Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

I have just bought a fairly stock 1989 r32 and have a few grand spare to either get a rb25 conversion or to just make my car pretty..(e.g wheels,bodykit) At the moment it has the typical mods, AVO front mount, BOV, r33 turbo,

A friend of a friend offered to install an rb25 for $2500 (is this cheap??) I am not very mechanically minded so my main concern is whether i need to spend more money on upgrading other components to with stand the new engine.???

Secondly, is it really going to make much difference in power..Or am i better off spending $2500 on other mods.

If the power difference is not that noticable then i would prefer to make the car look a bit prettier first.

If anyone has any advice that would be ace.....i have tried for hours on the forums and found similar topics but nothing with the answers im looking for...

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/114144-rb25-into-an-r32/
Share on other sites

Ok first things first...Predator on this forum is going through this now, So I would shhot him a PM about the costs ect

I have a R32 with RB25 and R33 gearbox that makes just over 200rwkw....and I have gotta say it is awesome!!! I have owned a r33 aswell and I could not beleive how good the rb25 is in a lighter car...the good news is you will be able to swap most of the mods you already have over to the rb25 so you wont have to have a stock rb25 either!!!

So yeah the conversion is really worth it in my opinion

i got a 32 imported from japan that has a rb25 in it, its my 3rd r32 and the first ive owned with an rb25 and mate the power difference is unreal, but i think the best thing about having the rb25 is the potential u have to make big power over the rb20. if i was choosing looks or power id definitely be going the rb25 over a new set of wheels. just depends how much u like your rice :laugh:

$2500 is cheap considering you will need obviously an engine, modified loom and a new ECU, the engine will need to come with injectors AFM etc. Then you have to worry about the additional torque that the RB25 makes and what effect it may have on thegearbox. Some ppl get lucky and have gearboxes that hold together at higher power and torque levels, others prove delicate and break just driving normally. Also check with local vehicle registry to ensure the transplant is legal, as you will need to chnage the engine details on your rego and may be pulled up if they pick it is a larger displacement engine...which depending who you are insured with may also have its share of problems. Seems to be a good upgrade though if you can get a healthy engine installed for so little an outlay.

spend the money on the performance.. visual mods just attract attention and in the end don't make a better driving experience.

$2500 is not bad price if that includes the engine? the swap itself is easy and the guts of it can be done in a weekend.

mine's taken longer, as I've converted mine to manual and just fixing or replacing the smaller things, tracking down those missing hoses, etc to make sure the engine will be reliable with hard use... and the fact I am working out the wiring very slowly :laugh:

you can also realise some of the benefits on an rb25.. replacement parts easier to track down as r33 everywhere, tuners more familiar with rb25's, rb25 powerfc cheaper, certain parts are no longer made for rb20, etc later on down the track.

I'm going to write a full guide with photos, etc when mine is done..

If the 2500 includes the engine, then do it.

If your mate is charging you 2500 for the install only then punch him in the chops.

I installed my own and including the cost of the engine had it installed, wired and running a new timing belt and water pump for about 2500 all up. I still run the rb20 box.

If i were you, i'd consider spending money on suspension and tyres at this point as you already have a fairly nice setup that only really needs an ecu upgrade to give a nice responsive 190rwkw. A stock r33 engine will put you back to the exact same point you are at now with only a bit of bottom end poke added

yeah, bhdave has a point.. little point doing the swap unless you have everything at a suitable standard. No point running an rb25 with everything else totally stock.

even though I had my rb25 sitting there for a while, it wasn't until I had the full exhaust system, intercooler, some suspension, slightly larger turbo and brake mods in place to bother doing it.

Thanks guys, i really appreciate your comments...

For now i think im gonna stick with the rb20 and improve it.....

Until (if) the motor actually decides to shit itself, then i will think about the conversion cause it's probably not worth fixing somethinmg that aint broke....

Cheers...

P.S still open to any other suggestions that may change my mind!!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • The German place in Cabramatta was rock solid, fresh pretzel cooked to order back then. Then it went all quiet, after all the poker machines were removed, then I believe it closed for good. I did drive past the other week and noticed outdoor lighting a big screen, but no idea what is there now.  
    • Yeah I suspect even if you hold airmass per cycle/cylinder constant if you get too far away from stock you're still going to have problems running the factory tune within the bounds of the factory load scale. Cams, different displacement/rod ratio, etc. I'm just lucky that the GTIII-SS with wastegate boost + CA compliance cats is pretty much equivalent to stock turbos. When I have actual space I can finally get it tuned and modify the fuel system for flex fuel to 100% handle any detonation concerns when cranking the boost to whatever those dinky turbos can put out.
    • I would say no, why, because my daughter, who also lives in Goulburn, hasn't recommended us going there Pity, as we miss all the German joints around in Sydney, actually, the restaurants are the only thing I really miss about Sydney, and a special mention to Ishibanboshi at Bondi Junction, their Kara-age Don is heart cloggingly deliciousness (always added a special boiled egg...or 2) 😋 
    • Does that German restaurant still exist in the old place out the NW end of Goulburn? When I say "out the NW end of"...I am really being vague. It was 1997 when I was last there, and the only point of reference I can recall is that it was on the opposite side of the main drag from the big merino. And when I say "opposite side of the main drag", I don't mean "on the main drag". It was either a couple of streets back from there, or might have even been out in the sticks a bit further. Was an old farm building or mill or somesuch. And when I say "the big merino" I might actually be thinking of a completely different part of town, because I just looked on maps and the big bugger is not where I remembered him to be! The food was good, consisting largely of various German mystery-meat sausage/loaf things and kartofflen.
    • So while the second sentence is completely correct and the whole point of the conversation, the first sentence bears consideration. If this bloke is just hoping to throw big turbos on and drive it around, because there are no helpful facilities at all in his tropical paradise** then he likely has zero chance of even knowing what the TP is on the last column in the stock maps, let alone know whether the ECU is operating anywhere near it or past it. So the point is very very moot. And, per what I said before, at stock boost on those turbos, you may well be off the end of the map. **I'm just back from Vanuatu, so I know exactly what small Pacific nations can be like wrt paradise without requisite facilities. But it's not even that simple. I put a high flow on my car and had to drive it around without a proper tune because of the lack of opportunity*** to put the bigger AFM and injectors into it to allow it to be tuned. I had to turn the boost down to less than I had before, and back off the boost controller's ramp, because it was exploring parts of the map that it didn't drive in before, and really couldn't access for tuning on the dyno either, and so was pinging. It was still well within the last column, because when I first**** set up the Nistune on the Neo I rescaled all axes of the maps to give some more space to explore. ***Family dyno was broken ****This was 13 years ago, and the TIM thing wasn't a thing then and so TP would definitely grow when pushing past the stock tune's limits.
×
×
  • Create New...