Ashley's S12 Awesomeness

[ashleyanne]

Tiiiiime to resurrect this thread!!

So, my interior is now stripped as far as backseats and  the  whole carpet. Ive got  new radiator an changed out my leaking hoses. Im finally getting my exhaust done next week. Got a wink mirror, a 12" sub, a new deck, powerbass speakers all around :] cleaned up my engine bay a little and getting a new aluminum overflow tank soon. Got rid of my hubcapz and steelies, replaced with wheels off an 86 s12...


Looking to do a ka24e swap. Think its most simple, cost efficient and they can make 1000hp +!

[VG33ERGazelle?]

^
yer doin it rite.

[VG30_S12]

Congrats on making a fine engine choice... KAs are tough as nails...
I Just went through that not too long ago(feel like im still going through it lol) its not bad...
Not banging on the "e" but spend a few moar bucks and get a "de" just my $0.02

[ashleyanne]

Was thinking about but I still want the unique aspect of an e. I got rid of all my other original ideas.

[spiderwebfx]

Wish we had females into S12's in NZ.

Wait, rephrase that,

Wish we had females into decent cars in NZ.


Especially ones with a bit of knowledge about what they're doing.
Car is looking good btw!

[Arro]

Congrats on making a fine engine choice... KAs are tough as nails...
I Just went through that not too long ago(feel like im still going through it lol) its not bad...
Not banging on the "e" but spend a few moar bucks and get a "de" just my $0.02

+1, the "E" is a "boost only" motor IMO, unless it is free, then it's a freebie upgrade. Otherwise, the KA24DE is the way to go. If you want to be different, don't sacrifice power and practicality for uniqueness, find other ways to be unique (such as engine bay color scheme, bolt-on choices like superchargers, or nitrous, something nobody seems to play with on here).

[ashleyanne]

Thanks yeah I plan on boosting it I would like a supercharger because I dont want boost lag, plus how awesome would a super loud whine from my car be? Turbos are cool but lag is not and I dont really want a bigger displacement motor. Plus I pro/conned other motor swaps and eh. Haha. Thanks for not hating, everyone keeps saying,"just spend a little more for a lot more power blah blab." 240 fanbois lol

[VG33ERGazelle?]

why buy a ka when you can get an sr? duh.


^
I just about vomited trying to pretend I meant that.

and btw +1 for supercharging. it's hella fun and sounds awesome haha

[silvia love]

yea ka24e! rofl i hate mine sooo slow... but they're super easy to work on though.

[Jay]

I dunno if I'm weird, but I love turbo lag.
It's the calm before the fury. I HATED when my probe made 20psi at 1400 RPM. Was the worst thing imaginable for city driving.

[silvia love]

I dunno if I'm weird, but I love turbo lag.
It's the calm before the fury. I HATED when my probe made 20psi at 1400 RPM. Was the worst thing imaginable for city driving.

no your completely normal! i love turbos and lag too. nothing like free energy producing more power. turbo>supercharger

i have a 1988 mr2 supercharger in my garage, it has a electronically controled clutch to activate the pulley to make boost. that would be nice because you could wire to a switch and activate it when you want. but the whole assembly is fucking huge and wouldnt fit with lotsa work.

[ashleyanne]

why buy a ka when you can get an sr? duh.

I almost cried reading that, haha.

I used to like/not mind turbo lag, but some of the driving I would be doing down here, I would hate to hit boost in the middle of a turn and swerve off the road. Sounds absolutely terrible haha. I mean I guess I would eventually get used to it and drive less ridiculous, but eh. I've been throwing around the idea of turbo or supercharger. Figure, want more power, just get a bigger pullley.

No hate for turbos though, believe me, I like them. I just recently painted a Garrett T28  pink, I'll have to post pictures

[VG33ERGazelle?]

that's why blowers are so kosher, you don't suddenly get a huge hadoken of power to the face and spiral off into the weeds.

[ashleyanne]

Yeah and that's what I'm going for!

[Arro]

Turbo lag is either because you have a REALLY big turbo (think T4, T66, 20G, Holset, etc.) or because your exhaust is too small, and your BOV sux. If you set it up right, a good turbo will hit full boost so fast your head will spin, and you will laugh at people who talk about "lag" as a motivation to look at superchargers.

BUT...


If you go supercharger, there are already adapter plates for the KA24DE to use an Exterra blower, and I think only ONE guy has done it so far. It works well with the DE because the intake manifold splits into two parts, and the blower replaces the stock plenum section... the adapter plate makes it BOLT on. The KA24E intake manifold doesn't allow for this, and you'd be stuck with either a centrifugal blower (expen$ive) and a custom mounting bracket, or an even more expensive custom intake manifold for whatever random twin screw blower you want to try.

Also, you might not be aware of it, but the KA24DE uses side-flow injectors that are compatible with the SR20, meaning that SR20DET injectors are a cheap upgrade for a KA24DE going boost. With the KA24E, the top-flow injectors will require more expensive aftermarket, which usually means a custom injector building shop (mail order, lots of expense).

This is why I was telling you that as you get into things more, the KA24DE is a better choice on the whole, regardless of what you intend to do with it. I know you want to be different, but understand that the reason why it is more popular now than both SR and KA24E is because (at least in North America) it is the wisest choice for a variety of factors.

Add to that the fact that you can indeed obtain aftermarket cams for the KA24DE in a variety of specs, as well as adjustable sprockets from vendors, and it leaves me wondering why anyone would choose a KA24E over a KA24DE unless they are getting it for super cheap or free.

Don't misunderstand me, I'm not trying to ram "KA24DE" down your throat, Ash I'm just pointing out the details here. I'll be honest with you, when the first few people on C-S12 were just TALKING about KA24DE's going into S12's (many years ago) I was resistant, believing that the CA18ET was a better starting point (or even the VG30E). I was highly resistant but now not only am I a believer, but I have the proof revving quite healthily in the engine bay of my own KA24DE-powered S12. It's not boosted yet, but even still, I have a good amount of power more than a KA24E... I'm already VERY quick down the road, and I know that boosting it will be even better. But the nice thing about the DE is that in the meantime, you have a nice, peppy engine that gives you a respectable performance increase.

Just some things to think about. Might as well throw in that you might want to read through this, too:

http://club-s12.org/v3/index.php?topic=27031.0

Also, it comes down to what you want to spend. If you're willing to toss in lots of $$$, anything is possible with the most unlikely of engines.

[VG30_S12]

Nm

[Arro]

The KA24E has less power... 140hp and 152tq vs. the KA24DE's 155hp and 160tq. That's 15 more horsepower, and nearly 10 more ft lbs of torque. There is a good deal of that due to the head design, plus the 16v head flows air better at the top end, meaning that custom cams can take better advantage of the top end. It also means that as you increase airflow (think boost), your get more power per extra PSI of boost than you would from the SOHC KA head.

It also employs a more advanced ignition design (even more advanced in the 1995 and up models), and a superior fuel delivery system (including the computer).

You can also use NISTUNE on the KA24DE, making your standard computer a fully-programmable ECM.

Also, there will be more room for a supercharger in the KA24DE as the intake wraps around downward.. more room there than if you had to cut the KA24E manifold and fit something there. Not impossible, but more difficult.

[deco]

Man, you about have me convinced now... shit....

[Navy_Mech2]

pffff. turbo VG all the way lol

[seishuku]

That's not turbo lag, it's foreplay.