. It really looked great in person. It is a true testament to the work the guys at LHT perform.

I'm sure this thing is a beast on the street!

[MrLHT]

The K-Sight cruising along at 85pmh sipping on 93 octane with the AC on.


http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k231/lhtperformance/insight.jpg

[chet]

john, is this your car or one you built for a customer?

you should post some pics on honda-tech...i'm sure you'll get some good responses there.

[MrLHT]

Hey Chet,
It belongs to LHT and was builts as a porject car for the shop. Honda-tech and pretty funny when you post your own stuff up. But thanks.

[chet]

any plans to run this car at the track?

also, what does the car weigh without the heavy battery?

[fstsvk]

nice work once again. here is one more pic for you.

[hondamike504]

Looks so OEM.You are Da'Man.

[MrLHT]

Thanks Mike, I saw your car at NOPI but never found you. Hope all is well.

[MrLHT]

We will have the K-Sight out at Quaker Stake this Thursday for those wanting to take a look.
9/27/2007

[Little Nicky]

Saw you messing with a harley by my friends dads shop.Thing gets down.

[MrLHT]

Thanks, We were just trying to log some "Leanburn" runs ( 19-1 AF )till that Harley/Tractor was all over my ass.

[MrLHT]

The K-SIght will be Quaker Stake tonight for those wanting to take a look, also the Type R will show up.
(Thursday 27th)

[slowsohc]

That things is so money John. Congrats to all of you guys for putting together such an awesome looking ride.

[projectLS]

Thats pretty cool....would rather have seen it in a fit with the same gas mileage.

I say we try it with my Fit



nice project, always doing such great work.

[MrLHT]

[quote=projectLS;4665060]I say we try it with my Fit






It's been done in a Fit, Hasport even have a mount kit to drop it in yourself.

[Sleeperlx]

John, this thing is absolutely amazing. Thanks for bringing it by A&E today. Great work by a awesome guy. Kudos my friend!!!

[5 Lug]

Certainly a bad machine you got there, the swap is mint. Thanks again.

[JeRM82]

DAMN.....that is a SICK swap! I saw a pic of it in siphon and HAD to find out more! It looks REALLY clean too! Do you have any more pics of the engine bay and maybe how the fuel tank is set-up? Just wondering of you were able to use OEM honda fuel lines, regulator, or a stock tank. Were you able to use a stock style header, or a swap header? That is one CLEAN swap.....nice job! How much does it weigh now?

[MrLHT]

I will be giving up more info on The K-sight soon.
Keep an eye on Honda Tuning magazine.
It does use a stock insight fuel tank with a modified Walboro pump, Stock lines and regulator(still Returnless).
The header is a custom piece built by us, as with the exhaust.
All the mounts are Honda mounts, all the brackets and braces are aluminum. Not only does this keep the wieght down but keeps the theme of the Insight. The whole car is aluminum except the bumpers and fenders.
Since building the car, it has done 3500 miles with no issues what so ever.
We do plan to make some videos to show how well the car drives and performs, It's to explain.
Stay tuned.

[markzeronine]

That thing is freaking awesome

[noh22forme]

Stay tuned.
trust us, we will :D

[YBlegal]

in for updates....badass car! your shop does some top notch work! my friend had his turbo kit done by yall on his prelude! amazing quality!

[kaluwa]

I don't know if this was already answered, but I think I read that this still gets 55mpg. If its a full kseries drivetrain, what allows it to keep the high MPG?

[RoadRacer]

Awesome John.
I think it's the light weight and tuning that allows for the great mpg. I read that they are running an a/f ratio of 19-1 without detonation. :thumbup:

[MrLHT]

We are running in open loop so we can achieve the lean mixture of 19 to 1 with about 40 degresss of cam advance. These were some tips from Doug at Hondata. Of course full thottle is sitting at 12.8 to1 AF.

Here's a pic from a shoot I did with Chris, He's a great Photographer for those wanting quality work.He offers protraits of cars and bikes and can even supply a blown up print in a frame. I will post a picture when I get mine from him.

http://www.chrismetcalfe.co.uk/images/save/LHT_Performance/Feb08/insight-f.jpg

[Raysur]

What did you run on the suspension front & rear? Did you lower it?

The car looks clean good work.

[noh22forme]

i seen this sat night at the track!

looks good.

[ryker]

:( I just bought a new Civic a few months back. I would have had you'll build me a r18 powered Insight.


A used Insight will cost 8-10g
A used r18 and auto trans from a wrecked Civic ???
Shipping to Tampa
Cost to install ???

How much would the swap conversion work cost me?

[MrLHT]

Please give a call at the shop , 727 344 1800.

[SEEKERone]

K-sight made it to AutoBlogGreen

Insight de-hybridized for performance, still returns 48 miles per gallon - AutoblogGreen (http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/03/11/insight-de-hybridized-for-performance-still-returns-48-miles-pe/)

[Insight Mike]

This is the best thing I've seen in YEARS! I bought my 2000 Insight in 2001, and since then have been contemplating a twin cam VTEC swap (if and when my engine ever dies, that is). I first considered the infamous b16, but then I learned of the k20. For the past several years I've been thinking up plans on how to do this swap / where to find a shop and lots of R&D concerns.

Well, I officially found my shop.

I have the car, now I found the shop, all I need is an engine. Like I said, this project is not in the near future, because I cannot imagine destroying a perfectly good hybrid (it only has 127,000 miles). HOWEVER, when the time comes, LHT, here I come.

Mike Webb
2000 Insight
Silverstone Metallic
127,000 miles

[MrLHT]

Here's the link to the Honda tuning magazine article.

http://www.tamparacing.com/forums/lht-performance/483546-k-sight-honda-tuning-cover.html

[Sleepr66]

You. Guys. ROCK!

I have been building up civics pretty much since Honda introduced the 5th generation hatch and I've done every engine swap imaginable culminating with my most recent, the venerable K20. I also have a stroked NA K20 in my 2002 RSX but now you've got the creative juices flowing all over again. Man, I SOooooo want one.

I bow down to the most amazingly clean Honda swap project EVER!

[MrLHT]

Thanks , It's great to be noticed by folks that know what kind of work goes into such a project.

[ej1mang]

wat did you use as to lower the car in suspension?

[MrLHT]

The K-Sight has Tien suspension and is the exact same ride height as stock.

[Marq74]

This is the best thing I've seen in YEARS! I bought my 2000 Insight in 2001, and since then have been contemplating a twin cam VTEC swap (if and when my engine ever dies, that is). I first considered the infamous b16, but then I learned of the k20. For the past several years I've been thinking up plans on how to do this swap / where to find a shop and lots of R&D concerns.

Well, I officially found my shop.

I have the car, now I found the shop, all I need is an engine. Like I said, this project is not in the near future, because I cannot imagine destroying a perfectly good hybrid (it only has 127,000 miles). HOWEVER, when the time comes, LHT, here I come.

Mike Webb
2000 Insight
Silverstone Metallic
127,000 miles

Hi there, I'm with you man, sort of. I purchased my 2001 Insight a while back, I think in 02, and ever since the Insight first came out I had dreams of modifying it. I dont' beleive in sleepers, so I've mentally designed several body kit's for the Insight to give it a more aggressive look and to wipe off that smile that the Insight seem's to have. I've thought up of widening the rear wheel track to equal the front and pictureing a mild wide body kit for the Insight. I had dreamed of installing a B16 Acura Integra engine in the beast and figuring out how to stiffen the suspension and possibly lower it an inch or so.
The more I drive my car, the more I like the way it is, but can still use improvments. I've got some body damage to it and my friend who run's a body shop is going to fix it up for me and we're possibly going to repaint it white. I've never seen the Insight in white before except pictures of the Gran Torismo video game and I think the Insight will look stunning in white.
I can picture some carbon-fiber bit's outside and inside. The hood, the rear wheel pants, and a tiny lip rear spoiler. Inside, some dash trim including covering that light colored plastic area that surrounds the climate control unit, the flat panels of the dashboard from the glove box to the coin-box. I can picture the drink holder section covered in carbon.
Lot's of details and dress up's.
When I picked up the June issue of Honda Tuning, I fell madly in love with this gorgous K-Sight and I soooooooooooo want to do that to my ride but I dont' have the funds for such an expensive motor swap. Instead, I plan on just turbo-charging it and keeping it's hybrid status. I'm not to concerned about the cars top speed, but I would like quicker 0-60 acceleration.
All this time I thought I was the only nut in the world who wanted to modify this hybrid. I've seen lot's of pure drag-racing Insights, but that's not what I wanted. I wanted daily driver tuner car with killer gas-milage.
The Insight is a beautiful elegant looking car, but could use some more aggressive styling. And carbon-fiber panels would be cool addition I think.