How To Get More Power from A Stock KA24E?

[Lil_Boca]

I just bought a 1990 240SX SOHC wiht a 140 horses what can i do to get more power from tha stock KA24E engine whit out thinking about the SR20DET swap.

[240training]

rip out interior. remove any subs and amps. and some more crap. rip out ALL seats too. ALL seats

[kapower]

There are plenty of things to do, it is just a matter of how much money you want to spend. I'am assuming that you want to go N/A. (non turbo) an intake cat back exhaust, and pulleys would give you about 15hp. you can also install an electric fan that will give you better throttle response. A jim wolf technology retuned ECU would give you another 10-15hp. Ebay has some good deals, just becarefull not to buy any scam products, like the 20hp $5 chip. (22 cent radio shack resister) you should also concentrate on suspension, and handling, that is where the 240 really shines.

[kapower]

A header is a great idea, that will increase some top end hp wich the ka really needs. Hot shot header $300 ya the engine only has 140hp but it also has 145 tourqe and that is what the ka is all about. For a N/A setup you should buy the intake first, header second then buy the rest of the exhaust. I would just have an exhaust shop make up a custom exhaust setup it is cheaper. A tune up is never a bad idea, that will retrieve some lost hp. (that should be first on your list) you can buy some performance spark plug wires while your at it. After that you can install an electric fan, and lightwieght pulleys,(lightwieght pully $120-$200 that would not be a bad choice for a first mod either) that will make your engine rev qiucker and give you a reported 12 hp (pulley's that is) then you can get a retuned ecu tuned for your appliction. A limited slip differential will give a better whole shot off of the line, and help you corner better. An lsd is one of the most over looked mods out there, but well worth the money. you can also use the search button to get an idea of what products (brands) that people are most satisfied with. Good luck, Jason

[sph33r]

Same thing these guys are suggesting, I have the following engine mods on my SOHC.

Open cone filter
ASP pulley
header
exhaust
electric fan

those mods do wake it up a bit.

It probably won't ever be a HP monster but it's a nice stout engine. Plus they're cheap to find spare crap for I just picked up a engine and tranny for $50 from a local guy who is doing a swap.

[240training]

what the hell is so ghetto about removing the interior of your car? you sound like a really uneducated person when you things like "ghetto" which refers to an area in which there is a high concentration of particular sect of people. niggardly? yes. ghetto? try again.
you are right that the question was engine and not outright speed.

[AKADriver]

Unless you take the time to clean up the stray wiring, chip off the sound deadener, and otherwise clean it up such that it looks like there was NEVER an interior... then it looks like trash.

It's fine for a race car, but for something you have to live with every day it's not the best option for some people, myself included.

"Ghetto" has become an accepted slang term meaning crude or unfinished.

[240training]

okay okay.

[Anubis]

honestly guys, if your going N/A, the interior has got to go.

[DuffMan]

There is a TON of power to be found in head work on KA24E.

[kapower]

What is so bad about spark plug wires as a mod? When trying to make a N/A Ka stronger, every 1/2 hp helps. Increasing your spark has to do something. You can also remove your air conditioning for another 1/2 hp while your at it. plus you will remove at least 15 lbs. That is another 1 hp for you right there. I know, I know, it is all just poo, just skip my posts and read all the others.

[DuffMan]

*Sigh* everyone goes about NA performance the wrong way. Spark plug wires, exhaust, headers, that stuff is pretty much a waste of $$.

For over 1 grand you could get a JDM exhaust, headers, and a shiney intake. Thats good for what, about 12hp?

Or get an agressive cam, valve springs and a retune, and 25-30hp gains are possible. I know thats a lot from a cam, but with an extra 1000rpm to work with you can go very agressive specs compared to stock. That's for about the same cost as the exhaust header and intake.

[kapower]

A cam is a great mod. But I was thinking about bolt on's. If I could do it all over again, I would save my money for a cam, instead of buying my intake, exhaust and header. by the way you can get a cam from pdm for $150 (not including the core charge) Duffman has a vey good point.

[s13srmadness]

Originally posted by kapower
A cam is a great mod. But I was thinking about bolt on's. If I could do it all over again, I would save my money for a cam, instead of buying my intake, exhaust and header. by the way you can get a cam from pdm for $150 (not including the core charge) Duffman has a vey good point.

na is a waste of time. i drove an na sohc ka for over a year slowly realizing it waste of money. (200 for a "cold air intake") if i realized it so will you guys.
a cam is bolt-on.
a cam instead of i/h/e is stupid. (read up before you tell me it's not)
another 1000 rpm on an sohc ka will get you nowhere. (have you guys seen ka dyno graphs???)
waste of damn time.
with ALL bolt-ons, 11:1 compression, and some mild head porting, you may see just shy of 200 whp.
and at this point you will have spent WAY more than the guy who did the sr swap and got an exhaust/downpipe/boost controller. (and he will suck your ass up at the track!)
it may seem cheaper, but it's not.
it's only cheaper in the short run. (save your reciepts, kids...)
you don't like the sr? fine. turbo a dohc ka. (they at least have a little potential...)
an intake and exhaust will produce more extra noise than it would power. i have talked to many people where this is the case.
header/exhaust will rob a lot from the low-end and return very little at the top.
peak power gains aren't everything.
c'mon i know you guys read iMpoRt tuNerZ, right? even they include dyno graphs. look the whole line, not just how much higher it is 100 rpm shy of redline.
unless you're prepared to spend 3-4 times an sr swap, not be able to idle, and have an unstable motor don't hope for REAL power from an na sohc ka.
you have to step back and see how serious you are about your car.
are you willing to sacrifice time you could have been at the movies/out with your non-car friends?
are you ok with or do you even know what "down-time" is?
are you comfortable with debt?
do you know that the average guy/girl still won't sweat your car when it has 200whp? (is that ok with you?)
a lot of people say that they're enthusiasts beacuse they bought an intake/exhaust and spend time on the forums. they're not.
if you're not an enthusiast save yourself and evryone here time and cut the crap and don't F with your car...
it's not for everyone.... that's the way it should be...

[kapower]

A cam will work better with I/E/H, modifying your engine is a balancing act. Everything works with each other. And the more mods you have the better each individaul mod will perform.

[s13srmadness]

you read to much and have no experience...
after a point typical bolt-on mods deliver deminishing returns.
you are wrong.
spark plug wires do not even make 1/2 hp. (unless your old ones were really ****ed up)
of course cams will work better with i/h/e. who said otherwise? (i know it wasn't me, unless you can't read/comprehend...)
"balancing act".... stfu...

[kapower]

Most poeple are unsatisfied with there N/A KA's (I know I'am) A turbo is the most cost efficent way to hit high HP numbers, but is not cheap. KA-T is all I'am going to say about that. and by the way SRmaddness I meant a simple bolt on. I consider a cam to be internals. ( even though you just bolt it on) If you think about it almost every internal is bolted on, does that make it just a bolt on no. The cam shaft is not, You still have to have the cam caps milled down.

[DuffMan]

Hmm, well where to start...

Okay IHE is a good place to start, sort of. It's easy, but not cost effective on 240sx's. Nothing is set in stone and sometimes common logic fails. Headers on our cars have never shown much power on a dyno. Like 3-4hp gain, that and they crack constantly. Not worth it imho unless you are striving for every last hp and have done everything else.

Intake, well its a pipe and a filter. I'm not really convinced the stock piping is much of a restriction anyways. It's much bigger than the stock mafs. The only problem is the shape is inconsistant, but meh, probably doesnt make much difference. Definitely not worth the $.

Exhaust is easy bolt on HP but they are epensive for the most part. A JWT ecu on completely stock car will gain more hp just from the improvements in fuel and timing. Plust it sets up nicely for that cam upgrade.

s13srmadness, your post was too long for me to read it but you arent bringing anything new to the table here. Yes, an SR20 is more cost efficient for making power.

There are a ton of reasons to stay NA. They might not apply to you, but the original poster of this thread asked about NA mods. An extra 1000rpm is worthless? That's pretty stupid, extra revs are never worthless. A cam shifts the power profile of the engine to the right. With all that extra revs, this gives you the oppertunity run a lot more durration and still have a nice useable power band. We already know the bottom end can handle it. Also the flow characteristics of the stock head and manifold are pretty decent. There is a lot more power to be found in the motor cheaply.

As to what mods make you an enthusiast, that is the biggest load of crap. You can be completely stock and be an enthusiast. You can have 500 hp done for you by a shop and you dont know how to change your own oil. Whatever.

[s13srmadness]

fine james.
i see what you're getting at...
what i'm saying is still true.
either do it or don't.
but don't go half-assed.
a lot of the people reading/posting on this thread will also realize they want more power and devote more time/money in the future anyways...
why waste it on this crap?
that is how every car enthusiast evolves.
just trying to let people know what they're in for.
my posts have little to do with the original posters questions, but they're far from useless...
james- stop trying to be mr. "P.C., it's all good, to each his own, i'm enlightened" man and admit i'm telling the truth here.
maybe i should place myself in the "car-crazed" category instead of "enthusiast"

a cam is a bolt-on.
porting is not.
a turbo is a bolt-on
pistons are not.
get it?

[s13srmadness]

Originally posted by DuffMan
Hmm, well where to start...

Okay IHE is a good place to start, sort of. It's easy, but not cost effective on 240sx's. Nothing is set in stone and sometimes common logic fails. Headers on our cars have never shown much power on a dyno. Like 3-4hp gain, that and they crack constantly. Not worth it imho unless you are striving for every last hp and have done everything else.

Intake, well its a pipe and a filter. I'm not really convinced the stock piping is much of a restriction anyways. It's much bigger than the stock mafs. The only problem is the shape is inconsistant, but meh, probably doesnt make much difference. Definitely not worth the $.

Exhaust is easy bolt on HP but they are epensive for the most part. A JWT ecu on completely stock car will gain more hp just from the improvements in fuel and timing. Plust it sets up nicely for that cam upgrade.

s13srmadness, your post was too long for me to read it but you arent bringing anything new to the table here. Yes, an SR20 is more cost efficient for making power.

There are a ton of reasons to stay NA. They might not apply to you, but the original poster of this thread asked about NA mods. An extra 1000rpm is worthless? That's pretty stupid, extra revs are never worthless. A cam shifts the power profile of the engine to the right. With all that extra revs, this gives you the oppertunity run a lot more durration and still have a nice useable power band. We already know the bottom end can handle it. Also the flow characteristics of the stock head and manifold are pretty decent. There is a lot more power to be found in the motor cheaply.

As to what mods make you an enthusiast, that is the biggest load of crap. You can be completely stock and be an enthusiast. You can have 500 hp done for you by a shop and you dont know how to change your own oil. Whatever.

the stock flow characteristics are horrible. where are you getting your info from?
why don't you tell me why anyone should stay na?
i would really like to know.
and let's be clear- signifigant power gains na are not cheap. don't mislead the kids...

[DuffMan]

Originally posted by James
Not worth $12?


Any small family owned/domestic racing custom muffler shop can whip you up a cat-back for $200-$250.

A filter is worth it. It was the first thing I did for my car. Intakes are generally just a waste.

Yeah you can go the make your own exhaust route. Costs less but generally not mandrel bends. Probably still more hp for your buck than a pre-made system. Still its only like 5hp there.

Anyways, I'm just trying to present a different point of view. A lot of people go out and spend a lot of $$ on name brand performance parts that wont get you a lot of power. There are like a billion 240's with ihe. Hardly anyone who seriously looks for power in the stock motor without turboing. I don't think everyone realizes the gains to be found that are there. It's not for everyone, but I think more people should look into it.

[s13srmadness]

S13SRMadness: you're a tool.
{Anne Robinson} You are the weakest link, goodbye! {/Anne Robinson}

why am i a tool?
beacuse you're wrong, maybe?
did i frustrate you or something?
did i personally attack you or something?

no, i'm not a tool.

[DuffMan]

Originally posted by s13srmadness
the stock flow characteristics are horrible. where are you getting your info from?
why don't you tell me why anyone should stay na?
i would really like to know.
and let's be clear- signifigant power gains na are not cheap. don't mislead the kids...

Where do you get YOUR info from? The flow characteristics I'm talking about are realitive to an engine that is 2.4 liters and only making 140hp. I have 2 sohc heads sitting in my garage, do you want measurements?

Reasons to stay NA:
Your racing class requires it
Smog laws, a cam is easier to conceal than a turbo.
For certain types of racing, having more power isn't much of an advantage. Linear powerband is preferred to lots of HP thats comes on hard when the turbo spools.
Easier to control in a drift

Price. Price is different for different power levels. I already explained how you can get a significant gain for a little over 1 grand. Maybe that's all someone has to spend on a motor. If I am trying for 300hp, NA would cost way more than a swap. It depends on what the owner wants, and no solution fits every owner.

[s13srmadness]

[QUOTE]Because the JDM SR motor is illegal in the U.S..... jeez that was hard to come up with
[QUOTE]
and so are many of the mods you will do on an na ka. what's your point? run a cat and you will pass nj inspection no problem with an sr....

[DuffMan]

and so are many of the mods you will do on an na ka. what's your point? run a cat and you will pass nj inspection no problem with an sr.... [/B]

Unless you live in a state requiring certification like CARB stickers, most mods are not illegal. The SR is illegal in all states.

[s13srmadness]

Originally posted by DuffMan
Where do you get YOUR info from? The flow characteristics I'm talking about are realitive to an engine that is 2.4 liters and only making 140hp. I have 2 sohc heads sitting in my garage, do you want measurements?

Reasons to stay NA:
Your racing class requires it
Smog laws, a cam is easier to conceal than a turbo.
For certain types of racing, having more power isn't much of an advantage. Linear powerband is preferred to lots of HP thats comes on hard when the turbo spools.
Easier to control in a drift

Price. Price is different for different power levels. I already explained how you can get a significant gain for a little over 1 grand. Maybe that's all someone has to spend on a motor. If I am trying for 300hp, NA would cost way more than a swap. It depends on what the owner wants, and no solution fits every owner.

please take measurements. the stock sohc head flows like ****.
smog laws? ok got me there.
evryone in CA: disregard everything i say.
in all types of racing more power is an advantage. tell me when it isn't an advantage, please.
how much easier to control in a drift? why are 90% of drift cars in japan turbo then?
do you have any idea of what you're talking about???

[DuffMan]

Ok you obviously don't race or drift, otherwise you would understand this. 90% of drift cars are turbo? WTF?

I would take some measurements on the head but 1. I am tired, 2. I dont have a tape measure and 3. I would have to do some reasearch into calculating flow from port dimentions, and thats a lot of crap to do just to prove someone who has no idea what they are talking about wrong on the internet.

[s13srmadness]

Originally posted by James
s13srmadness: at everything you say.

right, more wisecracks...
i guess that convinces me, i must not know what i'm talking about!!!
right....
professional drift cars are mostly turbo.
maybe not all the kids here in the US who gather in parking lots and do sorry power slides they call drifts....
duffman- please, even though i'm not worth it, when you have more energy and are well-rested please take your measurements and do your calculations. if not for me then for the benefit of other s here.
you will find that, stock, it flows like crap. no two ways about it...
please james- any other intelligent comments for me from you?

[s13srmadness]

nice editing.
for those who missed it james believes that i don't know what i'm talking about.
should've left it the way it was, james...

[DuffMan]

A pro drifter is one thing, but turbos make throttle modulation more difficult. That is a significant reason why someone might want to stay NA.