sr20det vs rb25det vs rb20det

[drifting-monkey]

ok people this is my first forum so bare with me..
I bought an s14 and im ready for some fun now im a tech so labor and installation is not the issue, but i do only have a budget of $3000 to $3500 tops on engine / performance / suspention.

i got a guy selling me an s13 with an sr20det but its wrecked.. with eng,transmission,ecm,wiring,hks full exhaust,upgraded turbo t3,600cc injectors,boost controller, gauges,front mount and more for $3k with car.. now its an s13 and i have an s14 so hope most will fit except the drive shaft. He's claiming that he had it dyno at 15psi making 350 hp at the wheel (tuned down for every day driving) but who knows really....

next is an sr20det s14 motor compleate swap for $2500 all factory with no upgrades


or an rb25det complete swap for $2000 with out any upgrades


please let me know what you think im really lost because any one i ask they only say the best way is with what ever they got in there car lol

ps i just want something to have fun with with some balls. im not looking to race it, you can only beat cops on bikes and thats my go fast toy...

[pj]

you need more money.
figure about 1500 for coils, ruca, ball joints, tierod ends maybe and alignment.
dont give that fella 3k for a wrecked car, you cant drive it, you dont knwo what the engine is going to do...could be complete junk.

you dont have to swap engines, rebuild the ka for boost and turbo what you have. turbo ka is like the new sr lol...plenty of people running them with great results. its up to you really.

[laxands13]

no matter which engine you actually get, your gonna want to spend a couple hundred replacing stuff on it first anyway. As well as the suspension stuff pj mentioned. best bet (moneywise) is find one with a well maintained ka and turbo that, IMO

[badbob2121]

get a bigger budget.... but in the meantime i would go with the wrecked s13 and maybe spend some time flipping and saving parts... and inspecting everything.... gain/save up more money....then BUILD it

[Gabes13]

you mentioned rb20 in the title, but i dont see it in the post...
you can blow through 3k easily on suspension alone.

[iLLusive240^]

if you have OUTRAGEOUS power goals then i say the rb25 if not just use an sr the onlyway i would want to weigh my car down and mess up the weight balance is if i was going for 500+ i will probably end up doing that with the sr though

[costa_rican13]

boost your ka, lots of torque and power to play with(even in stock) and easy to boost with the 3000-3500. thats what im going for but i dont have that kind of money laying around so my build is slow. lol

[drifting-monkey]

I have been a Nissan/Infiniti tech for 10 years (but never boosted anything) getting factory parts is not a problem. The engine in it now will never hold any boost.. the body and interior is perfect I'm working on the suspension already,and changing all bushings. My fist idea was a vq35de(g35 motor and transmission) but I'm not sure that would work.. I'm not up for the chalange because it is my daly driver..
I know the kid with the wreck s13 with the sr20det. Everything worked until he crashed it.

[s13sickboi]

dude, do a v6 swap! you mentioned the vq, do a vg30de instead thats the 300zx motor. makes power easy even n/a! if you want more info look for simmode1 (he's in dallas area like me ) he's a HUGE vg30 fan as im am as well, otherwise keep the ka.

you live in the US, why try to be all jdm? do as already wisely mentioned, put your money into suspention first, then do your swap whatever it be. good luck my freind!

[costa_rican13]

I have been a Nissan/Infiniti tech for 10 years (but never boosted anything) getting factory parts is not a problem. The engine in it now will never hold any boost

are you saying the ka is unboostable?????

[scotty-2-forty]

I have been a Nissan/Infiniti tech for 10 years (but never boosted anything) getting factory parts is not a problem. The engine in it now will never hold any boost

are you saying the ka is unboostable?????

NOOOOoooooooooo ........... !!! Rebuild the KA and boost it baby! Lotsa info here on the forums; search and yee shall find! Welcome, and good luck with whichever you choose.

[JonathanPrem]

For 3500 I would rebuild the KA, get good clutch setup and stand alone. You can make easy 300whp with a good setup.

[costa_rican13]

i know scotty i was about to say.. let me introduce him to ka-t.org. home of the 1000whp/7 second ka's.

[Lobo240sx]

You definitely need a bigger budget bro for a SR or RB swap. That 3500-5000k budget that everybody talks about (most have NEVER done a car project) ends up being 7-15K when it is all said and done lol.

Go KA-T with your budget, and jump on the "new bandwagon" .

[costa_rican13]

your face is a bandwagon! jk

[simmode1]

I have been a Nissan/Infiniti tech for 10 years (but never boosted anything) getting factory parts is not a problem. The engine in it now will never hold any boost..

Rebuild the KA to factory specs but with aftermarket piston rings and APR headstuds. With a well tuned turbo setup, it should easily do 330hp on stock internals...

dude, do a v6 swap! you mentioned the vq, do a vg30de instead thats the 300zx motor. makes power easy even n/a! if you want more info look for simmode1 (he's in dallas area like me ) he's a HUGE vg30 fan as im am as well, otherwise keep the ka.

Ehhh... let me clarify... VG's are cool and all, but I'm all about the VQ's. VQ30DET, specifically. Even so, I've kinda lost hope on that swap since alot of guys with more experience and resources than me seem to never finish it. I'm eyeing Revup VQ35's with N/A bolt-ons now...

As for the VG30... They're nice in TT form, but too heavy for my tastes. The N/A is an absolute pig. I'm not sure which one's you've seen that made any decent power. If the VG30DETT were all aluminum like the VQ30DET, I'd be all over that motor. Maybe you were thinking of the Maxima's n/a VQ30DE's? Those are pretty good, lightweight motors that like to be turbo'd...

[Lobo240sx]

^Hrm. I think he said a 3k budget. VQ Maximas love being boosted. Been awhile since I raced or seen one. Even when my sr had BPU mods on in T25 form, they are no joking around. Bottom end like crazy stock. Guy Brian had one like 7 years ago ran a 13.0 @ 106 IN A MAXIMA!!

VG's are heavy but can be built and can be boosted like crazy too.

[simmode1]

^Hrm. I think he said a 3k budget.

Yeahm exactly why I started of with my stock internal KA-T recommendation. Normally, I'd say do maintanance and supension first, but the OP makes it sound like his KA ain't gonna last much longer without a rebuild, so I'd say focus on overhauling that and getting that motor healthy first. A healthy KA is, IMO, the cheapest route to power in our cars...

But on a sidenote, I hadn't really considered a Maxima VQ30 swap + turbo for myself until now... Hmmm... Imma look into this more since it's almost as good as a real VQ30DET...

[drifting-monkey]

Looks like I'm going top properly build the ka T
I will need to do some more research on internals.. Thanks for all the help.. Feeling the Nissan love lol

[scotty-2-forty]

Looks like I'm going top properly build the ka T
I will need to do some more research on internals.. Thanks for all the help.. Feeling the Nissan love lol

You can reference my build ...
post5971961.html#p5971961

... as well as here ...
s-chassis-build-thread-list-t441933.html
... scroll down to the KA section.

[s13sickboi]

dude, do a v6 swap! you mentioned the vq, do a vg30de instead thats the 300zx motor. makes power easy even n/a! if you want more info look for simmode1 (he's in dallas area like me ) he's a HUGE vg30 fan as im am as well, otherwise keep the ka.

Ehhh... let me clarify... VG's are cool and all, but I'm all about the VQ's. VQ30DET, specifically. Even so, I've kinda lost hope on that swap since alot of guys with more experience and resources than me seem to never finish it. I'm eyeing Revup VQ35's with N/A bolt-ons now...

As for the VG30... They're nice in TT form, but too heavy for my tastes. The N/A is an absolute pig. I'm not sure which one's you've seen that made any decent power. If the VG30DETT were all aluminum like the VQ30DET, I'd be all over that motor. Maybe you were thinking of the Maxima's n/a VQ30DE's? Those are pretty good, lightweight motors that like to be turbo'd...

I stand corrected... ive never driven a 300zx, ive driven a maxima before and liked it. i thought that it was the same motor as the 300.
My mom has a 5spd maxima i30 and i like it aLOT. dont flame me because i think my moms car is fast lol!

sorry for my confusion OP /sickboi out

[simmode1]

Oh no, no flaming! It might have been a little error, but you've clearly been reading around here. Carry on... lol

Buuuut, it's taken me this long to realize we've all just been suckered into another "Which Engine" thread...

[costa_rican13]

Once again we all are. its all up to the OP. Which ka has gotten to him! Do eet!

[costa_rican13]

And for simmode if this hasn't been clarified for you yet, I inspected my Megan streets, and infact if you flip the bracket upside down I believe from visual that you will not be lower but instead higher by around 1/4 - 1/3 of an inch.

[simmode1]

^^^Dayum! That sucks!

[costa_rican13]

I know.. oh well still getting the extended brackets for my 527's I'm gona run!