I have falling in love with the torque provided by this engine, and i have finally decided that i am going to Turbo my KA.
This question goes out to all the KA-T members or past owners.
My problem lies here…
My car is currently stock. White 1991 240sx with a ka24de with about 180000 give or take a few hundred kms. Problem: Automatic Transmission.
Problem is that should i be getting a transmission for the car or should i just get a new KA24de with a manual Transmission matted to it. I keep seeing engines go for anywhere from 200-700 dollars. Unsure if a transmission is added to it or not. But the thing is i see auto-manual swaps going for around $300. Would it not be a better route to just source a new engine?
I was thinking of rebuilding the engine as well, but right now i am stuck in limbo… Shall i get a new Engine/Transmission? shall i just get a manual swap and rebuild the engine?
[edit] posted this question in the Weight Distribution faq. Another question.
I am trying to strip the car, but i am having problems of thinking of how i can keep the weight distribution of the car similiar to stock, around 50/50. I was just wondering how some of you tried to do that as well.
My buddy keeps telling me about an ImportSoul.com KA-t with 400-500hp and about like 400 pounds a torque… sounds very sexy… They are trying to get him to meet him down in Colorado to see this car. I am almost tempted to go.
FYI: We had met the guy at the Tokyo Auto Saloon. Unfortunately his car was not there.
id say buy a whole new engine with tranny. they go for pretty cheap and atleast that way you can have a spare engine incase you damage yours while ka-ting
To answer the original question, get the spare engine and tranny, rebuild it, then throw it and all the turbo stuff in your car at the same time, it reduces downtime significantly, trust me, I know…
Compression and the general condition/feel of the engine is important when turboing something like the KA.
You really need to carefully plan what you want to shoot for, then proceed accordingly. Assuming you want a relatively durable setup at that power, you’ll need internals/rebuild.
Transmission-wise, you’re gonna need & want a manual. If I were you, and shooting for that kind of power, I would just get the transmission and do the swap, then rebuild your current engine, def. with new pistons & good rods at least (there are others to consider also…). Use your money to build up what you already have, right?
If you want a nice little 200rwhp/7 psi street machine, rebuild may not be necessary with a smart fuel setup and a healthy engine…so it depends.
I am not shooting for 400-500… that’s hopeful dreaming. I think i would be satisfied with 300hp :).
I don’t really have a problem with downtime because hell it’s not a daily driver. Hell it’s only going to be driven on track. Why? I live in insurance hell. The cost for my insurance would be significantly higher than most of what member’s 240s are worth.
I been trying to source a better ka24de at this moment.
:werd: SR is the way to go. The only reason I would ever go KA-t is just to be different. Yes the KA-t does have more torque but the SR makes up for it during top end. And it’s more cheaper to get higher horsepower out of an SR then a KA.
I was thinking of doing a KA24E-t and I know there are many guys especiall in USA that have done it and most say the KA24E is better to turbo instead of a KA24DE. The way I look at it is it’s easier and cheaper to get 300 + hp out of an SR20 then it is from a KA24.
I don’t want to make this into a SR20 VS KA24 thread again because we can sit here and go back and forth for ever on this topic. So im just going to leave it like this:
If were talking Flywheel hp, 300 is easily attained by a relatively stock sr swap. The same goodies you would want for your KA-T to reach 220whp on low boost (and you really cannot up the boost too much on a stock KA) would be the same for an sr20. Remember a STOCK sr20det with STOCK boost already has 50HP and 50 lb/ft tq on a KA, and thats worth a little something. Nevermind the fact that the sr can handle 14lbs of boost from the little t25. I don’t know for sure, but 14 psi on a stock KA motor with high compression, wouldn’t seem like the right thing to do. Voila, mod for mod, the SR will come out with more power, and at the same cost or less. Correct me if im wrong, I believe with all the effort and time that some people would take to rebuild their KA, it would be cheaper or at least the same amount to do an sr swap. Its all personal preferance tho, ill keep my sr. I don’t like engines that redline at 6250 rpm, and struggle to get their once they go past 5500.
A KADET with 7 pounds is going to make a hell of lot more power than an SR with 7 pounds. Most KA guys are using turbo’s, sized slightly larger than a T25 and a superior manifold out of necessity. (most, not all)
I’ve seen dyno charts from KADET’s running 7-9 Psi, making over 220WHP up to about 240WHP, not to mention 250 or in and around ft lbs of torque.
If you want monster power, I would say the SR is the better bet as you already have the stout bottom end.
If you just want a mild boosted setup, the KA, will be cheaper. (provided, you can do some work yourself and are good at sourcing)
My point is. 14psi on a 2.0 litre low comp T25 setup, is going to make less horspower than a 2.4 litre high comp, T3 setup.
I would say, 9psi on KA T3, should be close to 14psi on SR T25. Thsi is jsut from piecing varuious number together.
The fact that’s not being taken into consideration is that the KA-T is achieving those numbers on a newer, much better flowing turbine, better flowing manifold, FMIC, etc… It’s true that dollar for dollar in the low end KA will make more power, but how much will an SR with a T3, front mount, fuel management, etc… (all the things you put on the KA) make? It’s not fair to compare an engine with old ass stock turbo, etc, vs one running shiny nice new ones with way bigger flow potential.
And on the KA’s side, since when does it redline at 6250? My KA reds at 7000 (same as the SR!) (even though you’re right about it being useless in the high revs)
SR is a better motor. It’s also expensive. You get pretty low end peripherals with it, ie turbo, manifold, SMIC. $3000 230 HP with MBC and exhaust. 12-14psi.
KA is a cheaper low boost application for more power, but limited unless you want to pay more. $1500 230 HP. 7-9 psi
This what we were comparing.
As the boost climbs, so do the numbers.
I was responding to the 14 psi for 14 psi comment.
Thes costs right now makes it more feasible for me to go the KA-T route. Granted i could get more high end power on the SR… Yes there is more aftermarket support for it, but something about torque that is driving me crazy as of late.
I do realize that power could be easily attained through the SR, but the thing is that i really dont want an SR. It’s not as easy to replace when i blow the thing up.
I dont really want monster numbers in the end, i think 300hp is enough already. Hell a 545i scared me.
Could any of you KA-T peeps who have numbers out there just shoot em out? i would just like to see what kind of power some members here we able to achieve out of this engine.
Problem is i cant get all this stuff ready in time for the track season… I might have to just leave the auto/ka24de in and run around the track stock heh
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