which motor

[dcnism0]

plan on doing a motor swap for my 98 240sx so many options though
could go with
rb20
rb25
rb25
ls1
1jz
2jz
sr20
and so many more
thinking about sr20 cause its basically a perfect fit but i kinda want a ls1
what would you get

[Tires2theSky]

i would say sr20 or the rb25


2jz would be sweet might be tight to fit though, and they are very expensive gonna be 6000+ for a jspec motor with 6 speed
you can get sr's and rb's all day long for 2-3000

LS1 is gonna be more expensive and more work....for the money and time involved to get the extra hp, you can easily mod either of those motors to a higher level. I put a LT1 in a rx7, it was cool but it was a pain esp the wiring

[Brazen06]

Being an LSx guy im a fan of V8 anything, however theres something about the sound of a sweet running RB25 turbo. Personally since you have a nissan id keep in in the family...chances are its going to be the easiest to swap also

[arkadyzv]

ls1

www.hinsonsupercars.com makes it plug and play. Loads of power, torque, huge aftermarket and its an engine from this decade and you can find plenty around even with warranty.

[Proven]

I would also do a SR20 or RB25. The LS1's are bad ass engines no doubt but should stay in a domestic platform (I know Id love to drop one in a 67 Camaro). To me Imports in general are the underdogs and that’s what always appealed to me with them. Dropping in the biggest displacement engine from already proven cars defeats that purpose and to me is taking the easy way out with an import. I say if you want more displacement at least stay with a Import engine in an import like-

-VQ30
-VQ35
-VK45DE
-VH41DE
-VH45DE

[tr4c3]

All great choices, but what is your price range? Who's doing the work? Time frame? Is it your main car? And what are your plans for the car? I'd say rb25 as well.

[CULATER]

I would have to go with a LS1-T56 setup. Something about light cars plus a little rumble that equals high trap speeds and good drivability.

Or if you wanna stay nissan go rb25.

[Supraholic]

Besides all the questions already stated here...what's the point of the swap? Bling factor? Road race? Drag racing?

What you're going to do with it should have a big impact on your decision. From your description, it sounds like you care mostly about the "cool" factor.

[94integra]

F20 enough said....

[JDMTyler3326]

Rb25Det

[FazdaGt]

just boost the ka.

you don't even know the potential that the engine nissan gave your car has.

[Ace]

If you want to go fast, be reliable, and do it once

Go LSx.

[Ace]

just boost the ka.

you don't even know the potential that the engine nissan gave your car has.

It's probably best that he doesn't, as they are boat anchors on a good day.

[FazdaGt]

it's all a matter of opinion really.

but why swap it when you can spend the money getting toward this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-tQIAlCC9A

[ndubz]

I dont own a 240 but I know a little cuz of my friends. Id say stay KA and turbo it. But if you really must swap it, then go for the RB25DET. You wont regret it.

[92sileighty]

1) best thing all of us here can tell you is figure out what most from this car drag?drift?cross? all of thee above?
2) i had an sr for years, the motor can take a daily beating and will love you back unconditionally , also one of the cheapest options. can;t go wrong.
3) if u can swing 6-7k for an install id go for the rb25
4) go for the ls1 if it's not your daily and want retarded power, but it will cost more than any other swap
5)honestly, if u had the money do any swaps listed, you probably wouldn't be asking our opinion(no pun intended). if you do, once again, figure out what you want most from this car. pick from the guidelines i give you/advice from the others listed above

[jspek]

rb25. **** ka-t's.

[crexxy90]

sr20 or rb25, but if you want to go all motor and keep it nissan go with a vq35


really just depends on how deep your wallet is.

[jspek]

im sticking with teh 25 but this...bad ass
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VGOkgOBgCg

[Proven]

It's probably best that he doesn't, as they are boat anchors on a good day.

Yeah the engine is heavy (iron block) and from what I understand the bore/stroke ratio is built more for low end TQ which came about from the original KA’s was being used in trucks. Also in stock form it has a rev limit of about 6500 rpms. Sounds like a boat anchor your right. But to those who see past that they see a 2.4L, Iron block, can hold roughly 300whp on healthy stock internals, and they are willing to sacrifice a high revving HP for midrange TQ.

KA is def. an option to look into but it take some more dedication.

[[sr20]sean]

i highly suggest going with an sr20. sr20s can definitly take a beating. i have 2 sr20 blocks sitting in my shed with over 100k on it and i can still see the factory honing marks on both of them and one was run at high boost.

oh and the rods and crank are severely shotpeened from the factory so there would be no issue with the stock bottom end handling quite a bit of power.

[OutToWinPAHC]

I say no to LSX, its a PITA man, its all the thee undocumented things you need to keepp doing to it to make the car right. And this from a LS 240sx guy. For easy cheap horsepower I like the RB. Its not tall that hard to pull off, all can be done with most OEM parts.

I would stay say away from the SR20's unless its from a know low kilometer car that you see in person and verify the odometer, The S15 SR is what I would go with. Redtops scare me due to age.

If you want to be different in a way...... RB30 with RB25 trans.

[driftingrx5.7]

ls1

www.hinsonsupercars.com makes it plug and play. Loads of power, torque, huge aftermarket and its an engine from this decade and you can find plenty around even with warranty.

be very careful with hinson! nothing is plug and play with them and if you want to know how i know i have there products in my rx7, and i was a mod on the v8rx7 forum i have seen a lot, don't get me wrong the parts are great but its all the little things that can nickel and dime you to death as for the wiring its not 100% plug and play but its pretty good. if it was me i would do ls1 or rb25 but thats just me

[Brazen06]

ls1

www.hinsonsupercars.com makes it plug and play. Loads of power, torque, huge aftermarket and its an engine from this decade and you can find plenty around even with warranty.

Also technically its from the last decade...motor came out in 98" so its about 11 years old now....wow im getting old

[Rockstar]

Just choose whatever you like best within budget and do research. Every engine has pros and cons. I have buddies that are kat,sr20det,rb25det,ls1,ca.

[dcnism0]

my price range is 4-6k i prlly wont be doing the swap for 6 months but just trying to figure out what i want
i want to use it for mostly street proab would be driving it around about half the time and a truck the other half.
also i would proab go to a drifting meet every once and a while when i get good at it. Just asking your guys opinion what you would get with 4-6k i know you can get a s15 sr20 with transmisson with extc extc.. for like 2.5-3k and the swap would be another 2k, also i was looking up rb25s i saw a good deal for one for 3.5k what would be worth the extra money, how hard is it to do the rb25 swap.(on note i am doing this for a automatic)

[Ender81]

EJ205 :lol:

[Ace]

it's all a matter of opinion really.

but why swap it when you can spend the money getting toward this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-tQIAlCC9A

Because for half the money he could have done it with an SR, or an LSX ;)

I had a KA-T once....key word once. Never again. Boring power, low powerband...blah. Once you drive/own a properly turbo'd SR20, you'll never go back to a KA.

1) best thing all of us here can tell you is 4) go for the ls1 if it's not your daily and want retarded power, but it will cost more than any other swap

I'd think the LSX would make for a wonderful daily driver. Drop dead reliable, great power, and good fuel economy with a T56 behind it.


5)honestly, if u had the money do any swaps listed, you probably wouldn't be asking our opinion(no pun intended). if you do, once again, figure out what you want most from this car. pick from the guidelines i give you/advice from the others listed above

Best advice so far....so true.

Yeah the engine is heavy (iron block) and from what I understand the bore/stroke ratio is built more for low end TQ which came about from the original KA’s was being used in trucks. Also in stock form it has a rev limit of about 6500 rpms. Sounds like a boat anchor your right. But to those who see past that they see a 2.4L, Iron block, can hold roughly 300whp on healthy stock internals, and they are willing to sacrifice a high revving HP for midrange TQ.

KA is def. an option to look into but it take some more dedication.

I'm well versed in the turbo KA land. Stock internal limit for the KA is such a hard thing to define, as there are plenty of people who explode their stuff at 250 whp, and then there are those making 300+whp with the exact same parts without single issue.

In theory, yes, they should make more torque...but with such a weak rod, and an even crappier pistons really limit then. The SR strengthwise is better in every aspect, maybe aside from oiling...SR's are damn finnicky about that.

By the time you get all of the turbo stuff, build the KA, etc etc...you could have easily just gotten an SR, put a MHG on it, and been good to go for 400ish whp....

Don't get me wrong, there are certainly some good power KA guys, and some N/A KA guys that make awesome power...heck even Nismo CORR trucks had/have KA's in them making some obscene power....obviously not street engines....but dollar per dollar, if you want a reliable 300-400 whp car, the SR is the cheapest and easiest way to go IMO.

I say no to LSX, its a PITA man, its all the thee undocumented things you need to keepp doing to it to make the car right. And this from a LS 240sx guy. For easy cheap horsepower I like the RB. Its not tall that hard to pull off, all can be done with most OEM parts.

I would stay say away from the SR20's unless its from a know low kilometer car that you see in person and verify the odometer, The S15 SR is what I would go with. Redtops scare me due to age.

If you want to be different in a way...... RB30 with RB25 trans.

[Ender81]

I'm dissapointed you quoted me but had no response to my "suggestion" lol

[Ace]

I'm dissapointed you quoted me but had no response to my "suggestion" lol

I thought I did ;)

my price range is 4-6k i prlly wont be doing the swap for 6 months but just trying to figure out what i want
i want to use it for mostly street proab would be driving it around about half the time and a truck the other half.
also i would proab go to a drifting meet every once and a while when i get good at it. Just asking your guys opinion what you would get with 4-6k i know you can get a s15 sr20 with transmisson with extc extc.. for like 2.5-3k and the swap would be another 2k, also i was looking up rb25s i saw a good deal for one for 3.5k what would be worth the extra money, how hard is it to do the rb25 swap.(on note i am doing this for a automatic)

S15 transmissions are junk as far as I'm conceren....

You'd be best off getting a redtop, and simply rebuilding it. You'll end up spending the same amount of money as an S15 motor, but hvae a stronger setup.

RB's IMO require to much to get running properly, and are a PITA to get parts for on top of that...overall, it's just a frustrating swap to say the least.


EJ205 :lol:

He wants to go fast, not suck ;)

(hahaha)

[highmilehatch]

Keep it simple. Sr with bolt ons/tuning make 300whp call it a day. I think that blacktop you saw yesterday has your name on it.:cool:

[redtoprps13]

unless you're building a 650whp dragster. go with the ka-t or sr20. rb20's are weak sauce and shouldn't even be in the equation. why would you want a cast iron 2 liter 6 cylinder that makes less tq later than an sr with less parts availability and more weight. they sound cool that's about it. rb25' are ok but have the same stock whp limits as an sr and weigh more. the minimal extra tq they make is negated by their weight. an ls swap would be ****ing sex end of argument. and a 2jz would be a waste of time in an s-chassis when you could go with something just as potent and better on gas with less weight like an ls-x motor. an sr20 with tranny weighs less than a 2jz motor by itself. the point of a swap just isn't more power but you want a balanced platform. only things i woudl even consider would be an sr20, ka-t, or ls-x. sr20 with boltons and a tune is running mid-low 13's all day long with a decent set of tires.

and keep in mind some rb series motors suffer from that mythical oil pump issue......

[JSpecV03]

my price range is 4-6k i prlly wont be doing the swap for 6 months but just trying to figure out what i want
i want to use it for mostly street proab would be driving it around about half the time and a truck the other half.
also i would proab go to a drifting meet every once and a while when i get good at it. Just asking your guys opinion what you would get with 4-6k i know you can get a s15 sr20 with transmisson with extc extc.. for like 2.5-3k and the swap would be another 2k, also i was looking up rb25s i saw a good deal for one for 3.5k what would be worth the extra money, how hard is it to do the rb25 swap.(on note i am doing this for a automatic)

yeah what i would do in your situation would be either a sr20 or turbo the ka already in your car. from what i hear ka's are more torquey than the sr's but not as reliable, but still great motors if built right. swaps like rb25,26 2jz etc are gonna be more expensive and if its a street car and occaisonal drift while learning, i couldnt see the need for anything over 350-400 rwhp. but thats me.
let us know what ever you decide to do bro
good luck!

[White Comet]

i would easily say sr. to me its a much more logical choice over the also popular ka-t

[Nick Merrone]

A gallow 25.



















lets see if anyone got that reference..

[redtoprps13]

b16 converted to sohc with 4.5:1 comp ratio

[Ham Sandwich]

SR swap hands down. Bulletproof stock bottom end, they drop right in, huge gains with bolt ons, they're cheap as **** and readily available. With a gt28r and 550cc injectors and a tune, you're making 350hp. You'd be retarded to do anything else.

Everybody who says go LSx doesn't realize that it takes months of downtime and at the very least 7k to buy the motor and trans, custom driveshaft, radiator and fans, computer tune, wiring harness, exhaust manifolds, custom exhaust, motor mounts and trans mounts/crossmember, and whatever other miscellaneous stuff you're going to need, and you haven't even installed it yet. It's more work and more expensive than most people say. I've watched build threads where guys pretty much run out of money and at the end of the build they have a nose-heavy car with 330hp, and they could have gotten that same number out of an SR with half the money, 1/4 of the time and 1/10 of the headaches.

[Midnight Ryderz]

I have done the rb25det swap befor you will be much happier with that go to Phase2 and get the syko mount kit and the r33 cross member. if you need any help let me know and I will help ya

[4DR_DB7]

if its a daily driver, i'd think about gas guzzling too. talk to guys w/ various setups and see who gets the best mpgs. AFter all, if its not a race car, it doesn't matter how much power it has. any of those engines in a 240 will make for a fun car. I'd go with whatever was easiest, cheapest, and most economical, in terms of both mpgs and reliability.

In short, SR20 it.

[240_fun]

A gallow 25.














lets see if anyone got that reference..

ur a homo....







its a gallow 24

[rbchick]

you should just buy my s13 with the rb20 swap already done..WITH THE CROSSMEMBER
lol

[ClutchMasterF1]

Rebuild the stock and boost it! You won't have to worry about the condition of the sr/rb/jz/ls that you'll buy. If it's weight saving your looking for than go for the sr20.

[YuhpYuhp]

ur a homo....







its a gallow 24

i didnt know pizza places made engines...

But for real the sr is going to be the easiest swap by far. ill have mine soon. if you have the extra time and cash i would do a rb20. you actually probably find one cheaper than an sr. i just heard some bad things about the 25

[ClutchMasterF1]

i didnt know pizza places made engines...

But for real the sr is going to be the easiest swap by far. ill have mine soon. if you have the extra time and cash i would do a rb20. you actually probably find one cheaper than an sr. i just heard some bad things about the 25

If he keeps the ka, than i see that being the easiest if he rebuilds it or whatever he wants to do to it. No wiring issues.

The rb20 is a 20 year old motor, doesn't matter how good the condition it is, i wouldn't recommend it.

The rb25, IF tuned correctly, will be extremely reliable and powerful.

[nismozenki757]

everyone is right. It all depends on what application u are going for.