so im coming from the world of hondas and i currently have a '94 integra GS-R. im not too familiar with SCs or toyotas in general. i have some knowledge on Nissans (SR20s and KA-Ts) but mostly i have a vast amount of knowledge on hondas (b16s, b18s, turbo hondas, etc.)

im currently on honda-tech.com which i understand has a lot bigger of a community. ive been searching through these forums a few hours yesterday and today but i still have a few unanswered questions.

im looking to get an SC300 5spd which at the time there are 2 being sold locally. is there black interior? both of the ones local are tan and im not too big a fan of it. it seems that even if i switch over to the SC my gsr will probably still be a bit quicker. im looking for 350-400whp daily driven out of the SC and for now im set on going NA-T. im pretty informed on how to turbocharge hondas and im thinking the concept is relatively the same here. since the SC share the same block as an n/a supra i was wondering if i could use a stock turbo supra manifold? or is there another suggestion on something thats not too pricey since 350-400whp should be easily achievable on this motor.

im not too sure what turbos these motors will respond too best either. generally from hondas we use T3/T04e turbos for budget setups or we could step up to SC34s, SC61, etc. or with enough money we can go for GT28s and GT30s. with a bigger motor here im sure the spool time should be much faster (5krpm in a gsr for full boost in an SC61) which is another reason im looking into an SC300. mainly i wanted a rwd car that has some aftermarket support, fun, nice, reliable, with a theft rate that isnt quite so high.

i know turbocharging a honda RELIABLY costs around $3k max for a decent setup and thatll put around 300whp with stock internals. ive seemed to notice also that the SC300 is not nearly as light as any honda so im thinking that even with 400whp that 300whp hondas would give me a run. so around how much would it cost to put in the 400whp range? im probably never going to aim for 550whp+ so just something fun thatll put me to 400whp would be great.

if i decide not to boost than i might just do intake, header, exhaust, clutch, and flywheel which i hopefully want to break mid 14s with that at least. i know a good header is extremely important so what header for the SC300 is decent? and also does a dual or single exhaust give more performance? ive always thought the single would but i see some people run duals. and around how much whp would bolt-ons give me?

im debating on the SC300 or a 240SX for my next car. help me pick!!! sorry for the long post but i just couldnt find direct answers to my questions.

 

In the same boat. Coming from another H-T member, get the Lexus. I'm not sure what times a 450whp SC will run in the 1/4, but it'll be much less $$$ than a Honda and MUCH nicer (TORQUE!).

The black interior is available, as I'm currently looking at a red on black 5-speed.

Over at Club NA-T, one of the vendors has a $1300 turbo kit that's should meet your goals. This will be the route that I take unless I find a hell of a deal on a GTE.

edit:

Link to the NA-T sale http://www.clubna-t.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2037

 

its a whole different world trust me. and be prepared to spend alot more money on aftermarket parts. best bet is to search and read up on supraforums also thats what i've been doing since i've got my car.

 

i did the same thing man...I have been in the honda world for years, and am still on honda-tech daily. It is probably the best switch you can make. I went a little bit more extreme with my sc than you plan to (single 1j swap), but an NA-T will suit your needs just fine. Be prepared to swap head gaskets, the stock compression is a bit high for the 400hp mark. XS POWER sells a na-T kit cheap, and its surprisingly good. It will prolly cost you around 4k total to hit your mark of 400hp. Good luck, I'm sure u'll enjoy the switch as much as i do.

 

isnt XS Power pretty much the same thing as ssautochrome? i heard they suck but if things have been proven to go well than it sounds like a great deal

 

yes they are the same and ebay parts. i personally dont trust their parts except
maybe their intercooler kit.

 

If anything I'd use they're non moving parts (Manifold, pipes, IC) and just get trusted moving parts such as the Turbo, WG and BOV... or just go big or go home. Get the BL Kit for less than 5 grand... thats all top of the line ****. Thats what I bought

 

I've seen their kits in action, and I wouldn't hesitate at all to buy them. They have great support in this and the supra communities, and they have good fitment overall. Great bang for the buck. I have their parts on my maxima, and will soon be buying their 1jz single turbo kit for my lexus.

Many people who say ill about the company don't have personal experience on the matter.

 

i guess its a hit and miss kinda thing. their parts just look cheap and poorly made to me.

 

Really? Because they look the same as the parts they are copying.

Its not really a hit or miss thing from the amount of research that I've done and personal experiences. I've got almost an entire XSPower setup on my 240sx and plan to run similar on my SC. If the manifold ever cracks, I'll either reweld it or buy another one for $120. Makes it cheaper than the $800 alternative. Now in this market, manifolds are FAR more expensive due to the higher quality materials needed in bigger power setups. You wont find many 304SS manifolds in the 2jz arena, but you'll find a TON of them in the Honda/240sx/DSM group. So the $150 vs $1500 becomes a very very real situation.

400whp in an SC will most definitely be faster than a 300whp honda Area under the curve is very important in acceleration, and the 400whp powerband is going to be far fatter than a 300whp honda powerband. Weight only plays a factor at slower speeds as well, then gearing, wind resistance and total power output take over. 400whp in an SC usually nets around 116-118mph trap speeds, while 300whp in the average 2600-2800lb GSR nets around 112-113.

There's a ton of newbie questions in this thread, so I encourage the posters to do some research, because there is a TON of info out there. Here, SF, and clubna-t

 

im debating also whether to get a DSM too. i just want something thats not a honda really lol. it just turns out that i like the characteristics of the honda crowd or maybe im just too used to them. very reliable and cheap to mod with one of the biggest aftermarket supports in the car scene. but theft rate sucks, fwd sucks, and no torque sucks.

i was contemplating also on just getting a fwd DSM because i hear the awd DSMs have a lot of drivetrain problems in the 2Gs. i want the SC300 too but it just seems like an expensive car to have overall as in insurance, gas, modding, and the car in general. and its really a pain to find a 5spd with the options i want. 240sx is also an option but i just know too many people with them.

 

240sx are LUDICROUSLY overpriced at the moment with all this drift nonsense. The SC300 really isn't that much more expensive than a Honda when you take into account the strength of the stock motor. If you're looking for a healthy daily driver, the prices are comparable, and the theft rate is MUCH lower.

Edit: I'm currently kicking myself for missing out on a CLEAN *** 5-speed SC300 that was available locally. If you come across a deal on a 5-speed, ****** it up and come to a conclusion afterwards.

 

dsm's arent quite reliable.

 

Black interiors were only offered from 96/97+.... There were no FACTORY 5-speeds produced after 97. Looks like you've already done a good bit of research already!

Dual/single - Doesn't matter, except for weight. Do what you think looks best/sounds best. Most body kits (and stock) have indents for duals, but that can obviously be overcome with a little modification (or looking stupid)...

My personal recommendation is to try the SC - they're addictingly fun to drive, stock or not. Have fun and let us know what you do.

~Joe

 

240SXs arent overpriced at all really. i see stock S13s go for $2500-3000 in good or at least decent condition. S14s start getting into the $4000-5000 range and the '97-98 S14s go into the $6000-8000 range. modded of course get more expensive even though supposedly mods dont increase value.

from hearing DSM owners they say that a DSM will hold up as long as its properly maintained and not modded improperly