# Turbo? or no turbo, tis the question



## new2da240 (Feb 8, 2005)

would puting a turbo on a stock 96 240sx engine A)work? B)even be worth doing C)would a swap be the only answer?


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## kaptainkrollio (Jul 29, 2003)

A) Yes B) Yes C) No. Do a rebuild first and buy a kit from www.boostdesigns.com or www.phatka-t.com or www.bootsevolution.com.


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## JDM240Turbo (Jan 21, 2005)

new2da240 said:


> would puting a turbo on a stock 96 240sx engine A)work? B)even be worth doing C)would a swap be the only answer?


I would recommend the sr swap. You get alot of sex appeal from the jdm motor.


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## Startours7 (Nov 30, 2004)

Go USDM sr's are overrated. KA-T all the way.


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## am3rican (Feb 26, 2005)

new2da240 said:


> would puting a turbo on a stock 96 240sx engine A)work? B)even be worth doing C)would a swap be the only answer?


depends. i would never turbo a car with more than 70K miles on it. Generally the internals cant handle it. so rebuild first. a rebuild's gonna cost you $1500, maybe more. The KA24de has a good reputation for being turbo'able (thats not a word, but you know what i mean).

Would I do it? No. Is it possible? yes. If you dont know wtf you are doing, should you do it? no

Just get an SR motor. Just make sure you get it from someone reputable.


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## 4sphed (Mar 5, 2005)

JDM240Turbo and am3rican, I have to respectfully disagree. Oh, but then again I AM bias toward the KA24DE too  . I don't know about anybody else, but I don't build a car for sex appeal or to be part of the JDM crowd. I build for me and me alone. You'll notice old-school and new-school methods on my car. But really, I think Kaptainkrollio said it best.


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## am3rican (Feb 26, 2005)

new2da240 said:


> would puting a turbo on a stock 96 240sx engine A)work? B)even be worth doing C)would a swap be the only answer?


honestly, a turbo KA24 sounds awesome but its just too much trouble. a swap is easier and probably might be cheaper. you can get an SR motor and tranny for around 4K, which sounds like a lot. but if you factor in the engine rebuild, which you will need if you turbo it and the cost of the turbo, its just not worth it.


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## 4sphed (Mar 5, 2005)

am3rican said:


> honestly, a turbo KA24 sounds awesome but its just too much trouble. a swap is easier and probably might be cheaper. you can get an SR motor and tranny for around 4K, which sounds like a lot. but if you factor in the engine rebuild, which you will need if you turbo it and the cost of the turbo, its just not worth it.


I have two friends which have stock KA bottom ends on boost. One runs constant 380whp with no problems as a daily driver, the other has been as high as 490whp until one of the rods gave up at the track. Both are full custom set-ups similar to mine. While the SR was built to be a turbo engine from the start, the KA is a very stout bottom, not to mention larger displacement. However, there really isn't a problem adding a "kit" like GReddy's to a stock bottom KA; and for relatively the same cost, you also wouldn't have the hassle of swapping engines and harnesses either. Keep safe boost and you won't have problems. If you're going to go through the trouble of swapping engines, go for the RB. But getting back to New2da240's question of would a swap be the only answer ... no, it's not ... it depends on your preference. Me, I'll take the larger of the two and work with it :thumbup: . I'm not disin' the SR20 by any means ... it's a proven performer. But it never did make sense to me to trade down on displacement.

Again, it's all preference :cheers: !


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## kaptainkrollio (Jul 29, 2003)

A rebuild will cost you around $1k and many reputable companies (boostdesigns, boostevolutions) put out good stg. 1 kits for around $2000. Not to mention you will put more hp down than a stock sr, but you will also be able to find all stock engine parts at Autozone.


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## bridrive55 (Aug 26, 2004)

4sphed said:


> Me, I'll take the larger of the two and work with it :thumbup: . I'm not disin' the SR20 by any means ... it's a proven performer. But it never did make sense to me to trade down on displacement.


I don't know, I'd trade down on displacement for a lighter motor. But of course, I'm more of a fan of the nimble feel of the car than of the ultra high horsepower effect. Maybe I'm just biased towards JDM motors...


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## am3rican (Feb 26, 2005)

4sphed said:


> I have two friends which have stock KA bottom ends on boost. One runs constant 380whp with no problems as a daily driver, the other has been as high as 490whp until one of the rods gave up at the track. Both are full custom set-ups similar to mine. While the SR was built to be a turbo engine from the start, the KA is a very stout bottom, not to mention larger displacement. However, there really isn't a problem adding a "kit" like GReddy's to a stock bottom KA; and for relatively the same cost, you also wouldn't have the hassle of swapping engines and harnesses either. Keep safe boost and you won't have problems. If you're going to go through the trouble of swapping engines, go for the RB. But getting back to New2da240's question of would a swap be the only answer ... no, it's not ... it depends on your preference. Me, I'll take the larger of the two and work with it :thumbup: . I'm not disin' the SR20 by any means ... it's a proven performer. But it never did make sense to me to trade down on displacement.
> 
> Again, it's all preference :cheers: !



good answer, and I totally agree that the KA has a great bottom, perfect for turboing.


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## new2da240 (Feb 8, 2005)

:thumbup: yeah i have been told by alot of people recently as well that turboing my my ka24 wouldnt be a bad idea but im just worried that it wont be a every day drivable car, and i drive to work and school constantly and then some. I curently have 77200k on it and not a damn thing done to it cause im just stuck thinking what are all of my options on every aspect on the car. Now im thinking should i mess with my susspention before i make it faster or should i put an exaust or intake first. does anyone know what the performance difference is between a cold air intake and a short air ram intake? And can anyone suggest an exaust im looking for something thats not anoyingly loud, just one sounds good when i ask for it kinda. And finaly does anyone know a link or website where i can look at 240's on rims, Im having a hard time finding what wheels i want to get on it. I realy would like to see them on the car before i choose.  :cheers:


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## JDM240Turbo (Jan 21, 2005)

Yeah, any turbo on any engine, is a good turbo.


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## am3rican (Feb 26, 2005)

new2da240 said:


> :thumbup: yeah i have been told by alot of people recently as well that turboing my my ka24 wouldnt be a bad idea but im just worried that it wont be a every day drivable car, and i drive to work and school constantly and then some. I curently have 77200k on it and not a damn thing done to it cause im just stuck thinking what are all of my options on every aspect on the car. Now im thinking should i mess with my susspention before i make it faster or should i put an exaust or intake first. does anyone know what the performance difference is between a cold air intake and a short air ram intake? And can anyone suggest an exaust im looking for something thats not anoyingly loud, just one sounds good when i ask for it kinda. And finaly does anyone know a link or website where i can look at 240's on rims, Im having a hard time finding what wheels i want to get on it. I realy would like to see them on the car before i choose.  :cheers:


I'm sure a lot of people would disagree with me on this, but any turbo'ed car, whether its factory or aftermarket is not a good daily driver. To improve the longevity of the turbo, its recommended that you allow the car to warm up before you make the turbo spool, which is why my DSM didnt last very long. and then of course, youd need a turbo timer as well. but who does this in a daily driver? not many. turbos dont last very long and its just an added expense that im sure you wouldnt want to deal with. 

my take on the intake is, do not, under any circumstances get a cold air intake if it rains where you live. the threat of hydrolocking your car is not worth the 1-2 hp difference between a short ram and a cold air intake. once your motor sucks up water, your engines done and chances are you'd need to replace most, if not all of your exhaust sensors which is big $$$. so...just get the short ram, so much less to worry about. and by the way, if you plan on getting a turbo for your car, didnt get any intake parts. 

www.tirerack.com will let you see rims for your 240


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## kaptainkrollio (Jul 29, 2003)

When you let your car warm up before hitting boost, you only need to do that for abotu 30 seconds, which is just about equivalent to pulling out of your driveway and driving a little way down the street. While I agree that arger turbos are bad for daily driving, smaller turbos like the ones that come in any kit spool quickly enough and aren't peaky enough to be a pain in the ass. It will take extra maitenence to keep the whole setup running properly, but it would be the same for any engine swap as well.


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## Hoosier Daddy (Feb 24, 2005)

That's why you never put turbo on your daily driver. Keep something stock for everyday use and then have another project car on the side to mess around with. That's my plan right now.


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## madballa (Aug 5, 2003)

I know if I wasnt swapping in an RB25 I would be going with a KA-T. And I highly reccommend the www.boostdesigns.com turbo kit. Can't beat the prices or the power it puts out. I know if I were keeping my KA I would buy that kit in a heartbeat.


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