the SR20DET can do 350hp on stock internals.
altho i've heard ppl pulling 400hp out of stock internals. <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>
and i think the CA18 can whip out 400hp stock?
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the only reason why both engines 'take the same amount of money to mod to get the same amount of hp' is that:
(1) you have to buy the SR20 which is already prepped up for u...
(2) whereas u have to rebuild the KA24's internals
(3) SR20s are in demand thus they are expensive.. couple years back they only ran for 2000-4000 a piece
depending on quality. now they run 3000-6000....
(this is all being based in CDN dollars...)