ca18det vs sr20 pro's and cons !!!!!!!!!!!

[DatsunKid]

Yea but a 280zx turbo is much older.

Anyways I think KA is the way to go. Cheap and very reliable. The parts are much easier to get than both the SR and CA, not to mention cheaper. KA's can easily make the same hp reliably as an SR if built properly.

[lynchfourtwenty]

KA's can easily make the same hp reliably as an SR if built properly.

 

 

i agree with that, as with the ca could be built to match an sr.. however you can get a jdm sr20det for around the same price if not cheaper then bulding the ka or buying the ca and upgrading it..

[DatsunKid]

But when you get that front clip you have no idea what you are getting. You could have struck gold or you could have found crap. If you build your own KA you know whats there.

[ichorid]

I went down the same what ifs. came down to the fact that I can find a ka any day of the week and they can easily compete with an SR with a solid build. Outperform even, "there is no replacement for displacement." I mean in my area I can get a rebuilt KA for 800-900 bucks. all stock but thats still damn good when comparing to a 900-1200 SR that has "50k" on it. when you know damn well that 50k could have a 1 in front or 90 miles of parking lot drifting. Also have an easier option of hearing a KA running before buying it out here in LA. More so than an SR. even though they are popping up a lot on craigslist.

[lynchfourtwenty]

see thats the thing, not every japanese person drifts they're damn car, get one off ebay from someone with good feedback, get pics of the actual engine before you buy it, a bone stock sr is highly unlikely to be drifted... one with mods on the other hand is a different story.. 50k miles is "just broken in" .. i dont know a whole lot about the rwd sr's but with the fwd ones most of em are just fine from japan.. buyin one from craigslist or some guy would be a different story also..

[808DA6]

...........the ka is a truck motor hahahaha

 

Ouch! Hahahaha.

 

Dammit Mikey. See what you started.

[lynchfourtwenty]

thats just a joke, i said it cause thats what people always say..

[ichorid]

ok so I get one from an ebay power seller with a good rating, Im still paying 900-1500 dollars + 300-800 dollars shipping depending on where it comes from. When a KA can be picked up ANY WHERE for ~500 bucks. And what does an SR do that a KA can't? Ill tell you what, Ill take the KA torque and displacement over a SR any day. I have driven in KA-t 510's and SR'd 510s, personally a KA-T sounds meaner, looks meaner and rips harder than an SR. (of equal build) availability, support, community. Thats what the KA has in my area over the SR.

 

As per 50k being broken in, Id never take some ones word on it. Rebuild an engine before an engine swap. Why not right? You already have it out.

[lynchfourtwenty]

my engine was so clean when i got it dude its not even funny.. rebuilds are expensive an its a known fact that the engines commin from japan are low mile.. im not talkin about gettin some engine from some guy im talkin an actual business that imports them, they do a leak down an compression test, many pop the valve cover aswell.. some will check the turbos aswell.. it all depends where you get it from, if they really want to sell the engine they will take pics for you, an even pop the valve cover an take pics..

 

im not sayin the ka is a bad engine, but bang for buck a STOCK sr20det will do very well an any mods you throw at it, it will only further improve.. not to mention it will be as cheap or cheaper then doing a ka-t depending on what you are goin for.. if you just take a stock ka an turbo it you can do 3-400hp no problem an prolly be reliable but its gonna cost as much to turbo it as gettin a sr20det, not to mention some places ship free so you dont pay a million bucks.. then if you do a rebuild on the ka and or throw in aftermarket internals that all further bumps the price.. thats if you get quality parts an not no name crap..

[MicroMachinery]

I've heard alot of people talk about how "Oh, you have to build up a KA to reach where an SR is stock." Well, that's true, but while you're building up your KA, you can exceed easily and surpass a stock SR20DET. What does the SR have to do then? Oh yeah, remove a bunch of parts(turbo, injectors, ecm, etc..) only to buy higher output parts, just to match where the KA got rebuilt. The cycle continues, but if you build the KA from the get-go for power, it will more than likely be cheaper than buying a stock SR, then upgrading it to match the KA-T. If you have to pull the SR and rebuild it w/ forged components.. well.. that's a whole 'nother can O worms.

[lynchfourtwenty]

stock sr's have been known to handle over 400hp with stock bottom ends.. EVEN de's that have been turbo'd the sr will always have an advantage on the ka, and thats Revs, so say you build a sr and a ka using the same type of parts, turbos ect ect ect right, say that they both have like 400whp the sr is still going to rev higher

 

on the other hand the ka has the advantage of displacement.. how ever there are kits out there to make SR24's lol its just REALLY expensive haha

[MicroMachinery]

Ha, yeah. I'm not here to say which is better. That's a silly argument that I don't think all the forums on the interweb could resolve. I'm saying that for my dollars(which are few), what I chose is the KA. Why? Well, I've already given some legitimate reasons. Alot of the same reasons many others have gone that route too. Pros and cons.

[lynchfourtwenty]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Jdm-Sr20det-S13-240sx-180sx-S13-Black-Top-Engine-Swap_W0QQitemZ270501439594QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item3efb24686a

[bonvo]

ive been quiet threw this debate and there is one thing i want to add into this sr vs ka vs ca debate

 

frome everything i have researched i have found these facts

 

sr is light,compact and makes good power but also cost the most out of the 3 options and its kinda a bitch to wait for the shipping

 

ka is overly abundant lots of places to get them and for cheap more displacement and lower end then both ka and sr but it is also the heaviest and physicly largest of these options

 

ca costs in the middle of the sr and ka swaps makes good power with parts avalable here in the states factory turbo in most cases rev happy and looks like a mini rb but has the lowest displacement out of all of these options and runs a timing belt instead of a chain

[lynchfourtwenty]

on the shipping, i had my engine in less then a week..

[MicroMachinery]

Also costs $1650.. or $1750 if you want the MAF and Ignitor with it.. and is used..

[lynchfourtwenty]

its all good if its used lol i bet u it runs like a top!.. look at the guys who have sr20dets in they're 520/521s they didnt rebuild they're stuff an they are running great.. i seriously dont know anyone who rebuilds the motor when they get it.. an many of em last for years an years..

 

i know nothing beats KNOWING its nice an fresh an rebuilt.. but seriously dont knock the used motors they're not junk..

 

and an extra 100 for the maf an ignitor is no biggy.. chances are you would have to get one for the ka anyway lol

[MicroMachinery]

Right you are about nothing beats knowing. You never know what's happened to that motor.. not saying that you should tear everything down when you get it, just because I'm suspicious of engines that have traveled on a boat overseas and travelled many miles, doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them. I was just always taught that if you have the time/money to do it right twice, you had the time/money to do it right.

That being said, I think the S13 motor that you have on display is rated somewhere around 203ft/lbs @4300 at the flywheel. For $1750, I could acquire a worn out KA block+trans, tear it down, tank it, install new bearings, and throw on a turbo kit and run around 7psi of boost, making close to the same power, and still have some cash left over to take you out for a beer. Of course, I have left SOME expenses out, as some expenses have been left out of the SR swap as well. But for the sake of debating and sounding like I know what I'm talking about, I think I'm not too far out there.

New engine, I know what's inside, the only setback is that I have to break the thing in for the first thousand miles :( That's the hardest part.

[lynchfourtwenty]

the most important thing about the turbo ka is engine management.. the sr20det comes with an ecu i guess you could run an afc or something tho.. but thats a few hundred bucks in itself lets not forget about the price of the turbo also..

[MicroMachinery]

Very true. The higher power you go for, the more engine management becomes an issue, with either platform. Depending on the turbo you get, some are less expensive than others. T25s that come on SRs, people practically give away. Same as the 370cc injectors, but those aren't even needed until post 200hp.. the tuning of the ECU like you say, is probably the most expensive piece of that puzzle.

[MicroMachinery]

Whatever the dollar figure comes out to, I am keeping record of my expenditures. There will be a solid number that I can give when I'm running boost in my 71 510 :thumbup:

However, my build is not going to be a bare-bones budget build. Stock internals on a KA have been seen w/ the right engine management to stay intact upwards of 400hp. I haven't personally seen it, but those are the claims. I won't walk that line myself, but I'm what some would call a "pussy" :lol:

Edited December 22, 2009 by MicroMachinery

[LeX]

whatever you do, it's a constant money pit, so whatever you go with you will be spending a lot more than you want to.

 

I know I am and my motor isn't built or even rebuilt..

[kmc63]

I am just wondering how many miles can be expected for these little 4 bangers,being as they get the piss reved out of them. My v-6 puts out less thazn 200hp but it will still be in the car for years to come.

[FoxyRoadster]

Can I change my vote to RB26?

[ichorid]

an RB26 in a 510 would be completely overkill, in a z completely overkill, in a truck completely overkill. Im 100% behind rebuilding and cleaning the engine/bay parts before they go in if you're doing a swap. Why not? because its peace of mind.

 

1700+ on the engine to my house, another 1k (liberally) on parts to get the SR in the car. woo woo stock SR ~250 whp in my 510.

 

just seems like a rough starting point you know. when that money invested in a rebuilt KA could yield the same powa.