swap fully built ca18 or fully built ka-t

[blazins13]

hey whats up i own a s13 coupe and been wondering bout the ca18 and is it worth it do build that motor and whats the pros and cons of it. I can find oem and aftermarket parts no prob and my power goal is to do 320 daily but for street in the mid 500's i also see a bunch of rb and sr20's all the time n gets annoying after a while even when i go to meets so what motor is gonna be worth it and the best bang for the buck.

[AutechKouki]

1.8 vs 2.4? hmmm
lemme think... is this really a question?
2.4 all day if it's "built". Just keep in mind the amount of money you'll be spending to build it to be reliable, it'll amount to more than an sr swap, maybe even more than rb.

[blazins13]

1.8 vs 2.4? hmmm
lemme think... is this really a question?
2.4 all day if it's "built". Just keep in mind the amount of money you'll be spending to build it to be reliable, it'll amount to more than an sr swap, maybe even more than rb.


Yeah i thought so plus id prob have waaay more fun then a ca18 and just turbo my current KA which has 2,300 miles on it and been rebuilt and have another ka on the side and build that later

[Hellaflush916]

ca's are junk t28 the single cam.

[Croustibat]

CA is fine up to 300/350hp. It can go as high as 700hp but price and maintenance skyrockets. Both will eat gearboxes and transmissions past 400hp anyway.

Pros and cons ... it is kind of a stupid question really. It all depends on how you like your engine, how much you want to spend on it, money wise and time wise. light and high revving ? get a CA, they were made for it. want more torque and power ? get a KA-T. But these were not meant to be turbocharged, so may need paranoïd maintenance (i would say esp rod and crank bearings, as efforts are somewhat reversed on these on turbo and NA engines)