There are crap cars with great engines (Grand Cherokee SRT8 with the Chrysler 6.1L Hemi) and great cars with crap engines (Wrangler). I’m not sure which combo I despise most. What’s the worst car-engine combination?
Going back in time to the cruising 1990s, Nissan offered a car most of us would purport to like: hatchback/fastback, RWD, small, cheap and equipped with a powerful little four-banger under the hood. It was perfect… except I lied about the “powerful little four-banger” part. Through its two generations, the US-Spec 240SX featured a four-cylinder engine designed for use in small trucks and not cars. Though tough, the engine was never truly up to the task of powering a sporty RWD coupe, which is why most cherished 240SXs on the road have some form of used Nissan engine dubbed the “SR20DET” conversion.
The SR20DET is a turbocharged and intercooled version of the SR20DE
Here are some basic SR20DET specs showing the differences between the S13, S14 and S15 engines. There have been basically 3 generations of the SR20DET.
* Displacement: 1998cc (2.0 liter)
* Cam Type: DOHC 16 valve, chain driven cam sprockets
* Bore & Stroke 86mm x 86mm
* Compression: 8.5:1
* Horsepower: 205ps @ 6000rpm
* Torque: 203 ft/lbs @ 4000rpm
* Stock Boost: 7 psi
* Throttle Body Bore: 60mm
* Injector Size: 370cc/min
* Turbo Specs:
* Compressor: T-25, 60 trim 56mm BCI-1 compressor.
* Turbine: T-25, 62 trim 53.8mm 0.64 A/R turbine housing.
* Center Section: Journal bearings
* Performance:
The stock turbo will be safe to 13-15 psi. After that, the turbo is past its efficiency range, and power increases will reach the point of diminishing returns and are not worth the risk of turbo damage. The engine should produce 230-250 RWHP at safe boost.
Which one is better, it doesn’t really matter, especially since this is a popular engine to use as a swap out to upgrade your SX or Silva. There are plenty of good swap engine kits available. Just do a Google search.
Purchasing an engine for any car has never been easier. I have done the footwork already, after much research it is very evident that the men at GotEngines.com have an unbelievable supply of all forms of replacement engines. What ever choice you make, trust me, every engine that leaves the facility is pre-tested and appropriately crated for your convenience. You will also receive your Nissan replacement engine for sale without delay, knowing how much you need your car.
