Can Spoon Sports engines rev up to 10,000 or even 11,000 RPM and beyond?

So you’ve heard about Spoon Sports engines that can rev well past the factory rev limiter but is this true?

There’s a common misconception floating around that famous Honda Tuners Spoon Sports sells an engine that can rev up to 10,000 or 11,000 RPM. It’s not true. Spoon Sports does not sell or advertise an engine capable of going past its factory rev limiter.

Spoon Sports however, built a special B16B engine with a bespoke oil pan and block girdle that allowed this B-series engine to rev up to 11,000 RPM.

What is a Spoon Engine anyway?

First, I am not an authority on the subject, just a Honda enthusiast so let’s get that out of the way.

Spoon technically doesn’t sell complete crate motors you drop into your Civic. Spoon sells long blocks that are missing key components to make a running engine.

According to Nengun.com,

“The Engine does not come with the Gearbox, Belts or Pulleys,  intake manifold and exhaust manifold. It doesn’t come with the exhaust the Alternator or starter Motor. It doesn’t come with an ECU or Car battery.“

What you are paying for is a mostly stock Honda engine that’s been blueprinted to Spoon Specs, with key engine parts like Pistons and connecting rods balanced to within .01-.02 grams (depending on if you’ve ordered a B, K, or F-series long block.)Spoon also adds a thicker head gasket that allows for a slightly higher compression.

All these improvements allow for a smoother, more responsive revving engine, a bit more mid-range power and better longevity under race conditions in higher RPMS.

These engines are race engines built for a race series that allows little engine modification. If you’re looking for a competitive edge, these are the engines you want underneath the hood of your Civic, RSX, TSX, S2000 etc.

These Spoon engines, to my knowledge, do not raise the factory rev limiter. However, you can probably hit that factory rev limiter faster and more reliably.

What about that one-off B16B engine that could rev to 11,000 RPM and beyond?

As mentioned, around 1999, Spoon Sports developed a special B16B Honda Civic Type R engine that could rev to 11,000 RPM comfortably for race purposes. While a stock B16B ran out of steam and had to shift around 8,900 RPM to avoid hitting redline, this special B16B could reliably stay in its rev-happy power band longer because there are more RPMs to use. Whereas a regular B-series might drop out of VTEC when shifting from second to third a Spoon B-series with girdle and baffled oil pan might only drown to 7,800 RPM when upshifting.

There’s an old video on Youtube pitting a stock EK9 Civic Type R and a Spoon EK9 with this high-revving B16B that illustrates the advantage of more RPM.

As mentioned, this Spoon-built engine has that thicker block girdle and baffled oil pump combo to ensure engine vibrations at those F1-like levels of revving are in check and there’s plenty of oil to keep things cool.

According to Hybrids.JP,

The bottom half forms the oil pan and bolts to the bottom of this block girdle and features a baffled pickup area and cooling fins cast into the main pan. It also features an extra 1L capacity to aid in cooling.

Spoon did not sell this engine to the public but its capability became legendary and is the origin story of why people think you can buy Spoon engines that hit 11,000 RPM.

Don’t be bamboozled

There are some engine resellers who might try to sell you a Spoon engine and say that it’s able to hit 11,000 RPM, no problem. Be warned that, while they might resell you an authentic Spoon Long Block, without a special block blade and baffled oil pan, that Spoon engine cannot hit 11,000 RPM reliably under high-stress driving conditions.

Here’s a screenshot of an engine reseller who’s ill-informed or is trying to pull a fast one over you. Notice there is no baffled oil pan, not good for the new owner who tries to rev it past 11,000 RPM.

View post on imgur.com

View post on imgur.com

The B-series engine is an engineering tour de force with good power numbers, even today. Spoon perfected the B-series with their balanced and blue-printed long blocks and even pushed the boundaries of what’s possible with their 11,000 RPM screamer one-off.

But no, regular Spoon Sports long blocks cannot support 11,000 RPMS.