how practical is n/a setup. plz read

[crazydaver]

hey everyone. well i have a bit of a dilema.i have some choices to make between budget ka turbo(probly be unreliable) or n/a ka. lets say with the budget of 1g i have. i was thinking n/a route with a cam from pdm-racing.com, header, full 3 inch exhaust safc which i already have and sr20 injectors. i also have a brand new head sitting on my spare motor that i could get port and polished if i decide to do so. just wondering what you guys think would be best. if i go n/a with those mods those would all be good for boost in the future also. looking for suggestions. someone help me!

[mmm240]

we need to know what motor you have sohc (kae) or dohc (kade), if you don't know then the year will be sufficient pre 91=kae, 91 or newer=kadeyour na idea sounds good to me though

[240DRFT]

you could also add in lightweight pulleys, ignition stuff and an intake if u dont already have one.

btw your car is hot! what front wheels do u have, i think my friend has the same ones on his corolla

[bruinbear714]

At the track, I would prefer a built NA KA over a KA turbo. But for streets/drag, turbo all the way.

[JDMEnthused]

yeah you would be amazed with just bolt ons.. i would invest with some 264 cams for the intake a little larger for the exhaust side. pulleys, intake, exhaust, gut the cat, if you can or if there is one on your afm exhaust..

[180fan]

NA = more expensive to build but more reliable and you'll get better response in general.

Turbo = cheaper, easy to get power but not as reliable and gets messy with piping, lines and oh my!

Go NA if you can afford it, if not turbo the mofo.

[pr240sx]

I will go for NA then if need more go turboFor NAIntakeHeaderExhaust (2.5 or 2.75)Adjust timming (advance 2 or 3 degrees)No need for bigger injectorsCamsPort and polish headIf DE from 91~94 remove the secondary butterfliesRemove the coolant bypass But before spending all of this... do a good tuneup, spark wires, spark plugs, rotor, ignition fuel filter.Then go and spend your 1k in goodies!!!

[topsecret76]

Not all those mods will be good if you decide to go turbo in the future. A cam for a N\A setup is very different from a turbo cam and your header would basicly be useless. I guess with the header you can probably hack it up and make a turbo manifold granted you have the welding/fabrication skills for it.

Nonetheless I would just slap on some bolt-ons or save up lots of money for a well done ka-t....

[crazydaver]

cool thanks for all the great responses! i have the ka24e. im am pretty mechanically inclined(changed own clutch and 5spd swap) the turbo would be nice for power but i like response.i already have exhaust and safc. maybe ill just through a big intake on and see how it helps. btw, my wheels on the front are bbs' 16x7. hmm n/a or turbo. reliable hp vs. less reliable more hp. hmm stuggeling student trying to decide haha.

[crazydaver]

Not all those mods will be good if you decide to go turbo in the future. A cam for a N\A setup is very different from a turbo cam and your header would basicly be useless. I guess with the header you can probably hack it up and make a turbo manifold granted you have the welding/fabrication skills for it.

Nonetheless I would just slap on some bolt-ons or save up lots of money for a well done ka-t....

well its only temporary for a couple years until i finish school. then this car will be getting fully redone with rb26 and stitch welded and made into a track car, so thats why i want a budget because why spend money on something that i wont have for a long time.

[240DRFT]

Remove the coolant bypass

how do you do that?

[sunnys14]

how do you do that?

yeah, i wanna know too. s14 please

[oneline180]

just plug the coolant line running underneath the throttle body with vaccum type line plugs (those little black rubber nipples).

[big-byrd]

i'm curious about this na vs boost issue as well. i have an s14 ka24de....

-cams (s13)-cam gears (aem)-intake manifold (xcessive motorsports)-motor/transmission mounts (xcessive or nismo, need more info)-z32 MAF-BikiRom-370cc sr20 injectors-Walbro 255lph fuel pump-crank pulleys (unorthodox)-10.5:1 pistons-valve springs and retainers-ss black nitrided intake/exhaust valves-lightened flywheel-clutch (disk, not puck, no need for puck since a) not using it for actual racing b) heard it rapes your transmission/drivetrain c) not good for a daily driver)-exhaust headers-high flow cat (magnaflow)-cold air intake (aem)-z32 big brake kit ?-short shifter (b&m)-sway and/or strut bars-coilovers (tein or silkroads)-proper tune

what kind of a hp increase would someone be looking at with this setup? i'm obviously new and i don't have the experience needed to make the proper estimate myself, so any info would be appreciated. (currently running 130rwhp)

this kind of setup would be cheaper than a PROPER ka-t build like i previously planned, would most likely meet my hp goals, and would be more reliable as well. i don't like the idea of blowing motors due to boosting, especially since the ka wasn't designed for boost, and rebuilding with aftermarket internals is no guarantee for a reliable ka-t setup. maybe after i finish school i'll go with an rb25det, but for now, i'm leaning towards a good NA setup to keep me happy until then.

like i said, an educated estimate of the gain from this setup would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

[HolyShiznit]

Couldn't help but notice that you are the same person who ravenously tore apart the KA-T on Zilvia.net. You say the KA isn't designed to hold boost. How so? Forged everything except pistons and it has piston oil squirters. Also a built KA is about as reliable as they come. The reason certain "built" ones have blown is due to them still utilizing stock rods. To date I don't think a single KA-T that utilized aftermarket rods/pistons set-up has blown. With the set-up you mentioned you MIGHT be at 200whp NA. Doubtful but maybe.

Considering the fact you are already planning on switching pistons it would be cheaper/more economic to just turbo it.

[big-byrd]

like i said. i'm fairly new and am always learning new things. i know that ka's running stock internals with a turbo setup don't last very long. wasn't too sure about a built ka-t, and the price tag is pretty high to get the job done right. thanks for the advice. looks like im looking back on old ka-t plans again.

p.s. mind quoting me when i "ravenously tore apart the ka-t on Zilvia.net"? was it when i stated that the rb > ka-t (both built, yes. stock rb, no)? it was a one liner man, cut me some slack lol. i voted KA-T btw.

[HolyShiznit]

Well if it helps any my unopened KA lasted 2 years. 1 year on 8psi and 1 year on 14psi. Just don't let the person put 87 octane in without you checking....makes for a messy oil pan.

Not saying every motor will do that, but if compression is good and normal maintenance is kept up then it should be fine. 14psi is getting close to pushing it on a decent sized turbo though.

[lrb_2000]

hah, oregon pumps your gas.. you can't even do it yourself if you wanted, can you? anyways.. if you're going N/A get a 3" exhaust for the most gains... and loose your interior, at least the stuff you don't care for, like sound deadning, and what not... you'd be surprised what a stock 240, with only a dash, and two seats for interior feels like.

[crazydaver]

stripping the interior is pointless accept for sound deadening. the carpet weights nothing and same with the plastic panels. it just gets more noisy which it may feel faster but its really not. i just lost my rear sound deadening and thats all.

[lrb_2000]

except the whole thing where there rear seat weighs like 40lbs all together, and the spare tire + jack is about 40lbs.. and the speaker brackets, and all the other brackets probably weigh around 20lbs.. plus auto seatbelts weigh a lot...

look here.zerothread?id=141653

[TrueSlide]

By-passing TB coolant lines is pointless, you will gain very little power for alittle while, but once the engine heats up, the TB in turn will heat it and you will then lose power.

[lrb_2000]

how so? if you have an intake you will see gains. the cold air will cool the TB, the engine heat isn't going to cause the TB to get too hot, especially since there's no 180 degree coolant flowing through it.