# Dohc Or Sohc



## Sleeper180sx (May 31, 2003)

Which one is better. This may be a dunb question to u but i like how the single over head cam sounds.


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## nx2000 (Jan 24, 2003)

of course the DOHC has 15 more HP to start. But, I hear that the SOHC is better for turbocharging. Not too sure. Do some searchng on that


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## Joel (Jun 11, 2003)

SOHC is not better, it is easier to tune. DOHC will get you more power with the same mods but it is harder to get right.


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## drift240sxdragqueen (Oct 23, 2002)

if u were to race the 240sx DOHC vs a SOHC the outcome will be DOHC wins but barely they are almost dead even

DOHC is better for turbocharging
SOHC is better for n/a


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## L.Williams (Jun 23, 2003)

Definatly DOHC, it has alot more potential if ur gonna mod. There really isnt a big difference stock, but beyond stock the man with the more cams wins


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## De La Rocha (Apr 4, 2003)

Even stock, it reduces the amount of time that the intake step takes...which of course means horsepower.

-Matt


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## Joel (Jun 11, 2003)

drift240sxdrag said:


> *if u were to race the 240sx DOHC vs a SOHC the outcome will be DOHC wins but barely they are almost dead even
> 
> DOHC is better for turbocharging
> SOHC is better for n/a *


How is SOHC better for anything? Seperate control over the timing of the intake and exhaust valves is a good thing and will give you more power if done correctly. Add variable timing, duration and lift and you have a weapon!


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## James (Apr 29, 2002)

Joel said:


> *How is SOHC better for anything? Seperate control over the timing of the intake and exhaust valves is a good thing and will give you more power if done correctly. Add variable timing, duration and lift and you have a weapon! *


there is more rotational mass in the valve train of the DOHC engine...


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## drift240sxdragqueen (Oct 23, 2002)

Joel said:


> *How is SOHC better for anything? Seperate control over the timing of the intake and exhaust valves is a good thing and will give you more power if done correctly. Add variable timing, duration and lift and you have a weapon! *


If you want a high HP NA 240 then go SOHC. there is a TON more aftermarket for it than the DOHC motor when it comes to tuning NA.


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## Joel (Jun 11, 2003)

Oh ok, i was talking in more general terms.  
You still have to make up the 20 hp difference between them which is a big amount in an NA


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## drift240sxdragqueen (Oct 23, 2002)

15hp


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## Joel (Jun 11, 2003)

drift240sxdrag said:


> *15hp  *


awww crap - ill never get used to american s13's having bunky KA engines  S13's should have real engines like SR and CA! It was one of the biggest car design crimes ever!

he he just stirrin


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## bizzy b (Apr 13, 2003)

yeah, we got jipped. oh well, the KA may not be the best engine right out of the box, but at least its a near perfect platform for turbocharging and gets 400cc more displacement, so i'm not complaining...

hey drift: you said the SOHC has better NA aftermarket support, but i've seen just about everything you could need for the DOHC too. CAI, header, cams, adj. cam gears, high comp. pistons, ECU's, pulleys, etc. aside from individual TB's,(which i've never seen for the SOHC either) what else could you want? i'm not trying to start shit, i just don't really know of much else you can do to an NA engine.


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## Converted (May 28, 2003)

From what I understand the Ka24e is the truck engine. And the Ka24de has a head that flows better, and obviously has more hp and torque to start with, along with 2 cams. I cant really see the sohc being an advantage in any way. Right now Im running a sohc 1.6L honda in a hatch, its really quick, and I whoop up on stock dohc hondas, but had I thrown in a B16 (dohc) and done the mods that ive done to my sohc I would be getting whooped. 

Advantage dohc.

-Jake


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## drift240sxdragqueen (Oct 23, 2002)

the KA24E is a truck engine, yet the KA24DE isn't...

first off they aren't truck engines... (hate it when people say that)


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## UNISH25 (Aug 12, 2002)

KA24E is defenity not truck engines! Maybe where your from, the automotive engineers probably decided to use it as a truck engine. I hate when people give wrong advice to others on this forum. Either you know what a KA24 is or you don't! Period. If you have no idea about something on the forum, then don't reply!!! People should double check their stuffs before posting!

Well I'm sure he didn't mean to post it like that. Or maybe a ka24 could be a truck engine somewhere in this world...who knows!


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## bizzy b (Apr 13, 2003)

people just think that way because nissan used the KA24 in their light pickups. so true, its not really designed as a pure sports car engine, but its not a truck engine either. its a dual purpose engine, which has the perfect combination of design traits to make it ready for a turbo application. personally i'm kinda glad we got the KA here. that just means that 240's are cheaper, more reliable and driven less agressively than if they were given a turbo engine right from the factory.


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## joerc240sx (Jan 19, 2003)

Well I belive that the 2 engines are so close that it should come down to what came with the car. finaly HP would be so close with the same mods, that only driver skill would determin the winner. with the money spent to swap to the KAde engine you could have your KAe just as fast if not faster with just boltons. There are some advatages of the KAde engine, head flow, piston oil skurters, dual timing chain, knock senser, top center ignition, and more turbo development. The KAe has its advatages also, more race development behind it, cheaper parts, less moving parts. So i say your just as good off with one or the other, and if you really want 400+ hp (only time i would see the advantage of the 16v) your better off swaping to an engine built to better withstand that stress then that of the KA engine.

Joe


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## UNISH25 (Aug 12, 2002)

bizzy b said:


> *people just think that way because nissan used the KA24 in their light pickups. so true, its not really designed as a pure sports car engine, but its not a truck engine either. its a dual purpose engine, which has the perfect combination of design traits to make it ready for a turbo application. personally i'm kinda glad we got the KA here. that just means that 240's are cheaper, more reliable and driven less agressively than if they were given a turbo engine right from the factory. *


Ohhhhh...the dude meant pickup trucks? I thought he meant those heavy duty diesel trucks! Well the ka24s not diesel...lol Ok now it makes sense!


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## vsp3c (May 15, 2003)

ka24de was especially designed for a 240sx. nissan felt sorry for us because they didn't give us neither sr20det or ca18det. so they built us ka24de which was taken from the ka24e. i'm alright with having a ka24de in my 240 and i do not think it's a truck engine. what truck engine kills hondas everyday?? i don't think there's a nissan truck with a ka24de is there?


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## bizzy b (Apr 13, 2003)

-vspec: in ~88 they put the KA24E in the pickups, then in 89 the 240 came out with it. then in 91 the 240 got the DE, but a few years later they did finally switch to the DE in the trucks. so, yeah, there are, but it still came in the 240 first.


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## nx2000 (Jan 24, 2003)

vsp3c said:


> *ka24de was especially designed for a 240sx. nissan felt sorry for us because they didn't give us neither sr20det or ca18det. so they built us ka24de which was taken from the ka24e. i'm alright with having a ka24de in my 240 and i do not think it's a truck engine. what truck engine kills hondas everyday?? i don't think there's a nissan truck with a ka24de is there? *


I think the old 4 banger Xterra comes with KA24DE. It prolly has the Qr25DE since there is no more KA.


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## vsp3c (May 15, 2003)

icic.. doods, who cares if the ka24de is found in some trucks??? it still kicks ass and that's all that matters


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## drift240sxdragqueen (Oct 23, 2002)

in a year i'll be slicing KA24DE's with my SOHC 
muahahahaha


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## bizzy b (Apr 13, 2003)

drift240sxdrag said:


> *in a year i'll be slicing KA24DE's with my SOHC
> muahahahaha  *


watch out now, some DE's slice back. the only time you'll outrun me is while i'm saving up for my turbo while you spend your money on cheaper, but less effective upgrades.


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## absolute (Nov 18, 2003)

*KAe or de*

i thought the KAe was better for turbocharging since it has a lower compression ratio and the de better for n/a and the de head is a little bit smaller or narrower than the e. There's a guy on the boards who did a kae block with a de head and he said it raised the c/r up to like 11.7 :1 .


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## joerc240sx (Jan 19, 2003)

you can use just the pistons from a SOHC in a DOHC, and get that same CR, plus you have the piston oil squrters. also not all 89, and 90 have the same CR, they where alittle difrent.

the SOHC has more parts for it to make high NA hp gains then that of the DOHC engine. the DOHC has things about it that make it better for boost.


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## joerc240sx (Jan 19, 2003)

also the SOHC was used even longer in the hardbody pickups, and even in the altima (well stanza). i like both blocks, i think they are both well built for NA genral use engines.


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## Nizmodore (May 9, 2003)

One word to prove you dont need Double overhead cams....RB30ET....Nuff said :thumbup: 

I have a friend with a SR20DET powered Sil80....hes changeing from the SR20DET, to the KA24DE with a huge turbo on it.....oh well.....


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## BlueBOB (Jan 29, 2003)

well... you learn somethin new everyday...

I was SO about to correct you on the double thing, but I did was a newbie wouldn't and searched before I said anything and sure enough... it's double overhead cam...

crazy...

Proof
and if they're wrong, I don't know what I'd do...


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