KA24DE or SR20DET - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

cbass · 09-20-2002, 09:09 PM

Okay, I have been reading a lot of posts, and looking at various engine builds, and I have a question.  What are the pros and cons of building a turbocharged KA24DE for around 300hp, or swapping in an SR20DET and boosting it to 300hp?

I hear a lot about SR20DETs from the online community as the holy grail of Nissan 4 cylinders, but I have seen some good KA24DE builds that make as much power.  What are the advantages and disadvantages of both engines?

Thanks in advance guys

SSJ2Gohan · 09-20-2002, 09:34 PM

I honestly think its really just a matter of personal preference.  Some will swear by either one.  The SR is basically at a starting advantage since it comes stock with a turbo and has stronger internals.  However the KA has more displacement to start off with.

Downt the road Im pulling my engine and upgrading the internals for a KA24DET setup.  Im sold on that.  I ahve a couple friends who are in the process of an SR swap.  In the end we are all gonna be happy.

I also like the KA engine because I know it a lot better since its in my car.

cbass · 09-20-2002, 09:41 PM

Displacement and already being in the car are big advantages.

What about cost?  How much would it cost all things told to put an SR20DET into a 240SX, and how much would it cost to build a reliable 300hp KA24?

I have seen SR20s going on Ebay for $2000-$3000, and that is a fair bit of money to work with when building a KA24DET.

SSJ2Gohan · 09-20-2002, 10:07 PM

I have seen the SR going anywhere between $2500 and up depending on what year, what model, etc.  You gotta think though that is only putting about 215 whp stock so you gonna be doing some upgrading to get to that 300 mark.

On the other hand, an Nsports Stage 1 turbo with 7 psi and using stock internals would put about 240 whp.  On 240sx.org they were running for about $3300 for the entire kit.

A little more than an sr engine, but if you have to pay someone to install it that will cost also.  Plus what if you have a problem with the SR engine that you cant fix?  Will dealers work on it?  Is there someone in your area qualified to work on it?  Im wondering if dealers would work on it since the Sentra SE-R uses a SR20DE engine.

Plus if you kill your SR thats a lot of money to buy another.  If you kill your KA you can find them relatively cheap. Around $800-$1000 from what Ive seen.

I dont know the costs associated with bringing an SR up to 300 whp after the install.  Enjuku racing sells parts for it so that may be a good start.

Im looking to spank my SR friends myself.  Oh and I wouldnt buy off of Ebay an engine.  You didnt say you would but I couldnt trust it for that.  I personally would want someone I can talk to face to face or at least over the phone.

And lastly Chiltons has a manual on the 240sx which I have and it has been helpful on diagramming and will help quite a bit when upgrade time comes.

camppain · 09-20-2002, 10:14 PM

if you had been reading alot of posts you would have answered your questiopn already this forum along with freshalloy habve covered it 100's of times! esp f/a. search and this time think about what your reading. <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sly.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':sly:'>

cbass · 09-20-2002, 10:18 PM

Thanks!  I've been giving this a lot of consideration.  I would be doing all the work myself, except for some machining, like balancing the crank.

I think I will probably go with the KA24, because parts are cheaper and more available.  Also, as you mentioned, if I completely blow up the motor, I can always get another one and rebuild using my original parts.

Thanks <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='

'>

cbass · 09-20-2002, 10:34 PM

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (camppain @ Sep. 20 2002,11:14)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">if you had been reading alot of posts you would have answered your questiopn already this forum along with freshalloy habve covered it 100's of times! esp f/a. search and this time think about what your reading. <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sly.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':sly:'></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
I haven't read all the posts here   <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/blush.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':blush:'>, and I was looking for specific info on about a 300hp build.  To tell the truth, I have really been into the 240 until lately...  I actually used to be into Z31 300ZXs, but I couldn't afford one back then.

It was a while ago I found out about the Silvia, I thought they stopped selling them here after the S13 hatchback!  I largely attribute this to the fact that there are no S14s in my town.   <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='

'>

Kreator · 09-21-2002, 12:52 AM

KA >80K miles ==> SR swap
KA <80K miles ==> KA turbo

Personally the only reasoning for this is that i find it illogical to pull out a perfectly workin engine and swap, but turboing an old engine is quite dangerous.

camppain · 09-21-2002, 01:49 AM

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (cbass @ Sep. 21 2002,11:18)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Thanks! *I've been giving this a lot of consideration. *I would be doing all the work myself, except for some machining, like balancing the crank.

I think I will probably go with the KA24, because parts are cheaper and more available. *Also, as you mentioned, if I completely blow up the motor, I can always get another one and rebuild using my original parts.

Thanks <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='

'></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
actually i think both engines have a wide array of parts and availabilty sr probably with an upper hand being in both markets in turbo and na form.

cbass · 09-21-2002, 02:39 AM

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (camppain @ Sep. 21 2002,02:49)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">actually i think both engines have a wide array of parts and availabilty sr probably with an upper hand being in both markets in turbo and na form.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
I live in Canada, and I'd rather have the parts available at the dealship.  If I break something, they might have it in stock, or at least be able to get it quickly...

Thanks for all the info guys, I'm starting to get an idea of what I'm doing   <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='

'>

Jim96SC2 · 09-21-2002, 09:09 AM

The figures for the SR are a bit off... Enjuku racing ships a SR to me for $2580. I then have to add a FMIC, hot pipe, downpipe, and exhaust. Not to mention the little things like plugs, oil, etc. Now this all depends on how nuts you want to get too. 300HP is fairly easy to squeeze from either engine with a turbo. BUT anything more starts costing you money. The SR has an advantage of haveing nice forged internals, which are good for around 400HP. The KA comes with not-so-good stuff (still ok though).

Like said before, mileage is a factor.

Also what do you plan on doing with it (drag, drift, auto-x). From the stats I see the SR would make a better road-course engine due to high rev's, while the KA will make lots of power down low making it great for drag.

andrave · 09-21-2002, 01:00 PM

I wouldn't think that would be a factor.  If he is building the engine including the bottom end, he is talking about basically being able to put the power band whereever he wants.  You can build an sr with a stock redline to make 300 hp, and just open the waste gate early and bleed off extra boost with a stock or slighter larger turbo (t3).
Or you could build a ka24 with new cams, springs, etc and move the power band/turbo spool up to 7000-9000 rpm, and have the ecu reprogrammed to take advantage of it.  
When rebuilding an entire engine, you could basically do whatever you wanted with it.

SxMachine · 09-21-2002, 01:55 PM

Here are a few parts from USDM nissans that fit sr20.  Not much but fyi.  Got this from nismo.org
Parts in the U.S. that fit the SR20DET

Part description - Car Year - Car Model

STOCK Nissan clutch - 89 - Maxima w/ timing chain
Ignitor Chip - 96 - Infiniti Q-45
Throttle Body - 91-98 - 240SX DOHC
Oil Filter - 92-99 - Sentra/200SX SE-R
Spark Plugs - 92-99 - Sentra/200SX SE-R
MAFS(will need plug) - 89-90 - 240sx 12 valve

SSJ2Gohan · 09-21-2002, 04:57 PM

I dont know about the mileage thing.  I have 90K on mine and it works like day 1.  If you have taken care of it you wont have any problems.  Ive seen nissans with 250,000 miles on them still getting people to work.

Its all a matter of choice.  Will it probably cost me more to redo the internals and turbo charge it?  Yeah probably but thats what I want.  You have to go for what you want.

Kreator · 09-21-2002, 07:47 PM

Well, the longer your engine operates, the more compression in the engine you lose. Most of it is just to normal wear. On a stock car it doesn't matter. Yeah, it's lower but the engine still operates. There is no pressure on hte engine. However when u turbo, u exert enourmous force on the engine. This is the time when really worn down piston rings, damaged valves and what not will really let you know about it.

09-20-2002, 09:34 PM	#2
SSJ2Gohan Leaky Injector Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 149 Trader Rating: (0)	I honestly think its really just a matter of personal preference.  Some will swear by either one.  The SR is basically at a starting advantage since it comes stock with a turbo and has stronger internals.  However the KA has more displacement to start off with. Downt the road Im pulling my engine and upgrading the internals for a KA24DET setup.  Im sold on that.  I ahve a couple friends who are in the process of an SR swap.  In the end we are all gonna be happy. I also like the KA engine because I know it a lot better since its in my car. __________________ Kamehameha!

09-20-2002, 10:07 PM	#4
SSJ2Gohan Leaky Injector Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 149 Trader Rating: (0)	I have seen the SR going anywhere between $2500 and up depending on what year, what model, etc.  You gotta think though that is only putting about 215 whp stock so you gonna be doing some upgrading to get to that 300 mark. On the other hand, an Nsports Stage 1 turbo with 7 psi and using stock internals would put about 240 whp.  On 240sx.org they were running for about $3300 for the entire kit. A little more than an sr engine, but if you have to pay someone to install it that will cost also.  Plus what if you have a problem with the SR engine that you cant fix?  Will dealers work on it?  Is there someone in your area qualified to work on it?  Im wondering if dealers would work on it since the Sentra SE-R uses a SR20DE engine. Plus if you kill your SR thats a lot of money to buy another.  If you kill your KA you can find them relatively cheap. Around $800-$1000 from what Ive seen. I dont know the costs associated with bringing an SR up to 300 whp after the install.  Enjuku racing sells parts for it so that may be a good start. Im looking to spank my SR friends myself.  Oh and I wouldnt buy off of Ebay an engine.  You didnt say you would but I couldnt trust it for that.  I personally would want someone I can talk to face to face or at least over the phone. And lastly Chiltons has a manual on the 240sx which I have and it has been helpful on diagramming and will help quite a bit when upgrade time comes. __________________ Kamehameha!

09-20-2002, 10:14 PM	#5
camppain Will never get banned... Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: San Diego CA Age: 30 Posts: 1,510 Trader Rating: (0)	if you had been reading alot of posts you would have answered your questiopn already this forum along with freshalloy habve covered it 100's of times! esp f/a. search and this time think about what your reading. <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sly.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':sly:'> __________________ -=-99 Sentra SE 5 speed-=- -=-95 240 SE 5 speed-=-

09-20-2002, 10:18 PM	#6
cbass Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 28 Trader Rating: (0)	Thanks!  I've been giving this a lot of consideration.  I would be doing all the work myself, except for some machining, like balancing the crank. I think I will probably go with the KA24, because parts are cheaper and more available.  Also, as you mentioned, if I completely blow up the motor, I can always get another one and rebuild using my original parts. Thanks <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

09-20-2002, 10:34 PM	#7
cbass Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 28 Trader Rating: (0)	</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (camppain @ Sep. 20 2002,11:14)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">if you had been reading alot of posts you would have answered your questiopn already this forum along with freshalloy habve covered it 100's of times! esp f/a. search and this time think about what your reading. <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sly.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':sly:'></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'> I haven't read all the posts here   <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/blush.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':blush:'>, and I was looking for specific info on about a 300hp build.  To tell the truth, I have really been into the 240 until lately...  I actually used to be into Z31 300ZXs, but I couldn't afford one back then. It was a while ago I found out about the Silvia, I thought they stopped selling them here after the S13 hatchback!  I largely attribute this to the fact that there are no S14s in my town.   <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

09-20-2002, 09:09 PM	#1
cbass Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 28 Trader Rating: (0)	Okay, I have been reading a lot of posts, and looking at various engine builds, and I have a question.  What are the pros and cons of building a turbocharged KA24DE for around 300hp, or swapping in an SR20DET and boosting it to 300hp? I hear a lot about SR20DETs from the online community as the holy grail of Nissan 4 cylinders, but I have seen some good KA24DE builds that make as much power.  What are the advantages and disadvantages of both engines? Thanks in advance guys

09-20-2002, 09:41 PM	#3
cbass Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 28 Trader Rating: (0)	Displacement and already being in the car are big advantages. What about cost?  How much would it cost all things told to put an SR20DET into a 240SX, and how much would it cost to build a reliable 300hp KA24? I have seen SR20s going on Ebay for $2000-$3000, and that is a fair bit of money to work with when building a KA24DET.

09-21-2002, 12:52 AM	#8
Kreator Nissanaholic! Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: MD Age: 26 Posts: 1,974 Trader Rating: (0)	KA >80K miles ==> SR swap KA <80K miles ==> KA turbo Personally the only reasoning for this is that i find it illogical to pull out a perfectly workin engine and swap, but turboing an old engine is quite dangerous. __________________ http://fc-zenit.ru/images/logo_zenit.gif кто болеет за Зенит, у того всегда стоит!

09-21-2002, 01:49 AM	#9
camppain Will never get banned... Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: San Diego CA Age: 30 Posts: 1,510 Trader Rating: (0)	</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (cbass @ Sep. 21 2002,11:18)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Thanks! I've been giving this a lot of consideration. I would be doing all the work myself, except for some machining, like balancing the crank. I think I will probably go with the KA24, because parts are cheaper and more available. *Also, as you mentioned, if I completely blow up the motor, I can always get another one and rebuild using my original parts. Thanks <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'> actually i think both engines have a wide array of parts and availabilty sr probably with an upper hand being in both markets in turbo and na form. __________________ -=-99 Sentra SE 5 speed-=- -=-95 240 SE 5 speed-=-

09-21-2002, 02:39 AM	#10
cbass Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 28 Trader Rating: (0)	</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (camppain @ Sep. 21 2002,02:49)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">actually i think both engines have a wide array of parts and availabilty sr probably with an upper hand being in both markets in turbo and na form.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'> I live in Canada, and I'd rather have the parts available at the dealship.  If I break something, they might have it in stock, or at least be able to get it quickly... Thanks for all the info guys, I'm starting to get an idea of what I'm doing   <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

09-21-2002, 09:09 AM	#11
Jim96SC2 Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Long Island, NY Age: 28 Posts: 405 Trader Rating: (0)	The figures for the SR are a bit off... Enjuku racing ships a SR to me for $2580. I then have to add a FMIC, hot pipe, downpipe, and exhaust. Not to mention the little things like plugs, oil, etc. Now this all depends on how nuts you want to get too. 300HP is fairly easy to squeeze from either engine with a turbo. BUT anything more starts costing you money. The SR has an advantage of haveing nice forged internals, which are good for around 400HP. The KA comes with not-so-good stuff (still ok though). Like said before, mileage is a factor. Also what do you plan on doing with it (drag, drift, auto-x). From the stats I see the SR would make a better road-course engine due to high rev's, while the KA will make lots of power down low making it great for drag. __________________ Swap DONE: 40K Redtop, Greddy Turbo extension, Greddy DP, Greddy V-SPL FMIC, Greddy Hotpipe, HKS SSQV, Koyo Radiator, Toda Ultralight FW, Spec Stage 2 Clutch, ATS 2-way Diff., Rice-Boy Red Air Filter.

09-21-2002, 01:00 PM	#12
andrave BANNED Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Burton WV Posts: 2,350 Trader Rating: (0)	I wouldn't think that would be a factor.  If he is building the engine including the bottom end, he is talking about basically being able to put the power band whereever he wants.  You can build an sr with a stock redline to make 300 hp, and just open the waste gate early and bleed off extra boost with a stock or slighter larger turbo (t3). Or you could build a ka24 with new cams, springs, etc and move the power band/turbo spool up to 7000-9000 rpm, and have the ecu reprogrammed to take advantage of it.   When rebuilding an entire engine, you could basically do whatever you wanted with it.

09-21-2002, 01:55 PM	#13
SxMachine Leaky Injector Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Jerzie2Atl, Ga Age: 34 Posts: 136 Trader Rating: (0)	Here are a few parts from USDM nissans that fit sr20.  Not much but fyi.  Got this from nismo.org Parts in the U.S. that fit the SR20DET Part description - Car Year - Car Model STOCK Nissan clutch - 89 - Maxima w/ timing chain Ignitor Chip - 96 - Infiniti Q-45 Throttle Body - 91-98 - 240SX DOHC Oil Filter - 92-99 - Sentra/200SX SE-R Spark Plugs - 92-99 - Sentra/200SX SE-R MAFS(will need plug) - 89-90 - 240sx 12 valve __________________ 1990 Nissan 240sx 1972 Datsun 510 I only use the brakes so i can accelerate all over again. Download:Rb, 1jz, Subaru dyno and illegal jdm/edm street runs. Here: http://www.exvitermini.com

09-21-2002, 04:57 PM	#14
SSJ2Gohan Leaky Injector Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 149 Trader Rating: (0)	I dont know about the mileage thing.  I have 90K on mine and it works like day 1.  If you have taken care of it you wont have any problems.  Ive seen nissans with 250,000 miles on them still getting people to work. Its all a matter of choice.  Will it probably cost me more to redo the internals and turbo charge it?  Yeah probably but thats what I want.  You have to go for what you want. __________________ Kamehameha!

09-21-2002, 07:47 PM	#15
Kreator Nissanaholic! Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: MD Age: 26 Posts: 1,974 Trader Rating: (0)	Well, the longer your engine operates, the more compression in the engine you lose. Most of it is just to normal wear. On a stock car it doesn't matter. Yeah, it's lower but the engine still operates. There is no pressure on hte engine. However when u turbo, u exert enourmous force on the engine. This is the time when really worn down piston rings, damaged valves and what not will really let you know about it. __________________ http://fc-zenit.ru/images/logo_zenit.gif кто болеет за Зенит, у того всегда стоит!

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