Ca18det or should I just turbocharge the ka motor

[S13yeahbuddy]

I really want more power I was really considering boosting the ka I need suggestions on what the best plan would be on kind of a tight budget

[oni jake]

I would only get a CA18 if it was less than scrap metal price. Those motors are garbage

[S13yeahbuddy]

Really...ya they just seem way cheaper than any other engine I've seen

[zerodameaon]

Not really garbage but they don't really produce much power, they are more a novelty item. Turbo that KA but do it the right way. Don't just slap a turbo on a 190k engine with timing chain rattle.

[Croustibat]

I really want more power I was really considering boosting the ka I need suggestions on what the best plan would be on kind of a tight budget

Tight budget = keep it stock. That is clearly not the answer you wanted to hear, but it is the only one you should follow.

Both would need a rebuild anyway, and that is not cheap.

Not really garbage but they don't really produce much power, they are more a novelty item.


Sure, no power at all.

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww206/CryptiKone/MobnesCA18DET705HPdynoprintout.jpg

These engines are not originally sold in your country, which is why you dont know about them.

Getting 300HP out of them is pretty easy with bolt ons, with stock internals, and some people are RELIABLY getting 500-600HP.

Some even go higher like mobnes (the one from the pic), hes bumping on the 8500rpm rev limiter all day long on his 700+ WHP CA18DET ... he built it in 2011 and i think it is still running, so i'd say it is pretty reliable too.

[S13yeahbuddy]

Not really a tight budget just looking for the cheap er option lol I could gind another ka motor for lije $400 and build that with forged internals

[1988montecarloss]

turbo the ka

[Croustibat]

It depends on your power goal and budget, which depends on what you can do and what you cant. If you just plan to slap a turbo and run 3-5psi, it wont be the same route, time frame and budget as slapping a big turbo and run 20-30psi.

So start with the beginning :
-power goal
-knowledge / tooling available
-budget

Whatever happen, if budget is under 3000, forget it and stay stock.

[dorkidori_s13]

thus far the ONLY person in this thread who has any idea of whats hes talking about is Croustibat.

the KA is a piece of shit engine, period. the amount of money it will take to build the KA to do what a CA/SR can do stock will basically be a giant waste.

spend the money, find a GOOD CONDITION CA setup. dont skimp out and buy some cheap ass motor set with a cut harness. if built properly, the CA is a potent motor. buddy of mine here in town has one that he built over a few years. he pumps out almost 400whp on E85 with a T3/T4 turbo on lower boost. most people have no idea on here anymore since everyone is too busy with wheel fitment, but if you make over 300whp in an S13, you will kick hell out of almost ANYTHING on the road out there. 300whp is a low 12 second/high 11s 240sx, and trust me when i say, the idea of being "hellastupid" with your wheel fitment will go out the window as youll need to run somethign that actually grips the ground otherwise youll do nothing but spin and look stupid.

[s14boy]

thus far the ONLY person in this thread who has any idea of whats hes talking about is Croustibat.

the KA is a piece of shit engine, period. the amount of money it will take to build the KA to do what a CA/SR can do stock will basically be a giant waste.

spend the money, find a GOOD CONDITION CA setup. dont skimp out and buy some cheap ass motor set with a cut harness. if built properly, the CA is a potent motor. buddy of mine here in town has one that he built over a few years. he pumps out almost 400whp on E85 with a T3/T4 turbo on lower boost. most people have no idea on here anymore since everyone is too busy with wheel fitment, but if you make over 300whp in an S13, you will kick hell out of almost ANYTHING on the road out there. 300whp is a low 12 second/high 11s 240sx, and trust me when i say, the idea of being "hellastupid" with your wheel fitment will go out the window as youll need to run somethign that actually grips the ground otherwise youll do nothing but spin and look stupid.

dont just throw the ka down the gutter like that man its gona cost 1000(low end) for the motor alone then add cash to replace any electronics that dont work on it. lets not forget the price of wiring the motor up. for the price of the motor alone CA or SR you can buy forged pistons and rods. toss in bearings, metal 3 layer, and a timming kit if you do it your self you can have a very reliable motor that can handle 300+ easy. check out ka-t we have alot of people over 300 and some hitting 700-800hp

[mikerbike]

lets not forget the price of wiring the motor up.


Price for wiring the engine harness is a soldering iron or a safety pin. Unless you're a moron, then it's around $100 +shipping to and from someone who isn't a moron.

[Milspec180]

Turbo!!!!!!! Ka-T makes power for days!

[collegekid]

Op, you simply just need to do research on each one (Really doesnt matter what motor, pick what you want)
-check out each in person if you can (if you have a friend with a Ca or ka-t)
-youtube videos, dyno sheets ETC

-analyze your own mechanical abilities (What can you do and what work will you have to outsource)
-make some spreadsheets
-find vendors who can actually get you Ca parts, finding ka parts is a lot easier
-wiring, it's easy if you know how to do it or if you start practicing with a multimeter, soldering iron etc OR simply just call wiring specialties and get a quote.

Ka-t.org <--- Go there and read

I don't know any for Ca18, someone just post a link for a Ca forum or Just visit the Ca section here

Can we all bro hug fistpump moonwalk and call this a thread?

[Croustibat]

I prefer my power to last for years, not days :D

Seriously though, finding a good CA is nearly impossible, these are old engines, people selling them know they have value and that the customers will buy anything they show. They also know a good CA wont sell for its real value, so people keep them.

If you go the CA route, it will need a rebuild, just like any 20 year old engine. Dont trust people saying that it is out of a very low mileage car, it is a lie 99.9% of the time; the 0.1% of the time it is true, it still needs a rebuild because it was not properly maintained anyway.

The KA has never been engineered to output serious power, nor to be turboed. It has design tradeoffs that need to be addressed to make reliable power. It also has larger displacement, meaning more power potential, but the cost goes hand in hand.

Again, the choice depends on budget, power goal and abilities (forgot to add "desired reliability" too -if you just want fun for a couple of days, just slap a use T28 on a KA)


edit:

for CA18 knowledge, you need to search on europeans BBS. The cars are called 200sx there, not 240. The CA is found in the stock european 200sx S13.

[zerodameaon]

Sure, no power at all.


I know quite a bit more about these then you assume. Here in the states it is way more expensive then it is worth to get 350hp so hence a novelty item. And yes they are sold here and yes I do have knowledge about them and have worked on a few of them.

[jdmlivin]

Tight budget = keep it stock. That is clearly not the answer you wanted to hear, but it is the only one you should follow.

Both would need a rebuild anyway, and that is not cheap.




Sure, no power at all.

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww206/CryptiKone/MobnesCA18DET705HPdynoprintout.jpg

These engines are not originally sold in your country, which is why you dont know about them.

Getting 300HP out of them is pretty easy with bolt ons, with stock internals, and some people are RELIABLY getting 500-600HP.

Some even go higher like mobnes (the one from the pic), hes bumping on the 8500rpm rev limiter all day long on his 700+ WHP CA18DET ... he built it in 2011 and i think it is still running, so i'd say it is pretty reliable too.

Straight up...

[s13rhdhatch]

I had a ca before I loved the motor but parts are a bitch to find if not expensive. I'd choose a ka now.

[trxrx7]

if you want a really cheap setup and make a little bit more power, then just slap a turbo on the ka. i got a ca18det in my vert, there is nothing wrong with it but if you drove a sr20det before that it does feel a little slower, the only reason i bought mine was because i got a really good deal on it, and when i say really good deal i mean RRRREEAALLLLY good deal

ca18 with trany, ecu, harness pretty much the whole swap
triple layer metal headgasket
arp headstuds
ACT 6 puck clutch
front mount intercooler
blitz bov

^all that for 700 bucks, probably the best investment i have made in my life, cant complain :D

[240sxfan6882]

Cheapest and still reliable would be to either:
1. Find a low mileage KA which are pretty rare, and use the OEM sr20 turbo, Isis bottom mount mani, side mount ic, 370cc injectors, z32 maf, and enthalpy tune plus walbro fp.

2. Build the ka bottom end, run the above setup with an S15 turbo, front mount, upgrade injectors, and boost it to 15-18 psi. Get the enthalpy tuned again of course.

That's what I would do personally for a cheap setup. It should be reliable and driveability and idle should be close to oem Ka

[g35gabby]

I had a ca before I loved the motor but parts are a bitch to find if not expensive. I'd choose a ka now.

I had a mild CA build a couple of years back and nothing was difficult or expensive to find. anything you need could be sourced at the the auto parts stores as we did get CA18ETs, CA18DE's, and CA20e's state side and the parts from one or another is all interchangeable. The injector resistors can be had new or at any junkyard with a DSM and the even the ignitor could be borrowed from a Q45(If memory serves).

There is nothing difficult or hard to find. I picked up two S13 Coupes on Saturday and have a huge desire to put another CA in it. those who regard it as a "novelty" are funny and uneducated on the platform. when we are talking about "lacking power" CA vs SR we are only talking about 15hp in reality and they can be sourced for a $500 less than what a Decent SR goes for. $500 is a lot of money into a larger snail and FMIC and eprom.

This question is all about what you are willing to spend your money on. If you don't have any clue about a CA as of right this second, then it seems pretty useless to invest any money into one right now. I would recommend the CA message boards on Nico as well as some of the over seas S12 boards. They may not be as "cool" as an soda can engine, but they are a great platform if you are willing to put the time in.

[dorkidori_s13]

dont just throw the ka down the gutter like that man its gona cost 1000(low end) for the motor alone then add cash to replace any electronics that dont work on it. lets not forget the price of wiring the motor up. for the price of the motor alone CA or SR you can buy forged pistons and rods. toss in bearings, metal 3 layer, and a timming kit if you do it your self you can have a very reliable motor that can handle 300+ easy. check out ka-t we have alot of people over 300 and some hitting 700-800hp


KA belongs in the gutter, sorry. its a POS. bottom end sucks balls, head flows like shit. the amount of work to make it a reliable daily turbo motor is insane. only thing its got going for it is torque due to the displacement, outside of that the KA is a complete waste of time unless you have a REALLY large budget to work with for a complete rebuild and component overhaul/upgrade.

[KOUKIboy]

^^^^ yeap what he said!!! to Turbo a KA you have to build the top and bottom, which costs a lot of moneys!!!! or otherwise it won't handle the Turbo in its stock platform and will surely blow, CA18's are the little Brother in the RB family, really good engines, make some nice power, and you can find them cheaper than an SR.....

[mikerbike]

Daily reliable ~250hp KA-T is cheap. I spent just under $900. I daily drove mine for almost 2 years, including drift events. I don't baby it. Still works fine, I just don't daily it anymore.

Internally stock. Rebuilt some time in 2008.

On the subject, I had a CA once. Also rebuilt. Never ran properly and blew the head gasket once every 2 months or so. Completely stock, except for ARP head studs. I've seen 4 in person, and only one of them seemed to work well (still does). So I could go on and on about how CAs are garbage. But I know it's just an opinon based on a lemon.

[oni jake]

CA belongs in the gutter, sorry. its a POS. bottom end sucks balls, head flows like shit. the amount of work to make it a reliable daily turbo motor is insane. only thing its got going for it is the iron block, outside of that the CA is a complete waste of time unless you have a REALLY large budget to work with for a complete rebuild and component overhaul/upgrade.


Fixed to update accuracy.

The CA18 is a huge piece of shit. Poorly designed from the factory. The only people raving about it are the poor ones that couldn't afford a SR then try to hype up their purchase as not being "that bad". I worked on these alot when I was in Japan, and I never want to go back.

[Big Daddy 18det]

Thank's Croustibat, for clearing that up about the baby rb= CA18det . They are great motor's I have a few myself here in Italy ............

[eddieflo]

All I see are sr20 fanboys bashing both the CA and KA platforms... You lose credibility when you start using garbage, trash, and pos as adjectives. What ever happened to listing pros and cons?

Both are decent engines, and you can find parts for both. It just depends on what you're looking for. If your budget is tight, you can make both work.

I picked up a CA in like 2004 for like $1200 WITH harness, tranny and driveshaft. That was about 1/3 of the price for SR back in the day.

[dorkidori_s13]

All I see are sr20 fanboys bashing both the CA and KA platforms... You lose credibility when you start using garbage, trash, and pos as adjectives. What ever happened to listing pros and cons?

im far from a "fanboy" thank you. ive been in the S chassis for 12 years now and have worked on/driven quite a few 240s in my day. the KA is garbage. it was a last minute choice by nissan of america to substitute for the CA18det (im not going to get into why, but its FACT). i will take a SR/CA/RB over ANY KA EVER! KA was poorly built, suffered from SOOOOOOOOOO many factory defects and recalls (there are over 85 listed for the KA24e in Nissans factory service bulletins) including a few MAJOR ones including exhaust manifold studs snapping and faulty butterfly valves in the lower intake plenum.

so before you start spouting off about us "fanboys" who are losing credibility, maybe you should take into account that some of us have some actual experience in the field :)

[Bambi]

My friend with the help of another friend and I just did a CA18DET swap w/FMIC into his s13 and it's awesome. He was able to source a very healthy one easily. No issues at all, no lack of power, no smoke, everything about it is better then my other friends beat sr20. haha Not saying it's better than sr20's but it sure as hell is than most of the high mile abused ones. AND A LOT better then a KA-T my friend use to run. The KA-T was always a headache and expensive.

I'm considering doing a CA18DET swap as well.

[eddieflo]

so before you start spouting off about us "fanboys" who are losing credibility, maybe you should take into account that some of us have some actual experience in the field :)

Haha, chill out dude, I never said your name. Why so defensive?

Despite the testimonials of numerous others to contest the "garbage" that is the Ka, you continue to rant. Okay, we get it, you hate the KA....

[Croustibat]

Thank's Croustibat, for clearing that up about the baby rb= CA18det . They are great motor's I have a few myself here in Italy ............

That was not me :Ownedd:

They are called baby RBs because the design is very similar and a lot of parts are exchangeable.

The CA is a nice and fun engine, i got one... because it is the standard engine here :p

I also know they require proper maintenance to be reliable, and maintenance cost can be fairly high.

Also note EU CA18DETs are better than jap ones. They have 4 runners intake mani which flows a lot better, the jap version has 8 runners, 4 being blocked by butterflys at low revs. Better low down torque at the expense of top end. The diff ratio is also a 3.9 here. I think the US got a 3.6 from standard, If this is true ... get yourself a 3.9 or a 4.1 :D

I am not pro CA/RB/SR/KA in any way. I just know the first 3 because they are quite common here, and the KA is not.


And i do think the OP has no money and/or is trolling, so we can close the thread now before people start to kill each other.

[RussellM]

In my opinion, pick the engine you want and get it. If it were me, Id move away from the KA.

CA's Garbage? I think not. Erich ran a CA in his E30 and S13 last year and that motor took care of him the whole time. You take care of it, it will take care of you. Throw out the KA.

http://www.nissanparts.cc/catalog/nissan/IMG_7949z.jpg

[dorkidori_s13]

...so we can close the thread now before people start to kill each other.

hell no. thats the whole point of threads like these :D

at least no one brought V8s into the conversation :barf::barf::barf:

[collegekid]

Goddamnit, I posted in here thinking Op would just do his research like hes supposed to and everyone else would understand and move on with their lives. I guess not. I guess we all just had to start slappin each other with our dicks comparing motors, talking about "my honda lawnmower makes more hp than your tractor you bitch" then someone posted a map of florida and someone brought up the history of Antartica.

You guys are retarded

http://d24w6bsrhbeh9d.cloudfront.net/photo/6583726_700b.jpg

[Croustibat]

hell no. thats the whole point of threads like these :D

at least no one brought V8s into the conversation :barf::barf::barf:

I would, but the op has no money so that wont do either :Ownedd:

[s14boy]

KA belongs in the gutter, sorry. its a POS. bottom end sucks balls, head flows like shit. the amount of work to make it a reliable daily turbo motor is insane. only thing its got going for it is torque due to the displacement, outside of that the KA is a complete waste of time unless you have a REALLY large budget to work with for a complete rebuild and component overhaul/upgrade.

i will agree with you on the head flow because its true the cmf ok the ka head is shit, but you can improve it with a port match and polish. you can do it by yourself if you have the time about 4 hours a port.

^^^^ yeap what he said!!! to Turbo a KA you have to build the top and bottom, which costs a lot of moneys!!!! or otherwise it won't handle the Turbo in its stock platform and will surely blow, CA18's are the little Brother in the RB family, really good engines, make some nice power, and you can find them cheaper than an SR.....

also not true their are pleanty boosting stock ka's not that its the best option. like i said befor go forged internals on the botom end and it will handle boost all day. and as for your statement about builting the top end that is incorect too go on ka-t.org the stock head goes way past 400hp with a metal head gasket and arp bolts.

[QUOTE=dorkidori_s13;5140927]im far from a "fanboy" thank you. ive been in the S chassis for 12 years now and have worked on/driven quite a few 240s in my day. the KA is garbage. it was a last minute choice by nissan of america to substitute for the CA18det (im not going to get into why, but its FACT). i will take a SR/CA/RB over ANY KA EVER! KA was poorly built, suffered from SOOOOOOOOOO many factory defects and recalls (there are over 85 listed for the KA24e in Nissans factory service bulletins) including a few MAJOR ones including exhaust manifold studs snapping and faulty butterfly valves in the lower intake plenum.

i personaly have never looked deaply into the defects of the motor i have most of my information from experience as well. i noticed you listed the ka24e tho what about the ka24de. because that is the most used ka motor when boosting them. also i agree with you that these pointless threads are just to argue with other car guys haha we all love it lol dont lie.



to the op again do your research make your own decision each option can be a reliable daily but it all depends on your mechanical knowledge. if you have never built a motor before i would stick with the CA or SR for simple fact that it can be a drop in and go deal with some wiring and replacement parts.

[Izento]

So sad that ppl have a lack of faith in the CA or KA. I've seen great builds out of both motors. I had a NA KA that I beat the shit out of and it never complained. Then switched to CA and I've never looked back.

All the myths of sourcing CA parts are bullshit and I hate when everyone brings that up. Almost all parts besides that which pertains to RWD can be found at any auto parts store under 1988 Pulsar NX. Easier to get parts for this engine than an SR or RB. CA also has a dedicated forum NICO Club - Nissan Forums | Infiniti Forums (http://nicoclub.com)Can't make power? LOL. Maybe compared to a JZ.

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/9082/27052011698.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h262/fox002121/5-31dyno.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v166/bigtone/Img_0560_edited.jpg

Ppl honestly need to do their research before bashing something.

[racepar1]

KA belongs in the gutter, sorry. its a POS. bottom end sucks balls, head flows like shit. the amount of work to make it a reliable daily turbo motor is insane. only thing its got going for it is torque due to the displacement, outside of that the KA is a complete waste of time unless you have a REALLY large budget to work with for a complete rebuild and component overhaul/upgrade.

The KA is a more potent engine than you give it credit for. First of all the bottom ends are fine, no issues there untill you start going for big power (just like an SR). Second, it's only the exhaust ports that flow like crap. The intake ports on the dualcams are some of the best flowing ports that you can find, PERIOD. You are correct about the amount of work required to make it a RELIABLE turbocharged engine though. It's not easy or cheap. BUT, when you add up the cost of purchasing the donor SR or CA and factor in that a LOT of the parts that you would need to do it would also be desired for a RELIABLE SR or CA engine anyways the cost pretty much comes out even. Your opinion is just that, an OPINION. It doesn't mean that you are correct in any way and it certainly doesn't mean that others shouldn't go that route. The KA is a larger engine. It will spool a bigger turbo faster. It is capable of making more power/torque. The cast iron block is far stronger than the SR. The KA valvetrain design puts the SR to shame.




As for CA's, I've always kind of liked them. They are definitely light and small as hell. They don't have the lame ass rocker arms of the SR's. They have a cast-iron block. My only issues with the CA's is the small displacement and the fact that most of them are trashed. I've driven well running CA cars and IMO they're definitely comparable to a well-running SR car.

[rb25_s13*CHUKI]

The KA is a more potent engine than you give it credit for. First of all the bottom ends are fine, no issues there untill you start going for big power (just like an SR). Second, it's only the exhaust ports that flow like crap. The intake ports on the dualcams are some of the best flowing ports that you can find, PERIOD. You are correct about the amount of work required to make it a RELIABLE turbocharged engine though. It's not easy or cheap. BUT, when you add up the cost of purchasing the donor SR or CA and factor in that a LOT of the parts that you would need to do it would also be desired for a RELIABLE SR or CA engine anyways the cost pretty much comes out even. Your opinion is just that, an OPINION. It doesn't mean that you are correct in any way and it certainly doesn't mean that others shouldn't go that route. The KA is a larger engine. It will spool a bigger turbo faster. It is capable of making more power/torque. The cast iron block is far stronger than the SR. The KA valvetrain design puts the SR to shame.




As for CA's, I've always kind of liked them. They are definitely light and small as hell. They don't have the lame ass rocker arms of the SR's. They have a cast-iron block. My only issues with the CA's is the small displacement and the fact that most of them are trashed. I've driven well running CA cars and IMO they're definitely comparable to a well-running SR car.

Ka is not capable of making more power than a sr and you get a v8 for torque not a 4 cylinder. have you seen the crank of a ka and the crank of a sr? I agree that ka engines are complete trash here is an example, the company that had the fastest drag ka in the world ditched they're ka and went with an sr and ran a much faster time

Import DPS 240SX KA-T Breaks World Record Again 7.74 @ 182.3MPH @ Atco Raceway!! - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=metkCYCt7Ak)

Here is they're sr20 setup

Import DPS SR20DET Powered 240SX Fall Nationals 7.36 @ 185MPH Pass Courtesy of GRS-Motorsports - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rR5RY_KTfg)

[rb25_s13*CHUKI]

If you wanna say well drifting this and drifting that there is 1041395204713052 times the amount of sr20's drifting than Ka's. look at road racing nobody uses a ka in any time attack series unless it's a local time attack with someones stock ass ka.

proven over and over and over and over and over that the ka engine is trash and not a good engine to use in any form of racing. people build ka's for personal preferance and people build sr20's because they are proven one of the best racing 4 cylinders in the market.

[rb25_s13*CHUKI]

thus far the ONLY person in this thread who has any idea of whats hes talking about is Croustibat.

the KA is a piece of shit engine, period. the amount of money it will take to build the KA to do what a CA/SR can do stock will basically be a giant waste.

spend the money, find a GOOD CONDITION CA setup. dont skimp out and buy some cheap ass motor set with a cut harness. if built properly, the CA is a potent motor. buddy of mine here in town has one that he built over a few years. he pumps out almost 400whp on E85 with a T3/T4 turbo on lower boost. most people have no idea on here anymore since everyone is too busy with wheel fitment, but if you make over 300whp in an S13, you will kick hell out of almost ANYTHING on the road out there. 300whp is a low 12 second/high 11s 240sx, and trust me when i say, the idea of being "hellastupid" with your wheel fitment will go out the window as youll need to run somethign that actually grips the ground otherwise youll do nothing but spin and look stupid.

:snoop::snoop:

[racepar1]

Ka is not capable of making more power than a sr and you get a v8 for torque not a 4 cylinder. have you seen the crank of a ka and the crank of a sr? I agree that ka engines are complete trash here is an example, the company that had the fastest drag ka in the world ditched they're ka and went with an sr and ran a much faster time

IMO an RB is a 240 is trash, but that's just an opinion now isn't it...

There can be multiple different reasons for a faster time and for changing engines. I'm willing to bet that that SR they swapped to wasn't a 2 litre engine anymore. What you posted proves nothing but the fact that you hate KA's for some reason. Well, I don't hate KA's.

[The Dude]

Puny, pathetic KA only capable of high 7's. Must trash immediately for another 4 cylinder...

[rb25_s13*CHUKI]

IMO an RB is a 240 is trash, but that's just an opinion now isn't it...

There can be multiple different reasons for a faster time and for changing engines. I'm willing to bet that that SR they swapped to wasn't a 2 litre engine anymore. What you posted proves nothing but the fact that you hate KA's for some reason. Well, I don't hate KA's.

it's not just faster It blew they're ka out of the water and 7.7 compared to a 7.3 that's a huge gap for a ka engine that supposedly has more potential.

It was swapped out because It's the better engine of the 2

[rb25_s13*CHUKI]

Puny, pathetic KA only capable of high 7's. Must trash immediately for another 4 cylinder...

NEW! John Shepherd 7.70@191mph DSM 11/10/2006 (Inner View) - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiSptlw-L_U)

Nyce1s.com - El Freddy... World's Fastest 7 Second RWD K-Series Honda Civic by Import DPS... - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3yylz-F8k8)

Chiviking Toyota Paseo 4cyl(3SGTE) 6.84 @193 MPH Puerto Rico Drag Racing - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sZy658cHRo)

6-second Nissan SR20 - Outlaw 10.5 Silvia - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3G8ImiKUvs)

7 Second Lucas Oil Pro Fwd Cobalt Boti 2008 - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrxyvcojXhM)


7 second Scion pass - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsGLtqf0Xms)

Pica Motors Imports New Record 6:64 @208mph - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmjpGSKfONc)


6 second Mitsubishi Eclipse - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6RiTu7OrhE)
all faster and better than the ka, the ka is probably one of the worst 4 cylinders ever made.

[The Dude]

You know, just because the record for a KA is high-7's doesn't mean that's as fast as it could ever go. You can post all of the youtube videos you want; it doesn't prove anything.

I'm not arguing one motor is better than another. Just that it's stupid to argue about which 7-second car has the superior motor. Who gives a fuck? They both suck compared to V8's.:drama:

[twofouroh]

Go rb25 instead

[rb25_s13*CHUKI]

You know, just because the record for a KA is high-7's doesn't mean that's as fast as it could ever go. You can post all of the youtube videos you want; it doesn't prove anything.

I'm not arguing one motor is better than another. Just that it's stupid to argue about which 7-second car has the superior motor. Who gives a fuck? They both suck compared to V8's.:drama:
not arguing about 7 seconds, I'm arguing about RAW power and potentiel of the engines. people say the ka has more but hndreds of racers say otheriwse

[Motary]

We had the CA18DET engines in stock in our euro S13s, they are ok if you dont go over 300hp(flywheel). Other than that they are legendary to spin main bearings due to 300 000km mileage and worn out oil pump or wrongly fitted mainbearings ( they are all different and you do need to measure and order from nissan via nr on block and crank, its all in the FSM ) They don't do much good in the low rev range either due to being 80s and 1.8. You can pretty much see that anyone producing massive 600hp wont see that nr before 6000rpm. Good thing is that it's a cam-on-bucket valvetrain.

[boyou2]

haters gonna hate...

I've worked on CA18 and SR20's, I don't know much about KA's, but every budget goes to every engine, if you want/have a low budget, you'll have what you paid for, for eveyone of these....

I own a CA18, spent approx. 1500€ on it (just the engine), and its potential is around 500hp at the FW, I can't actually because of the AFM/Injectors/turbo....

it's not called baby RB for nothing, its head is very well designed/good flow (what cost much to Nissan), the short block is solid (mobnes, for example, has a stock crankshaft).

It's just that this block is unknown for the classic 'public' in US, and what you don't know, you're afraid from.

[GroundPerformance]

Yeah KA Sucks... If you guys have one for cheap LMK. I'll take them.:)

[Croustibat]

We had the CA18DET engines in stock in our euro S13s, they are ok if you dont go over 300hp(flywheel). Other than that they are legendary to spin main bearings due to 300 000km mileage and worn out oil pump or wrongly fitted mainbearings ( they are all different and you do need to measure and order from nissan via nr on block and crank, its all in the FSM )

While it may have been true in the 199x, it is not true anymore. Thank the oil and fuel industries for making that possible.

CAD and CNC also gave these engines a second life.

These engines are known to die when you try to push 300HP over a 20 year old engine without checking it has tight enough clearances nor mapping, but that is true for any engine.

Mine has 220.000km, and is clearly north of 300HP ... with stock internals (it was controlled and rings were changed near 180.000, then had another control last year)

E85 helps quite a lot there :D

[Rustys14]

I wouldn't say that any of the common Nissan motors (Rb, Ka, Ca, Sr) are garbage. They all just have their own set of fanboys that will tell you that all the other motors suck.

For the propose if this thread, I have had both motors and they both have their pros and cons but neither one of them sucks. I had a basic (t25) turbo Ka setup on my last s14 and a stockish Ca in the hatch that I owned before that (previous owner swapped it in) and both motors were fairly reliable. I preferred the powerband in the turbo Ka but the Ca was defiantly a less finicky motor. I will admit that I never messed with the Ca beyond basic maintenance so I can't really comment on how well it responds to mods. I think that the Ka gets a bad rap because a lot of people try to cheap out on their turbo setups and then complain when it blows. No matter how much I try tell people to invest in a good tune it seems to just fall on def ears... That said I am putting a SR into my new hatch simply because it just makes the most sense for what I want to do with that particular car.

To the OP if you are on a tight budget don't do either and just use the stock Ka until you have saved up a good amount of money. Both options will end up costing much more then you think and trust me, you will have much fun with a stock ka then a poorly done Ca swap or Ka-t.

[racepar1]

NEW! John Shepherd 7.70@191mph DSM 11/10/2006 (Inner View) - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiSptlw-L_U)

Nyce1s.com - El Freddy... World's Fastest 7 Second RWD K-Series Honda Civic by Import DPS... - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3yylz-F8k8)

Chiviking Toyota Paseo 4cyl(3SGTE) 6.84 @193 MPH Puerto Rico Drag Racing - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sZy658cHRo)

6-second Nissan SR20 - Outlaw 10.5 Silvia - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3G8ImiKUvs)

7 Second Lucas Oil Pro Fwd Cobalt Boti 2008 - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrxyvcojXhM)


7 second Scion pass - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsGLtqf0Xms)

Pica Motors Imports New Record 6:64 @208mph - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmjpGSKfONc)


6 second Mitsubishi Eclipse - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6RiTu7OrhE)
all faster and better than the ka, the ka is probably one of the worst 4 cylinders ever made.

Nora The Piano Cat: The Sequel - Better than the original! - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0zgQAp7EYw&feature=player_detailpage)

I can post a youtube video too...

:keke:

Yeah KA Sucks... If you guys have one for cheap LMK. I'll take them.:)

I second that. Wanna trash your dualcam? I'll bring the trashcan!

[Matej]

Neither motor is impressive, but they have the underdog appeal.

This is such a high school thread. :)

[SlideOrDie831]

being a cheap ass with any motor won't get you anywhere.

CA may be an old engine but it can hold its own weight.

[tapdeznutz]

im in for drama.

[AdamR]

This thread is why so many respectable members never post here anymore.
The assumed "knowledgable" members on here trash talking each engine is fucking retarded.
The KA is trash even though many, many people have made good power with them without doing a complete rebuild? Retarded.
Good job posting a CA dyno graph to prove it is a great engine. I could pull up a high HP dyno from any engine, that doesn't mean it is worth a damn.

One of you smart folks please tell me, without any ad hominem, why the KA is a shit engine. Oh no, snapping exhaust manifold studs! That's serious shit!

[PPman]

Op come up with your budget, do a price list on the options you are considering, and forget this thread. People put their preferences and opinions like "if I cannot get it to work right it must be a piece of crap" attitude or the better one "I have this engine so that engine is a piece of crap" hahaha yes it is pathetic that you are so good yet could not get a simple ka-t to work right...

^^^you are right that's why so many people that actually have answers and don't just troll all over quitposting or just never post anything.

[Vetal]

I hope no one will argue that KA24 is best of all three if you happen to live in a city. It's 20% "bigger" than SR and 30% "bigger" than CA and that means faster spooling turbos / overall faster car.