Which is the "better" SOHC power option??

[sleepyeyes]

Ive decided to keep my sohc and up the horse power. Just curious of which option you think would be the best bang for my buck. Im not looking for any crazy numbers, just the low to mid 200's. Also, i dont know if this is true, but i heard that the pre 89 SOHC engines produce 150hp due to the higher compression cams. Well, let me know your opinions.thnks

p.s.-im currently leaning towards super charging it.

[le_ryan]

.... bang for buck is NOS .. but its also bang for motor ....

Turbo is obviously the option of choice here .... how could you not see that ?

[pntang]

ka-e is not power monster dont make it into one...u'll waste lots of money...and u dont need it...if u have the money and want the power best bang for the buck is sr swap now adayz...but u have to deal w/ all the hassle of getting it...if u want to stick w/ the ka-e which is not a bad choice especially if it is still in good condition...and i do mean good condition...bolt ons, quality parts (like using NGK plug and wires) and minor tweak like larger fuel filter, msd ignition, electric instead of clutch fan...etc should be plenty of fun for u...

[Zefoxe]

theres always the ca18

[hybrid_flyer]

ka-e is not power monster dont make it into one...u'll waste lots of money...and u dont need it...if u have the money and want the power best bang for the buck is sr swap now adayz...but u have to deal w/ all the hassle of getting it...if u want to stick w/ the ka-e which is not a bad choice especially if it is still in good condition...and i do mean good condition...bolt ons, quality parts (like using NGK plug and wires) and minor tweak like larger fuel filter, msd ignition, electric instead of clutch fan...etc should be plenty of fun for u...

if the ka-e is not a power monster the how come I have seen several race cars run this motor NA for SCCA and make large amounts of power like over 250 hp. its not that hard if the block and head are in good condition to rebuild and make decent power with still be a decent street machine. Plus if you run it ka smogging it is a whole lot easier

[Dattebayo]

i heard that the pre 89 SOHC engines produce 150hp due to the higher compression cams.

LOL ARE YOU SERIOUS?

Dude, cams don't have anything to do with compression. All they do is time when to let air in and exhaust out of the cylinder. Thats it.

Unless you have multiple thousands of dollars, you have to turbo-charge or supercharge a SOHC KA motor to make anything above 160-ish. You will also need to pull it apart and rebuild it to take any of that power because that motor is old as crap and just won't take it for very long.

Also, I might suggest you use the SEARCH feature at the top of the page and read for a couple of months before you start asking questions that have been asked already.

Good luck, you are gonna need it...

[White Comet]

i miss my sohc, nissan crate motor w/ 20k miles, hotshot header, cat back, intake, stage 2 clutch, b&m shifter, UR crank pulley. fastest sohc ka ive seen, whooped a number of ka24de's very easily. one guy even insisted i pop my hood cause he swore i must have turbo. at least its in good hands now. /end thread jack

ps- turbo, its the only way to travel

[sleepyeyes]

Dude, cams don't have anything to do with compression. All they do is time when to let air in and exhaust out of the cylinder. Thats it.

my bad, i misunderstood. i meant nissan changed the compression ratio from 9.1 to 8.6. Just finished reading the service bulletin on the 89 fsm. so pre 89 ka's had more power.

[scottsbeast]

well start will a cool air intake add a turbo charger from greddy new camshaft dont add n2o if you dont want to upgrade alot more parts you could also add a better exaust

[Fla240sx]

i've never seen a thread with more misrepresentation of the SOHC then this...

you all act like its a piece of garbage.........

chuckle.......

hey if its so bad I'll take yours off your hands for 100 bucks

SOHC>DOHC

yes even turbo'd... fastest KA was/is/used to be a SOHC for a LONG time

highest horsepower NA KA's... you guessed it SOHC

KA with the most Turbo aftermarket... i.e. manifolds... and one everything thinks is better cause its newer and has dual cams... DOHC

number of people wrong about SOHC's.... NUMEROUS

face of DOHC owner when his bolt on KADE gets walked by a bolt on KAE...

priceless

[JDM vs. 318]

you'll lose torque with turbo but gain with nos + it's a high rev motor anywayjust so much cheaper than turbo and more fun I'd also spend the money on ARP BOLTS AND HEAD GASKET. If you have the money get forged internal parts then you wont have to worry about anything run as much nos as you want.

Modified by JDM vs. 318 at 10:44 AM 9/14/2007
Modified by JDM vs. 318 at 10:45 AM 9/14/2007

[JDM vs. 318]

I swaped out my KA24DE with dodge small block and will sell motor with transmission $150

[JDM vs. 318]

I'd stick with the KADE befor the sr20

[SK240SX]

Ive decided to keep my sohc and up the horse power...

i guess to each his own, good luck, but to put my 2 cents in, i wouldn't bother with it.

Supercharge? make sure you compare the price against going Turbo, might be more cost-effective to go turbo. so, i'd say turbo

[hybrid_flyer]

i've never seen a thread with more misrepresentation of the SOHC then this...

you all act like its a piece of garbage.........

chuckle.......

hey if its so bad I'll take yours off your hands for 100 bucks

SOHC>DOHC

yes even turbo'd... fastest KA was/is/used to be a SOHC for a LONG time

highest horsepower NA KA's... you guessed it SOHC

KA with the most Turbo aftermarket... i.e. manifolds... and one everything thinks is better cause its newer and has dual cams... DOHC

number of people wrong about SOHC's.... NUMEROUS

face of DOHC owner when his bolt on KADE gets walked by a bolt on KAE...

priceless

preach on brother man can't wait to get another sohc so i can start the rebuild

[White Comet]

it's a high rev motor anyway

since when?

I'd stick with the KADE befor the sr20

do u mean go ka24de-t or a straight de compared to the sr? while the sr costs more, its superior in many ways

[WWJD]

dude since when is the sr better? just cause it came turbo from factory dont make it better. humm let's see 2.0L(sr) VS. 2.4L(KA). E over DE in my books. My E is more, way more FUN than my DE. I'm sellen' my DE S13 so I can build up the extra E motor with the money i'm gonna get.

I can bet money on all you guys putten' down the E motor have never EVER owned one. Your just goen' off what other people say, which more than likely are just like you.

think about it the E has less rotational mass to turn than the DE....? I simple to see.

Hey sleepyeyes just get your car to be fun & strong

[Dattebayo]

my bad, i misunderstood. i meant nissan changed the compression ratio from 9.1 to 8.6. Just finished reading the service bulletin on the 89 fsm. so pre 89 ka's had more power.

The 9.1 pistons are NISMO pistons, not stock. You can get them from Nismo Parts http://www.nismoparts.com/catalog/?section=324 <--Click this, move 2/3 down

NISMO loves the SOHC motor, it has TONS of stuff available for it. SOHC motors are supposed to be more reliable than dual-cam motors for racing purposes anyway, so follow that logic and do what you like. There is lots of good stuff on the site I mentioned you can look at too.

[WWJD]

good find. But dam you @ the same time LOL I'm gonna spend money now

[frosti108]

ka24eT ftw!!!!!!!!!

run her till she blows then just get another one for dirt cheap

[White Comet]

dude since when is the sr better? just cause it came turbo from factory dont make it better. humm let's see 2.0L(sr) VS. 2.4L(KA). E over DE in my books.

im really confused by this post. if u look at my first post in this thread i am referring to the sr20det being better than the ka24de (ignoring price of the two). its great that u love ur ka24e but that was never mention by me. the only thing the ka has is more low end torque. the sr20 has - more hp- higher revs- just as reliable if both are taken care of- both dohc- gets better gas mileage when driven gently- more after market support

yeah where did i get that silly notion that sr20 is better?

My E is more, way more FUN than my DE. I'm sellen' my DE S13 so I can build up the extra E motor with the money i'm gonna get.

good i would do the same thing (very confusing though since now ur talking about ka24e vs. ka24de) i've owned 2 single cam 240s and its def my fav engine besides a turbo option. my sohc s13 was easily faster than dohc s13s and s14. im not bashing the single cam (or the dual cam for that matter) and i never was. i was just giving my opinion backed up w/ some facts.

I can bet money on all you guys putten' down the E motor have never EVER owned one. Your just goen' off what other people say, which more than likely are just like you.

def hope this wasnt directed at me

think about it the E has less rotational mass to turn than the DE....? I simple to see.

once again im not sure how u started sr vs. ka and ended up ka24de vs. ka24e, but oh well.

[WWJD]

So slaping a turbo on a KA.. that wouldn't put down more if not the same power?

Sorry bout the E Vs. DE. I kinda threw everything in one post.

[White Comet]

turboing the kae is more costly than buying an sr alright made to handle boost. and the sr can handle more power w/o upgrading internals than the kae

[WWJD]

so your telling me that an sr swap would be cheper that KA-T? if you could do a sr swap for $600, then why not swap.But if you could boost a KA for $600 and compeat with an sr (stock of corse) wouldn't that be a better opption. all your doen' is adding things to the KA, rather than a Whole Motor, re-wireing..... the car?I dont see where sr would be cheaper. LOL not to metion the down time?

[White Comet]

how many ka's are still in good enough shape to boost a decent amount without needing rebuilt or overhauled? sure u can boost a ka for real cheap and be comparable to a stock sr, but how many sr's remain stock? and when u want more power out of an sr up through on some bolt ons and up the boost. even if u do manage to find a ka in good enough shape for light boost w/o rep[lacing internals. when u do want more power ur going to have to shell out more to do internal modification, while the sr will pull out extra power w/ cheaper boltons.

if you could do a sr swap for $600, then why not swap.

a local guy picked up an sr blacktop, engine, uncut harness, ecu, and transmission for $600.

all your doen' is adding things to the KA, rather than a Whole Motor, re-wireing..... the car?I dont see where sr would be cheaper. LOL not to metion the down time?

u cant just bolt on a turbo kit and boost a good amount, its a lot more time consuming than swapping in a motor directly and therefore lead to more down time. rewiring for the sr20 isnt hard at all unless u ride the short bus

[WWJD]

you make good points. but you still have shell out money for sr to live in a 240 rather that usen' what's in it.

you could get KA's & transmission for $200 if you wanna get into motor prices.

and buyen' sr is risky (as with all motors) not known' the like left in it.

[White Comet]

very true, its hard to really tell what kind of shape the motor is in. but til u shell out for an sr, if it does need an overhaul, use factory parts since it can already handle boost. if u get a ka and overhaul it it'd be best to use aftermarket parts to handle the boost since the factory stuff couldnt really handle much boost even brand new. the price of doing a rebuild on a ka w/ aftermarket parts > doing the same thing to an sr w/ factory parts

[hybrid_flyer]

very true, its hard to really tell what kind of shape the motor is in. but til u shell out for an sr, if it does need an overhaul, use factory parts since it can already handle boost. if u get a ka and overhaul it it'd be best to use aftermarket parts to handle the boost since the factory stuff couldnt really handle much boost even brand new. the price of doing a rebuild on a ka w/ aftermarket parts > doing the same thing to an sr w/ factory parts

i thought the ka internals stock were rated to handle 400 hp??

[White Comet]

im not a ka expert but i highly doubt that

[hybrid_flyer]

im not a ka expert but i highly doubt that

i know they can handle at least 8 psi of boost without risk of failure. At least that is what I have been reading on the ka-t forums here.