Flame the Newbie!

[Caplax40]

Hey all,

I am the PROOUD new owner of a black 1992 SE-R! As is with all newbies I have some questions. I tried my best to search, search, search for answers but couldn't find anything 100% conclusive. And, as with any newbie on a forum, I am going to ask these questions, so if they have been answered, please be gentle! So let me don my flame suit and fire away:

First a little about the car: It has 155k miles on it and the previous owner threw a rod. It has ginormous 17" black rims on it that IMO must go, not only for performance, but for looks. I paid $1700 for the car, new TurboXS BOV, T28 turbo with manifold, JRC intercooler (never heard of JRC, so I assume it's a cheapie) and a pillar pod for mad bling gauges.

Seeing as how I have a damaged engine and a pretty good chunk of a turbo kit do you think it'd be best to have the engine rebuilt and slap that turbo on....OR would it be better to go out and just purchase a JDM SR20DET engine?

Next issue is with the wheels. I read in a post on FreshAlloy that, in one users opinion, the best overall size for street/autocross applications is 15x7. He recommended Volk TE-37's but those are a little steep for my price range. What I'm thinking of going with is either O.Z. Superlegerras, Gram Lights 57S or 57C? Again, what do you all think? I want a wheel that is durable, looks good and has good performance characteristics.

That's all for now fellas! Thanks in advance!

-Andrew

[nametakennow]

Ooooh... I envy you, I want a B13 project, but I don't have anywhere to put it... thus I'm boosting my B15 right now, haha.

Anyway, shoot up a pic, I dunno if those black rims really look that bad... what kind are they? They may not be as heavy as you think.

Personally, I prefer 16"s or 15"s on B13s anyway, more old school.

If you can find a 15X7, get it, that would be a great setup, fat, grippy, and hot. I'm not sure how many 4 lug 15X7s exist though.

You have a lot of options with your engine issue, actually.

I'd avoid rebuilding it unless it was otherwise in very good condition. I mean, you could and probably have no problems, but since you'll have to pull it anyway, might as well do a lower miles upgrade.

Soooo...

Since you already have that T28 and such (I assume it's from a GTi-R), you might want to consider getting a Bluebird or Avenir or Sunny or any other SR20DET that had a T25 on it and simply upgrade to the T28.

Or, sell the T28 stuff and get a GTi-R motor.

Check the sticky at the top of Sentra Gen regarding motors and turbos, it'll give you specs on lots of them and you can make your choice then.

How's the transmission? Keep in mind that increased power means you'll want at least a new clutch. You may want to get a transmission with an engine if you decide to drop in one from Japan or Europe or whereever.

[RED_DET]

Buy yourself a JDM sr20de and turbo the motor. They are $400 and very low mileage. They come with warranties, but obviously in your case, that will go out the door when you put the turbo on, so you could just drive around N/A to get the use out of the warranty, then turbo the bad boy.

As far as wheels go, Kosei K1's, 15x7, 13lbs and roughly $120 ea new. I have them on my ride. The offset on them are 38mm and give the car a sweet stance. Another wheel the b13 guys like are from the Sentra SE-L. They are the exaxt same wheel on the 200 sx se-r, but titanium in color. They are 17lbs and 15x6. They still look damn good on the car though, 40mm offset. I had these before I upgraded to the Kosei's. If I could find another set in the junkyard, I would be all over them just to have for winter wheels.

[Caplax40]

Thanks for the reply's! In regards to the JDM SR20DE: Where can I find one for that low of a price other than an Ebay autcion? I emailed Jarco to see what they had but have yet to get a response.

[RED_DET]

Soko.com, Probably $425-450 shipped. Call both locations to check for prices. Tell them you want a highport JDM motor.

[Caplax40]

Highports are the 10.0:1 compression 150hp engines right? And how do you guys feel about the Superleggera's? The 15x7's weigh in at 11.5lbs and have an offset of 37mm. I'm looking at mainly street duties but once a monthly I will be running in an autocross event so I need them to be strong enough to deal with that. Thanks again for the help!

EDIT: I was looking at the tirerack and if I up the wheel size to 16x7" this gives me much more performance/street tire options. Do you think that size would look good and NOT be detrimental to the performance of the car? The O.Z.'s weight in at 14.6lbs for the 16x7's btw.
Modified by Caplax40 at 8:51 PM 8/5/2005

[nametakennow]

16"s would look fine, and they'd actually reduce sidewall flex (since the tire would have to be lower profile).

I'd be more worried about wheels bending on potholes than during AutoX.

Regardless, OZ makes some very nice wheels, Superleggeras will be fine.

Get the size you want and the tires you want. Remember that a tire used on a street will need to have decent treadwear. Of course, don't sacrifice anything for AutoX performance. Maybe an Azenis ST115 could handle both well, or if you're really going for it, an RT615.

Tirerack (NICO Sponsor I'd suggest for your wheel/tire setup) doesn't sell Falkens, but they have some great tires too.

[RED_DET]

The 10:1 motors are very rare and come out of the primera. Normally the JDM motors are 9:5:1 just like the US motor, but lack EGR(CRAP), thus giving a few more horses. All the motors I have seen and installed look brand new, run like a champ and are still running. You really can't beat the price, ask Greg*Azhitman*, he just put a roller rocker motor in his G20.

16's on the B13 would be my limit. I had 16's for about 2yrs, then shorlty after going turbo, I went to b14 SE-L wheels, then onto the Kosei K1's. There are enough performance tires out there in 205/50/15 for me. Plus they are alot cheaper than a 16" tire of the same specs. Hell the new azenis is less than 100 a tire for 205/50/15, kuhmo ecsta MX less than 100 as well. They are very similar to the azenis and both are a very popular auto x tire and street tire. Hell the falken ziex 512's that I am running on my 280whp sentra hold their own in warm temperatures. They are $50 a tire.