SR or RB?

[Dragon240sx]

I am in a pinch because I cant choose between SR20 or RB swap for my 92 240sx, so can anyone help with situation because I read these forums and hear great things about both swaps and i am also looking for something thats going to last a while and give me plenty of power when i need it.

[Lobo240sx]

It is all about preference and what you plan on doing with the car. Both are great engines if built right.

[Dragon240sx]

Both engines are great yes but I find that a ton of people do the SR swap and figured that it was to common but at the same time its more cost efficient than the RB because if i was to go RB it would be the RB25 but the SR20 is cheaper and parts are easier to get plus RB is a pain to swap

[s13sickboi]

Keep your KA. you can get parts for it cheaper and their readily available. ibtl

[Dragon240sx]

My poor ka has like 296000 miles on it or at least thats when the odometer went out on me about 4 months ago so i thought it was time for a new engine also i thought it might be nice to switch things up a bit

[s13sickboi]

Sweet man! so keep driving that sucker for another 150,000k and rebuild it for half the cost of an SR. to stock specs OR do some upgrades like cams, pistons, and valves, port and polish the head, and that sort of thing. get a good clutch and you'll be smiling all the way to the bank! yeah switching things up sometimes is nice but dont dream too big unless you got some G's to spends

Welcome to NICO btw

[Dragon240sx]

much appreciated because im not trying to break the bank but i called about an engine rebuild here in portland and the cheapest i could find was like $1800 and that was for a stock rebuild. I dont know if im looking in the wrong places or what but i might just buy an engine rebuild kit and do it myself if i can find a place to do it in this cluster f*** of a city.

[Dragon240sx]

cant complain seeing as that i only paid $900 for the car about 2 years ago and its lasted this long

[SketchyRollin564]

Which RB are you referring to? The RB26 or RB25 will be superior. The RB20 is also nice motor, but the SR20 in my opinion as far as power and price is just as nice. I love mine. My only complaint is the lack of low end torque that you have in a KA.

They are both good motors. I have an SR in my s13 and I have a friend with an RB20 in his s14. Ill try to compare them both for you from my experience.

The SR is a very well built and well designed motor that can handle a decent amount of abuse. It can handle about 350whp on stock internals so so long as you have a proper tune and take care of it. The RB is also a pretty decent motor considering how old it is, however im not sure how much power they can handle on stock internals and i dont know too much in general about that engine. The SR is newer and can be had for cheaper. So thats a plus.

We both beat the crap out of our cars and they both hold up well as long as we take care of them. The RB does sound nicer than an SR (on average), but the SR still sounds beastly so long as you choose your exhaust system correctly. Ive heard a few SR's that sound like garbage, and ive heard a few (like mine) which sound pretty damn nice for a 4 cylinder.

Power wise, stock for stock, its not too different. The RB20 may have a tiny bit more power and a slightly bigger turbo (T3), but its also a good 200lbs or so heavier. Will probably be just as fast with either motor.

Just to give you an idea. my friends RB has pretty much the same engine mods as me. Stock T3 turbo, upgraded fuel pump, front mount, intake, and exhaust. My SR has the stock t25, upgraded fuel pump, front mount, intake, and full exhaust with stock manifold. With me on 8psi and him on 11psi, we were even any time we would race.

Im now on 14psi. I couldnt tell you how much i pull ahead because we havn't raced since, but i can tell you the car pulls very hard and runs strong, even without a proper tune. It pulls hard through all 5 gears, and first gear is pretty much useless unless you have decent tires in the back (which i dont). Ever since ive raised my boost, i havnt been able to go full throttle in 1st gear without spinning once i hit my power band. The car is a blast to drive

A basic bolt on SR without a tune wont really start to make power untill after 4k. Before that, its kinda sluggish, at least compared to a stock KA. The RB20 is the same way, doesnt really make any power untill after 4k. The RB25 i would imagine makes a lot more bottom end power, and spool turbos a bit quicker due to its displacement.


Cost wise, the SR would run a lot cheaper, and will for sure be easier to swap. Parts are easyer to find, and replacing things will be cheaper. Unless you have a lot of money to pay a shop to do the labor, if your going to do this yourself and dont have much experience, i would go with the SR. Anyone with an RB will tell you that parts are EXPENSIVE. Not to mention, it doesnt just drop right in like an SR would


good luck to you and whatever you decide
hope my post helped

[S14toRPS13]

^^Very well said. This has been answered a millions times, but basically it all comes down to preference. Both engines are reliable as long as the swap is done right and you keep up with regular maintenance. I always tell anyone who's new to 240s to go with the SR due to the fact that's been stated above. It's nearly a direct swap, cheaper, easy to find parts, plus these days; there are a lot of people who are familiar with the engine already. Don't forget that it makes decent power too.

[badbob2121]

go with the galllo24, its way better than the gallo12 btw

[Gabes13]

I did my rb20 swap for less the than what sr20 swaps usually go for, but if i had to do it over I would have gone sr20.

[costa_rican13]

ca-vs-ka-vs-sr-vs-rb-shut-up-and-read-t ... l?hilit=sr vs ka


can i be the last ibtl?!

[badbob2121]

^ no

[Lobo240sx]

If you go RB you better have some deep pockets those parts are very expensive. Engine is too temperamental. I'd start by turbocharging your KA or go SR20. Or better yet, 2JZ FTW.

[Mercury_Hg]

If you go RB you better have some deep pockets those parts are very expensive. Engine is too temperamental. I'd start by turbocharging your KA or go SR20. Or better yet, 2JZ FTW.

He's probably not interested in rebuilding his engine, and it's too worn to slap a turbo on.

I'd do an SR swap if I wasn't rebuilding and turboing my KA. The only reason I'd do an RB swap is if I got a killer deal on a good one (RB25 and up).

[Dragon240sx]

While I was at work today I did some research on both engines (the RB I was looking at was a 25 btw) but the SR seems to be my best bet and the reason i wanted to do RB is because I see a lot of people running SR and thought to myself RB25 would be nice because its less typical and they have a nice amount of power

[S14toRPS13]

Very simple solution; How deep are your pockets? For me, the SR fits in my budget and with a few upgrades, it's making more than enough power for the street. If I had some money to burn, it'd be the RB26 all the way.

[Dragon240sx]

I completely agree if it didnt cost 10 grand to do it

[240sxAli4Life]

RB FO SHO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SR's are like a** holes... everyones got one!

[asoomal]

So, is it just me or are all of the Active topics last post by this Ali guy?

[badbob2121]

RB FO SHO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SR's are like a** holes... everyones got one!

your naive, you haven't owned either swap, so how could you honestly come to this conclusion?

Simplicity and affordability are major factors when choosing a motor, which is why a majority of people have chosen the SR20DET, due to it being a simple swap, with endless amounts of affordable aftermarket support.

I love RB motors just as much as the next guy, RB and SR motors are awesome platforms. Quit being such a hipster..

[Hijacker]

This one went under my radar. Question's been asked a million times, and answered just as many times. And each time, it doesn't take long for someone to make a comment like Ali's. I'm honestly surprised to see this thread lasted as long as it did before some ignorant trolling attempt was made.