Satsifed with an RB?

[808datsun510]

Aloha nissan enthusisuts, i would like some imput from guys who are running RB engines (any 20,25 ect..) how satisfied you are with an RB?

I currently running a 90 240 coupe with an S15 SR with quite a bit of goodies, i think its a great car and engine but im lookin for abit more lower to mid range torque. i have rode in a few of my buddies SR 240sx's and i havent really been too impressed as far as what im lookin for, but I have yet to experience an RB.

What im asking is for all the guys out there running RB engines if you could give me some of your thoughts and opinions about these engines as far as drivibility, power (Stock and modified), avalibility of parts (aftermarket peformence and stock replacement) ect..., But in a nut shell "life" with an RB, and would you do this swap again? Im really thinking about dumping the SR and going with the RB route but i dont know anyone who has gone that road. Input from anyone with one of these engines would be greatly appreciated.

[240z4u]

Your unlikely to find anyone that spent this much money and admits they are not happy with the RB.

Would I do this swap again? I am not sure, but I have no desire to change to anything else. Its a fast DD, and thats exactly what I wanted. Cost? Yeah pricey...

Evan

[Largekid]

I like mine a whole lot. Not super torquey but deff more than a SR. I like the exhaust note, nice and throaty, not ricey at all. Parts availability is good, nothing really local, but accessible. The limits for the motor are fairly endless and with it in a S chassis makes the power you have alot of fun. I'd say do it, but your swap will prob cost you a penny or two...the RB isn't known for being cheap, lol. Good luck!

[808datsun510]

good sign to hear your happy with the swap, i dont think i would go with a SR again, but dont get me wrong i thinks its a good engine its just not what im looking for, might put it in my 510 tho but thanks for the input

[fast_s13]

ive built a couple rb powered cars and i wouldnt build another unless it was a rb26.... my sr is alot easier to get parts for, for a cheaper price...they both have there pros and cons but im lovin my sr

[Kansei240sx]

If i had the choice, i'd have an Sr powered daily driver, and the RB would be my weekend warrior or what im building it into right now.... which is a GT2/1 purpose built racecar, but the sound and fire of the RB is worth it. My car handles quite well, even better with the RB in it than the KA did. One thing you need to understand with an RB compared to an SR is the size difference and the amount of HEAT the RB puts out inside the engine bay. Lots of ducting and cooling system precautions and upgrades need to take place other wise it gets frustrating trying to run the engine WOT for more than 10 minutes solid. I dont know many here that run thier RB's consistently that hard that long, but at a racing circuit i do, and heat is the enemy of these engines just like any others, but more-so for us considering the space we have to deal with.

[Joe]

i wasnt happy.

but im not a normal person/driver

i needed more power and more reliability.

[Cjmartz2k]

If you have already gone to the trouble to put an SR in, especially if you've got a lot of mods, just stick with it and pick a better turbo to suit your needs. What do you do with the car? Power goals?

[Sil240]

If you have already gone to the trouble to put an SR in, especially if you've got a lot of mods, just stick with it and pick a better turbo to suit your needs. What do you do with the car? Power goals?

I love mine but lots of PITA issues I've had to deal with.

But if you've got a perfectly good SR then swap turbo, get milder cams and retune.I would stick with that.

[eh?]

Sounds like you want a VQ-T not an RB,RB's are short stroke high rpm motors. Would I redo the swap again? Yes. Prices have come wayyy down since I first started. I would just go with an RB25 neo.

[ANVIL]

im real happy with mine and would do another one in a heart beat. especially all the knowledge that ive gained from doing it one time around. i have just barely gotten to experience the true power of my car and thats half the fun, is knowing the potential of this

[johnny butt]

I like my RB25. No complaints here, whatsoever. Even in stock trim on my RB25 (stock turbo, stock 7 psi, etc..) I have as much power as I desire. In a few years...that may be a different story, but there is plenty of room to work with (rebuild block, head, new turbo, intake manifold, etc..)

Only thing I wish I had purchased with my motor set and installed at the same time is the Apexi PFC. I am getting by just fine with the stock ECU, but it would be nice to actually have data-logs of what my motor is doing exactly that way I could get a better idea of its efficiency and power under certain loads. I picked up a PFC for cheap, so no worries; I am going to install it and get it tuned on a dyno.

the only other swap I would even consider on any S Chassis I own (or will own..) would be an LS1. Just beast of a motor, and the parts availability is insane.

One thing you need to understand with an RB compared to an SR is the size difference and the amount of HEAT the RB puts out inside the engine bay. Lots of ducting and cooling system precautions and upgrades need to take place other wise it gets frustrating trying to run the engine WOT for more than 10 minutes solid.

This is true. After I broke my motor in and changed out the oils I took it for a trip through some country roads here. Since it is winter, you can see for MILES, literally. 90+ MPH is the speed I stayed at constantly with the exception of slowing down at a stop sign to take a right or get on another road or something. I took about a 2 hour trip straight with a friend in the car with me and the motor preformed nicely, didn't have any heating issues. Granted, this was in the winter, with about 30-40* weather, instead of our usual 90* summers. Hopefully my 3" thick radiator, 2500cfm fans, huge FMIC mounted behind my aero bumper, will keep forcing cold air through my bay at higher speeds.

[rb420sx]

well i only drove my rb for 3 months and i loved it it was my first turbod car and my first rwd but ive gained a lot of knowledge from owning it and i would do an rb swap again but i only have a rb20 i would definatly get a 25 or 26. the only downer is that parts are a bit pricey like everyone else says.

[808datsun510]

Thanks for all the input guys im really considering this swap, yeah cooling where im from might be a small issue (hawaii= high 80's to low 90's year round,i would die in 30-40 lol). I also wanted to ask you guys, ball park estimate of how much you guys are spending for doing a basic swap besides the engine its self, and how you are guys doing it as far as fabricating your own parts (ie mounts exhaust ect.) or going through McKenney or another outfit? But much mahalos for all the input so far

[johnny butt]

I also wanted to ask you guys, ball park estimate of how much you guys are spending for doing a basic swap besides the engine its self, and how you are guys doing it as far as fabricating your own parts

with an RB motor there is no "basic swap."

i went with mckinney mounts, downpipe, driveshaft, etc, because they seemed the best bang for the buck. I didn't want to track down a skyline crossmember just to use the syko kit and have to buy extra **** just to keep a stock turbo i would be getting rid of soon.

But like I said, there is no "basic swap" with an RB. With an SR, you can just drop it in, change wiring a bit, and you're set. With an RB, you should change the clutch, and whatever else you can afford to while the motor is out of the car. In the engine bay (in an s13 at least), there is very little room to maneuver. A simple clutch change can only be accomplished by lifting the car up overhead (hydraulic lift), and dropping the motor/crossmember and transmission so that you can separate the motor and transmission. You can't just drop/angle the transmission because the rear of the motor is extremely close to the firewall.

I'm not gonna go into detail about everything you need to acquire to actually swap the motor in, but keep in mind the simple maintenance parts that will just ensure reliability and long-life out of your RB motor. Also, with research, you will find parts you can use on the cheap (mostly 300zx, 1.8l old-school sentras, and some older cars with CA18s.)

I replaced simple **** like my clutch slave cylinder, IACV, ignitor chip (S1), all new spark plugs all around, fuel filter, new oil pan, etc..

I'd recommend 3-4000$ extra to play around with.