Best Engine Swap For S12

[SorryCharlie]

i want to do a really mean s12 and was wondering what swap you thought was best overall? i was thinking just the ca18det, but there seem to many options. like the  vg30, and ka, so let me have your opinions on the best swap. not just for power but reliability, aftermarket support, cost{big factor} and easiest the work on.

[Spooled]

I voted SR for ease of parts/aftermarket, ease of install, and reliability.  The CA18DET is getting to be a very old motor.  Parts are more scarce.  Same with the FJ.  The VG30DETT would require tons of modding.  The VG30ET requires custom exhaust manifolds and such.  The KA seems to be okay, but wasn't built for boost from the get go, so you really need to build up the bottom end for reliability.

[Smalltar_The_Impaler]

Argh, not another one of these. I don't mean to be a jerk, so I'll just say this. You're not gonna get a straight answer from anyone. It's just probably gonna be another one of those CA VS SR VS KA arguments that go nowhere. Every engine has its strength and its weakness and if you search around (especially on every other VS thread) you'll easily find the answers. In the end it just comes down to personal preference and cost. Really cost is the biggest factor and if somehow money isn't your concern, I'd suggest a M275 AMG. I really like that engine.

[Nameless]

ka ftw

[SorryCharlie]

sorry didn't mean it to be sr vs ka like on the 240 boards. i was wondering more about best for s12. like obviouslly some of the motors are much stonger but if it takes tons of money to do in the s12 i wouldn't even consider. so lets say best for the money involved, or the least amout of custom fab work to get done. like if the sr takes tons of extra work i wouldn't want to bother, but if it bolts right in and the wiring not bad, why not? then the 200sx can have a 2.0 just like it should.

[Indecisive]

there's a forum for this in the hybrid section.

~*moving to comparison forum*~

also, this has been discussed extensively, please use the search function.

[Smalltar_The_Impaler]

Well, as far as it goes, the FJ20ET would probably be the most expensive IF you could even find one, so I'd forget about that plus the aftermarket is non existent(which really matches the 200SX as a whole).

The VG30DETT would also be much too expensive for most anyone as far as installation is concerned, but it has been done... by like one guy.

You can't forget the RB... It's not cheap to get one in an S12, but it isn't outlandishly expensive either, seeing that there is supposedly some kits for swappage being sold on the boards. Keep in mind, it's not cheap.

The VG30ET seems like a good choice. It can push a lot of power, it's cheap, plenty of parts around but I heard there is some fitment issues as far as the turbo goes. Someone on the board has one though, so it's not impossible.

I figure the CA18, SR20 and KA24 would be about the same difficulty seeing that they all come from the same car, but in theory, the KA should be the easiest, seeing that it came from a LHD vehicle though god knows I could be horribly wrong. As far as price goes, the KA can be had for pocket change, so in theory, you could get a KA rebuilt with a nice bottom end and a ghetto rig turbo setup for about the price of an SR which you know absolutely nothing about (Mileage, etc.) unless you get a front clip, in which case for the price you have one hell of a KA. The CA18 isn't too pricey and it's a good compromise between weight, power and price IMO, but they're pretty old engines.

In my personal opinion, the best choices are the CA18DET, VG30ET or the KA24DE+T, buuut that's just looking at it from the neutral perspective of not having owned either.

[Redneck]

Well said Smallter . I plan on going with ka24de just because of the ease of install as well as the fact they are a dime a dozen. KA really is one of the most underrated Nissan motors ever.

[ryan206]

Well said Smallter . I plan on going with ka24de just because of the ease of install as well as the fact they are a dime a dozen. KA really is one of the most underrated Nissan motors ever.

Pretty much what he said.

KA24DEs are becoming cheaper and cheapers as everyone with the 240sx wants to SR it.

KA Swap is pretty simple. I was considering boosting it, but there is no point. Honestly, unless the car is for track use, I wouldn't even bother. You shouldn't be going 140+ on normal streets, its unsafe. I am not against street racing by any means, but the chances of getting caught are getting greater and greater. Everyone I know that races on the streets have been pulled over and give huge tickets, but most got out lightly through courts. I personally love going down to the street races and watching them, but other than that, its not worth having your insurance rates skyrocket or having no insurance company want to insure you. Cops are becoming more and more smart. At the last HIN, I saw a cop car that was pretty tight, there was no way you could tell it was a cop car either. So if you just look around, see no "cops" take off then you figure out it was a cop, you're fvcked. My friend was saying that Seattle Police now have an undercover 300ZX TT Cop Car

I read this on KA-T.org, if you have a KA and something breaks, you go to the parts store, but if you have a JDM motor, you're gonna be waiting for a while to get replacement parts.

[SorryCharlie]

thanks i like what you say about the KA.

[jeffwins24]

lets talk now can you say ford mustang

[Nameless]

Dude i can never understand what the hell you are talking about

[EternalSwap]

Yessss, appearantly LT-1s are junk! Woo!

[demonic s12]

im going vg, ill end up cutting and banging things for clearance, as im going twin turbo, but im going for purpose built here, are you talking daily driver? or strictly track use?


i say go with a motor you can get here, youll never have an issue finding a water pump or oil pump or a gasket. plus parts for the jdm motors are prohibitively expensive, only true jdm ballers can afford that crap. i.e. forged pistons for a ca18det? $800

full engine rebuld kit for vg30e? 370 or so. inluding rods, pistons, and all gaskets, rings, etc.

with the vg you have many options, you can go with a s/c, turbo, nos, extra displacement via other vg series engines or whatever.

depends on your budget, and what power your looking for

[SorryCharlie]

i'm going for low budget, and easy to work on. by easiest i also take in jdm vs usdm because i can never get parts for my rb20. i think i will go vg or ka

[demonic s12]

either motor would be good. the ka is torquey, which will keel real nice in a s12, the vg is a bit heavier, but has massive potential, and thats what sold me on it.

the stock bottom end is good to 500 hp on a vg30, which sold me on it for sure hehe

with a solid rebuild and some balancing, you can go beyond that O.O

[SorryCharlie]

hell yeah, i love your notch. is that a special edition? looks fifferent somehow.

[demonic s12]

se gfx, mki front grill and lights

thats all really, otherwise just a plain ol xe notch

[rage]

I read this on KA-T.org, if you have a KA and something breaks, you go to the parts store, but if you have a JDM motor, you're gonna be waiting for a while to get replacement parts.

yes, however it depends on the part. alot of the SR parts exchange with the sr20de we got in the early 90's sentra se-r's. conversely, if you break something weird on a KA, you could be waiting a week to get the parts from the stealership, if they dont have them in stock.

[timbo]

i have a ka24e turbo in my s13 coupe.and that works great.tons of tourque and at just 5lbs of boost it really lets you know its alive.i am going to do a ka24de swap into my s12.because its cheap and has tons of potential.so i would say if you are building just a budget build and want some reliability.because i know every other day i'm fixing my old ca20.i would go ka24.i have owned 9 240sx's and they pull on civics for fun and yet can take a hard beating.very impressed by the "truck" motor.