I still think this is one of the dumbest engine swap ideas ever. Old engine design, pistons, Nissan motor... gtfo of my RX-8 engine bay. SR20 is a decent motor, in a 240SX... I just don't see the point in the RX-8.

 

Uhm he already had it and the 8 needed a motor? plus it has greater potential and much better resposiveness to mods and doesnt weigh more and has torque and easier to tune and greater aftermarket.

But the nissans 5 speed trans has rather long gears when compared to the stock RX8s 6 speed so to the OP you are correct that the gears might not be a great combo.

 

It doesn't matter if he already had it, the cost to swap a motor and drivetrain into the car is vastly more than buying a reman Renesis.

As far as potential, unless he is shooting specifically for a dyno-queen with high (nearly unusable) peak hp the SR20 does not necessarily have greater potential. Properly modified the Renesis has finally begun getting pushed much farther, but the SR20 motor is old and has had a lot of aftermarket support and built versions have been around forever.

As far as weight, iron block piston engines which also sit MUCH higher in the chassis than the Renesis will cause significant changes to the balance of the car. You can argue that point as much as you want, but the Renesis sits even lower and further back than the previous generation rotary giving the car tremendous handling capability. A built Renesis (like the ones in a few threads in the Major Horsepower section) with a well set up FI kit can put 400+ hp to the wheels reliably, with more extreme examples in the 500 whp range. That is without sacrificing the characteristics that make the car what it is.

For the cost of swapping a motor in, I just don't understand the SR20 swap. Even if you have power goals which cannot be met by the Renesis, options like the 20B, or even an LSx motor will be more usable power for a similar price.

 

Is this the same car?

http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/ctd/1351540524.html

 

very possible its the same.

 

So he gave up? It's almost like theres something missing there... cant put my finger on it...

 

yup that's it; I recognize the front bumper he was modding

 

why did he give up? is he a member here (havent read the entire thread sorry)

 

he most likely sold the motor separately.

 

Ok. I'll go buy it and stuff an LS2 and T56 out of a wrecked GTO.

Should take a couple of days to have it all done.

Yes, I'm kidding, but if it weren't all torn up like that, it would be a good candidate for a shell, and the price is right.

 

Engine was probably worth more than what he'll get out of selling the car.

 

Anyone know whats up with the center dash cover ?

It kinda looks like it exploded/melted/etc...

 

IDK about the price being right, i mean if you are going to do a swap there are plenty of cheap automatic(sometimes stick but rarely) RX8s for around 6 to 7k that run and drive and have ni major problems.

But this gives me a great idea i might consider instead of getting a Camaro SS or G8 GXP in a year maybe just look for a RX8 shell and go crazy

 

Now that is a good plan

 

nice plan.
Can't believe he sold it... Well he did say he was broke.

 

I'm doing almost the same swap.. thankfully I'm no where near selling it.

KA-T over SR anyday..

 

My first car i ever bought with my money was a 89 240sx,
a twin cam KA-T can beat Terminator cobras quite easily if done rightly so i must agree with you

 

I had the build up on another forum, and it went down, so I decided just to build it myself, with no prying eyes lol / no one to judge my build. People will see it when I get it on the dyno and am satisfied with the results it makes

 

any teaser pics or info?

 

ah boo.. what a freaking let down.

 

What a waste of a thread, money, and effort. FAIL! Enough said.

 

^ what he said

 

thats something i would've never expected to see, but you made a good choice... whats next, an RB25 rx8? LOL

 

Such a **** tease....

So sad to see it abandoned. Although I thought the swap was dumb, it's still cool to see...

 

Buddy! I congratulate you!! im looking into doin d same thing, alot of us wouldn't have the guts to do this, but due to cost involved, im goin for it aswell. I have looked into doin the seals, but for the price, may as well import an SR20 with low k's and custom make it to fit my babe... Im also lookin into a 13B Turbo, S14 or S15...which will kik *** once done, with the help of my son/nd hubby of course. Ive also considered putting in anada RX8 engine, but yet again I hit a brick wall, for d price dey quoted me, it was warranted for just one month...so naaaahhhh....SR20 it's gonna be...i searched info on d web about conversion kits and to my surpise, found heaps dat hav done the same in their RX8's...fink it's a cheaper way to go bout it and not to mention the full **** force it's gonna have once done! So as d Aussies say, ON YA!!