Stuck with this decision (MR2 or 240SX RB25)

Post by **Nameless EJ6** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

This is getting hard for me to think about...

I REALLY want to do this RB25DET swap into a 240sx, but I'm having a hard time finding an RB25. NO ONE HAS ANY! Except for people on ebay wanting WAY too much. I have the money right now to buy the clip..

So I could wait forever and save some more money on the side..

Or go with a 245 hp Turbo 3SGTE swap into a 90-93 MR2 and have some money left over. (I've found a clip already if I want to go this route)

The thing is, I want serious 6 cylinder power. But the MR2 is so sexy and I love the the interior. And the 3SGTE engine can make quite a bit of power too.

There are pros and cons to each swap.. and I'm not sure what I want to do.

Can you guys with RB swapped 240's give me any reason why I shouldn't go with an MR2 project? I've never driven an RB 240 so I have no real insight.

Sorry if this is in the wrong forum. We need some discussion in here though..

Post by **PROJECTRB240SX** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

I WOULD PERSONALLY GO MR2. IMHO IT IS A BETTER PLATFORM TO WORK WITH. I'M TRYING TO GET ONE NOW. IT'LL BECOME MY TRACK CAR AND THE 240 MY DRAG CAR.

Post by **op.tic** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

im thinking the same wayi mean for one i cant even find a 240...and with all this stuff about how hard it is to find an rb, it makes me just want an sr insteadbut if i cant find a 240 before september, im considering a mr2 or wrx or something

Post by **93RPS13** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

you should get the 240sx or the wrx, the 240sx and wrx is a passenger car so you dont have to pay more for insurance, as the mr2 is a two seater

also the mr2 has good weight distrubtion because the engine is in the rear, the thing about the mr2 is that there are not that many good bodykits except for the TRD widebody kit it looks so nice and simple and also another body kit is call i believe a kit called borders or something, or you can get the new wrx which is really good 4wd with good handling and also if you get i believe 400 hp you get make 12's

Post by **spec-v5150** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

op.tic wrote:im thinking the same wayi mean for one i cant even find a 240...and with all this stuff about how hard it is to find an rb, it makes me just want an sr insteadbut if i cant find a 240 before september, im considering a mr2 or wrx or something

How are you going to afford an MR2 or WRX if you dont even wanna shell out more than a G for a 240:rolleyes

Dilemmas. I dont know much about MR2 but they look like a PITA to work on. Only seen pics htough, never one in real life. The styling on those is sweet though. I rank it second only to the Z32. Sexy *** car. I dont know. I would personally stick with the 240 just because. the RB25's on ebay are a little overpriced. Night was charging like 3500 I think. And Venus I hear they charge like 3000. I dont know. Try emailing one of the sellers and see if they will come down on the price. I have seen a couiple of those RB's on there several times

Post by **op.tic** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

spec-v5150 wrote:How are you going to afford an MR2 or WRX if you dont even wanna shell out more than a G for a 240:rolleyes

lol.. umm.. umm.. :thinker my friend bought an mr2 for 9k and it only has an safc, he says it sucks becuase hes going to be paying it off for the rest of his life, he showed up at a little hang out last night and did a burn out, the cops came and took him straight to jail and left his car in the zoo parking lot lmaoi dunno.. i found a 240 in town for keep.. wonder how that will go, it runs under 100k miles and its coupe

Post by **Siddhartha** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

If MR2 are anything like Fieros to work on, they are a pain . . .

I drive a Fiero, and to change clutch you have to A) have a special tool you get from GM to hold the engine in the bay, or B) drop the engine.

You WILL drive one of the more unique cars, it being MR car, and you will drive the more powerful MR car (in stock form). I like Fieros, I like MR2s, and I LOVE 240sxs . . . .

Post by **spec-v5150** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

op.tic wrote:lol.. umm.. umm.. :thinker my friend bought an mr2 for 9k and it only has an safc, he says it sucks becuase hes going to be paying it off for the rest of his life, he showed up at a little hang out last night and did a burn out, the cops came and took him straight to jail and left his car in the zoo parking lot lmaoi dunno.. i found a 240 in town for keep.. wonder how that will go, it runs under 100k miles and its coupe

I wish you the best of luck in your search. Patience pays off my friend.

Back on topic

Get an RB25. you would be hard pressed to find a decent MR2 for under likr 5 or 6 right. I looked and I gave up. Those have become "rarities" like 240's. Price is going up on them

Post by **Nameless EJ6** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

Well, as of today I've found an R33 RB25DET complete swap with very low mileage and very legit. I will just need to find some extra parts to complete it, but I can do that..

So I guess I'm back in the boat.

It was a very close call, and I think if I had an MR2 I would always be wishing I had 6 cylinders and more power rather than that 3SGTE with little displacement and lower whp numbers. I know they are outstanding engines.. but I think the RB is even more outstanding and has even more power potential.

Damn I'm happy I didn't make that decision. It was an impulse decision too.. I had just found a few nice MR2 clips in my area and almost bought one today.

Thanks for the replies.. if anyone wants to add anything else, that would be good. This forum needs some serious action sometimes.. :p

Post by **PROJECTRB240SX** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

245HP IS LOW HP NUMBER TO START WITH? THATS ABOUT 210 TO THE WHEELS. UMM THATS BETTER THAN THE RB25. BUT I'M GLAD YOU GOT WHAT YOU WANTED.

Post by **Nameless EJ6** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

Actually, the RB25DET puts out very close whp #'s as its stock hp rating, leaving the 210whp 3sgte in the dirt.

Lets have a conversation..

The 245hp 3sGTE 2.0 liter engine makes 122hp per liter.The RB25DET makes 100 hp per liter.

With that in mind.. hopefully you can see why I really want a bigger and better engine. Since the RB25DET has more discplacement, if I were to make as much hp per liter as the 245hp 3sgte I would be at 305hp on the RB25DET. Probably even more considering it's compression...

And along with that.. I have less stress on the internals, a more reliable bottom end, massive torque, and overall a pure beast in a 2700 pound car.

How easy is that.

I do know that the 3SGTE is an absolutely amazing engine. It has very strong internals that quite a few people have put over 400whp on. Yet it's still a 2 liter. IMO, the Rb25 is going to be more satistfying in the end.. even though it will cost much more to modify. But stock for stock, the RB25DET owns it.

Post by **PROJECTRB240SX** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

ISN'T THE MR2 LIGHTER THAN A 240? THE MR2 ALSO HAS ALITTLE BETTER WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION. THE ENGINE HAS THE SAME POTENTIAL AS THE RB25DET IN ALL RESPECT. TOYOTA SUPPORT IS MUCH GREATER IN THE STATES. THEY ARE BOTH GOOD ENGINES AND CARS, IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU WANT TO DO WITH THEM.

Post by **Nameless EJ6** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

It doesn't really have the same potential.. considering it is extremely harder to produce over say 600hp with 2 liters, 4 cylinders, and a turbo than 2.5 liters 6 cylinders and a turbo.

Mr2's and 240's are about the same weight. The average MR2 weighs around 2800 pounds +.

The weight distribution on the 240sx is around 53/47rear stock. The MR2 is around 45/55rear. I personally don't think having a heavier rear end would be as beneficial in my case. But alot of people prefer to have that kind of distribution. I definetely wouldn't mind it though. Lots of pros and cons.... ..

I will just make sure I have wide tires on my 240...

Post by **PROJECTRB240SX** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

YEAH BUT THEY HAVE 800HP DAILY DRIVEN MR2'S. I HAVE HEARD OF ONE THAT THEY INVESTED LESS THAN 11K INTO THE MODS AND THEY PRODUCED THAT KIND OF POWER. IT WAS A YELLOW ONE HERE IN PHOENIX BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN OR HEARD FROM THEM IN A LONG TIME. I THINK THEY SOLD IT AND ARE DOING A NEW PROJECT CAR.

Post by **Siddhartha** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

I don't think so, music... the dude that entered one in the most recent USCC (Ultimate Sports Compact Car Championship) didn't put down near that much and he practically had money to burn. As a matter of fact he didn't even finish some of the competition b/c of drivetrain failure.

Post by **Nameless EJ6** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

If I add up all of the parts to make a 3sgte hit 800whp, it's going to take a LOT more than 11k. That must be crazy...

I'll still stick to my RB25DET.

Post by **_dk** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

MR2's are a serious pain to work on (or at least my AW11 was).

however, six-cylinder power into them isn't impossible either.

http://www.atlantamr2s.com/own...2.htm

the 1MZ-FE is the three-liter six used in the camry/avalon/solara. with the TRD blower on top it becomes the 1MZ-ZE.

also possible with an SW20; SCC is playing around with such a car right now.

edited to add: a 3SGTE is much more comparable to an SR20 than an RB...

Post by **Nameless EJ6** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

Yeah... they are hard to work on. Any internal/transmission/timing belt work usually requires the engine to be dropped out.

And "dropped".. not pulled - hehe. But if you have an engine hoist and a chain you can lower it down from the top onto something with wheels and roll it out. Rather than jacking the car up and down while the engine is on the ground.

Anyways, working on cars in general is not easy and you have to be dedicated. The MR2 just requires more effort..

Here's another V6 swap into an MR2.. lots of pictures. Very clean too.

http://home.comcast.net/~brad.....html

I don't think I want to go through that though.. looks tuff.

Post by **spec-v5150** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

ewwwwwwwwwwww tell me about it. That and the Z32 look like a pain to work on. I have never seen a Z32 engien bay in person, but damn I have seen pics and I wouldnt wanna work on that. I thought my Ka was hard. (Im a noob at that ****)

Post by **PROJECTRB240SX** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

ITS NOT THAT BAD. THE Z32 ARE SMALL BUT MOST EVERYTHING IS ACCESSABLE. NOW YOU WANT SMALL I HAVE ONE WORD 350Z! THAT IS SMALL.

Post by **Onizuka** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

If you are going to buy an RB go though someone reputable like mckinney motorsports.

Also, the RB25DET is so far superior to ANY 4 cylinder turbo (sr20, CA18, 4g63, 3SGTE, KA24DET, EJ20, EJ25 etc...) its not even funny, its just more expensive to get parts.

Post by **Snarlynx** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

Well, good thing you made up your mind to stay with the 240. I was gonna say go that route but to be honest I'm kinda biased as at 6'2"and 230, I don't fit right in a MR2 (or s2k or rx-7 or....)

Post by **PROJECTRB240SX** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

OHH AND THEY RB25 HAS THE SAME POWER AND POTENTIAL AS THE 3RD GEN SR20DET, SO NO IT IS NOT SUPERIOR TO ALL 4 CYL. INFACT IT IS EASIER TO GET HIGH HP OUT OF A 3RD GEN SR20 AND BE ABLE TO STREET IT THAN IT IS FOR THE RB25, WE CALL THIS: PRODUCT SUPPORT! THE SR20 GUYS GET ALL THE GOOD STUFF!!!!

Post by **Onizuka** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

Except for the RB25 can actually be made street legal, and it will make way more horsepower than a S15 SR20 anyday with less work :rolleyes

Yes parts are more expensive but that is because you have to buy bigger stuff (more injectors, pistons, rods, exaust manifolds have more pipes, you need a bigger turbo, etc...)

BTW, a S13 (1st gen) SR20DET has more power potential than a S15 (3rd gen) SR20DET due to lack of VVT (its useless and gets in the way with upgraded turbos/engine management) and it has a high port head (good) instead of a low port head (bad) like S14 and S15 SRs

Post by **PROJECTRB240SX** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

THE RB25 CANNOT BE MADE LEGAL. IT IS A NON-DOMESTICALLY SOLD ENGINE, THEREFOR E IT CANNOT BE MADE LEGAL. ONE WAY AROUND THAT IS TO GET A REBUILT VEHICLE TITLE AND YOU CAN PUT WHAT EVER YOU WANT UNDER THE HOOD AND IT'LL BE LEGAL AS LONG AS IT CAN PASS EMISSIONS.

Post by **Onizuka** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

You must not have heard of MotoRex, they sell street legal skylines equiped with RB25 and RB26 motors. Therfor it is now a DOT certified Nissan motor. Mckinney motorsports advertised legal RB swaps for the 240sx in one of the last SCC issues. So yeah, RB swaps can be legal (when purchased through Mckinney or MotoRex) where as SR20 swaps will never be legal unless someone puts the time and money in to legalizing it for street use.

Post by **PROJECTRB240SX** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

RIGHT, BUT YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR THOSE LEGALIZATION FEES. OR YOU CAN CUT YOUR LOSSES AND MAKE A REBUILT VEHICLE WITH WANTEVER YOU WANT IN IT.

Post by **gibbo80** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

or you could just put the engine in it and not worry about being legal. Who really gives a ****. Sr20 rb ca they are all just preference. I heard the ca has the most potential actually, not alot of people have really built them. Does any of this matter. NO. Cant we all just get along.

Post by **Onizuka** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

if im not mistaken in order to recive a salvage title the vehicle has to be built back to factory specs and then be inspected by the state to pass emmisions, safety, etc. I guess that might work if you can convince them that the RB25/SR20 was standard factory equipment...

Post by **Onizuka** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:29 am

gibbo80 wrote: I heard the ca has the most potential actually

Dont get me wrong, the CA is a great motor (better than the SR in almost every way except displacement and aftermarket support) but how many 1000+hp CAs have you seen in magazines? How many 1000+hp SRs have you seen in magazines? Ok now how many 1000+hp RBs have you seen in magazines? point proven...

Hell, i have seen 3 1000+hp RB powered skylines in ONE MAGAZINE ISSUE.

Stuck with this decision (MR2 or 240SX RB25)

Stuck with this decision (MR2 or 240SX RB25)

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