Favorite engine swap and why thread

[Future240]

Originally Posted by Walperstyle

After Spending about $9000 into my KA-T... I really should have found a 2JZ or LS1.

If I may, how/on what did you manage to spend $9000 on a KA?

I'm not trying to troll or anything. I am genuinely curious on what kind of KA that makes.

[RiskyRick]

Originally Posted by Future240

If I may, how/on what did you manage to spend $9000 on a KA?

I'm not trying to troll or anything. I am genuinely curious on what kind of KA that makes.

I'm guessing he's probably counting a few blown ones in that as well.

[HyperTek]

I am no rotary fanboy, but i think this is cool

[240boi115]

Originally Posted by RiskyRick

I'm guessing he's probably counting a few blown ones in that as well.

im still curious though about what 9k later has given this guy.. sorry bout the late entry here just saw this die and wanted to revive it if it dies again i wont bother... ive been seeing 1uz swaps pop up more lately.. whats up with that. ive personally hear dof em but never knew much about them.. isnt a guy on here putting a 1uz in his s14?

[FORZA MILAN0]

2jz all day
this is in regards to a USDM 2jz

Not only is it a proven motor, but because it was offered stateside makes it a hell of alot easier to get parts. Plus if done right, you have the option of getting it bar'd and not have to worry about smogs or getting reffed.

1000 hp on stock gte internals, other than arp studs and thicker hg... yea tell me another motor that can handle that.

[240boi115]

^^daamn straight well there is the vr38dett but that motor is expensive as fuuuuuuuudge!

[240boi115]

[FORZA MILAN0]

Originally Posted by 240boi115

^^daamn straight well there is the vr38dett but that motor is expensive as fuuuuuuuudge!

Originally Posted by 240boi115

The vr by all means is a awesome motor but too expensive to maintain plusI would just be too scared to work on it.

[Matej]

FWD SR converted to RWD.

[just a guy]

how about a vh45 in a s13????

[Kingtal0n]

2jz-gte

Where else can you get 500-600 horsepower, 25mpg+(disclaimer: 3200lb vehicle or less), and 200,000 miles of reliability using OEM internals with easy access of affordable parts in the USA for under $10,000 ?

Not going to happen with an sr, rb, ls, nope nope and nope.

[bob4020]

I would like to try swapping my ford fiesta engine out for some sorta toyota engine.

[240boi115]

Originally Posted by Kingtal0n

2jz-gte

Where else can you get 500-600 horsepower, 25mpg+(disclaimer: 3200lb vehicle or less), and 200,000 miles of reliability using OEM internals with easy access of affordable parts in the USA for under $10,000 ?

Not going to happen with an sr, rb, ls, nope nope and nope.

that thing is rated at 25mpg??? lol i bet its better in the lighter s13 chasis!

Originally Posted by FORZA MILAN0

The vr by all means is a awesome motor but too expensive to maintain plusI would just be too scared to work on it.

yeah.. tuners in japan kept frying ecu's trying to tune it when the car first came out. the computer running the car is literally too smart for its owngood when it comes to tuning. xD so i feel you there i wouldnt dare crack one of these open unless i was absolutley sure about what i was doing

[Kingtal0n]

Originally Posted by 240boi115

that thing is rated at 25mpg??? lol i bet its better in the lighter s13 chasis!

engine size/manufacturer has little to do with fuel economy. It mostly comes down to vehicle weight, rolling resistance, and rotating mass (assuming we are talking about sequential fuel injection and proper tuning). The 2j has a fair amount of rotating mass AND engine weight, so usually swaps in a 240sx end up around 3200lbs and with an automatic trans net about 25mpg. with a six speed it gets a little bit better. and with some lightweight rotating components such as alumnium rods and lightweight flywheel/driveshaft etc... it gets better and better.

But the same applies to say... an LSx engine. You can also get 25mpg out of that in the 240sx chassis... mainly for the same reason- final vehicle weight is around 3200lbs.

It all adds up, Look at an SR20DET that nets 30mpg such as the s15 six speed swap. The low rotating mass (compared to the automatic transmission) and numerically low gearing (3.4x at the rear differential) help keep the energy lost to turning the internals of the sr20det low. In other words, it takes X horsepower to push a 3000lb car the same distance no matter what (forget wind resistance). Now as you reduce engine RPM, you reduce energy lost due to turning components. So as we lower and lower the cruise RPM of that 3000lb vehicle we use less and less fuel to go the same distance. Thats because you have to first calculate the HP required to move that 3000lb vehicle- and THEN add the HP required to turn every single drivetrain component at a given RPM. That cost decreases as RPM decreases, generally. but the cost to push the car remains the same.

[240boi115]

feels like i just studied some physics xD makes sense LSx motors give good power to weight ratio and with good light bolt ons can get pretty good mpgs..
hahaha come to think of it ive heard plenty of people state why theie rear seats and interior is gone and the answer includes gas milage.

this also explains why i am usually pro sr20 because its weight to power ratio a long with its mpg fit a good dd/weekend track car

[Kingtal0n]

Originally Posted by 240boi115

feels like i just studied some physics xD makes sense LSx motors give good power to weight ratio and with good light bolt ons can get pretty good mpgs..
hahaha come to think of it ive heard plenty of people state why theie rear seats and interior is gone and the answer includes gas milage.

this also explains why i am usually pro sr20 because its weight to power ratio a long with its mpg fit a good dd/weekend track car

Thats funny I took out my rear upper seat and spare tire for increased MPG. I At one point I had a 5-speed sr20det S14 with a PFC dialed in at 42* BTDC for a 3400rpm cruise at 74MPH. I was getting around 440miles per tank of gas, around 13 or 14 gallons. I have a video somewhere maybe I can dig it up. The trick was setting the wideband narrowband output such that 15.3:1 was around .004Volts and 14.6:1 is about 0.996 volts- so it cruised about 15.1:1 air fuel ratio. You could see in the video this happening. It must be in my DVD backup. well I will pull it up if there are demands to see it otherwise too much work.

[240boi115]

haha no demands bro i believe you but ive done the same thing taken all my rear components out for mpg.. strangely though my s13 sr blacktop was getting around 400 miles to the tank with everything still on the vehicle..0.0)/) then again i did a whole look around and fluid change as well as gasket replacement on the engine before even starting it up.. what boost were you running? stock 7psi?

[Kingtal0n]

Originally Posted by 240boi115

haha no demands bro i believe you but ive done the same thing taken all my rear components out for mpg.. strangely though my s13 sr blacktop was getting around 400 miles to the tank with everything still on the vehicle..0.0)/) then again i did a whole look around and fluid change as well as gasket replacement on the engine before even starting it up.. what boost were you running? stock 7psi?

no that car had about 380 legit rwhp. I got the engine with forged internals through a trade, it already had a top mount 60-1 on an ugly t3 top mount. I changed out the 60-1 compressor for a 50 trim, T04E, and of course I lost about 20 horses up top (from 400->380) but it spooled much faster and was much more fun to drive. I have a dyno of that actually available I can grab without effort


I also have a video of the dyno run somewhere.

[Homer_Simpson]

LS1. I'm a little bias since I working to swap an LS1 into my GS300.

[RiskyRick]

I'd like to hear some more about the vq30det.

[240boi115]

^^^would that end up being your fav swap? and why so interested? looking to get one? just curious..

[RiskyRick]

Originally Posted by 240boi115

^^^would that end up being your fav swap? and why so interested? looking to get one? just curious..

It sounds very promising. From what I've read, it combines SR-like weight dist, v8-like response and torque, and 6 cyl sound. Plus, since it's not a well known swap, the drifters haven't trashed all the good condition motors yet.

My favorite swap is a plain ol' sr20, but the vq30 has my attention.

[240boi115]

so youd be taking one from a nissan Gloria or leopard? there are soooo many vq motors!!! 3 of which were in jgtc cars..

[RiskyRick]

Originally Posted by 240boi115

so youd be taking one from a nissan gloria or leopard? There are soooo many vq motors!!! 3 of which were in jgtc cars..

y33 vq30det

[Kingtal0n]

I avoid V6 configurations. Mainly because you get all of the hassles of a V8 (two heads, two exhaust manifolds/gaskets, two sets of head hardware, two sides of stuff to fail basically) plus they are much harder to work on (change the plugs on a V8 and youll see what I mean)

And at the end of the day you dont even get V8 displacement. You may as well go V8. I see Inline 6, or V8, as viable options. The Inline 6 is a all of the torque and response of the V6 (there is nothing magical about a V configuration) with the added benefits of having only 1 single head gasket, 1 single exhaust manifold, etc... a much simpler design, and easy plug access. Easier to work on.

[Kingtal0n]

heres an oem internals 2j I tuned with an upgraded turbo, injectors, exhaust, and power FC. Around 15psi of boost on pump gas. I didnt choose the turbo size I feel it was mismatched, but I am just the tuner for this one doing my job for paid.

anyways. The First run (blue) is the proper ignition timing. The red line is when you add 2* of ignition timing past optimal. The green is -2* of ignition timing.

Notice when you add +2* of timing btdc it gains torque, but loses horsepower.
notice when you pull -2* of timing it loses both torque AND horsepower. (but not as much horsepower)

SO there is an optimal point, and it is +/- 2* btdc



the "gains" in torque from the red line are not actually gains. They are indicating that there may be (most likely) damaging pressure spikes beginning to occur during combustion, giving rise to slightly inflated torque numbers. But that behavior leads to a blown head gasket, damaged rod bearings, and it can eat up the head and deck, and take small chunks/flakes of the piston apart. Especially being cast components. An experienced tuner could tell by the shape of the torque curve, see how it sort of meanders up and down? Years of experience is why I know this.

[simmode1]

Originally Posted by RiskyRick

My favorite swap is a plain ol' sr20, but the vq30 has my attention.

We're on the same page. Unfortunately, I've only seen RHD in Aussie land actually complete the swap. Every LHD or US swap is DOA. That's a little discouraging.

Originally Posted by Kingtal0n

I avoid V6 configurations. Mainly because you get all of the hassles of a V8 (two heads, two exhaust manifolds/gaskets, two sets of head hardware, two sides of stuff to fail basically) plus they are much harder to work on (change the plugs on a V8 and youll see what I mean)

And at the end of the day you dont even get V8 displacement. You may as well go V8. I see Inline 6, or V8, as viable options. The Inline 6 is a all of the torque and response of the V6 (there is nothing magical about a V configuration) with the added benefits of having only 1 single head gasket, 1 single exhaust manifold, etc... a much simpler design, and easy plug access. Easier to work on.

You make some great points. But don't forget to consider the one huge critical advantage of the VQ30DET: The fact that it weighs about as much as an SR. Aside from the rediculous torque the VQ30DET makes, the weight savings/distribution might be worth the trouble to some ppl.

I love the idea of the VQ30DET, but these days I'm all about simplicity. So I'll just stick with an S13 or S14 SR mated to a Z33 6spd trans.

[RiskyRick]

Originally Posted by Kingtal0n

plus they are much harder to work on (change the plugs on a V8 and youll see what I mean

Ever owned an lt1? After 2 of them, I don't complain about changing spark plugs in anything.

Being coil on plug w/ the plugs in the middle of the heads, I don't know if this is really a valid point, although I have not changed spark plugs in a vq before and could be dead wrong.

[0100]

My favorite swaps are:

LSx in a s13/14 or e36.

K24 in a miata or elise.

[ghoti]

Originally Posted by 0100

My favorite swaps are:

LSx in a s13/14 or e36.

K24 in a miata or elise.

Still watching that thread. Can't wait for it to be finished

K24 Miata swap... finally a reality