sr20det

[xXnimbusXx]

I don't know much about the motor nor do I own it. so I'm doing all the research I can. I heard some people talking about the s13 red/black top sr versus the s14 black. I was wondering which one is really better. From my lack of knowledge the s14 has the vtec wannabe shit on it. Is that an advantage or a disadvantage?... and why?.... come on people I'm trying to learn.

[AFSil80]

First off, stay away from the redtop

Second, I would not advise crossbreeding the chassis and motor, so if you've got an S13, and you're going SR, go with an S13 blacktop.

[HiPSI]

First off, stay away from the redtop

ok.... i guess everyone has an opinion but is there any fact to back that one up?

[AFSil80]

Of the people I regularly socialize with, the one redtop owner has had problem after problem after problem with his motor.

Could just be a bad egg, but I guess it left a lasting mark on my opinion of them.

But that's my opinion, and I'm sure there's others out there with different feelings.

[HiPSI]

Of the people I regularly socialize with, the one redtop owner has had problem after problem after problem with his motor.

so you based an opinion of an engine that thousands of people in the US now have on a single one your buddy had problems with? i've seen quite a few failures as well. a few were due to getting mechanically poor engines, but most due to a poor job being done on the swap itself causing all types of issues down the road.

[AFSil80]

Thinking back on the issues he had, I would have to say it was a bad motor, spun bearings, when he upgraded the turbo, the shaft in the stocker had a bit of play. But yeah, I did make an assumption based on one example, which is something I normally don't do.

I don't wanna whore up this guy's thread with an argument though.

[silviadriftr]

First off, stay away from the redtop

Second, I would not advise crossbreeding the chassis and motor, so if you've got an S13, and you're going SR, go with an S13 blacktop.

Any particular reason to stay away from the red top besides rumors about problems?

The reson I ask is in my sig and from what I have found, no one has put down more power than me on stock bottom end and stock cams.

[AFSil80]

Any particular reason to stay away from the red top besides rumors about problems?

But yeah, I did make an assumption based on one example, which is something I normally don't do.

...........

[LicKaPuSS]

First off, stay away from the redtop

Second, I would not advise crossbreeding the chassis and motor, so if you've got an S13, and you're going SR, go with an S13 blacktop.

Please explain this one!!
I have done many redtop s13 swaps in s14 's. All of which have been strong. Keep in mind they all were done right and tuned within the limits of the stock engine. I prefer s13's way over nissan's attempt at a wanabe honda vtec. IMO

I agree with the logic of newer is better but that mainly relates to the law of averages of getting cleaner lower mile engine. I would have to say the black top s13 is the way to go if you plan to mod it. This doesnt mean you cant find clean redtops. Its just a gamble but all used engines are just the odds or better with newer. Two weeks ago I did a redtop in a s14 that had to be the cleanest engine I have seen yet. I would choose the S14 only if you plan to leave it stock!

No matter what engine you get you should recondition it before is goes in the car. 80% of people think they can throw in a 10+ year old engine in and expect it to run like a brand new engine. Sure its only got 50k but its 12 years old and time is hard. Rubbers and plastics get old so replace the seals.
The oil sumps are small so build up is common on these engines so flush the engine with a 500 mile oil change after install.

It doesnt matter which car you have as long as its 95 and older. 96+ you can put what ever you want in there and but it will not pass obd2 testing unless you have a guy on the inside or live in a county without testing.

I know this prob doesnt flow smooth but I tried to hit some points. I just get tired of people complaining about bad motors when they dont prep a 12 year old used engine like they should. Then blaim it on the place they bought it from or the engine itself when failer occurs. Damn I just wasted 5 mins of my life!! LOL

[AFSil80]

Jesus, I already said I made my opinion off of ONE EXPERIENCE, which is something I normally don't do! And then I went on to say it was a bad motor, meaning that particular one, NOT ALL OF THEM.

Fucking Christ, did y'all read the entire thread? Or just the top 3 posts?

I said I was wrong for passing judgement off of one experience, but how many goddamn ways do I need to say it?

And yes, I know that it's practically mandatory and advised to do a minor rebuild on older motors before installation. I've got the same plan in mind for the CA.

Sorry if I stepped on anyone's toes with the redtop comment in my first post.

[Jon00]

i know a few member here that have redtops and they are fine i ahve beening runing a redtop for a while and its still fine had no problems

HIPSI erin is the guy to talk to about this

[slowwrx]

Why would he want to stay away from a redtop. For that matter do you even know the diffrence, did you know that there is more than one version.

[HalfBaked]

I'd seen junk blacktops before.

It doesn't matter what color the valve cover is, if the motor has been trashed on it its been trashed on.

Redtops are just older and cheaper.

[xXnimbusXx]

I have an s14. I mean I just want a motor thats at least the same year as my car if not newer. I just wanted to know the difference between the s14 motor and the s13. Is the vtec shit worth getting or not?.. thanx for the advise though. but yea still let me know.

[sebastianHoff]

someone with a ca commenting on redtops, nice...

which motor you buy depends on how much cash you have, how comfortable you are working on cars, and who you know. redtops are older, cheaper, and relativley easier to find. the blacktop is no different from the redtop(mechanically), save some extra reinforcement in the head, although i have never seen someone crack an sr unless they were taking it off. blacktop is newer, figure an extra $150-$500 more than a redtop, and a little harder to find. the vvt motor is newest(i know the type x but for my purpose here its the newest), rediculosly expensive, and near impossible to find. the vvt and ball bearing turbo allow the motor to make more initial power than the s13 motors, but the initial cost is such that money spent on a vvt could have a solid s13 motor making more power.

if its gonna be a daily driver, buy the vvt. then buy a fuel computer, z32 mafs, fmic, and injectors and you should make around 280whp. add some cams and you might see 300whp, youd be the first though. this is the good part. the vvt is so much more expensive than the s13 motors that you could buy a redtop/blacktop, all the crap i just mentioned, and still not have spent the money you would have on the vvt.

[AFSil80]

I think it's safe to say that it's all dependant on how much YOU'RE willing to spend.

[xXnimbusXx]

ummm whao this tread wasnt suppose to be a battle between one another. But it was pretty interesting tho.

[EmotorsportsE]

It all depends on your budget and what you want to tell people you have, all of the JDM Nissan motors are fully capable of 300hp. What are your power goals, and how much is your budget? Each motor is gonna need bolt ons to see the power, CA will net you around 160 to the wheels, and SR20's 180, RB20's 190, RB25's 245, RB26's 300+, upgrade fuel and turbo on each motor and see 300+ easier. Or you can go KA-T, keep it under 12 psi with a t3/t4 on stock internals and you'll see 300hp, build it. and go up to 600.

What are your goals? and What's your budget, or do you just want to tell people you have an sr?

E

[silviadriftr]

I don't know much about the motor nor do I own it. so I'm doing all the research I can. I heard some people talking about the s13 red/black top sr versus the s14 black. I was wondering which one is really better. From my lack of knowledge the s14 has the vtec wannabe shit on it. Is that an advantage or a disadvantage?... and why?.... come on people I'm trying to learn.

To answer your question, from working with the s14vvti motor and the s13 redtop, in stock for the s14 vvti does produce more horsepower than the s13 red or black top. As long as you keep the stock cams you can keep the vvti. If you swap cams you will loose the vvti which will throw you in the same boat as the sr besides different porting on the head which allows the vvti head to flow more. My suggestion would be to decide what upgrades you are going to do before you decide on the motor. If upgrades include cams then either the s13 or s14 will be fine, just look for the best deal on the best condition motor. If you decide on the s13 you may want to look at the black tops just for lower mileage.

[sebastianHoff]

hks has been makin vvt cams for over 6months, that im aware of.

[silviadriftr]

hks has been makin vvt cams for over 6months, that im aware of.

HKS says they have gotten them produced yet. They are in production but so are other products that have never seen the market. Or at least that's what HKS told me yesterday

update:
HKS-USA says 6 months wait. still pending for development....

[slowwrx]

yeah good luck with hks, I cant even tell you how long I waited for solid lifters and step 3 cams.

I have since gotten some comp cams and another brand of solid lifter.

Matt

[silviadriftr]

yeah good luck with hks, I cant even tell you how long I waited for solid lifters and step 3 cams.

I have since gotten some comp cams and another brand of solid lifter.

Matt

Yeah, I heard about that. The same cams I run as backups.... Hks does stock the 264 and 256 step 1's but the step 2's and 3's are all special order. I run the 272 step 3's and waited 3 months for them to come in.

[PSINXS]

i got 272 step 2s and mine came promptly.

[silviadriftr]

i got 272 step 2s and mine came promptly.

You got them directly from HKS or a shop that stocks those cams like Enjuku or Greenline???????

[sebastianHoff]

he might be talkin about the regular cams. i have seen a few of the vvt cams pop up on egay, but they end up goin for like $200 more than the regular ones.

[silviadriftr]

he might be talkin about the regular cams. i have seen a few of the vvt cams pop up on egay, but they end up goin for like $200 more than the regular ones.

The only ones I have seen are the where they list that " will work with s14 vvt motors" ect... I could be wrong but I haven't run accross any that do so far.