Silvia Upgraded

Remember Munz’s Silvia S14? He’s still driving (or drifting) around in it, but this time with a Skyline R33 engine.

He had initially set his mind on upgrading to an S14 turbo engine (SR20DET from SR20DE). But the turbo unit that he was about to purchase was grabbed by someone else. SR20DETs are not easy to come by in Malaysia. So one thing led to another and he became the proud owner of a half-cut RB25DET.

Interestingly enough, the RB25DET is in fact cheaper than the SR20DET – RM5,500 for the former, compared to RM7,000 for the latter.

The astute reader might be wondering why my erstwhile friend didn’t just tack on a turbocharger to his existing SR20DE. The answer is that the cost of adding a T to an SR20DE is about the same as that of a half-cut SR20DET.

Factfile

• The engine of the Skyline R33 comes in two basic varieties – RB25DET and RB26DETT. (There is also the RB28DETT but that’s a limited edition).
• The RB25DET is single turbo, it comes with the RWD GT-S.
• The RB26DETT is twin turbo, it comes with the AWD GT-R.
• Both the RB25DET and the RB26DETT are 6-cylinders inline.
• The RB26DETT produces about 30 bhp more than the RB25DET.
• Munz has not heard of anyone else planting in an RB26DET into an S14 in Malaysia, although this combination is quite common overseas.

I was surprised to learn that it’s super-easy to replace the SR20DE with the RB25DET. No extra mounting points are needed, and apparently the RB25DET slots into the S14 just like Lego. I take my hat off to Nissan for this.

But then it is said that swapping an SR20DE for a RB26DETT is not as straightforward. Fair enough; I suppose it wouldn’t be easy to take something designed for AWD and to shoehorn it into an RWD layout.

The Verdict

A match made in heaven. In theory the RB25DET S14 should go even faster than the Skyline R33 itself. The chassis of the S14 can definitely take the RB, unlike, say, putting in an Evo engine into a Satria 1.3. The added weight (supposedly an extra 70 kg) shouldn’t affect handling much, as gearboxes of RWD cars are behind the front axle, and it is the gearbox that contributes a lot of the weight. Driving on the highway, what used to be a jittery ride is now the feeling of being firmly planted. The only downside is a slightly heaver sensation when turning the steering, which means an altered driving style.

The Numbers

Munz used to own a Satria 4G63T and I clocked it at 4.5 seconds for a 0-100 km/h sprint. (It was definitely a lot of fun). Will the RB25DET S14 do better? Maybe, maybe not; it all boils down to power-to-weight ratio. The body of the S14 might be a lot heavier than that of the Satria, canceling out its extra horsepower. I look forward to another clocking session.

15 January 2009 | Cars | Comments