Looking into going from Honda-Nissan...just a few questions.

[TannerDanger]

Hi. Ever since I was 17 and got my EK (99 Civic) ive been way into civics, but now that I'm moved out its time to give back mommy and daddys car, which I put about $3,500 into suspension, wheels/tires, brakes, etc.

So my deal is, I'm looking into what my next car is gunna be, and I was thinking of getting out of the Honda game and moving into RWD and I've always loved the S13.

I'm looking to drift, not publicly obviously (im one of those rare honda drivers that only raced and drove like a a$$ in vacent lots and tracks), and I am not too sure where to start.

After the summer I'm gunna make enough to have about $8-12,000 I wanna spend on a car/slight build, and I'm not certain where I wanna start. So far all I know is I want a-S13-Engine swap --was thinking SR20DET is the obvious answer, but is a RB26DET too impractical and put me too far over my head-Suspension/brakes/wheels/rims-Slight interior build (set of sparcos, shift knob, nothing that intense)-and maybe a JDM silvia front end conversion

can anybody give me some insight on this and/or point me in the right direction? What would be some good ideas for each of those categories? Thanks alot

-Tanner Danger-

[Florida240sex]

Rb26 is infact a ***** of a swap, from what i understand the rb20 isn't to hard to do. but if i were you i would look for a car with a decent ka and just do ka-t.

[kornaz]

Read other people's builds and learn. Read more.

[S13Teddy]

I think your best bet is to look into other people's builds and take the time to read everything. You will for sure learn a lot, and it will help you decide what kinds of parts you'll want.

Trust me, it will help in the long run.

Oh, and welcome to the Nissan world.

[maroon240]

You, have to do the suspension first befor you can, do the swap. Don't pay more then 5k for one inless it's has a swap wit a **** load of goodies.

be wary of drift taxors.

just like there are people who, put hatch tax on the ek9's and eg6's.

[TannerDanger]

what do you mean by drift tax and hatch tax and all that? Ive never even heard of that?

And ya I plan on doing engine last. The way I figure it I want my car to feel the way I want it to then I give it the power I want now that its set up to handle it. Thats why I didnt do a swap into my civic yet.

I know swap wise that I dont want to stick with the KA. the fact that its a single cam and it puts out about 140 ( i think that was the number) reminds me too much of my civics D16Y8. From what I understand the SR20 is the most realistic swap for a s13 right?

[FeintMind]

the fact that its a single cam and it puts out about 140 ( i think that was the number)

factory rated crank hp is 145 on the SOHC.

reminds me too much of my civics D16Y8. swap for a s13 right?

I think you are severely overestimating the D16...

PS Don't you mean Y7? You stated that its not swapped.if i am not mistaken, the 99 civic (non Si, correct?) came with a d16y7.

[NismoDriver240]

welcome to nico glad you came to your senses there's probly going to be alot of hostility toward you cuz you mentioned honda which i think is stupid but w/e. drift tax is where sellers bump the prices of 240s wayyyyyy up because they drift like in teh fast and teh furiouuss yooo!!

as for swaps... an sr20 will be the easiest swap, thats why its so common. it depends on YOU though. if your big into track running and stuff and you have the cash time and know how then go rb26 if you want, but if its just a DD and common track star an sr will do fine, thats if you want to swap, since ka-t was mentioned earlier.

like i said, welcome! stick around and have fun

[tramp_drift240]

i dont see why youve got to hop on the bandwagon, engine swap wise..

especially when you dont even have a 240 yet.

but hey, do what you want. read up on stuff. listen to what people say, but dont get an attitude when someone says something you dont want to hear.

with that being said, honda sucks, and ka(t) rules.

[White Comet]

the sr is cool, but i would say drive with the ka til u get the feel of the car. one question though, why woudl u dump money into a car that u dont own?

[chemao]

Sorry I GOTTA tear this one up... you know, for initiation! No sense of humor? Move on, please!

So my deal is, I'm looking into what my next car is gunna be, and I was thinking of getting out of the Honda game and moving into RWD and I've always loved the S13.

GOOD FOR YOU!! Now you can enjoy the pleasures of a real sports car, as opposed to a grocery-getter wannabe!!

I'm looking to drift, not publicly obviously (im one of those rare honda drivers that only raced and drove like a a$$ in vacent lots and tracks), and I am not too sure where to start.

In other words, you knew your car couldn't beat anything on the road with it's paltry 90FWHP (if that!) So instead you hung out in parking lots using zip ties and colored hose covers to make your wiring harness look pretty, while a couple of buddies with their own slow cars spent time changing ultra white Ebay light bulbs every 5,000 miles. HON DUUUUUH!!!

After the summer I'm gunna make enough to have about $8-12,000 I wanna spend on a car/slight build,

Dude, for even only 8K, if you do most of the work yourself you can have a car making 400 flywheel horsepower and looking good. In fact, for about 5-6K you can have a car that's sr-swapped already.

was thinking SR20DET is the obvious answer, but is a RB26DET too impractical and put me too far over my head

If you're worried about money, BUILD THE KA. For the money you'll spend on even a cheapter SR20 build, you could have a built block KA putting 350HP (and around 320 TQ!!) to the wheels, which is quite a bit in that 2600 lb car. That's C5 z06 territory. KA-T.org has a guy putting 500+ to the ground in an unbuilt block KA24DE-T. The SR20 is a great platform, but now that the aftermarket has warmed up to the KA's potential, it's really the way to go, especially for drifting! BTW, stay away from the RB26 swap -- you're too poor. Remember, you're talking about a great deal more than an element filter and glass-pack muffler on your VROOM VROOM Honda. You're now talking about REAL cars with REAL maintenance. an RB26 will cost you a ton of money even after the swap is done. Besides, once the swap is done, KAT and SR20 owners will be smoking you left and right. Dollar for dollar, the RB26 is not a good deal. Go that route once you've got 30+ in the bank and can afford to build it, otherwise you'll have an expensive and complicated effin project car that only makes about 420 to the wheels. RB25 and RB20 are pointless swaps now that the KA (almost same displacement as RB25) is well supported now. Trust me -- CAR=2500, motor/transmission build=3000, T3/T4 hybrid turbo and a 3 inch intercooler=600.

-and maybe a JDM silvia front end conversion

Why? so it can look like and old Honda wannabe? Maybe you should use some red electrical tape and make a wicked cool racing stripe or two also. How about a Supra-style spoiler on your hatch? Seriously though, why would you want to make an old car look even older? Why not spend that few hundred bucks on a PAINT JOB, or some dyno time?


Modified by chemao at 8:45 AM 5/5/2008

[White Comet]

^ some of your points arent very good

[asher4857]

I see youre in Rochester NY. Monroe to be specific. I go to RIT. Good luck finding a decent S-chassis up here at a decent price. I actually don't think I've seen any listed for quite a while...

[moulton712]

i know a guy selling a swapped rb25 for 8k, i wouldn't buy it. (i'd pay 6k) but this just shows a little about what you can get.

[chemao]

^ some of your points arent very good

You make an excellent point. Wait, you didn't make any points, since you said NOTHING to substantiate this. So I guess if your goal was just to see your post on the forum - GOAL ACHIEVED! SCORE ONE FOR YOU!

[iLLusive240^]

Wow you go to RIT? I have a few friends that live over in rochester and go there, i was actually up there this weekend. I can't go to RIT anymore because im banned from the campus (long story). But yeah, i have a friend with an SR'd piggy hatch up there next time i'm going ill get at you.

[danielsan]

CHEMAO.. your points are not very good. my going from a honda to nissan myself i think 240s are pretty fun cars because of the rear wheel drive. a 240 is a not a true sports car its a "sporty" car just like honda.

[dickie]

$3,500 covered your suspension, wheels, tires AND brakes? either civic shxt is cheap and you're headed for a rude awakening when buying parts for your $240 or that was bargain bin stuff.

[chemao]

I know swap wise that I dont want to stick with the KA. the fact that its a single cam and it puts out about 140 ( i think that was the number) reminds me too much of my civics D16Y8. From what I understand the SR20 is the most realistic swap for a s13 right?

Apples to oranges, man... You're talking about a car that's grossly underpowered vs a car that's just underpowered. The old KA24E rattletrap made 135HP and 160 TQ. HP-wise, it's similar numbers to a D16 with intake, headers, and exhaust. the TQ numbers, however, destroy the weak econobox D16 -- it's about 50 ft/lbs more. Wanna boost the iron block? GO AHEAD.. wanna boost that D16 block? Take it out, clean it, sleeve it, and then boost it. Then laugh maniacly when you hear "WHEEEEEE, BLUB BLUB BLUB BLUB CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP chirppp WHEEEEE!!" every time you upshift... just as that bolt-on 240 with less horsepower lets off the gas after walking you....

[chemao]

CHEMAO.. your points are not very good. my going from a honda to nissan myself i think 240s are pretty fun cars because of the rear wheel drive. a 240 is a not a true sports car its a "sporty" car just like honda.

Let's see, aside from the lack of a good 15:1 LB:HP ratio, considered by many to be a nice ratio for an entry-level sports car, these cars are well-balanced, rear-wheel drive, with good steering feel, supportive seats, low center of gravity, decent suspension design and in many cases a pre-existing LSD. What exactly else does a "real sports car" need? And you must be blind, because a stock Honda civic looks anything BUT sporty...

[chemao]

$3,500 covered your suspension, wheels, tires AND brakes? either civic shxt is cheap and you're headed for a rude awakening when buying parts for your $240 or that was bargain bin stuff.

It's doable bro...

From my G35 coupe:19x8 + 19x9 staggered rims/tires new from Wheelguys=$2000 shipped.Tokico shocks/struts with Eibach springs = $740 together(forgot brand) drilled/slotted rotors, surfaced $200Ceramic heat-dissipating pads = $175

I installed everything myself and didn't have to pay labor except my time... although as you can see above, it's definitely doable!

[Dittoz7]

LMAO! Someone Here Needs To Go Find A Hooker To Have Angry Sex With....

[White Comet]

You make an excellent point. Wait, you didn't make any points, since you said NOTHING to substantiate this. So I guess if your goal was just to see your post on the forum - GOAL ACHIEVED! SCORE ONE FOR YOU!

of course i made a point, your attempts at t3h funnay were not amusing. its not really cheaper to build a kat over swapping an sr, and without elaborating on how built you want teh ka-t, you cant determine which one costs more. theyre both good engines and in most cases theyre both cost effective.

Let's see, aside from the lack of a good 15:1 LB:HP ratio, considered by many to be a nice ratio for an entry-level sports car, these cars are well-balanced, rear-wheel drive, with good steering feel, supportive seats, low center of gravity, decent suspension design and in many cases a pre-existing LSD. What exactly else does a "real sports car" need? And you must be blind, because a stock Honda civic looks anything BUT sporty...

theres no way i'd call a civic a sporty car, but a 240sx isnt a sports car either, and its rare to find one with vlsd

[snwbrdr435]

chemao- i think you are a dush.

[Dittoz7]

theres no way i'd call a civic a sporty car, but a 240sx isnt a sports car either, and its rare to find one with vlsd

[White Comet]

^ yeah those are modified but i wouldnt call a civic a stock car. you can make anything fast, doesnt mean its a sports car

[VirginiaPS13]

My Type R Integra was way more "sportier" than any 240 I have ever driven.

[White Comet]

My Type R Integra was way more "sportier" than any 240 I have ever driven.

i woudl totally agree but my statement is that civics arent sports cars

[urcaptnspeaking]

I think this Chemao fella is just posting what hes read on the site... No real first hand experience. Just my guess. I could be wrong.

[chemao]

of course i made a point, your attempts at t3h funnay were not amusing. its not really cheaper to build a kat over swapping an sr, and without elaborating on how built you want teh ka-t, you cant determine which one costs more. theyre both good engines and in most cases theyre both cost effective.

A KA motor built with rods, rings, pistons, connecting rods, valves, retainers, springs, cams, and a valve job will run you about 3 grand, which is only a little bit more than a red top swap. This build would pretty much ensure you don't grenade your motor, and should be safe for 500+HP on a good tune.

theres no way i'd call a civic a sporty car, but a 240sx isnt a sports car either, and its rare to find one with vlsd

So what is your definition of a sports car then? You say it's not a sports car, but neglect to state why you feel that way. Seems pretty subjective, to me!