97 Sentra XE

I have been trying to read as much as possible about these cars and i find that they have...

1)great bang for buck
2)numerous aftermarket parts(more fun for me :D )
3)a lot of fans(and counting)

i want to know if it is worth swapping out the stock engine with any other engine. I have heard of swapping with 200sx sr20DE's but thats about it.

I dont really like the thought of a 1.6L in a sedan. I want a tad bit more power there.

Now as far as engine swaps are concerned im not greatly in favor of them. I like the idea of taking a stock whore and turning it into a tummy tucked titan. So with that said:
what are my other options to increase power. Mainly, can a GA## engine handle a turbo down the road?



one last thing...
Is it possible to swap a KA24DE? Im taking a blind guess that there is no mounting matches possible for a 97 sentra, correct?

I count 4 questions. Thanks.

well, forget about the KA swap. It's too much of a hassle and pointless.

If you want to get some grunt outta your 1.6, get a turbo kit from www.hotshot.com
The Ga16 can probably hold about 350hp on stock internals, so don't worry about the engine if you're doing 6-9psi.

Now about the SR20. You'll have to get the ECU, MAF, drive axle, and tranny from the 200sx SE-R to do that swap but it's well worth it. You can swap for a regular SR20DE which will probably have you running mid-15's, do an SR20DET swap which will have you running about high-13's, or go in-between and do an SR20VE(Nissan VTEC) and run mid-14's. If you got anymore questions, feel free to ask.

i would probably go with the $4G turbo, but is it me or is that a lot of money for a turbo?
http://www.hotshot.com/turbo/200sx_pics/turbovsstock.jpg

the dyno shows well over 150HP which isnt too bad considering the SE-Rs come with about 140HP. But wait! Do the SE-Rs(99+) come with a SR20DE? or are they turbo? What is a 200SX's stock HP?

Also should i not invest in a Injen CAI and save for the turbo/short air intake set? I could just do a cheap air box removal in the mean time.

Which is more efficient as far as $$$; SR20DE swap or installing a turbo on the GA16DE?(i'm gonna see what exactly comes with the HS.com turbo kit)

what do you think about a drum->disc brake conversion? I found rotor kit for about $240 and conversion seems very easy for the "mechanically inclined amatuer". http://www.nissanperformancemag.com/february04/brakes/

Yeah, and remember...that dyno is WHEEL horsepower. So that's probably closer to 200hp.

The new SE-R's(I'm assuming you mean the 2002+) come with a brand new QR25DE. It's a nice torquey naturally aspirated 4-banger but it still pales in comparison to the SR20.
$4g's is actually quite average for a complete kit. The SR20 swap would be the best bang-for-buck deal. An SR20DE should cost you around $500 and the install's about another $1000. Add on a few hundred more for the necessary SE-R parts and I'd say it'll run you a touch over 2g's.

Don't bother with a GA16 intake because you'll be using either the turbo kit or a completely different engine. It's just money wasted that could be going towards the swap.

Here's a list to clear things up:

The 115hp GA16DE is in these cars:
91-99 Sentra(non SE-R)
95-99 200sx(non SE-R)
91-93 NX1600

The 140hp SR20DE is in these cars:
91-98 SE-R(sentra and 200sx)
91-96 Infiniti G20
91-93 NX2000

The 145hp roller-rocker SR20(lower redline):
2000-2001 Sentra SE 2.0
1999-2001 Infiniti G20

If you want disc brakes all around, grab 'em from an SE-R. Much cheaper.

i'll give this some serious thought. I will also toss the 2 ideas around with my friends. One has a 240sx n likes his NA...

also i have heard from a tuner shop that ka24 is a bit stronger than a sr20 and is more available that them too. Cheaper than them even?

That's besides the point though. Do you know some online sources that sell SR20s? I originally thought sr20s where hard to get cheap if at all due to the DRFT craze lately with 240's.

I could always check out junkyards but it seems SE-Rs n SR20DE/Ts aren't something you find sitting in a junkyard, do you not agree?

***EDIT***
Year
Part
Model Description Stock# Price Dealer Info
2001
Engine
Nissan Sentra (122) 2.0L (SR20DE VIN B )- 00005382 $750 Alma Imports

I just found that from a local import junkyard company, amazing! But will that work? It IS a SR20DE, but it is in a 2001.

******************

The KA is a bit beefier on the torque side, but the SR20 will wipe the floor with it in turbo handling capability.

Those drift crazy SR20 freaks don't steal the SR20DET's away from us Sentra guys because they all need the RWD version. Here's your one-stop shop for SR20 goodness.
www.jgycustoms.com


Don't bother with the 2001 SR20DE. It's a minimal upgrade at best. The power curve is slightly smoother but the redline is nearly 1000rpm lower than the earlier SR20's.

what year range should i look into? should i look into 200sx or sentra or what?

Thanks a bunch

The best SR20's are the 1991-94 SE-R/NX2000 ones. The absolute best one you can get would be from a 1994 SE-R. It's the only "low-port" version of the SR20DE that still revs to 7500rpm. Nissan changed to less aggressive cams in 94 but it still makes as much power as the 91-93 versions because of a better overall head design. In fact, if you grab some older cams and drop 'em into a 94 version, you'll gain an extra 6-10hp.

i looked over the jgy site and i have looked at 2 other sites. one of them being
http://www.ardperformance.com/cgi-bin/static.pl?serial=24

it has tranny n engine and the other site even give an ECU. Both are Turbo which will save me money on installing my own later. I really wanted to go NA all the way but after a bit of thinking, the whole reason im going this stuff is for fun and to see how much beef i can cook up.


Any comments on this? It would be great if there were a guide for a do it yourself swap out there. I would pay for something like that if any of you could help. I'll probably just have it dropped by our local sports shop(www.intensepower.com)

Well, just remember that there's a lot more to do than just slap a turbo on it. You'll have to either get your tranny strengthened or get entirely new gears which is REALLY expensive. If you want total N/A goodness, I'd say with full bolt-ons, you'll probably get low 14's out of a regular SR20DE and probably mid-low 13's out of the VE. Also, remember, your car is FWD so try not to have too much torque(turbo). You'll just sit and spin while the RWD/AWD opponent eats you alive.