ok here it goes, i was wondering what the best motor to go with is,well more less is having the valves advance systems is ne better, u got the s13 red top, the s13 blacktop, the s14 vtc, or the s15 engine. i heard the s14 and the s15 r good stock but if planed to do ne tuning, the vtc or the vvt system will get in the way. also the s15 only has 202tq, they just have the better turbo. wouldnt it be better then to just go with an sr20de stock buy a t-28 or better turbo upgrade and a better cam possibly then u should be around what the s15 is putting out, or even more depending on boost and even better tq. i know there is so many ways to run it all depends on tuning, im just curious i read a s13 blacktop is prolly about the best way to go though. also i have read of an sr20det coming out of a chassis called n14, well im guessing thats what chassis it rides on, but it was rated at 230hp this i never heard of and was also curious bout that engine. well i know theres a few different subjects in there but i just had more and more questions as i was writing. thanks for ne responds.

 

Where do you want to go with your car. That is the question. You need to figure the ends and we will try and help you with the means.

Is your KA running fine now?

Have you finished the rest of the car?

 

well right now im not going to do ne thing. i was just wonndering becuz i was talking bout having an sr20det out of a s15 but heard that the vvt system wasnt the greatest if wanting to put other parts on and tune it. and i really dont have ne plans yet still undecided. just wanted to know if s13 takes better to mods really and the ka isnt running to great but i think i just need a really good tune up, lol.

 

The s14 and s15 have a valve control that will switch at a specific rpm (hense vvc variable valve control). This is more or less a trick for auto makers to run a cleaner car at low rpm and let you have your fun at higher rpms. This does require additional tuning for the motor (ie honda 's vtec vs. nonvtec cars). Honestly I would consider it a toss up. Unless you can tune your motor to take advantage of the change over their would be little sense to spend the extra money on an s15 or s14 front clip (or deal with the wait to get one). I'm pretty sure about this but I could be wrong. I do know that the cars with gross amounts of hp do not have stock internals on the bottom end. I know a lot of people are going to disagree with me but I'm just going to build up my ka. It seems you can get a flatter hp and torque curve out of it and at $2300 for a front clip for a s13 you can use that twards an upgrade in pistons and rods to support a turbo motor. For $4600 you can have new pistons rods and an easily upgradable t3/t4 kit. An sr motor with close to the same amount of power potential will run quite a bit more (keep in mind that you are getting a motor from a car that has been deemed not worth repairing). I'm not bashing sr20det guys at all. I wish I had that motor. All I'm saying is that to me it makes more sense to me that you make what you have fast instead of getting something that could be hard to repair, replace, or just tuned to run fast.

 

ya thats what i been looking into right now with a custom manifold with most likely the t28 turbo then arp rods, pistons, head studs thats about 1500 and plus 1000 for the custom turbo, that right there is about 2500 then u can buy the valves for what ur going to be paying to ship the engine to a dock. so u got all that done to ur engine, lots of mods and if u paid for the sr u would just have stock engine. and now u have a stronger engine rather then haveing to make the sr stronger, and can spend money on just more mods. so i dont know i think when i finally do it i wanna do it to the ka24de and be different, i dont wanna hear hey u got the sr20 in there, ill be like na stock block

 

Have you worked the rest of the car?

 

or you could go rb25 and not have to worry about internals unless your shooting for 500+ rwhp ... i have thought about turboing my ka but i would much rather an inline 6 turbo than a i-4 ... thats just me though.

 

Once again the same problem of cost and parts. Rb motor parts are even harder to come by than sr20det parts, and unless you have the time or money to do the work yourself and really able to make the commitment an rb isn't a great choice (or a mechanic that is a borderline god, I have not met many that I would trust to do the work, and those that can I sure as hell cannot afford). But you are right rb motors are stout and can produce close to 450 hp in stock trim.

 

well last time i checked sr20det parts aren't hard to come by, most places keep oem parts stocked pretty well. And Rb parts are becoming available as well... its simple: the more people do the swap, the more aftermarket, as well as oem support is available. Plus alot of the things that need changing alot or interchangable with the 300zx.

But with the way you sound, you might as well just go KA-T, get a decent one from a junk yard, rebuild it with forged internals, and put every bolt on you can think of

consider it a good thing we have so many options to choose from .

 

Your are right I really am leaning twards a ka-t build up. I'm not saying that the other motors are crap by any stretch (there is a reason why they are popular swaps). I just don't have the time or the resorces t really explore them as options right now.

 

The sr motors are factory turbo motors. Not only that they are nissan factory turbo motors (nissan rules) therefore the internals are already made to handle boost and there are sr's out there running 400 + at the wheels on stock bottom ends. I agree whichever way you go is still going to be a monster but you need a heavily modded Ka to get the same #'s as an sr. Theres alot more variables in building up a Ka-t than dropping an Sr in. alot more labor charges too unless your planning on doing it yourself. Just my 2 cents but good luck whichever way you go.

 

Yeah I see your point. My other car is a vw 1.8t jetta, and at stock it runs 11lbs of boost. It can handle this due to a low compressin ratioan pretty heavy internals. My biggest problem w/ doing a sr20det swap is I'll see probably 170-180 hp at the wheels with a red top maybe close to 200 with a vct motor, and be out 2300-5000 dollars afterwards. The xs kit at 6lbs of boost offers up 228 with flatter power curve than a sr with a t28 upgrade. The reason for this is the sr has a lower compression ratio and stronger internals than a ka24de or ka24e. so you can get high hp out of the motor but it is not realized until the upper rpm ranges. I'm not really into drag racing and I want as flat a power curve as possible out of my car. My plans include replacing the rods crank and going to a higher compression piston than stock. This will fatten my power band and allow me to be run lower boost levels and achieve a higher hp output. Tuning is going to be my the biggest problem with this type of build up.

 

Xs is getting really good #s out of their Ka-t running only 6 lbs. I was pretty impressed. I just like the sr just do to the fact even if your planning on tracking your car (Which I am) a T25 will spool up real quick and you can still get some good #s out of it with bolt ons, the sr can rev higher and The sr motor is around 80lbs lighter than the stock Ka so you get a little weight reduction there as well which is alot when it comes to braking, cornering, etc etc.... I want to have a balanced car that I can take to test & tune on fri night and surprise some V8 guys then go to a track event on saturday and have a blast. I would like to check out a Ka-t some time to compare the difference to the sr, so let me know how it goes maybe we could meet up and do a driver swap. Where are you from?

 

I'm in the southeast (greenville sc). I just bought the car about a month and a half ago. My goal is to have the project done in a years time. I'm still deciding on parts to use and which manufactures will work best. Right now I'm thinking about a t3 turbo or t3 size from another maker k04, rhb6 (they spool fairly quickly and since I don't plan on using more than 15-20lbs of boost it shold be ok), spearco supra intercooler, apxi gt spec exhaust. The fuel delivery is the area where I am having the most problems (engine management, injector size and fuel delivery system). I don't plan on putting a body kit on the car and 17 inch rims at the largest. After it is done I look forward to running in scca and other track day events.

 

Thats cool im in Frederick MD. I'll hopefully be taking an HPDE course or two next summer, my old roomate is an instructor for nasa. Theres a guy in my town with a t3 on his KA with a conquest front mount. not sure what he's running for fuel delivery i'll have to check it out for you to see if he has any insight. its pretty quick I hear but i've only talked to him a couple times