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rb26 in a 180? Need answers


SKYL9
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Heavier engine up front can be fixed with susp tuning, and as for too much power for a rwd chassis, again its all in the susp setup.  

Drift cars are set up so they dont get traction. I also think a 250rwkw RB26 is going to be easier to control then a 250rwkw SR20 simply due to the power delivery being a lot more linear.

He also meantioned use for drag racing now wheres the point if you cant gain full grip until u get to 3rd gear?

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SKYL9 - I have a few friends who have completed RB conversions (from the humble RB20 to an RB26 with twin 2530's) into sil's and 180's.... Get in touch if you need any advice / assistance....

PS: I know of several ceffy's sil's 180's for sale, and we also have a 33 GTR half cut on the way from Japland :P

Doc.

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Theories about 'no traction' seem pretty clumsy. Obviously if you leave suspension and wheel configuration standard you will invariably encounter traction issues.

Good suspension setup and wheel chocie as with ANY performance/modified vehicle is crucial for traction.

Just look at the sub 10secs Rx2's and Rx3's (very light chassis cars) running on street tyres.....it's all about setup.

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  • 5 months later...

yeh dude traction is all about the suspension setup and a good set of tyres really helps aswell.

want a fun project why not drop something like an SR20DET into a Mirage or little civic or something really light, wouldnt have a farking clue if it would fit or even work but that would b kinda cool :) lol

i have heard somr really bad things about rb26 in 180's, apparently they lose heeps or handeling cause of the weight.

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not true...

i have a RB25 in my silvia - may not be as heavy as the 26 but its heavier than the ca/sr...

but i find i havnt lost as much handling as people claim they do... the only suspension mod i have is a set of Tien HR's.... my car drifted find on the Collie drift day here a few weeks ago.

u can notice the weiht difference - but it honestly doesnt effect driving patterns to a great degree.... i havnt understeered once nor have i have a problem with braking hard with my R32 GTST type M calipers and discs..

.. the only way to find out for your self is to go for a ride with someone that has this done already and then you can judge for urself :)

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the rb25 tranny will mate up to the RB26DETT, to swap the engine.. swap crossmembers replace it with the Rxx crossmember, you mostly likly be able to use the stock rb26dett downpipes, then the wiring is goin to be a nightmare... you ofcourse goin to need to get a driveshaft made

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you might not be able to use the standard pipes.. because you need a custom manifold to sit the turbos a bit forward more to enable them (and the rb26) to fit.. hope i didnt confuse anyone - lol

RB25 tranny does mate with the RB26 - however.. with the fitting of my rb25 gbox we used a SR20 auto gearbox crossmember with a custom mount for the xmember to rest on..

i have some pics on my pc on how mine is set out - will post them later

cheers

BRAD

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if you want to do the swap in the 180 (which is prettymuch the same as the us spec 240sx) its prettymuch the same as an rb25 swap. I am doing an rb25det swap into my 240sx over in the u.s. and its not really that hard. Im sure you can find some things of reference on the 240sxforums.com rb section theres a few good faqs there. You are going to need a custom driveshaft made and the wirings a little bit of work but the end result is fun :-) You can use the crossmembers off the skyline if you redrill them but its HIGHLY recommended you use custom mounts. you will need the rb25det gearbox which bolts up perfectly and has been done several times before. I dont know how it will be affected with a rhd car if you hit anything but in the lhd car swap we hit the steering shaft with the stock twins. You may need the downpipe section of your exhaust done custom which isnt expensive anyways. Theres plenty on this subject out there just do some searching on lots of forums...

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I'd personally suggest going an rb25 in it. Much less hassle and i believe it's a much easier conversion. Rb25 front cuts are more readily available also. I've done an rb20det conversion and it was alright, but not worth the pain in my personal opinion. Unless you want pure drag or drift and less streetable then go for it, but otherwise just play with the engine it came out with. I reckon u can get similar results out of the rb25 with the money you save from buying a rb26. You still have to get a rb25 gearbox remember which is about 1400 bucks on top if you get the rb26 front cut.

Just a few suggestions.

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I have a RB25 180sx and the dry weight was 1245. A standard SR 180sx is around 1200 I believe. Add to this I have 18"s then this whole 'wreaks handling' arguement is way overdone! I'd suggest you wont notice any difference unless you are on a fast race track. As for the weight balance question in general, there are plenty of front wheelers out there that handle with the best of them despite 65/35 distribution. As people have mentioned, it's all about correct setup.

Anyway why not consider somthing different such as a 1jz? I'm actually selling my RB25 180 to do just that. Starting with a NA silvia chassis then adding a TT model 1jz, w58 manual gearbox and the icing on the cake, a Blitz k26 turbo kit from Japan, plus alot more goddies. You can get a 1jz halfcut (auto) for $2000-$2500. The 1jz is highly underrated, I suggest just as durable bottom end (300rwkw+) as the rb26 but maybe not as efficient topend (cam's, intake etc) in standard trim. Stll you can have four 1jz engines for the price of one rb26......

'Nistoy' cooming soon :)

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maxim i was interested in that. I heard you had to modify the trans tunnel though or the firewall and this made me a little hesitant.

I have on my onevia with rb20det, 18's, Tein HR's and front and rear strut braces. I found the strut brace really made up for the heavier engine. The rb is great for drifting, i get minimum understeer so its fantastic in that regard. I have a few friends who do some track racing. In the wet weather against a whole lot of other s13's, an rb25 powered silvia had the best time round the track. In the wet.

Anyways the handling effect isn't too bad, and i would go to the extent to say it's a benefit if the car is being used for drifting as it eliminates some understeer.

Turbo tits is right too. Rb25 box bolts to rb26. To do a 4wd conversion to an s13 would be a very big task and i haven't seen it done yet.

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AWD S13 would have to regraph the whole front half of the car to accomodate for the drive shafts - and to get that all permitted and legalised would require an engineer - and to do the task would be like tens of thousands!!!

Mase.... i dont have struts on mine - and i feel the handling is perfect for me... althought i'm going to hunt down some struts this weekend because you can never get enough handling :)

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