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Sr20det or ca18det

Started by Tranc3 · Jun 16, 2006 · 93postsSMF 2010–26

Tranc3Jun 16, 2006, 2:37 am · #1

Which engine is better I'm trying to make 300hp at the very most just a fun car i can still whoop some ass in. Not a monster of any sorts. I am leaning towards ca18det and getting bigger injectors, fuel rail, fuel pump, and upping to boost and some other stuff. I just got the car not even a month ago and I love it alot jsut so fun to drive. What do yall recommend.

NebuchernezzerJun 16, 2006, 2:58 am · #2

Worst thead evah!
Seriously though you can't compare a 1.8L engine against a 2L engine.
The SR will make the power more easily and be more reliable doing it just because it won't be as stressed, however they cost alot more then CAs.
Pick a budget and buy what you can afford.

If you are talking wheel hp the CA won't do it reliably unless you rebuild it or don't drive it hard for a extended period (ie at the circuit).  Fact of life is that a small engine making big power will be pretty highly stressed, also you will be looking at big $$ on support systems.
An SR will do it ok on stock internals however it will also need decent cash spent on all the support systems.

If you are talking engine hp then the SR will do it pretty easily, the CA will do it as well, both will need a new turbo and once again some decent support systems.

IMHO (ie not supported by any facts, just supported by what i've seen at the track and generally heard about from mates) if you want 170-180rwkw or less then the CA is a good choice, if you want over that i'd go for the SR since it doesn't run out of reliabilty as quickly.

Also do a search it's been covered many many times before.

IndecisiveJun 16, 2006, 3:04 am · #3

moving to the hybrid forum.  Please make sure you post in the right section, thanks.

Tranc3Jun 16, 2006, 3:32 am · #4
Indecisivemoving to the hybrid forum.  Please make sure you post in the right section, thanks.

I'm sorry i was wondering where this went but didnt see the hybrid forum sry. and to help with the thread. I'm not exactly on a budget but if 250hp can be achieved on a ca18det i'd be content with that i'm just asking people who already know so I don't waste money
sam31183Jun 16, 2006, 7:06 am · #5

ca20e will make 350hp on nos reliably without any problems...

erik_200sxdriftJun 16, 2006, 7:13 am · #6
sam31183ca20e will make 350hp on nos reliably without any problems...
yep,  ive seen ca20e's do 190hp on exhaust and intake, those engines are really compact and strong
rageJun 16, 2006, 7:43 am · #7

sr all the way for reliablity
ca all the way for cheapness

JulieJun 16, 2006, 9:19 am · #8

gotta love the 1970s technology in the head of the sr20...

yhave8Jun 16, 2006, 2:19 pm · #9

this is a never ending battle...but i say ca18det

seishukuJun 18, 2006, 7:33 am · #10
juliegotta love the 1970s technology in the head of the sr20...
That's nice.

Now get your CA18DET running.
JulieJun 18, 2006, 7:40 am · #11

im in no hurry to get it installed and running. if i rush the install, ill overlook something. either way, its still better then a overpriced sr20. 200hp for $2500? ill pass

seishukuJun 18, 2006, 7:58 am · #12

I paided $450 for 165HP, that's not over priced at all and it's an SR20.

rageJun 18, 2006, 8:49 am · #13
juliegotta love the 1970s technology in the head of the sr20...
hahahahahaha

that is all.

id rather throw a rocker than float a valve
VE's dont have the rocker problem though, as theyre fixed to a rod.

edit- also 2500?
hahahahahahaha
JulieJun 18, 2006, 3:15 pm · #14
seishukuI paided $450 for 165HP, that's not over priced at all and it's an SR20.

thats the non turbo ones thought, which u can turbo for alot less then buying a the DET version, which is always over priced. id love to see a high hp sr20de in a s12
seishukuJun 18, 2006, 5:15 pm · #15
juliethats the non turbo ones thought, which u can turbo for alot less then buying a the DET version, which is always over priced. id love to see a high hp sr20de in a s12
Well, hopefully I can get together the money to buy the parts... I've been planning on putting a turbo on my SR20DE, though it won't be that high HP, probably around 225 maybe 250.
JulieJun 18, 2006, 5:22 pm · #16

should do a N/A project. 220hp out of that motor without boost would be cool

rageJun 18, 2006, 7:32 pm · #17
julieshould do a N/A project. 220hp out of that motor without boost would be cool
too bad he would need a VE head for that..

id be surprised if he could muster out 200whp. 180whp is about the cap without doing extensive mods

edit- seishuku, where'd you get your sr from? thats even cheap for an n/a one, i usually see them go for like 600-800. i wouldnt mind picking one up for 450.
ArroJun 18, 2006, 10:23 pm · #18

SR = high flow, weak internals, but great aftermarket.
CA DOHC = a bit less flow, .2 less displacement, but much stronger internals.

A tradeoff. I tend to prefer the stronger internals, I'm a ghetto tuner, but if you tune it right, the SR is a potent engine.

seishukuJun 19, 2006, 3:12 am · #19
rageedit- seishuku, where'd you get your sr from? thats even cheap for an n/a one, i usually see them go for like 600-800. i wouldnt mind picking one up for 450.
Correction, it was $405.
I got it off ebay, it was an automatic and didn't include the trans. So I had to pick up a flywheel, clutch, and SR bellhousing. But even with all that stuff it only ran me about $700 total and that's everything to get it running and in the car.
rageJun 19, 2006, 6:48 am · #20

not bad..
i just want the 54c internals

NebuchernezzerJun 19, 2006, 7:14 am · #21
gotta love the 1970s technology in the head of the sr20...
Everyone loves to slag the SR head, not sure why, so it has rocker arms, they are there so there is less friction in the valvetrain, not being defensive but i sometimes wonder why people think this is bad and that having a cam lobe on each lifter is good?  less friction in your valvetrain is a good thing.  I'm told F1 cars generally run Y shaped rockers because of the friction advantage, but i can't confirm this :(.
The CA has a valvetrain design which is much much older then the 70s.
Sure you can break rocker arms but it's not common and you won't do it on stock revs.  Everything has it's breaking point.

SR = high flow, weak internals, but great aftermarket.
CA DOHC = a bit less flow, .2 less displacement, but much stronger internals.

A tradeoff. I tend to prefer the stronger internals, I'm a ghetto tuner, but if you tune it right, the SR is a potent engine.
I'm afraid no one has been able to prove that to me, all the local CA18DETs are less reliable, smaller engine = more highly stressed at a certain power output.
Over 180-200rwkw not many CA18DETs survive for to long while being driven hard, even built ones.
I think the inherant CA/RB flaw with oil flow to the head doesn't help them much but some fail for other reasons to.
Not usually directly related to strength but other things give way and they fall over.
Just my experience with drift and track cars locally.
CA for under 170rwkw and SR for over that figure IMHO.
gerrybgJun 19, 2006, 10:49 am · #22

You guys haven't had long experience with the ca18det's right ??? I love the engine they rev nicely and its compact and nicer valve train setup, but strongeer internals than the sr???
Hipoed ca18dets though the ladder reinforced block is way ahead of the ca18et pissweak blocks,can throw a rod(s) through the block, (hence the number of ex ca18det s13's here with rb20dets in them).

NebuchernezzerJun 20, 2006, 4:54 pm · #23

Anyone looking for info could go to my local silvia forum, www.silviansw.com there used to be a few CA18DET diehards on there, several of them with big dollar built motors.  These aren't silly kids either, most of them are older blokes (like late 20s not late teens haha) who know what they are doing or get people who know what they are doing to do their work.
All of them run SR20s now though...
If you want to see what a CA can do under 200rwkw there is a bloke called aussiesil80 in SA who has a stock CA with Apexi turbo and remapped ECU (thats it) running 170rwkw and buckets of torque.
It gets drifted often and it seems to go quite nicely.
But as i said don't push it to far.
Here is a promo vid (Dr.Drift tuned rom promo).
16mb CA18DET Remap Promo Video

Anyways when all is said and done, what is your aim and your budget?

FantasyJun 20, 2006, 5:26 pm · #24

Most people will have a biased opinion depending on witch engine they have.
I have neither engine and keep a open minded un biased opinion.
So fare I am going to back up what Nebuchernezzer has already said.
My opinions are based on my own experiences from working with both engines in the performance industry.

Both engines have there good and bad points but if I had to choose between the two the SR is the clear winner.

Ps: Australian Dyno Dynamics dynoââ,¬â,,¢s read lower than the popular American brand dynoââ,¬â,,¢s. This is why Australians some times find the horse power figures quoted by Americans unrealistic. We all have to remember it is relative to what dyno the car is on.
This information was given to me by two well known respected tuners that have tuned cars in both countries. I will not say there names but one of them is a rotory specialist with a couple of world records under his belt. The other is the most respected tuner in South East QLD Australia and one of the most respected tuners in Australia.

NebuchernezzerJun 20, 2006, 6:07 pm · #25
Most people will have a biased opinion depending on witch engine they have.
To true, and i rather like my SR but i like to think i am unbiased.
To back up what i said about CAs I often work on my mates CA powered Silvia and i have driven it so i'm not just repeating what i've read on forums.  I also used to own a series 3 bluebird with CA18DET power.  If i owned my mates Silvia i would be quite pleased with it's performance, it's quite sufficient for most people, more then enough to go to the track or drift at any speed you will need to on the track.  Only mods are pod filter, catback exhaust and boost.
It has a problem right now though, we'll be doing some more work on it very soon because of that.
In this argument alot of people seem to forget that the SR is a bigger engine.  No replacement for displacement the V8 people say, it holds true for turbo engines to, given that they are roughly equal in technology, weight and size the bigger of the two engines will generally be better.  So it's down to your wallet.
Speaking of choosing engines why don't you US people use KA24s with turbos more often?  It seems they are cheap, tough and the knowledge to turbo them is common enough.
They probably don't rev but who cares when you have torque mmmm torque.
CandellanJun 21, 2006, 7:11 pm · #26

Be different, throw the new 350Z motor in.

Neb: F1 engines stopped using rockers, cams & normal valves long ago. It's all pnumatic now. Hard to get a valve to stop bouncing off a cam at 20,000rpm.

NebuchernezzerJun 21, 2006, 11:59 pm · #27

There you go, i don't know much about F1 since it bores me to tears in general.

sam31183Jun 22, 2006, 2:40 am · #28

yah man, wrc ftw lol...to bad speed channel dropped wrc coverage...those bastards. They did show some targa newfoundland coverage tho....ahhh, one day i will have my s12 up there...:D

Radracer_SJun 22, 2006, 5:12 am · #29

Jeez not this tread again.

NebuchernezzerJun 22, 2006, 5:45 pm · #30

lol
maybe there should be a filter so that the words 'ca18' and 'sr20' can't be used together in a thread title :P.

AkiraS12Jun 23, 2006, 4:12 pm · #31

When  got my S12, I had all the intentions in the world to get a CA18DET, unfortunately the guys I got it from sold it to me slagged. Tried to dick me, and I got an SR20DET out of them for the same price as my CA18 ($1500). Not happy about it, but there's SO much aftermarket support for the SR20 it's hard to resist. It's a proven engine and a lot of my friends ran them in various versions, FWD and RWD. Problem with both engines is their getting older. It's cheaper to rebuild an SR20 due to the support. Soon though, even these engines will be relics.

rageJun 23, 2006, 4:22 pm · #32
AkiraS12
When  got my S12, I had all the intentions in the world to get a CA18DET, unfortunately the guys I got it from sold it to me slagged. Tried to dick me, and I got an SR20DET out of them for the same price as my CA18 ($1500). Not happy about it, but there's SO much aftermarket support for the SR20 it's hard to resist. It's a proven engine and a lot of my friends ran them in various versions, FWD and RWD. Problem with both engines is their getting older. It's cheaper to rebuild an SR20 due to the support. Soon though, even these engines will be relics.
not s15 ones  

but yes, they've stopped production on the SR's

edit- theres always the QR though. the heads flow better than sr20 heads, not sure on sr20ve heads though. you can destroke them with the qr20 crank
AkiraS12Jun 23, 2006, 5:38 pm · #33
rage
not s15 ones  

but yes, they've stopped production on the SR's

edit- theres always the QR though. the heads flow better than sr20 heads, not sure on sr20ve heads though. you can destroke them with the qr20 crank

Not really feelin' the QR, I hear they don't respond well to forced induction. I dunno, give 'em time I suppose.
rageJun 23, 2006, 11:27 pm · #34
AkiraS12
Not really feelin' the QR, I hear they don't respond well to forced induction. I dunno, give 'em time I suppose.
yeah, i hear that too. although, we had a local spec v with a gt28rs on it, and it was killing evos at like 11psi

edit- i think it made somewhere in the 270ish range on the dyno
notchiskingJun 25, 2006, 1:15 am · #35

I'm sorry to say this but any one who says the ca18det is better is just to poor to afford a sr20det(like me).ca18 is a good engine but sr is faster hence why is was in a more expencive model of nissan they new witch would out perform.

JulieJun 25, 2006, 2:38 am · #36

s12 doesnt need alot of power to go fast.. so why spend a assload of money on a sr20 when for the price, i can drop in a ca18 with a few upgrades and match or exceed the sr20's power. these are LIGHT CARS, they dont need 400hp. next your gonna say the ka24 boys are too poor to afford a sr20. some of us prefer iron blocks to aluminum and wanna do something different then what EVERYONE with a 240sx is doing. maybe you should think before u fucking post too

notchiskingJun 25, 2006, 3:36 am · #37
julie
s12 doesnt need alot of power to go fast.. so why spend a assload of money on a sr20 when for the price, i can drop in a ca18 with a few upgrades and match or exceed the sr20's power. these are LIGHT CARS, they dont need 400hp. next your gonna say the ka24 boys are too poor to afford a sr20. some of us prefer iron blocks to aluminum and wanna do something different then what EVERYONE with a 240sx is doing. maybe you should think before u fucking post too

Damn your hard core into these mothas arnt you but on the contrary I have put some thought into it, Personally I want a sr20de with a sr16ve head or just sr20ve with a RWD tranny. I wish I could even afford the cheap way of it and just buy a used G-20 sr and find a used sr16ve head to swap but that requiers knowlege beyond mine. Mabey just a sr20de  and a RWD tranny but I work at safeway so mabey when i get ritch HAHAHA. but seriously that my opinion

p.s. If someone offerd me a ca18det for a good price i would jump on it like woody harrolson
rageJun 25, 2006, 4:39 am · #38
notchisking
Damn your hard core into these mothas arnt you but on the contrary I have put some thought into it, Personally I want a sr20de with a sr16ve head or just sr20ve with a RWD tranny. I wish I could even afford the cheap way of it and just buy a used G-20 sr and find a used sr16ve head to swap but that requiers knowlege beyond mine. Mabey just a sr20de  and a RWD tranny but I work at safeway so mabey when i get ritch HAHAHA. but seriously that my opinion
dude, if you cant put on a VE head, you shouldnt be swapping engines

also the transverse sr20ve's and sr16's will not bolt up to a rwd tranny.
notchiskingJun 25, 2006, 12:06 pm · #39

yea i was a bit drunk but any way Another thought of mine was a ca16de from a old pulsar(pick an pull 150$) might have some potential (at least more than the ca20) and since there both CA's The trannys might directly swap onto another but i don't know. It might have trouble with the motor mounts because it's in a front wheel drive car I seen people claim it can't be done with some engines. Now I don't care If someone tells me it's not possible or It' wont work but PLEASE don't bash me for thinking. I guess i hurt your feelings by saying the sr is a "better" motor but thats not what i was impling just simply stating something told ten thousand times before. plus I'm an NA lover so why am i even bothering oh that makes me wonder if they make individual throttle bodys for the CA Does any body know?? I would go find a u.s. ca18de for hella cheap much cheaper than shipping one from japan.let the bashing begin!

yhave8Jun 25, 2006, 12:10 pm · #40
notchisking
Damn your hard core into these mothas arnt you but on the contrary I have put some thought into it, Personally I want a sr20de with a sr16ve head or just sr20ve with a RWD tranny. I wish I could even afford the cheap way of it and just buy a used G-20 sr and find a used sr16ve head to swap but that requiers knowlege beyond mine. Mabey just a sr20de  and a RWD tranny but I work at safeway so mabey when i get ritch HAHAHA. but seriously that my opinion

p.s. If someone offerd me a ca18det for a good price i would jump on it like woody harrolson
there only about 1300 for the hole swap and thats shipped to your door.
JulieJun 25, 2006, 6:08 pm · #41

yeah. i paid 1325 for mine.

sam31183Jun 25, 2006, 6:37 pm · #42

ca18de pulsar, besides being na, is internally different from the jdm 18det. The na version lacks oil squirters and has different compression...actually, for the 2 years it made it to the states in the pulsar, they changed the compression on the engine prolly 2 or 3 times. I have been told tho that fwd 18dets can be swapped to rwd very easily.

Oh, and tho stock an sr has more power then an 18det, with a couple of small mods such as exhaust, and more boost, an 18det can keep up with an sr. Then throw some cams and pistons in one and you have an real contender. Althou as mentioned by our aussie members reliabilty comes into question...but an s12 imho only needs like 200 to 250hp. Argue with that all you wish...its an light car.

notchiskingJun 25, 2006, 7:27 pm · #43

With 1300 I could have a nice ghetto engine making nice power fix all my interior get new rims and tires and still have enough to buy some tequila

Let Me Explain:

1.Drive to pick an pull scout out the nissans and find the common KA24e in about every other car/ find a pulsar with a CA16/18de or even a 200sx turbo with the CA18ET now its a luck of the draw type deal on the engines and thier avalibility.  
150$

2.grab the wires because the fuckers take them off and then charge you for them!!
50-200~

3.every little piece the car came with is at a pick n pull just got to get lucky or drive to another one. If you want all new peices you shouldn't drive an s12 or any 80's car for that matter.
25-300~

4.find a nice set of used rims perferably wider than the stock with(no shit)
150-1000+ you decide how much on that one some people care some don't

5.now you can use the remaining 650-1050 without rims to overhaul and mod the juck yard racing engine or put some springs and shocks on there.

Hell you could grab the suspension of all those totaled 240's and still be less then 1300

Of course it aint gonna be pritty or faster then a ca18det equiped car but I didn't use 2 months worth of pay on just the engine. I just made the JDM "budget engine" CA18DET look like way more then it is because it's still 1300 dollars compared to say a black top ~3000+.

So to sum all this babble up I wish could afford a CA18DET and I'm just jelious of all you proud CA18DET powered s12 owners. In a s12 CA18DET is honestly the best fit, in the engine bay and in the power to cost ratio. I would put an sr20 in a 240 or somthing a little bigger because as was so plainly put the s12 is a light little car. But for the people like me with out a good paying job there is still hope of haveing a fast car.

rageJun 25, 2006, 7:40 pm · #44
sam31183ca18de pulsar, besides being na, is internally different from the jdm 18det. The na version lacks oil squirters and has different compression...actually, for the 2 years it made it to the states in the pulsar, they changed the compression on the engine prolly 2 or 3 times. I have been told tho that fwd 18dets can be swapped to rwd very easily.
yes, the n/a ca18de's also dont have a crank girdle which would aid in revving.
seishukuJun 25, 2006, 11:45 pm · #45

Which is what I like about the SR20DE, it has the crank girdle, the only thing it's missing are the oil squirters and the lower compression.

NebuchernezzerJun 25, 2006, 11:52 pm · #46

High compression is a good thing, response is great and you can get good power on less boost.
On 98 octane (oz) a 9.5:1 SR20DE can make over 200rwkw reliably.  However the later 10:1 compression DE can only make around 170-180rwkw reliably on our fuel since detonation becomes a big factor.
A turbo CA18DE would be a fun thing, i'm helping a local bloke here turbo his CA18DE S13 using stock DET gear, should be cheap and alot faster then it is now (ie slow as a wet week).

As mentioned before the fwd and rwd CAs are identical in most respects, things like the tb can be swapped from one end of the plenum to the other easily.

Also don't argue CA vs SR, it's like saying my orange is better then your apple, pick whatever suits your taste and budget.

yhave8Jun 26, 2006, 12:27 am · #47
NebuchernezzerHigh compression is a good thing, response is great and you can get good power on less boost.
On 98 octane (oz) a 9.5:1 SR20DE can make over 200rwkw reliably.  However the later 10:1 compression DE can only make around 170-180rwkw reliably on our fuel since detonation becomes a big factor.
A turbo CA18DE would be a fun thing, i'm helping a local bloke here turbo his CA18DE S13 using stock DET gear, should be cheap and alot faster then it is now (ie slow as a wet week).

As mentioned before the fwd and rwd CAs are identical in most respects, things like the tb can be swapped from one end of the plenum to the other easily.

Also don't argue CA vs SR, it's like saying my orange is better then your apple, pick whatever suits your taste and budget.
well said i agree
seishukuJun 26, 2006, 1:54 am · #48

Which is also why I plan on turbo'ing my sr20de... Probably run 7PSI on the stock DET maps with the DE hardware (minus the injectors, I'll be using 370CC DET injectors, of course).
I think it should put me around 250BHP? I donno.

rageJun 26, 2006, 2:09 am · #49
seishukuWhich is also why I plan on turbo'ing my sr20de... Probably run 7PSI on the stock DET maps with the DE hardware (minus the injectors, I'll be using 370CC DET injectors, of course).
I think it should put me around 250BHP? I donno.
depending on what turbo you use. a t28 would get you thereabouts

the oil squirters arent a big deal, as most guys who run forged pistons cap them off anyway. id rather have 9.5:1 comp on a turbo motor anyways, because it would be a little more responsive and would spool faster.
seishukuJun 26, 2006, 2:20 am · #50

Yep, that's why WRC cars run turbo'd 11:1 motors, of course they have high octane fuel too.

I was thinking a stock S13 T25 or a brand new GT25, since the T28 seems to flow a little more than my application, but I might look into it. It doesn't help that I've been having to find my own info and stuff, and no one really wants to help answer my noob turboing questions.