wow...the SR20DET is a Turbo motor that was built for boost. The KA@$ can make more power, but it takes a lot more internal work to get it to take SR20 levels of boost...Everywhere else in the world, the 240(Silvia, 200SX) comes with the SR20DET. There are volumes written on why/why not to swap the SR20DET into the S13-S14 chassis.
The sr20 is a more boost friendly motor then the ka. There was a huge discussion about this awhile ago. Search under morepower2 and sr20de or something.
The KA definitely has potential but it would cost lots of money to extract it.It's head is designed for low to mid range torque rather than horsepower so you'd need to do some head work to extract serious power.The SR20DET has an ECU that's already tailored to turbocharging,and has a turbo and all of the attendant hardware stock while the KA would require fabrication of parts and a reprogrammed ECU.I looked into putting a turbo on the KA in my Frontier truck and the closest I could find to a bolt on kit was for a 240 and cost $4000.I can get a SR20DET for considerably less with everything and use the money I'd save to build up the DET. That's how I look at it and it's why this is not a popular thing to do.
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1998 Nissan Frontier XE/2wd/5spd 1 owner, 264k miles
1985 Olds Cutlass, 350 Chevy, owned for 14 years
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Before you can answer this question properly you need to set a HP goal. If you want less then 250-300whp (its someplace in that range, Not 100% certian) then the KA24DE is a great choice. It should allow you to run into the 13's with out opening the engine. Don't just toss a good engine if you allow have moderate HP goals.
.4 liters does not matter. The KA24DE is a truck motor. Its very torquey and will not make much power, even if turbo'd. The SR20DET motor will make more power easier and cheaper than the KA24DE. Parts are more plentiful for the SR20DET than the KA24DE.
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Here it is. Now with pics for your viewing pleasure. My 240
like above, the KA is a truck engine. it was not overdeveloped like the powerful SR20 to handle boosting aswell.
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1991 B13 a.k.a. SR71 Blackbird with gen5 HS , S4's, CAI, courtesy b-pipe, extremePP,lwflywheel and 6 puck madness. 290,860 original miles from original engine(some say original oil) but that is still a mystery
Originally posted by 98sr20ve Before you can answer this question properly you need to set a HP goal. If you want less then 250-300whp (its someplace in that range, Not 100% certian) then the KA24DE is a great choice. It should allow you to run into the 13's with out opening the engine. Don't just toss a good engine if you allow have moderate HP goals.
Well put. I can already see that this board is SR biased. Before you go deciding on what you want, make sure you know what you can afford, and what HP levels you want. And be honest with yourself. I wanted HP that would tear the frame apart at first, but reality has a funny way of making you change your mind. My swap is going to cost me aroud 7-8K when complete. So don't go thinking that the SR is super cheap to do.
The KA24DE motor is a better motor than the SR20DE motor. I have seen 400-460 WHP on stock bottom ends. Thats right people the motor was not opened up. This opinion is from a guy who love the SR20DE motor also. Please do not mistake the KA24 89-90 12 valve motor with the 91-98 KA24DE motor. When I get a chance I will get more into the discussion. Even the head design of the KA24DE is more efficent than the SR20DE.
Andreas Miko
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I am a car idiot, so do not ask me any questions, you most likely will get the wrong answer.
I would assume a truck motor can actually whithstand more torque on the crank, bottom end than a regular motor. The head may flow differently, thus allowing less rpms, but like the 3TC it should be a good motor to boost.
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97-Maxima
I'd also like to add that both engines share some common bottom end features.Both have forged cranks,forged rods and main cap girdles.The KA has a high nickel iron block,and the SR has a aluminum block which provides a weight advantage, but the iron block is less prone to warpage than the aluminum one.The next time you're in the junkyard,look at a KA that's been disassembled, you'll be really impressed!
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1998 Nissan Frontier XE/2wd/5spd 1 owner, 264k miles
1985 Olds Cutlass, 350 Chevy, owned for 14 years
WANTED: 1968-1973 Datsun 510 or 1991-1994 Sentra SE-R http://www.myspace.com/junkyardengineer
definitley stick with the sr20 its the best motor ever designed the power band is perfect and there is nothing bad you can say about it
and the ka24de well if you want alot of torkue and an engine that redlines at 3grand then fine
Originally posted by fmi20 definitley stick with the sr20 its the best motor ever designed the power band is perfect and there is nothing bad you can say about it
and the ka24de well if you want alot of torkue and an engine that redlines at 3grand then fine
Lets try to stick to what the thread was started for. Like helping this guy make a decision on what to do with his car. This isn't an SR vs KA thread. If you want that then do a search for it. Also, blanket statements like the one above are really funny. The best engine ever made? Thats a very debateable topic. How so? Better then an F1 engine? The 2J? Lets be real here please. And last time I checked my KA redlines at 6500rpm.
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SR20DE vs. KA24DE
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