I have a 96 I30, with about a little over 100k on it, im planning on getting a new engine (1 with as least ammount of miles on it as possible) i was talkin to my friends today at school, and they said, i could fit the sr20det engine into the I30. i told them it wont work, and they tried to assure me that it would.
would it work?
if something other than a max/i30 engine can be put in, which 1 is best? without going hella crazy on money.

i mean what should i do, i want a fresher engine so i can put a nice turbo or s/c on my I. btw which is better for the I.. the turbo or s/c?

 

The ONLY reason why I think a SR20DET would be possible is because it did come in the form of a FWD powertrain in some cars. Now, that said, I'm sure wiring, mounting it in the engine bay, and everything else common to an engine swap would be a real PITA, seeing as (I think, at least) this specific swap has never been done before.

Might be easier/cheaper to turbocharge the current motor you have. Maybe still cheaper to get a lower mileage engine the same as you have and TC...but then again...I don't know for sure.

 

I am no Nissan engine expert, but I don't think there is any way(reasonable way) a SR20 is going to bolt into your I. Were talking two completely different engines. The whole drive train would have to be changed as well.
When your friends say "fit", yhea, it may fit in the engine bay, but that is about it.

why are you so concerned about a 100k miles on a VQ engine? If it has been well maintained it's got twice that many miles left in it.

As far as forced induction, just get a compression test and if things look good you should be fine going with a super or turbo charger. Just make sure you do all necessary safetly mods that go along with forced induction. The turbo kits that have came out lately show much better HP per PSI than the SC. Turbo is gonna cost at least $4k, while you can get into a used V1 or V2 for less than $3k.
There is a turbo VQ putting down 400+ hp at the wheels on stock internals, so don't doubt the VQ.

 

im saying i wanna get a new engine, simply because of the fact that i raced a new acura tl 3.2 type-s and i mean i beat it off the line and got a good car and a half lead on it, then got smoked, because my little I that culd.. had no juice behind it to push it.
So i figured getting a fresher engine, wuld allow me to pump more power thru later gears and higher rpms without going with a turbo or s/c.
ive also heard about (not sure of what its called) but re-doin it, if u follow me.. re-build it basically. about how much wuld that cost and wuld that be better than swaping engines.
do the later model I's come stock with more HP or is it jsut a figment of my imagination.

 

What are your performance mods? Are you a auto, I can't remember? A new 3.2 type S is not exactly a slow car.
just get an MEVI and JWT ECU and go find that acura again.

Why do you think something is wrong with your engine? Just because you lost a race you want to replace it or re-build it?? Your not making a whole lot of sense.

 

i never make a lot of sense, lol.
i do run auto, but shuld i change that to a 5speed, or does it matter what i haev to run a charger on my engine.
as of now my only performance parts are the cefiro 1 pieces, lol. im trying to finish my sound system which is a killer: jl audio 13.5w7 powerd by a 1000/1 jl amp, (2) 300/2 jl amps, boston zoustic z6 speakers, 15farad cap. im planning to be adding another 13.5w7 and 1000/1 amp in the near future, also im waiting to get a body kit along with a spoiler. sorry I carried OT.
BUT anyways, ive thought about it, and engines do get tired and slow down over a period of time. so i always thought fresher the engine the better off i would be.
but re-building it, would restore the engine and make it like new again. i feel satisfied knowing the engine im going to throw a charger on is either re-built or an almost new. its just how i feel on that.

 

So you have a stock auto with 18" wheels and probably a hundred pounds of stereo equipment. What did you expect when racing a 3.2CL type S? Of course you got your **** handed to you.

Your theory of a newer engine does not hold water. The fastest 4th gen max is running 13.9's with a 140K miles. You may just need a tune-up. If your engine is not leaking oil and it's compression ratio is fine then leave it alone.

If I were you I would get a tune-up, all the bolt-on performance mods, a VB upgrade and then see if you want to go faster.

 

With the SR20DET swap (have fun swapping a RWD engine/tranny into a FWD car, LOL) you will now have TURBO LAG and instead of a very torquey 3.0L V-6 pulling you off the line, you'll have an unboosted 4-cyl that probably doesn't have anything more than about 100-110 lb-ft of torque off boost. It would pickup nice, but by then the Type-S would only be about 40 cars in front of you


If you want to make your I30 fast, here are some options, none of which involves an engine swap. The VQ is one of the best engines in the world, and it's proven to be VERY sturdy, durable, and reliable, so I have no clue why you would want to swap it out for a lesser engine.


1) Dump all the heavy stereo equipment.
2) Dump the heavy 18" rims and go with some lighter 16/17" rims.
3) Do the VB mod on your auto and install NA mods (I/Y/E) (even with a Type-S)
4) #3 + supercharger (will smoke a Type-S)
5) Stay NA and do a 5spd conversion (as fast as #3)
6) #5 + I/Y/E mods (will smoke a type-S)
7) #6 + supercharger (will run 13's and smoke Mustang GT's)


A completely stock 4G Maxima 5spd can stay right with a Type-S through the 1/4 mile. And with a mod or two it'll stay right with one on the highway also. A fully NA modded 4G automagic will also run right with a Type-S through the 1/4 mile.


The two biggest factors for speed are the power you have at the wheels, and the weight of your car. Any time you increase your power and/or reduce your weight, your car will be faster. Right now your car is slower than a stock Maxima thanks to the 18" rims (more inertial resistance to acceleration) and all of the stereo equipment. A stock Accord V6 or Camry V6 could probably lay the smack down on you

 

lol true true. i dont feel like taking out my system tho, cuz well 1 it must weigh anywhere from 150lbs to close to 250 with my new box coming up. the 18's on my ride, now.. as a funny part, weigh less than the stock 15's that came with the car. i prob dropped 20lbs.

so the s/c is better for the I than a turbo? is that what im getting towards? i would convert to a 5spd but for parts and a conversion the labor and all, will prob cost me close to 3g's. i dont have that type of money unless i stumble upon it walkin down the street.

as far as the new engine, you have convinced me to stay with mine saves me some cash. btw 1 question, whats the VB mod, ive heard about it, but what exactly does it do? is it like the VI?

I like speed, but i doubt i will have a fully tuned-monster on my hands to go whoop sum *** on tracks. so basically i want a fast car, that looks and sounds good.

So which mods do u think i shuld go with, like all engine mods without doing internals (or wuld i have to do them, b/c of the charger) also, which is better for me..going with the T3/T4 turbo or a v2 s/c.. im a daily driver, but when i get pushed towards it, i wanna "lay the smack down" on sum of my friends and make them shat in their pants

 

If someone is making 400+hp on stock internals, you think you will need to do anything to yours?

Sounds to me like...
1. You need to spend some time in the forced induction forum
2. You need to spend time using the ever popular search button....loads of info there too.

 

You must have some hella light 18's if they're lighter than your 15in wheel/tire combo weight. But you're still going to be slower. You have much more weight at the outside now, which creates a higher moment of inertia and is still much more difficult for the engine to accelerate than the same weight wheel/tire with only a 15" diameter.

If you don't have 3G's for a 5spd conversion then you won't have 3g's for an SC or Turbo.

VB mod is a "valvebody" modification to your auto tranny which retunes it for fast/firm shifts instead of slow/smooth/lux shifts.

Then get yourself all the bolt-on mods. Intake, Y-pipe, UDP, exhaust maybe. Search for those items. That will give you pretty decent performance but you're still not gonna have much of a chance against a Type-S because of all the stereo equipment and the 18's.

Think about who you're trying to beat first and what sort of performance you're looking for. You don't just "slap on a turbo" on this car.


Another option is N20. Cheap/temporary power on a budget

 

I was just asking.

yeah searches are good if you know what u want. im trying to get ideas on what i should do/get, b/c i dont know what will work. now that i know what i need, i will do searches

i do have the money for a turbo or s/c but not for the 5spd conversion.

well i just need sum more performance, as im not happy with the 190hp i have stock +im lookin to throw in about a 100shot of nitrous.

 

I am not busting your nuts, just pointing out the answer to your question. Seriously, for these types of questions, try the FI forum. They know their stuff. Also try www.turbomaxima.com or whatever it is.

 

So then do one or the other. If you go FI, I'd get the SC since a lot more people have it and have experience with it if you need help. Turbo's are much more custom. From what I understand, the guys doing the turbos have done much of the work themselves, whereas the SC is a "bolt-on" kit.

Personally, I'd do the 5spd conversion. The Maxima is seriously a different car with the 5spd. You go from extremely tall/conservative auto gearing to very short/aggressive manual gearing. You pickup around a FULL SECOND on your 1/4 mile times just from a 5spd swap, all why staying NA and not having a single mod and not pushing the engine anymore than stock.


Why don't you just start with the basic bolt-on's an go from there. Or think about trading in your car for something else. How fast do you want to go? Plus with just spray, you'll only be fast when spraying. You'll be much slower the rest of the time.

A 5spd is fast all the time.
An auto with bolt-on's is fast all the time.
An S/C with bolt-on's will be fast all the time.

 

I would consider this advice. If all you want is straight line speed, look at trading in your car + the $3k you've got for forced induction and put it toward something like a 98 Camaro Z28. That'll give you straight-line speed without much effort.

 

yea, but i like the idea of rolling in luxury while, sporty cars have less passenger room. im not looking to be a world class contestant with speed, i just want a lil more something then what i have now. im not looking to break 10's. i also like the feeling that i haev sum power under my hood. it just feels better.

plus the most important thing to know is that. luxury is a great thing to have, while maybe adding sum power to it is even better.

 

The way you want your Maxima to move, you are looking at about $4-5k in mods. So your choices are...

a) Mod the crap out of your Maxima...err I30.
b) Save the money for a faster car (98/99 Lexus GS400 for example )



Sorry, I keep referring to the I30 as a Maxima, but you know what I mean. hehe

 

Of course the SR20DET would fit in your engine bay. Its a 2L I-4.
Also there were FWD versions of the SR20DE... Look at the Nissan 200SX SE-R. Thats FWD car. But honestly, I think that the grea ratios from a 200SX Tranny wouldnt push your car.