built daily driver

[nicks240sxs13]

hey guys, i am wondering if daily driving a built 350whp sr20 is reliable enough to be daily drive for a few years, and is it worth it?

I am plan on these parts in my build:
BC stage 2 264 cams w/ springs and retainers
Apexi 86mm x .8mm metal head gasket
cp piston w/ rings 86mm
eagle rods
--stock crank
ACL standard rod and main crank bearings(unless stocks are fine?)
ARP headstuds
hks 740cc injectors
walbro fuel pump
nismo motor mounts
z32 mafs
isis intake manifold
mazworx topmount turbo kit (gt30, tial wastegate, topmount manifold, ect.)
isis oil pan
isis gt 3in exhaust
SSQV bov
greddy FMIC
isis electronic boost controller(at 15lbs of boost)
Enthalpy tune
all on pump gas.
----------------------------------------------
1. will this get me 350whp?
2. will it be reliable for a daily drive? and for how long?
3. is it a good idea to daily drive?
4. are stock bearing good for this set up?

thanks for the help!!

[KaminaSan]

hey guys, i am wondering if daily driving a built 350whp sr20 is reliable enough to be daily drive for a few years, and is it worth it?

I am plan on these parts in my build:
BC stage 2 264 cams w/ springs and retainers
Apexi 86mm x .8mm metal head gasket
cp piston w/ rings 86mm
eagle rods
--stock crank
ACL standard rod and main crank bearings(unless stocks are fine?)
ARP headstuds
hks 740cc injectors
walbro fuel pump
nismo motor mounts
z32 mafs
isis intake manifold
mazworx topmount turbo kit (gt30, tial wastegate, topmount manifold, ect.)
isis oil pan
isis gt 3in exhaust
SSQV bov
greddy FMIC
isis electronic boost controller(at 15lbs of boost)
Enthalpy tune
all on pump gas.
----------------------------------------------
1. will this get me 350whp?
2. will it be reliable for a daily drive? and for how long?
3. is it a good idea to daily drive?
4. are stock bearing good for this set up?

thanks for the help!!

You won't want to daily drive this unless you are a true baller.
If you can afford 12-14 mpg, hey go for it.

Do you really need all that power for a daily driver? I think this will boil down all to the tune, and the way you drive it. If you thrash on it day and night, maybe it will last a year, if you baby it, who knows how long it could last.

If you were trying to do this on a stock bottom end, I'd say forget it as a DD. With a built bottom end... I think the first thing to go out of all of these will probably be the bearings...

Just make sure you do oil changes every 2500 or so, and don't smash on it all day =(

[stuckonfresh]

350hp is awesome! Emmissions would be the only bad part about it. The guys around here can only drive it for a set amount of miles. If they go over it they have to smog test. Its up to you though...

The Na KA is mad fun with suspension and a wet lot though, despite the 120 something horsepower :]

[jspaeth]

I have a SR20det with a built head and HKS Step 2 Cams and GT2871R at 18-19 psi.

With a conservative tune, probably putting down around 290 wtq, 360 whp or so.........been like this for about 1.5 years and I get on it from time to time, and it is fine as a daily driver.


Sometimes cams cause problems for driveability....as far as low RPM/idle....but other than that, it is perfectly fine to drive.

[whitepony22]

Pretty much what the other guys said. Just keep the oil fresh in the car, and pay attention to all your fluid levels. And so long as you're not beating on it all day every day I don't see why it wouldn't last a while. I know people with similar setups that last a long time when done right on the track, so I don't see how some cruising mileage would really hurt it. But the tune will more than likely be the biggest thing to ensure it's reliability.

[nicks240sxs13]

ok cool. I just want my car to be a reliable DD and be able to eat these z06's around here for breakfast. The horrible gas milage might be a problem lol, but i have heard that the enthaply tune is good for 400whp+ and for daily driving, but i will have to do more research i guess.

Am i missing any important parts for a good sr20 build in my parts list?

[PoorMans180SX]

Might as well get main studs while you're at it.

Also, There is no reason your car still can't get at least 25mpg on the highway. I'm sure CodyAce will step in here in a few, I'm pretty sure his car gets 28-30mpg highway with an Enthalpy tune.

[nicks240sxs13]

cool, thanks for helping me out guys.
thats good, 12 mpg sounds kind of horrible lol.
I have looked into the enthaply tune and it seems to be a good and reliable tune, i also emailed a guy at enjukuracing, kevin i think, and he even told me that the tune is great for the set up that i want to run.
oh, and yea im gonna grab some main studs also.

Do you guys think that it is worth build my DD with this stuff? making about 350whp-400whp

[jspaeth]

Might as well get main studs while you're at it.

Also, There is no reason your car still can't get at least 25mpg on the highway. I'm sure CodyAce will step in here in a few, I'm pretty sure his car gets 28-30mpg highway with an Enthalpy tune.


My car AVERAGES around 24 mpg, and that is with a significant amount of city-like driving.

I have tuned the bottom half (vacuum MAP portion) of my map myself, and I have 15.5-ish AFRs while cruising. While doing PURELY highway driving and NOT getting on it very much, I see around 30 mpg at 65 mph and maybe around 27 mpg or so when going 75-80 mph.


The transient throttle movements hurt your gas mileage.....if you can just keep a smooth, steady foot, you can easily tune an SR20 to safely get 30 mpg on the highway at reasonable speed.

[PoorMans180SX]

My stock SR averaged 33mpg on the 2000 mile trip from California to Michigan.

Higher compression and a better breathing system should give you *better* gas mileage.

[KaminaSan]

My stock SR averaged 33mpg on the 2000 mile trip from California to Michigan.

Higher compression and a better breathing system should give you *better* gas mileage.

How the hell do you get gas mileage like that?
I'm on 7psi, and when on the highway, I stay at about 15 hg in vacuum, and I get about 350 miles to a FULL tank, with a new o2 sensor and full tuneup?

Are you guys just not on the throttle at all?

[Mesarina]

I have a SR20det with a built head and HKS Step 2 Cams and GT2871R at 18-19 psi.

With a conservative tune, probably putting down around 290 wtq, 360 whp or so.........been like this for about 1.5 years and I get on it from time to time, and it is fine as a daily driver.


Sometimes cams cause problems for driveability....as far as low RPM/idle....but other than that, it is perfectly fine to drive.

which injectors, how much fuel psi?

[codyace]

Might as well get main studs while you're at it.

Also, There is no reason your car still can't get at least 25mpg on the highway. I'm sure CodyAce will step in here in a few, I'm pretty sure his car gets 28-30mpg highway with an Enthalpy tune.

I saw 32 with the 4.08's and 30/31 with my 4.60's highway with my Jim Wolf ECU...to and from Watkins Glen ;) Even on track I see mid to high teens haha. You see similar so you can attest to it being possible in every which form.


The key to fuel milage is a decent tune, and knowin how to drive. I know in my cars instance, just breathing on the throttle makes a few lbs of boost...which provides plenty of power when going up inclines or hills. Will a stock tune/ecu see this? Probably not...they are tuned very safe/rich. But any well running ROM (or Standalone) should see those numbers.


What really pisses me off the most about the fuel milae is that my 240 gets better fuel milage than my Maxima! haha.

[codyace]

And in regard to durabiliy, the key is being aware of your setup and keeping up with it. I've got over 20,000 miles and countless track days on my homebuilt engine. Sure it's not the most milage (i'll be honest, I love having a comfy daily driver), but it's turn key reliable...that's the entire point/goal of my car...

In the end of th day, beating the hell out of your car isn't going to win you anything but a hard time. Dont' get me wrong, my car does see 15 or 20 psi everytime I drive it at least once (lets call it a durability test)...but that does not mean I rip from every light or stop sign. I drive like a human.

[jspaeth]

How the hell do you get gas mileage like that?
I'm on 7psi, and when on the highway, I stay at about 15 hg in vacuum, and I get about 350 miles to a FULL tank, with a new o2 sensor and full tuneup?

Are you guys just not on the throttle at all?

Short little pulls on the highway don't really hurt you much.

What kills you is the local driving, constantly shifting gears, getting into and off of the throttle....

Probably the reason you don't see great mileage with your setup (are you on stock ECU?) is that the stock ECU is probably significantly richer under cruising conditions than necessary.

You can safely run 15.5-16.0-16.5 AFRs under light cruising.


The key is to be as lean as you can safely without losing power....at some point, too lean produces less torque, and you have to step on the pedal a little harder to flow more air to make the torque to maintain your speed.

So, like Cody said, the key is in the tuning.


In the vacuum portions of my map, I have noticed that when I am adjusting my fuel, going from say 14.5 AFR to 15.5 AFR, I need to pull as much as 10-12 % fuel.

That right there is the difference between 26 mpg and 30 mpg.


So, if you care about mpg, have someone who knows what they are doing tune your car, or get a standalone and learn how to do it yourself.

[KaminaSan]

Short little pulls on the highway don't really hurt you much.

What kills you is the local driving, constantly shifting gears, getting into and off of the throttle....

Probably the reason you don't see great mileage with your setup (are you on stock ECU?) is that the stock ECU is probably significantly richer under cruising conditions than necessary.

You can safely run 15.5-16.0-16.5 AFRs under light cruising.


The key is to be as lean as you can safely without losing power....at some point, too lean produces less torque, and you have to step on the pedal a little harder to flow more air to make the torque to maintain your speed.

So, like Cody said, the key is in the tuning.


In the vacuum portions of my map, I have noticed that when I am adjusting my fuel, going from say 14.5 AFR to 15.5 AFR, I need to pull as much as 10-12 % fuel.

That right there is the difference between 26 mpg and 30 mpg.


So, if you care about mpg, have someone who knows what they are doing tune your car, or get a standalone and learn how to do it yourself.

That must be it. I have a stock ECU, the majority of my driving is city, and I also have my BoV vented, causing it to run rich every shift that I'm on any boost.

Well, I'm gonna be turning the boost up to 10 psi, so it's better safe than sorry. Rather run rich, than too lean right?

[jspaeth]

Yes too rich better than too lean.

However, that is the beauty of a standalone or ROM tune....you can tune the boost parts of the map to be nice and rich for safety but lean out the vacuum/cruising parts so that you can get amazing gas mileage.

With a stock ECU, most people are left to just using the base fuel pressure to change AFRs, but then you don't have independent control....either it gets richer or leaner EVERYWHERE at once.

[mattsil80wis]

my question is why do you only wanna run a gt30 on 15lbs of boost when you said your gonna have an electronic boost controller?

and why only 350whp?

why not just stick with a t28 and make 300hp and be done with it

[nicks240sxs13]

yea an isis boost controller, whats the problem with running 15lbs? it sound like a good amount to be pushing, i dont really want to driving around town pushing 20lbs+ of boost.

and yea i might just go with a gt2871r. i just know a few people running gt30's on their sr20s and they seem like pretty good turbos, and that mazworxs turbo kit i heard was good(but expensive as hell).

[nicks240sxs13]

so yea my set up will be reliable??

[240boosted]

how much rwhp you think you can get from this build?

[codyace]

so yea my set up will be reliable??

yes, so long as it's done correctly

how much rwhp you think you can get from this build?

probably 750



Truthfully speaking, why not buy a second beater car first, and then build your playtoy? Nothing will 'take away' from the daily driver ability of a built car, then rushing home on a Sunday to fix your broken car to goto work on Monday.

You can find first gen Altimas for like, 1000 bucks. Consider it a worthwhile modification. I tell anyone looking to build their turbo car...'buy a beater first'. Trust me, you're not going to get a Trophy from Nissan, or money from the forum for daily driving your built engine...

[240boosted]

750 for that wow i want to look at that parts for my rb25. Well i have adodge ram 07 i bought so i build my 240 damm thanks for the build thread

[R33E8]

He was joking about the 750whp...

Anyways.. I daily drive my built KA-T... 1000cc injectors, gt35r, and meth injection... Starts up like stock... I get around 30-32mpg on the highway... I can go entire trips without getting into boost easy.. But I'm a slow driver and baby my car..

As long as you know what you are doing you should be good..

[nicks240sxs13]

acually i was think that i might just grab an rx8 or something for a DD and turn the 240 into a weekend warrior or track car or something lol. just playing with some ideas right now lol. but thx for the help guys.

And that Ka-t of yours sounds pretty sick, i've heard ka-t's are some bad b-t-hes!

[codyace]

acually i was think that i might just grab an rx8 or something for a DD and turn the 240 into a weekend warrior or track car or something lol. just playing with some ideas right now lol. but thx for the help guys.

And that Ka-t of yours sounds pretty sick, i've heard ka-t's are some bad b-t-hes!

I wouldn't EVER consider a RX8 for a daily driver.

Remember, reliable and MPG is what you want.

[jspaeth]

Trust me, you're not going to get a Trophy from Nissan, or money from the forum for daily driving your built engine...

Liar!!!!!!!!

I've been to your place and have seen your 5 ft. tall trophy from Nissan, along with the plaque for "Highest Horsepower GT2871R-Based SR20DET".

[nicks240sxs13]

I like all real imports, not demestics or riced out civics lol, im not going to only stick to 240's just because that was my first badass car =).
im still keeping my 240 tho.
end of discussion.

[T-FAST]

you can definitely dd that setup, but true reliability lies within the tune. Make sure you have a great tune.

[burninskulls0911]

i daily my silvia with 338 whp

it is a stock motor with 56 trim top mounted turbo, 740cc injectors, z32 maf, rom tune. at 1.1 bar

its awesome.. my compression is still perfect
and i hit full boost a few times a day

[codyace]

i daily my silvia with 338 whp

it is a stock motor with 56 trim top mounted turbo, 740cc injectors, z32 maf, rom tune. at 1.1 bar

its awesome.. my compression is still perfect
and i hit full boost a few times a day

I never said you couldn't

I just said it would behoove most members to perhaps look at a daily.


I love my 1000 dollar Maxima. Nice and comfy, no worries. I've got 20,000 miles on a built engine, 30,000 on the chassis. Certainly not a lot, but more than most. I still am glad I have my Maxima. THis way if I want to do a 2 day job on the 240, or am lazy, or both...I can.

[burninskulls0911]

I never said you couldn't

I just said it would behoove most members to perhaps look at a daily.


I love my 1000 dollar Maxima. Nice and comfy, no worries. I've got 20,000 miles on a built engine, 30,000 on the chassis. Certainly not a lot, but more than most. I still am glad I have my Maxima. THis way if I want to do a 2 day job on the 240, or am lazy, or both...I can.
oh yeah i wasnt disagreeing or anything
i would not mind having a nice daily driver also

i was just replying to the OP

[supramon808]

I agree with Cody.. i got my toy 4 banga truck i daily everyday..while my s14 sits in the garage waiting to get loose. It feels good to know a second car is available when shit happns

[nismoman]

I think the question is are you building this motor because it needs rebuilding? If it is already in good condition you can leave the internals stock or maybe just do a headgasket. No need for a new bottom end for properly tuned 350hp. Some will argue I'm wrong. But the stock motor is plenty stout for that kind of power. Just get some good gauges, wideband especially. I think the consensus is that it's all about tuning. Gas milage, reliability, and driveability----proper tuning and maintenance

[Prok0]

I have a fully built SR, knife edge crank, cp pistons, 264 cams, ti valve springs/retainers, yadda yadda yadda, its only got a T28 on it at the moment, but I daily drove it for about 2 years.

Never had any major issues, but putting miles on a full built motor just driving to and from work kind of seemed pointless/a waste, also if you need to work on your car for more then 1 night it becomes a problem if you have work/school/other obligations you need to drive to the next day.

I would check my coolant/oil every 3-4 days and kind of go over the engine bay visually to check for loose bolts/nuts and anything else that may be wrong about every week or 2 as well and that seemed to keep things in check..

I probably have about 10-12k miles on the current motor, drove it on 3-4 hour road trips atleast 10 times, as well as 1 1/2 hour trips to and from school a lot, and alot around town.. never had any major issues, just small problems popping up from time to time (small hole in heater hose, fan relay dying, turbo mani nuts loosening up, etc.)

After building/dailying my car I would definitely suggest that if you have the money to get a decent daily driver you dont mind, and build the car for track use or weekend driving/as a secondary mode of transport, because dailying a heavily modified s-chassis, or any other car for that matter can definitely suck at times.

[mr_eh]

i plan on driving my built sr with a full race 35r kit every day. shit breaks, fix it, womp womp. hoping for around 500 on this setup

i daily drove my 431whp srt4 to and from work every day spraying meth... it's all about how you drive...