KA-T or CA18DET?

[240sxin]

Hey guys i was just wondering which of these is harder or moer fesable. I want to make my motor better (KA24E) and i was wondering wich is in a way easier to do. To Turbo my ka or just to swap for a ca, i dont mean easier in diffaculty i mean in finding parts, maintinace, and all around relieability and perfomance. Any way any info would help and i would really like to know what you guys think. O and i dont want to go sr, i got nothing aginst it but ive seen the prices and they to high for me. any ways take it easy guys.~Jon

[k6kicker]

ca for sure, its a stout little motor and makes VERY good power for its size and has a nice fat powerband

[cosmo]

If I had more money, I'd go CA (IMO it owns all) but I'm kinda broke, so I have to go KA-T

I'd say go CA. Just remember to service your turbo while you have the engine out of the car.

[MainEvent212]

actualy as far as i know the CA would be cheaper...but i dont know anything honestly

[240sxin]

im liking the idea of the ca i think it would be cool to have, thnks for the info guys and keep it comin.

[float_6969]

I'm a little biased as I opted for a CA instead of a KA-T, but I would swap the motor. And as cosmo said, swap the turbo when it's out of the car. I didn't follow that advice and I'm now paying the price for it. Dang blown turbos...

[240sxin]

Well i guess my next question is where can i find a good ca18det, ive looked on ebay and there are hardly any ever on there (atleast when i look) but is there and websites or anyhting out there then sells good solid ones and abotu how much do they cost. any info will help take it easy guys.~Jon

[float_6969]

I got mine from Venus. Customer service sucks, but the clip was in good shape. http://www.venus-auto.com/ If you're after just a motorset and not a clip, wander over to the CA section and talk to Boost_Boy. He can probabaly hook you up too.

[aleph1]

Hey guys, lets swap the KA out for 20hp. That makes tons of sense, and to get all the REAL power (ha, like 250hp...at like 20psi) hidden somewhere in the CA, lets spend like 3-4K for a new fuel setup, boost controller, FMIC, possibly a new/rebuilt turbo and other misc needed...about as much as a decent turbo kit for a KA which would be capable of 250whp~ at roughly 8-10psi.

Sometimes the underdog is isnt as great as people make it seem. I am aware of the KA-T being an underdog as well, but the support for the KA is growing because people realize its capabilities (hell, even OS Giken is making a turbo kit and close ratio transmission)...unlike the CA, a ~14yr old enigne that makes 175hp (CRANK), nobody cares about it...hence not much support.

[240sxin]

at venus i didint seen any prices, o well the site looks good thneks man for that info and i will go talk to boost_boy.

[SeVa-S13]

I'd take a good condition CA any day over a SOHC motor that would not only need to be rebuilt, but need some good headwork and a nice cam to flow aswell as a CA.

And to make 250hp on CA? An SAFC would probly do ya....Get an S15 T28 and some bigger injectors and possibly a remap and you'd be wiping the floor with SR swaps and KA-Ts if they were all on the same budget.

[Turb0wned]

go for the ca i want one so bad

[cosmo]

actualy as far as i know the CA would be cheaper...but i dont know anything honestly

true you could find an engine for about 1500 and I could build a turbo kit for the KA for 1700. But by the time you swap it in, get it wired, it will cost more. Plus on a turbo KA I can pick and choose my parts and pick them up whenever I find them. Instead of one big purchase of an engine.

But if cost is no object I'd pick CA over ANYTHING. Yes, even the SR(OVER_RATED)

[Chingon]

even over an rb?

[aleph1]

I'd take a good condition CA any day over a SOHC motor that would not only need to be rebuilt, but need some good headwork and a nice cam to flow aswell as a CA.

And to make 250hp on CA? An SAFC would probly do ya....Get an S15 T28 and some bigger injectors and possibly a remap and you'd be wiping the floor with SR swaps and KA-Ts if they were all on the same budget.

just an SAFC for 250hp on a CA? dont kid yourself. Show me proof and I will gladly eat my words.

I guaratee you no CA will ever beat a KA-T on the same budget, for the most part its physically impossible (significantly higher displacement for the KA). Although the higher revving CA has potential, IMHO it would become far less streetable and require too many upgrades to get it into the 300hp+ range, if you are wasting 1500-2000 on the motor itself anyway. Like Ive said before many times, I truely believe that importing and swaping engines is a waste of money, you pay an initial 2000 on avg (CA price and SR price combined) just to get the engine, and you know you you are always gonna want more power, then you have to pretty much replace and add stuff as if you where buying a whole turbo kit anyway....

[cosmo]

even over an rb?

yes.

I'm a weight freak when it comes to cars, and I am infatuated with that little motor

[SeVa-S13]

Maybe I was being a bit generous with 250bhp but still, CA's can be had immensely cheap, like 1200 shipped. Install yourself, plus some little goodies and you'd be pushing 200 to the wheels no prob with upped boost.

Now take a KA24E, high mileage and pathetisad flow for a turbo.Kits are atleast 2 grand. PLUS a rebuild, and maybe a cam. Now I know you can custom make a kit for cheaper, but then you still have to hope you have almighty god of high mileage SOHC motors if you're not gunna rebuild. The timing is so horrible on mine right now it's oddly funny it still runs, and I know for damn sure that my internals would simply explode if they were introduced to the slightest boost.

[aleph1]

The KA24E isnt a bad engine at all, maybe yours is falling apart, but I would still prolly just get a 400 dollar KA24DE with lower mileage as its better all around than the SOHC me thinks.

[SeVa-S13]

I'm selling mine and buying a 91-93 hatch and eventually hoping for Turbo KA myself anyway...

[Dattebayo]

Had a test drive on a sohc once and thought 240's all sucked. Till i opened the hood and wondered where the other cam went to. KA24DE stock has the CA's dust all over it true, but turbo the 2.4 liter DOHC beast and see that CA dwindle in your mirrors. I bet you can get a mani, junker turbo and IC for the same cost as the engine set.

[jdmfreak]

Agreed. For the money a turbo KA is,to me atleast, a better choice. Its all preference I guess.

[Nismo1182]

A big turbo and some tuning on a CA and you will see upwards of 250 hp.

I ditched my KA-E for a CA but ive seen everything. A friend of mine on this board owns a KA-T. Stock internals. He has a nice T3T4 turbo. If I had the same turbo and mods as him, id edge him out. Especially on the highway. The CA's rpms are no joke.

Look for boost boy on the CA forums. His old setup on his sentra did over 310 hp. Big turbo + SDS system.

KA-T's isnt anything to laugh at, but in the end you going to push more boost and power on a motor thats built for turbo, RB, CA, SR, etc.

Build the KA and everything about saving money over a japanese swap goes out the door. Id do it anyway for peace of mind of having a fresh motor.

But like the saying goes, You gotta pay to play.

[SingleCamSam]

I don't even know where to start with this one. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GO KA-T!!!!

[jdmfreak]

Well Nismo, Im glad you brought up boost boy's sentra. I did read the thread on it and it was clocked at something like 173 mph. Now the real question is...Do you want a highway warrior to battle the exotics with top speed or do you wanna go fast down the 1/4 mile. If you want top speed Id say go CA, but if you want a 1/4 mile car then go KA. Also how much are you willing to spend?

[float_6969]

If you have no intention of producing anymore than 230-260hp at the crank, then I say turbo the KA and enjoy it. I would guess that after I get my S14 T28 on and turn up the boost a little, I'd be putting those numbers down easy. I only spent $1700 shipped for my CLIP. I know I've got less than $2500 into my motor swap (not counting mods). I will be the first to admit that I MIGHT have been able to build a turbo kit for a SOHC for the price. But my motor had over 200,000 miles on it. Think I should have turbo'ed that? I certainly hope not. So now I'm looking at a new motor to purchase. After that and the cost of building a turbo kit, I would have spent more than I did on my swap. And for what? A poor revving truck motor? No thanks. I've got hella respect for the KA-T. I've got a friend w/an S14a and the Nsport kit. Very fast, and all kinds of torque. But I'd never do any sort of track/autocross racing in it. The motor just doesn't move like the CA does. Kinda hard to describe, but lemme put it this way, I've now driven 240's w/3 different motors KA-T, SR, and CA. I now own a CA. Maybe that will tell you something. The only thing I haven't driven is an RB series motor. My opinion is that it depends on your goals and what you plan to do with the motor. If you want a 250hp, daily driver/stoplight racer, then turbo the KA and have fun. But anything else, you'll want to change motors. And in reference to the CA loosing streetability, I think you need to go for a ride in my car. I've got the stock T25 on it right now w/stock boost and the dang thing is fully spooled by 2000-2500 easy. Can you say that for ur KA-T? How about a power band that runs from 2500-->7500? I KNOW you can't say that for the KA...

[240sxin]

Well im thinking im going ca. I know that the ka-t might be cheaper but in all honestly i do not want to build a kit, i cant weld to save my life and i only have some nolage of engines. so what that means is if i get a ka-t im gona have to pay a guy to do it for me wich is gona cost me a hell of alot more if i just get a front clip and have him swap motors. ive done reaserch around my town and here is what i came up with.to have a SR20DET instaled in my car by these guy(place is called PHAT N LOW) it will cost me $5000.to have my ka-t made/installed they are gona charge me $4000 to $5000 depending on how well it goes.to buy a ca18det front clip and have it installed is like 3 to 4000o and these guys have done multiple sr20 and ka-t installs and also ca, they know what they are doing.so as you can see the logical choise for me is to get a ca, plus ive been talking to boost boy and what he says makes sence to me. anyway thank you guys all for the info it helped alot.take it easy guys and keep postin anyway i like to hear what people have to say.

[float_6969]

w00t! We've got another member in the CA crowd! Welcome, we're an odd bunch, but you'll learn to love us!

[240sxin]

lol ty man

[Nismo1182]

Whats involved in those installation prices, 240sxin?

[SingleCamSam]

Hmmm, a 10+ year old 1.8L japanese turbo motor that's hard to source parts for (not to mention nobody knows how bad it was beat on before it was shipped over), or a 10+ year old 2.4L motor that can be turbocharged for $2000 and replaced completely for 200 should it blow? Sounds like a question that answers itself.