Ca18det Redline and Motor Q's

[chrismo240sx]

Hey not sure if im in the right section or not but i wanna know if there are different types of Ca18det motors....i know they came in front and rear wheel applications but do they all rev to the same rpm? I have a 93 240sx looking to swap in a Ca...reason i ask is bc ive seen some videos where ppl shift at 7000 rpm where the redline is and then others rev and shift anywhere from 7500 to 8000 when the redline is at 7500.....thanks

[ch187]

why is redline such a big deal?

[turbodcivic]

to me it feels like my ca dosent make very much power past 6k...

when you shift then you drop right back into the torque curve.

i dont see why you would need to rev any higher.

[chrismo240sx]

um well lets see 1st of all, so u dont blow the motor, 2nd i like motors that rev somewhat high, and i was curious as well because like i said before, i saw 2 different redlines for the Ca, depending on the year or make of car....one was at 7 grand and the other at 7500 and ive heard of guys taking these motors way past 8 grand

[chrismo240sx]

and to turbo civic....i thought the Ca motor makes peak power at 6400 stock?

[turbodcivic]

and to turbo civic....i thought the Ca motor makes peak power at 6400 stock?

like i said it dosent make much power past 6k so about 6300 is when i shift , but ive taken it to 7.5, and im sure it will do that all day long. but if you want a high revving engine, your gonna have to spend a little more money then most in building the head, and updrading the injector/fuel pump/timing etc etc etc.

so as far as a stock ca18det RWD i would said no more them 7.5k and i dont know anything about the FWD version.

[chrismo240sx]

alright cool...yea i was planning on doing work to the motor, def not leaving it stock...im guessing urs is, or mostly...

ive read that Ca motors love to rev high...rev happy bc they have the cam on bucket design where as the sr has more down low power...this is why im going with the ca(bc i like motors that rev higher)

im guessing maybe the 7000 redline was for a fwd ca car or something im not sureso anyways, basicall the redline is 7500 on the stock motor and shouldnt rly go past that bc it it peaks at 6400 or so....so theres no point on reving that high.

[rbfastback]

do these engines have alot of potential or would it be easyer to just go buy an rb or sr

[ch187]

yes. you just have to get creative. it takes a little more knowledge and thought process. that why there are dumbass SR owners, and then theres us.

[Liquid_Neon]

like i said it dosent make much power past 6k so about 6300 is when i shift , but ive taken it to 7.5, and im sure it will do that all day long. but if you want a high revving engine, your gonna have to spend a little more money then most in building the head, and updrading the injector/fuel pump/timing etc etc etc.

so as far as a stock ca18det RWD i would said no more them 7.5k and i dont know anything about the FWD version.

To answer that, my SE Pulsar's gauge red lines at 7500. I used to rev there and beyond with the NA motor (I needed every rpm I could get, 125hp). But I have since stopped revving past 7k with the DET, just doesn't feel any faster by then. I also have the SR T25, so no efficiency past 6500 or so?

[sr20detconv]

I did bring my CA18 to 7800-8000 once. It does go pass 7500rpm with the OEM ECU.

[r34 gtr]

mine has seen 9k twice and it didnt break, but i wouldnt reccomend it...ever. i noticed the redline on the euro cluster was 6800rpm or so, as opposed to the 7500 on my jdm cluster, vs. 7k on my us cluster. they are all pretty much the same engine, and none are going to make power past about 6800 in stock or close form. you want something thatll rev to 8k then you had better buy some strengthened rod bolts and build the top end. also, this has been covered more times than I care to count, so please go search.

[ch187]

yeah ive buried my tach needle (about 9k) on a mis shift. 3rd to second. it was when i was still getting used to the new gearbox. no problems thus far but it couldnt have been healthy.

[Zero260]

from what I've read, CA doesn't make anymore power after like 6500, in factory trim, so they only reason to hit the rev limit is if you change the cams, or use cam gears to "move" the powerband. Or get a bigger turbo and run higher boost(15-25psi) .

I see no reason to take it past 6-6.5k just after a swap, but with some good upgrades, I'd start looking at making use of the ability to rev the motor to hell.