SR or KA?

[lloyd_nickens]

I have a G. And it already has an SR20. Now all I gotta do is turbocharge it. (I know wrong car, but that is besides the point). The KA is very picky with the amount of boost it can take. I belive Sport Compact Car did an article on a Guy that turbocharged his KA and went through three motors doing it.

[SR20DETpower]

yup and that was to get to 400hp...

[Grendel]

Originally posted by lloyd_nickens
I have a G. And it already has an SR20. Now all I gotta do is turbocharge it. (I know wrong car, but that is besides the point). The KA is very picky with the amount of boost it can take. I belive Sport Compact Car did an article on a Guy that turbocharged his KA and went through three motors doing it.

I read that article... didn't he blow his motors because of a fuel problem or something? I dont really remember *shrugs*

-Grendel

[lloyd_nickens]

I Tried looking for the mag last night but can't seem to find it. I'll look again when I go to lunch.

[J SPEC SilEighty]

That article is in the May 2002 issue of SCC

[lloyd_nickens]

Yup sure was (I found it). He had 438whp. That my friend is a lot of power!!

[Fliquer]

KAs are very sturdy, durable engines. After reading the SCC turbo 240sx article, I learned that the first two engines blew because of a faulty wastegate hose and bad fuel management respectively. The KA24 engines (which had 110+ mileage) themselves didnt fail.

You shouldnt worry about turboing a KA with less than 130k on it.

[revjunkie]

I'd still go sr20det, if I can get 350 at the wheels I'd be happy enough, I like the revability hence my name, but who needs torque when you've got a superior hp/wt ratio, 350rwhp and 2800lbs that'll beat a Z06 fellas. And the aftermarket isn't that bad it's coming around nicely since this us spec silvia craze hit. most parts for the sr20de found in our g20's/se-r's will swap right over. mmmmm....... high compression+turbocharger= instant boost the KA just doesn't fit my personality.

[Fliquer]

SR20s dont get anywhere near 350 hp out of the box. And KAs have higher potential - 400hp.

[J SPEC SilEighty]

Originally posted by Fliquer
SR20s dont get anywhere near 350 hp out of the box.

Neither do KA's. the KA only has 135/155 hp and the SR has 204/220/247 hp. So the SR is already closer to that 350 hp mark. With a bigger turbo, downpipe, exhaust, injectors, and properly tuned ecu, then you could have close to if not 400 hp with the SR. But at those hp levels you better have already or are planning to do it, upgrade your bottem end so you don't have a blown motor.

[revjunkie]

Originally posted by Fliquer
SR20s dont get anywhere near 350 hp out of the box.

Who said anything about stock 350hp?

[Fliquer]

You were quoting 350hp as an advantage the sr20 has over the KA....or have I misunderstood?

[INEEDACAR]

Is the KA24de an easily obtainable engine w/o car?

like in a junk yard??

Most 240's i see have a lot of miles on it.

[Holyterror]

I think it's safe to say that the SR20 will produce more power with less work.

I know for a fact that JUN has a yellow S15 Silvia that puts 485 hp to the ground. Technically, the engine is an SR22, thanks to an increasingly popular stroker kit. Which is fine, unless you have a phobia of under-square engines (if I can get over it, so can you).

There aren't many high-power examples of the KA24 around. Even in the U.S., the hyped-up SR20DETs greatly outnumber them.

Keep in mind that anything JUN puts on display is bulletproof; you could achieve these numbers with less work, sacrificing stability (not to mention engine life). You can get a KA24 crank into the SR20 with less work than you might think, and turn it into an SR24. You get the best of both worlds, I guess.

In a block-to-block comparison, it's still hard to say which is better. The KA24 is iron, which is inherently stronger. However, the SR20's block is so thick that the materials don't make much of a difference. The SR20 wins with oil squirters, the KA24 possibly has better coolant passages, and so on...

But the SR20 will rev higher, and inevitably, produce more power with that wicked racing cam you've undoubtedly put on it already. Case closed.

[J SPEC SilEighty]

Originally posted by Holyterror
I think it's safe to say that the SR20 will produce more power with less work.

I know for a fact that JUN has a yellow S15 Silvia that puts 485 hp to the ground. Technically, the engine is an SR22, thanks to an increasingly popular stroker kit. Which is fine, unless you have a phobia of under-square engines (if I can get over it, so can you).

There aren't many high-power examples of the KA24 around. Even in the U.S., the hyped-up SR20DETs greatly outnumber them.

Keep in mind that anything JUN puts on display is bulletproof; you could achieve these numbers with less work, sacrificing stability (not to mention engine life). You can get a KA24 crank into the SR20 with less work than you might think, and turn it into an SR24. You get the best of both worlds, I guess.

In a block-to-block comparison, it's still hard to say which is better. The KA24 is iron, which is inherently stronger. However, the SR20's block is so thick that the materials don't make much of a difference. The SR20 wins with oil squirters, the KA24 possibly has better coolant passages, and so on...

But the SR20 will rev higher, and inevitably, produce more power with that wicked racing cam you've undoubtedly put on it already. Case closed.

Well said