Such thing as a reliable SR20?

[StryfeS13]

Anything mechanical or electrical will fail. No matter what.

You don't need a Mazworx overpriced engine to have a reliable SR though.

[DJ 21o3]

Originally Posted by StryfeS13

Anything mechanical or electrical will fail. No matter what.

You don't need a Mazworx overpriced engine to have a reliable SR though.

You don't need one but my car will be a bit of a Functioning show car build...I am going to try and use some high quality parts (with in reason of course...) and having power that will be used....quite often.
There arnt many good shops in my area for a reliable engine build without going to Chicago and even then, i don't know of any that specialize in the SR20. Why gather parts for a shop when i could pay a little more for a painless process with a company that knows what they are doing.

Back on topic...yes there are reliable SR20's, but any engine pushing a lot of power can wear down fast. Use quality parts and your engine could surprise you.

[Croustibat]

You want a reliable 400/500HP, and are ready to pay a lot for it.

If you are not deep set on the engine, why no go V8 ? They fit, and meet your demands way more than an sr20 tbh. a 400/500HP sr20 (or any small displacement high boost engine for that matter) will always cost more in the long run and be less reliable than a big N/A .

[jorge1190]

^^^Do you own or have you owned a 400HP SR?

Hop off the bandwagon.

[AdamR]

Originally Posted by jorge1190

^^^Do you own or have you owned a 400HP SR?

Hop off the bandwagon.

LOL
Croustibat is one of the few people who post here regularly that knows what he is talking about. And me saying that isn't bandwagon jumping, it is reading what he posts.

[Croustibat]

Originally Posted by jorge1190

^^^Do you own or have you owned a 400HP SR?

Hop off the bandwagon.

I live in a place where 240sx are called 200sx. In this country, the oem engine of RS13 is a CA18DET, and the oem engine of S14 is a SR20DET.

I know these engines like the back of my hands, and i am no JDM tyte yo fanboi; i know what they can do, and their associated cost (in terms of $$$ and maintenance). I also know how gearboxes tend to die quickly with a 400+ HP SR20 (of course when it is used, not hard parked).

So yeah, i am saying an NA V8 would be a better choice for a 400/500HP engine in terms of weight distribution, ease of maintenance, and long term cost. The 2 competitive SR drifters i know get their engine fully stripped and rebuild once a year, and they dont use ultra high powered engines as they need ultra fast spool. This year they will be running a gtx2863r and a gtx2867r respectively, to break traction as soon as their can.
Their V8 competitors though ... they booked the shop for spark plugs and oil change. Once a year.

The initial cost might be higher, but the running cost is nowhere equal. And the torque delivery being quite linear, they are easier to drive too.

Their downsize is their low JDM tyte yo value though. So if the OP needs a special JDM only car, then a US V8 is not a good idea. Fortunately, nissan makes the VH and VK engines

[Mikester]

Originally Posted by StryfeS13

You don't need a Mazworx overpriced engine to have a reliable SR though.

^^True dat! What Mazworx does is fit the motor with proper, proven parts and send it back to you machined & assembled correctly. Anyone can do the same thing buying up good parts & having it done locally and save a lot of time & money- Depends on the shop or person(s) doing the work. Don't get me wrong, Mazworx engines are AWESOME; but with their name & labor comes a pretty hefty price tag.

Originally Posted by DJ 21o3

There arnt many good shops in my area for a reliable engine build without going to Chicago and even then, i don't know of any that specialize in the SR20.
Back on topic...yes there are reliable SR20's, but any engine pushing a lot of power can wear down fast. Use quality parts and your engine could surprise you.

Touge Factory, AMS... Both awesome with SR20's... in Chicago. AMS specializes in Nissans. My car is going to AMS for fine tuning sometime this year.

Originally Posted by jorge1190

^^^Do you own or have you owned a 400HP SR?

Yup.

Funny how these conversations come up here in the US. In Japan, 400-500+hp SR's are daily driven all week and beaten on every weekend. They have their fair share of issues, mostly fried trannies and half shafts... not engine-related. As far as reliability of the engine goes; regular oil changes/tune-ups, good fluids & good tuning, good tuning, good tuning is key.

Other than that- as previously stated, they need to be opened up and DRIVEN HARD once in a while.

[Croustibat]

Originally Posted by Mikester

^^True dat! What Mazworx does is fit the motor with proper, proven parts and send it back to you machined & assembled correctly. Anyone can do the same thing buying up good parts & having it done locally and save a lot of time & money- Depends on the shop or person(s) doing the work. Don't get me wrong, Mazworx engines are AWESOME; but with their name & labor comes a pretty hefty price tag.

I dont know about mazworkx, but i do know that "assembling the motor correctly with the right parts" leads to a disaster when it is not done by someone who knows its job.

I am not saying it is very hard, i am saying it is a tedious and long job that does not tolerate any error, meaning you need to check, check and check again everything you do.

Clearly not anyone can do it, have the patience to do it, or is willing to get underpaid to do a perfect job (50 hours, billed 30 most of the time). I admire the guys that run the tuning shop i go to, because they love their work and prefer customer satisfaction and a job well done to a full wallet.

And this is quite confirmed by the number of engines they get to rebuild. Even some "pro engine builders" send him work. When a supposedly capable pro sends an engine that died after it had been rebuilt and cant be bothered to find why, they do. The last time it happened, the "pro builder" installed crank bearings upside down. This covered crank bearing lubrication hole on #1 bearing. End result ? 700€ crank, + labor.

Everyone can assemble an engine just like anyone can perform heart surgery. It takes tools, knowledge, patience and a lot of tedious work ...

[Mikester]

Clearly not anyone can put a motor together properly. What I meant to say was that ANYBODY can do the research, buy up all the right parts and either have their engines assembled by reputable shops or do it themselves at less than Mazworx's price to do it all for them. The "correctly" part is definitely subject to the expertise of the person(s) doing the work=)

If there is ever is a need for a 'next time' for me, I will spend the money on Mazworx, Touge Factory or AMS's services.

[jr_ss]

Originally Posted by Mikester

Clearly not anyone can put a motor together properly. What I meant to say was that ANYBODY can do the research, buy up all the right parts and either have their engines assembled by reputable shops or do it themselves at less than Mazworx's price to do it all for them. The "correctly" part is definitely subject to the expertise of the person(s) doing the work=)

If there is ever is a need for a 'next time' for me, I will spend the money on Mazworx, Touge Factory or AMS's services.

Don't forget that the quality/shape of their machining tools plays a part as well. Most people that have common sense and quality tools to do the assembly can handle it. I sure as hell wouldn't take my engine pieces to be put together at a shop that's using harbor freight tools and run down machining equipment. I'd be better off installing everything in my garage.

[DJ 21o3]

Originally Posted by Mikester

Touge Factory, AMS... Both awesome with SR20's... in Chicago. AMS specializes in Nissans.

Thank you, saved me time searching. I won't be on to the engine until at least next winter so haven't look into that many shops quite yet.