pick a motor ?

[nissan240syan]

I have a 95 s14 with a stock KA that i want to swap for a sr20 or an rb25. i have been looking around for specs and other info and do not know which motor is the better choice for me !?!?!?! I want the car to be somewat reliable sine its my only car but also a pretty quick when I have fun with it

Thanks for any help

[bwake 5]

1jz


the end

[Gjohnson7]

Looks like you have a lot of searching to do. No one on here is going to be able to tell you what to purchase, especially with such a vague idea of what kind of power or driving you are looking for.

[brndck]

hmmm. first i'm going to suggest that you search.
second i'm going to suggest that you very carefully plan out what you want out of this motor/car combination. is it going to be daily driven? do you plan on drag/drift/autox? what kind of hp #s are you looking for and what is your budget? both motors can be made very reliable while still producing a fair amount of hp.
3rd i'm going to suggest that you search again.

[k's_silvia2.0]

Any motor can be reliable if everything is done correctly.
Except a 13bt of course:keke:

[Gjohnson7]

Also, what's your budget. What mods are you planning???

Why are you thinking about Sr20 and Rb25?

[nissan240syan]

i did search !!!!!!!! this car is gonna b a daily driver/ weekend drag/drift car. id like to end in the 300 hp range. my budget is about 7500-8000 installed.

[brndck]

wow for $8000 installed you could build alot more than most of us can handle. sounds like you have more $ than experience. I'm going to suggest a stock blacktop swap. and then gradually build up more hp as your experience grows.

[Lurpin]

you could also Boost your KA (just trying to give you ideas) I'm in the same situation your in, Hard to pick isn't it?

[bardabe]

i did search !!!!!!!! this car is gonna b a daily driver/ weekend drag/drift car. id like to end in the 300 hp range. my budget is about 7500-8000 installed.

for that amount of money you can swap in an RB25 and be in the 300HP range every day. very very very reliably.

[nissan240syan]

wow for $8000 installed you could build alot more than most of us can handle. sounds like you have more $ than experience. I'm going to suggest a stock blacktop swap. and then gradually build up more hp as your experience grows.


Definetly, dont get me wrong i'm not some rich kid, I live with my parents and work like crazy i just have this budget because i want everything to be quality. I would get a stock motor and get used to more power and then build more power

[nissan240syan]

you could also Boost your KA (just trying to give you ideas) I'm in the same situation your in, Hard to pick isn't it?

I was gonna do that but 130,000 miles and a very unpredictable KA pushes me away from the idea.

[azndoc]

I always suggest SR when I used to sell motors.

Why you may ask.

Parts are easier to find and more available.

But, RB25 on the other hand I would pick personally if I lived in J-land.

Just me though.

[Lurpin]

Thats true but for $8000 you could rip it apart and rebuild it.

[240cracker]

hmmmm

if i had to choose id prolly go with rb25 cuz iv never had an RB

[nissan240syan]

Thats true but for $8000 you could rip it apart and rebuild it.

im taking a loan out, i figured out that i cant go over 8,000 if i want to have payments that i can afford and live a normal life
so it would be good to spend less but if i neccesary i will do 8,000 no prob

[brndck]

then an sr swap is gonna be your best bet. it should cost 2-3 grand installed, shop around on the sponsors and you should be able to find someone in your area. an sr is a great platform that can easily and relatively cheaply be in the 300+ hp range. i'd advise against taking out such a large loan tho. as an investment, you'll almost never get your $ back if you had to sell the car. its better to just save for a few months and pay in $.

[SW20Racer]

find a place like american engine installations they are all over the country and they install remanufactured engines that comes with a 3 year unlimited mile warranty. im having this done on my new project and it cost 1500(for a less than common toyota engine).

i asked them if modifications would void their warranty, and they said if i modified the engine and it crapped out, to bring it in for inspection. if my modification can be directly linked to the engine failure im fucked. otherwise im in the clear(ALWAYS ASK THOUGH, DIFFERENT SHOPS WILL HAVE DIFFERENT ANSWERS).

so my advice would be to search the FAQ threads in the tech section to see which build seems more practical to you in the long run, but i still lean towards a simple i/h/e ka (then build from there when you decide its time)
or ka-t(close to, if not 300hp on the first go) because the engines are easy to find, cheap, and so much has been done with them there is always an answer.

edit: posting this made me remeber: i have to go pick my car up in the morning! yay! mayhem will ensue!

[drftkng951]

I always suggest SR when I used to sell motors.

Why you may ask.

Parts are easier to find and more available.

But, RB25 on the other hand I would pick personally if I lived in J-land.

Just me though.

+1!
i see more daily driven SR's that are super reliable....
and they are cheap!

[ruben705]

LS1. If you have the money and want to spend it..

[azndoc]

Oh yeah I had two RB20's in J-land when I lived there.

Loved it.

I drove one this past weekend and miss that motor a bit.

But I love my SR also though.

[Dutchmalmiss]

All this motor talk and no suggestions about suspension, brakes, or a wheel/tire set up? How could you possibly feel secure with a 300hp car at stock height, tires, and pads???????

+1 for SW20Racer for the crate motors. Someone help me out with what companies do this, but for about the price of an SR or RB, you can get a BULLETPROOF crate KA motor with 0 miles. You can just swap on your existing manifolds, sensors, tranny, etc. Have fun with that until you wanna boost later on. I'd love to do that if I had to start my project all over again.

[nissan240syan]

All this motor talk and no suggestions about suspension, brakes, or a wheel/tire set up? How could you possibly feel secure with a 300hp car at stock height, tires, and pads???????

+1 for SW20Racer for the crate motors. Someone help me out with what companies do this, but for about the price of an SR or RB, you can get a BULLETPROOF crate KA motor with 0 miles. You can just swap on your existing manifolds, sensors, tranny, etc. Have fun with that until you wanna boost later on. I'd love to do that if I had to start my project all over again.

i got coilovers and good pads stock wheels with yokohama s4's so i'll be fine

[SW20Racer]

http://www.google.com/url?sa=L&ai=BpydPOiRqR6CHB4TIhQSRl_DQAcin8yuk5rSYAorX__AC4P ogCAAQARgBIK225gcoAzABOAFQoLTwuwRgycayhrij3BOqATRj b20ubWljcm9zb2Z0OmVuLXVzOklFLVNlYXJjaEJveCtJUkZBYi tJUkZBYUk3K0lSRkFsyAEByAKwpmvZA7J-ySPAs5Z_4AMA&q=http://www.powerpro2000.com/&usg=AFQjCNGzrIckoPKfFJPztkznAoInAsqzww <<pricey& the warranty is weird...

http://www.truetestengines.com/Search2.aspx <<this place doesnt list prices they want you to call em

http://www.google.com/url?sa=L&ai=BPC7jOiRqR6CHB4TIhQSRl_DQAZSKixnMhaejApS8oJkL8O YXCAAQAxgDIK225gcoAzABOAFQvNTIkPv_____AWDJxrKGuKPc E6oBNGNvbS5taWNyb3NvZnQ6ZW4tdXM6SUUtU2VhcmNoQm94K0 lSRkFiK0lSRkFhSTcrSVJGQWzIAQGAAgHZA7J-ySPAs5Z_4AMA&q=http://www.cmengines.com&usg=AFQjCNHEe-DSpPT9Nf1ZSse6q6FcRJyvUQ <<this place claims to sell performance crate engines as well as regular so you might be able to order with a port+polish et c.

and this is who i used: http://www.engineinstallation.com/ i trust them, ive gotten alot of my family to use them too not a problem yet

edit: also, i would've addressed any suspension et c. questions if he had posted them, so its not like i was ignoring the issue

[Dutchmalmiss]

Ah, found it.

http://www.tophatperformance.com/crate_motors/

[SW20Racer]

^^ thats hawt. + rep for that. wonder why i never knew of them...

[GabeS14]

There is no talk about suspension because the guy's question is about what motor to get.

anyways..there is a lot of good info on here,
Id say no to crate engine because if he wants a ka he could just have his own re-built.
SR, rebuilt or RB rebuilt, would be my choice...and nicely installed,with that kind of money.......
and you would have money left over for whatever else you wanted..
there are a few shops that advertise on zilvia that do a good job(just dont ever pay everythign up front)lol...o else they will take months to finish it!

[SW20Racer]

There is no talk about suspension because the guy's question is about what motor to get.

anyways..there is a lot of good info on here,
Id say no to crate engine because if he wants a ka he could just have his own re-built.
SR, rebuilt or RB rebuilt, would be my choice...and nicely installed,with that kind of money.......
and you would have money left over for whatever else you wanted..
there are a few shops that advertise on zilvia that do a good job(just dont ever pay everythign up front)lol...o else they will take months to finish it!

my reasoning for crate engine suggestion is due to the fact you have the reassurance nothing is warped or cracked, everything is clean and you have a multi year/multi mile warranty on it too. my new project for example:1500 to rebuild engine with 30 day warranty or 1500 for 0 mile engine with 3 year unlimited mile warranty. momma didnt raise no fool.

if he wants to ditch the ka altogether: sr20 hands down. its quick, relatively painless, cheaper than most, and you can reach 300hp and still have some $$ left over for hookers and coke...or a shiny v-mount set-up....

[GabeS14]

my reasoning for crate engine suggestion is due to the fact you have the reassurance nothing is warped or cracked, everything is clean and you have a multi year/multi mile warranty on it too. my new project for example:1500 to rebuild engine with 30 day warranty or 1500 for 0 mile engine with 3 year unlimited mile warranty. momma didnt raise no fool.

if he wants to ditch the ka altogether: sr20 hands down. its quick, relatively painless, cheaper than most, and you can reach 300hp and still have some $$ left over for hookers and coke...or a shiny v-mount set-up....

LOL @ hookers, hell yea, Like I said there is good info on here, take your pick. I wish I had all these optionsand info .... and $8000 when i got my first motor..

[status:one]

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h306/ericscorpse/77502.jpg

[SW20Racer]

oh man, seriously? i havent had to look at that pictures for a couple years now and you dredge that shit up...

[g6civcx]

Cheapest crate engine = GM Performance Parts. You can't beat a brand new long block for under $2k shipped. The costly part will be trying to make it fit.

[TravisSW]

I'm sorry that I'm not going to be very helpful here, but taking out a loan just to build an engine...Eh...kind of stupid in my opinion.

I understand taking a loan out if you need your car fixed like ASAP, but for fun? No.

Personally, RB sounds great, but I'm going to build up my KA and turbo it with ITBs.

[txrxs]

I'm sorry that I'm not going to be very helpful here, but taking out a loan just to build an engine...Eh...kind of stupid in my opinion.

I understand taking a loan out if you need your car fixed like ASAP, but for fun? No.


This is the best advice in the thread, if you can't buy it with cash, then you don't need it.

Although I have a feeling you're going to do it anyway, so I'd say it comes down to personal preference. With an 8K budget you can pretty much get a built sr, rb, ca, or ka. If you want reliable na horsepower and torque ls1 might be your best bet.

[posdrift240]

I own a Rb25 and I have drove a Sr20 Blacktop. Good engines but as a daily driver your going to do wear and tear, unexpected things are going to come up. So if you break something your not going to be able to go in the local part store and just pickup a part. Your going to go online search for hours then order and wait a week for shipping. Lots of down time.

As a suggestion of been there done that! Go LS1, The most reliable engine you can swap with 300HP right out of the box. No turning up the boost or worrying about how much internal parts are good for. You will have all the Torque you need for anything. Aftermarket support is there if you decide to mod it. Best part is you can walk into your local parts store and get what ever you need.

Any of these engines will be reliable with the proper maintenance. But it also shows your personality in a swap.

How many LS1 240's are running around were you live? = None were I live

How many Sr's = too many for me.

And Rb's = Im the only one within 250miles of me.

The Rb is cool sounds good and you can make alot of power. But for the price of electronics/ and supporting Mods to make good power I could put a blower on a v8 and have a 1000hp.

I like power, So im a balls out kinda guy. So just check you resources do some searching. Price everything on every swap then decide. There is Die hard Sr guys and Rb guys on here. They will swear by there engines. So you gotta be your own judge. Im a huge fan Of power and the Ls1 makes it for me.

[SHIFT_*grind*]

2 jayz pic

You forgot the shot of NAAAAAAAS

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v245/bigjay00213/2jzswap.jpg

[g6civcx]

How many LS1 240's are running around were you live? = None were I live

How many Sr's = too many for me.

And Rb's = Im the only one within 250miles of me.

This is a good idea if you want the cool factor. Not a good idea if you want to find parts. Having a swap no one else has = custom parts = downtime. Trust me.

The RB isn't as popular, but it's by no means a custom swap. So you can still find some parts for it. Just expect to wait for parts to arrive. Still beats having to fab every part you need though.

The Rb is cool sounds good and you can make alot of power. But for the price of electronics/ and supporting Mods to make good power I could put a blower on a v8 and have a 1000hp.

I think it's not quite as easy as the poster makes it out to be, but it's still much easier than any Nissan engine. The aftermarket is huge for GM motors and you can make thousands of bhp if you wanted to.

The ability to tap into redneck muscle car aftermarket support is what drove me to the GM. You can find practically any part you want. If you need a part for GM v8s, some company out there will make it.

[status:one]

You forgot the shot of NAAAAAAAS


I figured I would let someone else follow up on it! nicely done.

[RPS13FREAK]

Go with the LS1. That'll be bad ass. If you're not that kinda dude that likes american motors go with a rebuilt RB25DET.

[CAPoweredS14]

You forgot the shot of NAAAAAAAS

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v245/bigjay00213/2jzswap.jpg

Dammit you beat me to it..

[nissan240syan]

thanks to everyone who gave me helpful advise from your knowledge and personal experiance, thats what i was looking for to help me make my decision and you guys really helped me out because i never had any experiance with the sr or rb all i had was just basic motor facts and no real life explanations from the web.

:fawk: Thanks for the neg reps

[drifting.8]

do some searching and reasearch SR's are nice but i prefer RB's the torque and the sound of an rb is choice.

[SHIFT_*grind*]

:fawk: Thanks for the neg reps

You should probably figure out who gave you negative rep before you go doling it out in return. Premie membership is ten lousy dollars.

[TravisSW]

thanks to everyone who gave me helpful advise from your knowledge and personal experiance, thats what i was looking for to help me make my decision and you guys really helped me out because i never had any experiance with the sr or rb all i had was just basic motor facts and no real life explanations from the web.

:fawk: Thanks for the neg reps


Btw. I never negged repped you. :P
lol

[bardabe]

for all that say that RB shit is hard to find.... NO IT'S NOT! I daily drove an RB20 for over a year and had every resource and part number to walk into autozone and get a part just in case. u just gotta research it. My friend right now is dailying an RB26 ive already had to replace his Alternator, once wich was cake,

The ONLY parts that are JDM only are the following

Bearings
Water pump
Starter
Cams
and Flywheel.

anything else i can think off the top of my head i can think of a US cross reference.

[SexPanda]

id personally go the sr20. THe RB is a great engine, but comming across parts in the states for it is a bit harder than the SR, but like ^ said, not that much... And the custom fabrication and parts that you need to make an rb fit and run the wheels is quite a bit of money if you dont go half ass on it... well quite a bit of money for me.

[SHIFT_*grind*]

I had an RB20 S13 with a 3" exhaust, and now I have an SR20 S13 with a 3" exhaust. Both mostly stock swaps.

I will say this....good GOD that RB sounded so much nicer. 7500RPM with the windows down and sunroof open on a spring day, there's nothing better. Well, maybe if I had that same motor in place of my 'vert's SR20, with the top down... :)

[bardabe]

yeauuuuuuuup thats what im saying! =) I hope the 4G63 Treats me well.

[Nismoogle]

RB25


The End. Keep it Nissan

[hijack3d]

You know... I always hate these kind of threads, because you can never help someone who doesn't know exactly what they want. OP says he wants reliable, but like it was stated before, any engine can be made reliable with enough effort and money. On top of that, these threads always end up with people posting their opinions (which only sometimes helps, sometimes it's like a cult gathering). So instead of asking our opinions, which wont really help you, you need to ask yourself a couple questions:

What's my budget? Will I be able to afford servicing an RB, which has less aftermarket support in the US than the SR? Can I afford to do everything right, so it's reliable?

Will I be doing everything myself? (Also applies to budget). If you're a self-wrencher, and from the question I could assume you haven't attempted this before, you might want to stick to something more simple.

How do I like to drive? What am I going to use this car for? Both engines don't react the same way, search to see their common characteristics. By simply knowing the bore x stroke, the size of the cylinder, the design of the head, etc... you could make many educated guesses about how an engine produces power and reacts.

This kind of decision isn't easy to make, so I understand why you're trying to get some help, but you need to know more info on what exactly it is you're looking for.

[Phlip]

Okay, so I get it.
Hide a "[engine] vs. [engine]" thread behind another name, then get the same results as any other time, hilarity ensues.
These NEVER end pretty...
To the OP, please search, there is plenty of dialog about the merits/discredits of either end of this.