Seems like a not-unreasonable combo - weightless Insight chassis with a quality and proven D17A2 that's dusts the numbers from the stock I3+IMA combo.
Additionally, dropping the entire battery IMA system would be an even bigger boon (would have to work on weight distribution, but still).
The Insight was popular with the drag racers for it's light weight and aerodynamics and they jam all sorts of engines in them. K-series is the usual one.
I would think the K20A3 from the EP3 would be ideal, but figured the D-series would be more modest (and cheap)
Dootz said:I would think the K20A3 from the EP3 would be ideal, but figured the D-series would be more modest (and cheap)
It might be, considering how cheap you can pick up an '02 ex civic these days... and you'll probably need a bunch of that civic to make the swap work right.
Why stop at D-series or K-series?
How about a Subaru H6 in the trunk driving the rear wheels?
Because simple means more likely to finish the project?
I wonder if D series being on the other side might make the swap more difficult. It's been a while since i have been under the hood of an Insight.
(personally, I'd replace the IMA battery and keep truckin'... they scoot along well enough when in full operational order, and stock is nice)
Here is a build thread on one over on HondaTech.
At the local FAST autocrosses, one guy has an L15 Honda Fit motor in his honda insight that John at LHT swapped.
Just last night I was thinking of cars with a similar windshield shape and roofline. The idea would be to use twin honda j35s (front and back) and do a bit of bodywork:
Is the Insight a pretty decent car to begin with? I only remember hearing complaints about it and people rejoicing when Honda stopped production.
Or was that the CR-Z....
An engine swap is definitely not the easiest way to get 100hp out of an Insight. Numerous people have turboed the stock engine. It's an engine just like any other, and since the vehicle weight is so low you don't need a lot of power to be decently quick. A turbo'd insight at single digit boost will be as fast as a stock CRX Si was, for example. Actually, much faster at low rpms and part throttle. For example, a shop here in Texas turbocharged one that @12psi made 120whp. Enough to run a 14 second 1/4 mile with this weight. But what you might not expect was the wheel torque was ~220. Or about what it would be if you swapped a j35 v6 into one. 220wtq and 1800 lbs is going to make a d17 feel like a pretty bad effort/return ratio. The electric motor was contributing to that number but you CAN mostly ditch the electrics if you really want. The car has no alternator so unless you want to add one you need to keep at least some of the system in place to charge your 12v battery. You can also swap trans guts to go from the stock 3.0:1 differential to the more normal Civic gearing which is like 4.4:1. You'll lose mpg but there's no engine swap that doesn't lose mpg so that's part of the game.
And as far as turboing one, the best part is: Single exhaust port. It has one exhaust port coming out of the head (which later became common across other Hondas) which means you don't have to build a turbo 'manifold' per se. More like a 'unifold' 
I.e. a ' single piece of pipe'.
There was one for sale yesterday at $600 and I almost bought it..but besides I got down to 16 cars and not wanting 17, I checked the curb weight on them, and it was like 1950lbs, and my 90 Tercel curb weight was 2000 so not a lot lighter, and the tercel has an iron engine and a wagon.
nimblemotorsports said:There was one for sale yesterday at $600 and I almost bought it..but besides I got down to 16 cars and not wanting 17, I checked the curb weight on them, and it was like 1950lbs, and my 90 Tercel curb weight was 2000 so not a lot lighter, and the tercel has an iron engine and a wagon.
Batteries and electric motors aren't light...
The battery pack is ~80 lbs and the electric motor probably weighs 20 but can't really be removed because it forms part of the bellhousing of the trans and AFAIK there is no other trans that will bolt to the Insight engine that DOESNT have that motor. So to get rid of the motor section you would have to swap to some other engine/trans. The control modules and DC DC converter and motor inverter don't weigh much.
But removing maybe ~120 lbs doesn't really change anything. You're not going to swap to any OTHER engine and trans that doesn't end up heavier than stock, and you're not going to leave stock 11lb 5" wide wheels and 12lb/ea tires on it when you're trying to improve traction and handling, and alternators weigh 5-10 lbs, stiffer springs weigh more than the cheesy stockers, an exhaust bigger than 1" diameter weighs more, stock seats are already light etc etc etc. Even decent stereo speakers weigh more than the crappy originals. There's basically no way to make it faster and handle better that isn't going to end up adding back in most or all of the weight you removed from the electrics, and even if it doesn't you've got 1750 vs 1850, who cares.
I'm all for modifying an Insight, but if you think you're automatically improving it by removing all the electric drive stuff you're gonna sink a lot of time and effort into finding out just how contingent that really is. I think it's a lot more practical to think in terms of making it faster than making it significantly lighter (and still be a street car).
Funny thing is, by the time you made an Insight have the same HP as a Tercel, it would be much faster at the same weight. Race them from 70mph and the separation would be very obvious and there would probably be a 20+ mph difference in top speed.
The answer to why not is because it is an aluminum chassis, there is no technically legal way to weld in a steel cage as required by many racing rules.
Thus the answer is obviously to go full EV instead of gas and turn the Insight into what it should be.
But seriously, ideas of modifying an Insight come up all the time since they're so lightweight and aerodynamic but the problem is EVERY part needs to be custom-made for them because of those aforementioned special motor parts. Don't quote me, but the only engine swap on an Insight I can think of that didn't replace the engine AND transmission was an EV swap where they used the same hole for the original motor for the output shaft on a much bigger one.
The answer to why not is because it is an aluminum chassis, there is no technically legal way to weld in a steel cage as required by many racing rules.
Somebody should tell this guy so he can retroactively die from lack of roll cage protection.
In reply to Vigo :
Do you think that car is not a full-tube chassis?
nimblemotorsports said:The answer to why not is because it is an aluminum chassis, there is no technically legal way to weld in a steel cage as required by many racing rules.
There's actually provisions for attaching a steel roll cage to an aluminum chassis. It's a combination of bolting and epoxy. That's how they do the cages on modern Lotus cars and how they do it on NSX's.
Do you think that car is not a full-tube chassis?
My point was more like 'where theres a will there's a way'. 
Give in to the (EV) Dark Side
Vigo said:The answer to why not is because it is an aluminum chassis, there is no technically legal way to weld in a steel cage as required by many racing rules.
Somebody should tell this guy so he can retroactively die from lack of roll cage protection.
"Technically legal" is the key - most sanctioning bodies require the cages to be welded to the chassis in a certain way.
Not suggesting that the solutions aren't safe, just that they don't meet the letter of the rules.
They used to do bolt-in aluminum cages for steel chassis cars, too.
aw614 said:Here is a build thread on one over on HondaTech.
At the local FAST autocrosses, one guy has an L15 Honda Fit motor in his honda insight that John at LHT swapped.
If an older L-series can be swapped in, I'd imagine the newer line of L15s that have turbos attached to them should as well correct? I mean the L15B7 VTC Turbo comes in evertyhing from the CR-V to the Accord to the Civic and the Si. I imagine that with a tune would be a fun little car.
It'd be more complicated due to the current gen of L15 engines being direct-injection
DirtyBird222 said:aw614 said:Here is a build thread on one over on HondaTech.
At the local FAST autocrosses, one guy has an L15 Honda Fit motor in his honda insight that John at LHT swapped.
If an older L-series can be swapped in, I'd imagine the newer line of L15s that have turbos attached to them should as well correct? I mean the L15B7 VTC Turbo comes in evertyhing from the CR-V to the Accord to the Civic and the Si. I imagine that with a tune would be a fun little car.
I think hasport was making the mount kit for the L15B7 for the older model double wishbone cars. Might need to check their vtec academy page to see if they do.
Dootz said:It'd be more complicated due to the current gen of L15 engines being direct-injection
Is the L15B1 out of the current gen Fit direct injection? That still makes 130hp
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