red or black?

[s240x]

whats the difference between a red top and a black top sr20det engine? which would be better to drop into a 1990 240sx. money is not an issue. and merkur xr4ti's r slow. i have to throw that in there for my friend chris thinks he can beat fuckin ferraris with that thing. n e ways thanx

[One-Eighty SX]

Well, the only difference is one is the imfamous red top and the blacktop s13 i presume u are referring to, they are both the same. Expect the blacktops run from 94-98 for the kouki year of the 180sx. Its really depends if u want a newer engine wil lower mileage. Also the redtop will only have bout 60k on it so its not that much of a difference

[srJOEYdet]

Not to cut you down, but thats not quite accurate. the Redtop has a high port head, and the weakest turbo out of the Red/Black/S15black. The blacktops have valves that won't flow quite as high as the redtops will. So if you are gonna replace the turbo, go with the S13 for sure, If you will keep the stock turbo and stick to bolt ons, and have the cash, go with a blacktop. And If you can get one, I have heard the S15 blacktops have variable valve timing and, again, a bigger turbo than the S14 blacktop. I think the horspower is like 205/220/245 Or something like that. I am too lazy to go look it up.

Joey

[240 2NR]

All the redtops and blacktops out of the S13 are the same for all intents and purposes (valve cover color aside). The S14 and S15 blacktops are different, wearing differening turbos, VTC, and other goodies.

For more detail goto www.heavythrottle.com > SR FAQ > specifications


COPIED FROM HT FAQ

Specifications

Red-Top S13 SR20DET 180SX 91-93 and Silvia 91-93

Black-Top S13 SR20DET 180SX 94-98



Displacement: 1998cc (2.0 liter) Cam type: DOHC 16 valve, chain driven cam sprockets

Bore and stroke: 86mm x 86mm Compression: 8.5 : 1

Horsepower: 205hp at 6000rpm Torque: 203 ft/lbs at 4000rpm

Stock boost: 7 psi Throttle body bore: 60mm

Turbo specs: Injector size: 370cc/min

Compressor: T-25, 60 trim 56mm BCI-1 compressor.

Turbine: T-25, 62 trim 53.8mm 0.64 A/R turbine housing.

Center Section: Journal bearings



srJoeydet- you are very confident and overly critical of others for someone who is often wrong himself. You're still relatively new to both 240's/SR's and this board. Take some time to let the information that is out there sink in before proclaiming the truth. I may not always be right as I'm learning as well, 1 yr later (though not here). However, I'm neither new, nor offensive, a bad combination that has gotten many flamed off boards before. Don't be that guy. <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/thumbs-up.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':thumbsup:'>

[Nate]

If u need any additional information s240x go to here. (http://www.heavythrottle.com/)

[HippoSleek]

Remember the FAQ can be your friend:

SR20DET specs (http://www.zilvia.net/f/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=6;t=13876).

Ditto on Steve's comment re: posting misinformation.

To answer the question a bit clearer, some blacktops are s13 and some are s14 or s15. &nbsp;The visual difference b/n the s13 and the other is clear - the s14 and 15 have a lump at the front of the valve cover and slope off at the back (due to VTC). &nbsp;There are also differences in turbos and head design.

The s13 motors (red and black) are freeer flowing and produce as much tq as the s14 motors despite the smaller snail. &nbsp;HP is lower. &nbsp;180 was right about the production years. &nbsp;The big benefit of an s13 blacktop is that it is newer.

[srJOEYdet]

Yeah I seem to be making rude posts lately... Sorry guys. Thanks for not letting me turn into a hated member though. <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/thumbs-up.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':thumbsup:'> &nbsp;<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/satisfied.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':satisfied:'>

Joey

[BEISSEN]

Yeah like hipp sleek said that the s14 has a hump in the front for vtc but the s13 blacktop is a little more shallow and that is due to newr years when things changed in the body style.if you get a red top i remeber reading a post some where that they had to customize his hood cus it raised to high out of the engine bay.
&nbsp;But the blacktop is newer and the difference of a s15 engine is that if you get it you have to get the whole drive train set up consisting of the tranny &nbsp;rear diff and the drive shaft to get that engine to work.The speed sensor is located inside of the s15's diff.So that is why that engine is so much more.And the powers are 205/220/250.the s13 has a ceramnic bearing center and the s14 has a metal ball bearing.

[ruf]

Most people will avoid the S14/15 engines. S15 is a wiring nightmare. Their added power comes from a larger turbo which you can easily add to an S13 engine for much less money. The NVCS system on the S14/15 is USUALLY discarded when going to aftermarket cams. The main reasons that people use S14/15 engines is "cool" factor, less mileage, or continuity (S14 engine in an S14). Some people may also want to leave the engine relatively stock and want more stock power.

Now if you're talking about S13 engines, then there really isn't a whole lot of difference between redtop and blacktop (most people don't refer to S14/15 engine as blacktop because they are ALL blacktop). Apparently there is a possible ECU incompatability between the two, and supposedly the blacktop ECU is tuned a little differently. Mechanically, they are the same aside from "typical" mileage. Most people wanting to build big power will go for a redtop because they plan on rebuilding the engine anyways so who cares if it has 30K or 60K? You will change so much on the engine, there is no point in getting a "fresher" one. Blacktop is typically for similar reasons to those getting S14/15 engine. One added tuning "advantage" of both red/blacktop S13 engine is the high-port head design that offers better flow characteristics for high boost.

Anyways, to sum up: if you're gonna dump $5-10K into the motor making it a badass, get a redtop. If you want to leave it relatively stock with bolt-ons, the choice is up to you. I would personally prefer a SUPER clean blacktop in that situation. Good luck and happy shopping! <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/thumbs-up.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':thumbsup:'>

[95silvia]

damn these boys are good....

nothing left for me to add that i know.....

Good job guys..
RINKU