I’ve been toying with my ka for some time now and I have come to the conclusion (as many have) that I want some more horsepower. My target range is 200 to 250 hp. Not a lot but enough for a good fun drive but also a good daily driver.

Now, I live in Florida and the old timers are all about dropping in a Chevy v8. They say it will be cheep and not too heavy on the front end. I can see this point and parts are cheep that way but I just don’t know. I like the sound a v8 makes… very nice.

But, and there always is one, I like my Nissan. I want a Nissan or Infinity engine in my car. I read that the s14 sr20det is 220 hp stock. That would be perfect for me but I have never driven a car with a turbo… And they tell me that I will loose torque going from 2.4l to 2.0… Is .4l going to make that noticeable of a difference? I love my torque and don’t want to loose it.

I’m also apprehensive about going turbo. They say it will cost more to maintain. I have always gone NA and have loved it.

On the other hand I thought about doing a ka24det but that would require a rebuild with better internals in my opinion. My shop quotes me about $4000 to rebuild the KA and about $900 to put a motor in… Sounds like it would be cheaper to go with an imported motor.

Yes, I have read lots and lots about the sr20det swap, and the rb’s but I would love to hear some real world experience. Is the torque loss enough to feel in the s14 with a sr20det? Any other ideas? Please, no bashing here I have searched and read quite a bit but I just want real world experience.

I don’t want to put a Chevy motor in my Nissan… It just doesn’t feel right.

 

vk45de!!!

as found in q45, m45 and fx45
340 hp stock
ive seen it done to a 240Z
not sure if anybody has done it to a 240sx

 

ya gotta read some more buddy... patience is a virtue, lol. But I'll try to answer some of your questions. Yes you will lose some torque going with an sr20det swap, but the SR engine makes peak torque higher up in the rpm range~ it likes to rev. The S14 blacktop sr20det that has 220hp has more power than a stock Ka24de (the engine you have in ur car right now, duh) so yes obviously it will be faster, you just have to work a bit more to extract the speed from the car when driving due to the shape of it's torque curve. With that said, a Ka-T setup in fact will not require rebuilt internals (unless your Ka is already on its way out) and will actually run you around the same price as the SR swap if not cheaper (figure $200-$300 cheaper depending on how you set it up). The Ka responds very good to turbo and you will not lose ur beloved torque. Turbo setups are almost always more expensive to maintain, but with regular maintenance, well executed setup, and a lil TLC, you should be fine. I'm not sure about how noticeable the torque loss with a SR20det is as I haven't driven in all the various setups yet. I've heard nothing but good things about the Chevy LS1 swap, but they're obviously rarer and might be harder to pull off. For ur target 200-250hp, I would just do some more research on the benefits vs. costs of the SR swap against the c. vs. b. of turboing the Ka~ both will get you to that range. Hope that helps... read some more!!!

 

I considerered the LS1 swap when I had my 240...imagine that kind of torque in such a small car. I found a Zenki with that swap that was hitting like low 12s, high 11s STOCK. Search some more....

 

Yeah I have read that I could turbo the ka but I've got about 122,000 miles on it right now... That seems like alot of miles to put stress on. I guess i could buy another ka24de block from someone doing a sr swap just to have incase.

I'm still searching and reading. I'm learing alot and thank you for the info.

 

Do a compression test......go to advance and buy one for $25.00 and post you Results.......i did my compression test a month or two ago and it was

#1 200psi
#2 200psi
#3 200psi
#4 210psi

Very good for the KA24de with 240,000 on the OD........i cant really say if its the same motor, but it runs strong and i've got a week or two before i go turbo .....and things are going great

Your Compression should be 185 psi or better before you even think about going turbo and each (cylinder)<< dont know if i spelled it right...lol....... anyway each cylinder you test should be within 10psi of eachother ....................good luck......

 

Thanks for that info. No matter what I do I will still be driving the ka until I get my suspension done so a compression test can't hurt. I have two compression testers in the garage but I'm not sure if either of them work... I'll have to check and if not I need to get a new one anyway.