The best "Bang" for my buck.

[92sxMike]

Well I can't make my mind up on what i want to do. I'd like to go the sr20det route, but then again I'd love to go the rb25det route as well. But there's a little piece that's telling me to turbo the ka24de and then build an sr or rb. My question is which is more reliable and what are other's opinions? The car is sitting on H&R springs with kby-agx's and I'm ordering my lsd this week.

[smellslikecurry]

depends on the purpose of the car and how much money you have really...


...waiting on the lame "get a prostitute joke for the best bang for your buck"

[xpertsnowcarver]

search man... i thought this thread was going to be a review of some sort..

[hOngsterr]

+1
lol i thought so too.

[92sxMike]

search man... i thought this thread was going to be a review of some sort..


So I'm to search to see what others have to say about this post? I'm asking for people's opinions, and the pro's and con's. I'm asking for myself, not in reference to what others want.

[smellslikecurry]

all im telling you is...this thread...this question has been answered a million times on this forum.

all three motors are good candidates...all three are reliable STOCK...the moment you mod them, they become less reliable dependent on how extreme your mods are.

everyone with these motors will have different experiences...even people with the same motor will have different experiences...if i were you i would read whatever you can on these motors and then make a decision...

there is no right answer.

[handinpants]

I would also recommend putting the LSx idea in your list of engines, cause dollar per horse power, and dollar per torque, the v8 may be the way to go for you

[chingon]

I'd say KA hands down, but that's from local availability of parts and abiliity to build stuff.

KA's pros:
No rewiring needed
No new ecu/harness needed
No tranny or bellhousing needed
Readily available bolt-on turbos and decent quality inexpensive korean or chinese FMIC, downpipes, manifolds (some would argue cracking issues).
Available engines for cheap
Higher displacement
iron block for more boost (heavier though)

SR pros:
Lighter in turbo form than turbo kA\
proven potential, lots of aftermarket including aforementioned stuff
Cons:
Engines are getting scarce in low mileage/un-abused form (true for ka too)
needs rewiring to work
needs new bellhousing or tranny (usually included in "swap"
lower displacement
rocker arm valvetrain (unless gti-r)

RB pros:
Dyno queen bragging rights?

oh yeah, once you're breaking into the 350+ hp, lsx are hard to beat dollar per dollar I'd say up to 450-500ish hp.

[WideBody_S13]

^^To me there aren't really any cons to an SR swap, i've run mine for over a year now at 15psi making 310 at the wheel and ive had no problems. I'm also pretty sure that KA-T would have more problems than an SR because the KA does not come turbo'd from the factory. RB is really heavy, basically the only downside to that. Lastly, putting an American V8 in an import is a slap in the face to the car, IMO... But if i had to pick again i would still go SR.

[chingon]

^^To me there aren't really any cons to an SR swap, i've run mine for over a year now at 15psi making 310 at the wheel and ive had no problems. I'm also pretty sure that KA-T would have more problems than an SR because the KA does not come turbo'd from the factory. RB is really heavy, basically the only downside to that. Lastly, putting an American V8 in an import is a slap in the face to the car, IMO... But if i had to pick again i would still go SR.

c'mon man those statements are at least 7 and 4 years old respectively. Not to mention the 1st has been proven to be nothing more than an assertion made by sr owners to justify their "superior" engine and stroke their own ego..

[hOngsterr]

lol, i'd betray nissan and get a 2jz :ddog:

[Syncade]

search button!?

[GSXRJJordan]

For ~250rwhp, you can't beat a SR with a T28. Stock engine management @ 11psi or so, utterly reliable, fun car, great gas mileage, easy swap.

For ~300rwhp, you need another thousand or so into that SR for injectors, engine management, head gasket and cams.

Above that, might be better to go RB25. With stock turbo/engine management, you're up above 300ft-lbs with a beautiful torque curve. They're not that much heavier than SRs, about the same as an auto KA, and the weight is right down the centerline of the car - and that beautiful RB25/26 sound is to die for, total pantydropper. The engine sets can be found for just a little more than SRs, but then you need ~$800 for mounts and a driveshaft, and a couple hundred for wiring (I perform all of these services regularly).

[jamg]

if you want to go the KA route, you should do a full rebuild.

[92sxMike]

Thanks for the feedback other then the ass hats that think the search function is useful in this post. I'm leaning more towards the sr20 redtop now and will build an rb25 over the winter. What kind of wiring does the sr require and does anyone know of a company that sells a harness of some sort?

[chingon]

Thanks for the feedback other then the ass hats that think the search function is useful in this post. I'm leaning more towards the sr20 redtop now and will build an rb25 over the winter. What kind of wiring does the sr require and does anyone know of a company that sells a harness of some sort?

don't take it so personally....there's just a good 5+ years of knowledge in this forum and guys have seen your question at least 20 times (no joke).

[GSXRJJordan]

Thanks for the feedback other then the ass hats that think the search function is useful in this post. I'm leaning more towards the sr20 redtop now and will build an rb25 over the winter. What kind of wiring does the sr require and does anyone know of a company that sells a harness of some sort?

The SR harness does require some modification to work, there's obviously lots of threads about it. If you actually do purchase a motorset and can't find out what you need, PM me, I do swap harnesses all the time.

[let5l1de]

http://www.zilvia.net/f/images/icons/icon5.gif The best "Bang" for my buck.

Taco Bell....

---

based on unmodified engines with standard components in used or new condition, found in zilvia, ebay and wherever else. Installation & labor would be performed yourself

--------|-$$ ----|- Power---| reliability scale 0-5 (unmodified engine)

KA24DET 1300 est. | 200hp est. | 3 --- est. cost/1HP = $6.50 (assuming you have a KA)
SR20DET 2400 est. | 202hp est. | 5 --- est. cost/1HP = $11.88
RB25DET 3400 est. | 245hp est. | 5 --- est. cost/1HP = $13.87

----

from an initial cost perspective and no intentions of big upgrades, the best bang for the buck is turbo KA24DE although KA ringlands are known to break under higher psi.

SR and RB are more reliable in unmodified form.