SR20 vs RB26

[Papaboy]

I am just curious why so many people are choosing the sr20 vs. the rb26 (or other Nissan motors for that matter) I was just curious, is it just easier? cheaper? more easily obtained?

 

I was personally really leaning toward the rb26dett for its reliability, after market support, track record of insane power gains, and just shear monster-isms.

[MAG58]

I have a feeling that you can buy multiple SR's for the price of a single RB has something to do with it.

 

I could have an SR powered fleet of vehicles for the install cost of an RB26.

Edited June 13, 2010 by MAG58

[getoffmyinternet]

I was under the impression that the sr was the one with the aftermarket support. rb parts aren't as easy to find as they should be.

[jessejames]

I went with the sr cause it can give me the power I want with less weight.

[209runner]

I did an sr because it will get the power I'm looking for and the aftermarket support is there. The price for the aftermarket stuff is reasonable and there is a ton of parts available used if your willing to look for it. Plus there is alot of info and US market nissan parts that will fit and work if something were to break. But the RB26 does have the cool factor.

[Negligence]

The Rb26 is a heavier motor, but is capable of making a lot of power as well. But you need to consider the cost factor and the fact parts are much harder to come by. Also, you need to think about tuning. In the terms of the whole country, there are many more sr powered vehicles vs rb powered ones. Tuners rarely come by rb motor cars and are much more experienced in tuning for the sr20. If you are looking to make under 450hp, I think the sr20 is the more efficient route. But if you have the money, and want to be able to pop your hood and tell people you have a skyline power plant, go for it!

[kiwi303]

I was under the impression that the sr was the one with the aftermarket support. rb parts aren't as easy to find as they should be.

 

Thats only so in countries like the US where the RBs weren't used much. Here in NZ every other car you see at a drift track seems to be an RB powered Laurel, Cefiro or Skyline and there are LOTS of aftermarket producers of parts. I think there are more RBs than RWD SRs around here.

[stravi757]

A little off topic, but I was reading on some other forum, and the people who used the RB26 and the 2jz said that your better off using the 2jz for many reasons from availability of parts to power and performance. They said they have used both and in the end the 2jz was better overall except in that the Rb26 had forged pistons stock. They said that is the only big thing it really had on the 2jz.

[240Z_Master]

I am just curious why so many people are choosing the sr20 vs. the rb26 (or other Nissan motors for that matter) I was just curious, is it just easier? cheaper? more easily obtained?

 

I was personally really leaning toward the rb26dett for its reliability, after market support, track record of insane power gains, and just shear monster-isms.

 

Pick what you want here, theres pro's and con's to both, do your research. Don't forget with RB it's .5-.6 more liters of displacement and with 6 cylinders you get the torque. The initial cost of an RB26 is more expensive at the beginning (not by much in my opinion), but you also get more power out of the box than an SR. Look at the cost of bringing an SR20 to the power and torque of a stock RB and you would be surprised.

 

I have a feeling that you can buy multiple SR's for the price of a single RB has something to do with it.

 

I could have an SR powered fleet of vehicles for the install cost of an RB26.

 

I think this is a myth, I sourced my RB25DET complete for $2000, you just have to do your research and know what you're looking for and where to look.

 

I was under the impression that the sr was the one with the aftermarket support. rb parts aren't as easy to find as they should be.

 

RB Parts are easy to come by, so are SR for that matter. Anything imported is the same degree of difficulty of obtaining parts.

 

I did an sr because it will get the power I'm looking for and the aftermarket support is there. The price for the aftermarket stuff is reasonable and there is a ton of parts available used if your willing to look for it. Plus there is alot of info and US market nissan parts that will fit and work if something were to break. But the RB26 does have the cool factor.

 

A lot goes the same for RB parts availability in the US, I've just learned where to source and cross reference parts to help me find US based parts that work on the RB.

 

A little off topic, but I was reading on some other forum, and the people who used the RB26 and the 2jz said that your better off using the 2jz for many reasons from availability of parts to power and performance. They said they have used both and in the end the 2jz was better overall except in that the Rb26 had forged pistons stock. They said that is the only big thing it really had on the 2jz.

 

One advantage to a 2JZ in my opinion are three things, US based parts, 3.0L vs. 2.6L, and the fact that the turbo sits on the passenger side, not interfering with the steering linkages or the heat from the turbo messing with your brake booster area.

[patrickhove]

sr weighs 200# less and most parts can be found off a nissan sentra ser or 240sx. but overall if crazy hp is what you want get a 2jz

[240Z_Master]

202 HP SR, 250HP RB, 276HP 2JZ-GTE

[240zdan]

those numbers dont mean anything. i dynoed 310whp with a stock rb26 running 11 psi on a stock ecu

not trying to brag, but alot of the hp ratings are way off for these motors

Edited June 16, 2010 by 240zdan

[240Z_Master]

those numbers dont mean anything. i dynoed 310whp with a stock rb26 running 11 psi on a stock ecu

not trying to brag, but alot of the hp ratings are way off for these motors

 

The numbers are bone stock out of the factory etc... As I'm sure you weren't running the factory exhaust, factory cat, and all that stuff were you?

[240Z_Master]

The numbers are bone stock out of the factory etc... As I'm sure you weren't running the factory exhaust, factory cat, and all that stuff were you?

 

On a second note as well... factory RB26's (R32's and R33's) if I'm not mistaken their wastegates were set for 10 psi, and the GT-R's had boost restrictors of 1 bar from the factory as well.

[WizardBlack]

OP asked about SR20 versus RB26. SR20 is cheaper to modify, lighter, easier to find a tuner, cheaper to buy, cheap parts in abundance in USA, etc. RB has better potential, cool factor, and that's about it.

I paid less than 2000 for my RB25 swap, but that's irrelevant because the OP asked about RB26, not RB25.

Honestly, I personally think that 2JZ's end up with rather short powerbands with big turbos. RB's can spin a little better. I've owned a 2JZ with 6 speed. The powertrain is pretty stinking stout. At really high levels, RB owners sporting an RB25 trans will possibly wish they had a Getrag 6 speed. A 2JZ with 6 speed is rather pricey, however.

Some of it depends, of course, how far you might take the powertrain from stock and what you intend to do with the car.

[MAG58]

I think this is a myth, I sourced my RB25DET complete for $2000, you just have to do your research and know what you're looking for and where to look.

 

 

But what about when you look to beef it up? You've got to pony up for 2 more pistons, 2 more rods, 2 more holes bored/honed, 2 more injectors, if you get the cams reground or you buy new cams it will reflect that you're paying for 24 lobes of aftermarket as opposed to 8 lobes. I did a bunch of searching on this end and it's why I've got an odd-ball I6 instead of an odd-ball V8... Those costs add up quick.

[240Z_Master]

But what about when you look to beef it up? You've got to pony up for 2 more pistons, 2 more rods, 2 more holes bored/honed, 2 more injectors, if you get the cams reground or you buy new cams it will reflect that you're paying for 24 lobes of aftermarket as opposed to 8 lobes. I did a bunch of searching on this end and it's why I've got an odd-ball I6 instead of an odd-ball V8... Those costs add up quick.

 

It all depends on what your HP goals are... If you're going for more than 450 then yea you could replace all the fancy stuff... but the RB25/26 can handle a ton of power on the stock bottom end

[jessejames]

It really depends on what you want to use the car for. Is this daily driven? Track car? Drag car? Both engines are awesome. You cant go wrong either way. My goal was 350whp and less weight. I know the RB could do that almost stock. But it weighs 200lbs more than the SR20. Plus most parts have the RB tax. Try to figure out where you want to go and then figure out how to get there.

[Papaboy]

Cool, I guess I need to really take a step back and make some hard decisions about where I want this car to be at before I continue, as apposed to buying and engine first then trying to figure out what to do with it. (nub mistake)

 

This is my first Z car and this will be my first engine swap, so I have a lot to learn before I start throwing money at it. Thanks for the wake up call.

[240Z_Master]

Cool, I guess I need to really take a step back and make some hard decisions about where I want this car to be at before I continue, as apposed to buying and engine first then trying to figure out what to do with it. (nub mistake)

 

This is my first Z car and this will be my first engine swap, so I have a lot to learn before I start throwing money at it. Thanks for the wake up call.

 

Do a good tune up, drive it stock, and work on suspension/brakes/chassis/bushings... There's no point in doing a huge motor swap then realizing you can't stop, or you can't put power to the pavement