Nissan SR20 swap?

[finboy]

have you considered using the ka24de and turbo'ing it?

my friend went that method with his s13, VERY impressive torque down low and he can easily spool a t3/t4 (super 57 trim intake wheel, stage III exhaust wheel with .63 housing) through a cast manifold, the car is quite responsive. not only that, you can snag a ka drivetrain for $50 canadian if you shop around, and put the extra money into some nice internals and a healthy snail

[DustenT]

Originally Posted by finboy

have you considered using the ka24de and turbo'ing it?

my friend went that method with his s13, VERY impressive torque down low and he can easily spool a t3/t4 (super 57 trim intake wheel, stage III exhaust wheel with .63 housing) through a cast manifold, the car is quite responsive. not only that, you can snag a ka drivetrain for $50 canadian if you shop around, and put the extra money into some nice internals and a healthy snail

I agree, the KA is a nice motor. I'd rather not mess with internals though. I haven't completely decided on a motor yet.

Thank you to everyone for keeping this thread moving in a positive direction.

[finboy]

Originally Posted by DustenT

I agree, the KA is a nice motor. I'd rather not mess with internals though. I haven't completely decided on a motor yet.

Thank you to everyone for keeping this thread moving in a positive direction.

some guys are pushing past 400 whp on stock internals, and torque to match

[marcus2116]

sr20 is highly over rated

[andrewsarg101]

It not necissarily overrated, it has just had its name disgraced by such things as the drift craze. Its like when people say the Nissan Skyline is overrated. Its not overrated its just had its name ruined by every "import tuner" in the world. The SR20 is a very good powerplant and is known for dishing out some serious reliable power. I would stick with the SR20 over the KA24. The KA24's is actually a truck engine that was put in to the 240sx to keep the costs down so americans would buy it, but we didn't buy it which let to it's demise in 1998. Most companies still use this approach to keep costs down. Nissan now uses only 5 engines to power 16 different models. Back to the KA24, a big problem using it would be you would have a horribly low redline, due to the stroke, once you started squeezing more power out of it on stock internals. You may laugh at this one, but I think a cool engine to use would be the 2.3 Duratec engine found int he Ford Focus and Mazda 3. Stock it would put out just a bit more then the m42 or m44, but after adding some parts from Cosworth you would have a bitchn' engine. The only problem is money, which comes back to the fact you can get the SR20 for under $2,000. But hey I can dream can't I.

[tengohambre]

ummmmmm, am I the only one who read the faq correctly? The base kit ($1600) only includes: work to modify the harness that you send, engine mounts, and the driveshaft.

To have a functional project, you're going to need at least the delux kit, which is $5850

Ok, so you've spent about 6k to do this conversion. From the specs page, you'll be making between 200-250 hp and about 200 ft/lbs of torque. Keep in mind that these all have turbo chargers.

Now you can spend 5k for a m3 swap or pay the 3k for a dasc and get about the same results. I don't really see anything special about this project.

The LS1 project makes more sense because V8 American engines are more abundant in the US compared to V8 BMW engines, which would probably make them easier and cheaper to find and upgrade. Plus with the LS1 project you get a V8, while with this one, you swap a 4 banger for a turbo 4 banger. I don't see why you would go through all the trouble when you can just add forced induction to your existing engine.

[andrewsarg101]

In the end it comes to personal preference. If you need a 320hp V-8 to get you through the day go with the LS1. If you want to keep to BMW heritage you go with the M3. If you want a I4 turbo with room to upgrade you go SR20DET. Or if you want a few extra horses from what you got you go with the DASC. I think the main reason he was leaning for the SR20 is that he mentioned in the beginning he had a turbo civic that it appears he enjoyed a lot. And when you used forced induction in a ti you can't get much more out without doing some modifitcations to the internals, which he also mentioned he doesn't want to deal with. DustenT sounds like he knows what he wants and what he would be getting into.

[aceyx]

Dusten; any dyno charts available?

[DustenT]

Originally Posted by tengohambre

ummmmmm, am I the only one who read the faq correctly? The base kit ($1600) only includes: work to modify the harness that you send, engine mounts, and the driveshaft.

To have a functional project, you're going to need at least the delux kit, which is $5850

Ok, so you've spent about 6k to do this conversion. From the specs page, you'll be making between 200-250 hp and about 200 ft/lbs of torque. Keep in mind that these all have turbo chargers.

Now you can spend 5k for a m3 swap or pay the 3k for a dasc and get about the same results. I don't really see anything special about this project.

The LS1 project makes more sense because V8 American engines are more abundant in the US compared to V8 BMW engines, which would probably make them easier and cheaper to find and upgrade. Plus with the LS1 project you get a V8, while with this one, you swap a 4 banger for a turbo 4 banger. I don't see why you would go through all the trouble when you can just add forced induction to your existing engine.

I already have the DASC. I know someday I'll be replacing the motor, so I'm looking at my options now.

I have a couple friends that build and import SR20s, so for me the price would be right. I would probably pay for the wire service, it would be nice if the engine acted like it belonged there.

[DustenT]

Originally Posted by aceyx

Dusten; any dyno charts available?

SR dynos? I can find some.

[marcus2116]

just put a 13b in it then

[DustenT]

Originally Posted by marcus2116

just put a 13b in it then

Your kidding right? Mazda's 13b twin rotor turbo motor is one of the most delicate motors around. People spend YEAR's trying to tune them properly. No thanks....

Check out this link: http://www.realride.com/racing/tech.html

Proof that these motors are a huge pain in the ass.

[finboy]

Originally Posted by andrewsarg101

It not necissarily overrated, it has just had its name disgraced by such things as the drift craze. Its like when people say the Nissan Skyline is overrated. Its not overrated its just had its name ruined by every "import tuner" in the world. The SR20 is a very good powerplant and is known for dishing out some serious reliable power. I would stick with the SR20 over the KA24. The KA24's is actually a truck engine that was put in to the 240sx to keep the costs down so americans would buy it, but we didn't buy it which let to it's demise in 1998. Most companies still use this approach to keep costs down. Nissan now uses only 5 engines to power 16 different models. Back to the KA24, a big problem using it would be you would have a horribly low redline, due to the stroke, once you started squeezing more power out of it on stock internals. You may laugh at this one, but I think a cool engine to use would be the 2.3 Duratec engine found int he Ford Focus and Mazda 3. Stock it would put out just a bit more then the m42 or m44, but after adding some parts from Cosworth you would have a bitchn' engine. The only problem is money, which comes back to the fact you can get the SR20 for under $2,000. But hey I can dream can't I.

if memory serves correct the sr20 and ka24 have very close redlines, within 500 rpm IIRC

[DustenT]

Originally Posted by finboy

if memory serves correct the sr20 and ka24 have very close redlines, within 500 rpm IIRC

The difference is where the motors make power. The SR20 is a low compression motor built around a turbo. The KA is more of a high compression motor, the turbo adds to this. With the SR, there is more room to play with boost. The KA would be similar to what I have now, a NA motor with forced induction bolted on.

The KA24 and M44 are comparable motors as far as quality and room for improvements.

If I put a Nissan motor in my BMW, it NEEDS to be capable of high horsepower, like 400+ rwhp.

[finboy]

hmmm, now that you mention sr20's, my buddy who owns jdmsource has an sr that has enough bolt ons to make over 400 hp right now

out of curiosity i sent them an e-mail regarding ka24det wiring, and mounts should work the same. Intercooler work is easy considering my buddy has a tig, and just picked up a plasma cutter