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RB20 Reliable Build

ElPablo

By ElPablo,
in Engines & Forced Induction

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ElPablo Contributor

ElPablo

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Hello, I just got my first skyline here in Japan. I got an HR34 the has 70k kms on it, Rb20de neo.

I'm doing my timing belt and waterpump in a month or so. I've seen threads tackling this topic but haven't found a clear answer. 

My goal is to have a reliable 250-300hp build, I know it can be achieved a lot easier taking the turbo route. I really want it to stay NA but am also torn between going turbo. I haven't done anything for now. I just want to know what steps to take. 

 And no, I don't want to swap in an SR20, nor an Rb25.

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https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/480096-rb20-reliable-build/
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ElPablo Contributor

ElPablo

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4 hours ago, Ben C34 said:

holy shit. don't do a build and stay NA, especially if you are talking about staying with a 2.0

seriously man, that's a bad plan.

Thanks for the input. Is there much of a difference with regards to driving discipline when having a turbo and staying NA? 

Ben C34 Grand Master

Ben C34

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, ElPablo said:

Thanks for the input. Is there much of a difference with regards to driving discipline when having a turbo and staying NA? 

 

Turbos are reliable.

 

To imagine what an rb20de will be like with all the mods to make it as fast as possible (no nitrous or forced induction) think of your car now approx 20 percent quicker and your wallet a lot lighter. Pretty poor result.

 

ElPablo Contributor

ElPablo

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6 minutes ago, Ben C34 said:

 

Turbos are reliable.

 

To imagine what an rb20de will be like with all the mods to make it as fast as possible (no nitrous or forced induction) think of your car now approx 20 percent quicker and your wallet a lot lighter. Pretty poor result.

 

I see where you are coming from. That's why I'm torn between staying NA where I'd spend a lot and not produce desired result, and going the forced induction route where power is much attainable. 

Thank you again for you inputs, they are much appreciated. 

GTSBoy Grand Master

GTSBoy

Posted
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11 hours ago, ElPablo said:

Supercharger over turbocharger? 

I am also looking for reliability, it's my daily. 

Supercharger no less reliable than a turbo. Probably better.

But that's not the point. RB20 is a small engine with a tiny engine's torque. Put a big turbo on an RB20 to make big power and you have 5500 rpm of no torque followed by an instant rise to all the torque. Which is absolute shit for a street car. Absolute shit for anything except drag, really. A supercharger provides an instant capacity multiplier from idle on upwards. What's not to love?

PranK Grand Master

PranK

Posted
Posted

:welcome:

The car looks super clean - any more pics?

If you love the car and can live with it being less-than-brisk then do that. Maintain it and treat it well, just don't expect to get anything out of it if you modify it.

When you're ready, either swap the donk for a turbo RB25 or just save some money and sell it for a GTT.

I think a lot of people in this topic (myself included) have either themselves wasted a crap load of money on cars that shouldn't have been modified ( ✋) or have witnessed others making that mistake.

Good luck!

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ElPablo Contributor

ElPablo

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On 07/04/2020 at 1:29 PM, PranK said:

:welcome:

The car looks super clean - any more pics?

If you love the car and can live with it being less-than-brisk then do that. Maintain it and treat it well, just don't expect to get anything out of it if you modify it.

When you're ready, either swap the donk for a turbo RB25 or just save some money and sell it for a GTT.

I think a lot of people in this topic (myself included) have either themselves wasted a crap load of money on cars that shouldn't have been modified ( ✋) or have witnessed others making that mistake.

Good luck!

Thank you! I really dont plan on selling it, i do appreciate it your opinion. But swapping isn't really an option as of now. I just want to make the most out of my rb20. 

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GTSBoy Grand Master

GTSBoy

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, ElPablo said:

I just want to make the most out of my rb20

NOS. Two of the big ones.

In al seriousness, an NA RB20 is is no way a performance engine. Transplant it into a lightweight 60s or 70s car and it would be good fun. Get it as the turbo version and it is OK, but still never going to set the world alight. When an RB25DET is equally as easy to get, and makes life 100% nicer, the RB20 makes no sense.

So you should either just do nothing to it at all, budget $10k for a full house 10000rpm build (that will only make 300HP anyway and only run from 4000rpm up), add a turbo or blower to it, or budget on outright replacement with an RB25DET. None of these really make sense, when you can go buy an actual turbo Skyline right now.

ElPablo Contributor

ElPablo

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28 minutes ago, GTSBoy said:

NOS. Two of the big ones.

In al seriousness, an NA RB20 is is no way a performance engine. Transplant it into a lightweight 60s or 70s car and it would be good fun. Get it as the turbo version and it is OK, but still never going to set the world alight. When an RB25DET is equally as easy to get, and makes life 100% nicer, the RB20 makes no sense.

So you should either just do nothing to it at all, budget $10k for a full house 10000rpm build (that will only make 300HP anyway and only run from 4000rpm up), add a turbo or blower to it, or budget on outright replacement with an RB25DET. None of these really make sense, when you can go buy an actual turbo Skyline right now.

I just want to work my way to my goal bro. I know you are trying to help with all these "engine swapping is a better option", but I really want to do something with my rb20. I know swapping in an RB25 will make it a lot easier which I could've done if I was going to buy the ER34 for the same price with three times milage on it but I bought this HR34, and I just want to produce a sub 300hp daily. I think rb20s are overlooked gems. I'm not aiming for 600ps or anything crazy. I'd be happy if I produce 250whp. 

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