hi guys,
i'm currently building a 4dr b13 for local time attacks and autocross and also drags( basically more for track use), here where i'm staying we dont import se-r's so had to settle with a really good conditioned 4dr which ibought for almost nothing.
i'm planning to use a sr16ve in the whole setup and run it stock before i go for a 2 litre de block or a ve.the car is now currently fitted with a sr18de and has not been moving for a bit of time now.

thing is, would a 4 door b13 be as competitve as a se-r if done properly, what are the pro;s and cons to this. hope someone can shed some advice on using a 4 dr b13 on the circuit.

Biggest challenge is still going to be the same as the 2-door - achieving enough chassis stiffness. The 4 door is a little more of a noodle with 4 big holes cut in it, and the 2-door even isn't the stiffest car off the lot I've owned. Most of that can be addressed; a full cage would pretty much take car of the center of the car, your weakest point or should I say most challenging to nail down is the center, for front and rear chassis stiffness there's other solutions.

Pretty sure the wheelbase is the same, for example the Sunny GTS side skirts fit the same space between the wheels on an SE-R 2-door. Even the overall length IIRC is about 170 inches. I don't know about the width; when I look a B13 SE-R vs. the 4-door models year here, some of the 4-door models look narrower, which would be less good if true.

The 4 door is a little more of a noodle with 4 big holes cut in it, and the 2-door even isn't the stiffest car off the lot I've owned. Most of that can be addressed; a full cage would pretty much take car of the center of the car, your weakest point or should I say most challenging to nail down, front and rear chassis stiffness there's other solutions.

See here for braces and options for better chassis stiffness:

http://www.sr20forum.com/driveline-transmission/170794-b13-b14-b15-suspension-information.html#post1651578

Competitive? I don't see why not.

Chris101 races a P10 4-door - at least stock a heavier car than yours, probably not so much in race trim:
http://www.sr20forum.com/cars-sale/254387-fs-feeler-pos-p10-racecar-many-nasa-wins-track-records-1995-g20t.html#post2459171

Your suspension options would be pretty much the same, just like a b13 2-door. Plenty of people are in the same situation in the Phillipines, Central America. Check with some of the guys in Costa Rica and Mexico, same situation.

The 4 door is a little more of a noodle with 4 big holes cut in it, and the 2-door even isn't the stiffest car off the lot I've owned.


Interesting, but I've always been told the opposite with other platforms. Typically that 4 door shells are stronger since they don't have one giant hole in the side, but 2 smaller ones. I know of several 4 doors built on just that concept. I agree though that there is no real reason why a 4 door can't be made to be as competitive as a 2 door if all other things are equal.

Interesting, but I've always been told the opposite with other platforms. Typically that 4 door shells are stronger since they don't have one giant hole in the side, but 2 smaller ones. I know of several 4 doors built on just that concept. I agree though that there is no real reason why a 4 door can't be made to be as competitive as a 2 door if all other things are equal.

Good point, Blair. I tend to forget the 2 cars are pretty much the same size. distance between the wheels is about the same. Usually the 2-door is considerably smaller, but not in this case, the pillar would help. You're probably right, I hadn't thought of it that way.

Most of the cars I think of as having significant chassis flex I notice more in the center of the car once the ends are tied down nicely top and bottom. I would definitely count the B13 2-door in that camp. W/o bracing the stock rear and front really notice the flex when moving to non-stock suspension, but once that's been addressed, it's the middle that bugs me w/o a full cage or even a bar. But, not ready to trailer my car and leave it sitting except for track trips, so a street car it stays. I still want the other several hundred days of driving, and a bar-only w/o a cage seems like a half-measure. If I am in a class where I need a bar, I want the full F-R cage, or I feel like I'm just fooling myself.

In any case, agree no competitive disadvantage I can think of, either.

yup yup.. we have gotten many 1st place and even set records with our g20 with NASA Time Trials in 2008 and 2009... we shall see what 2010 holds in store for us..

with any luck, our project b13 2door SER will be ready to run in w2w with PTE but we'll see what the winter holds in store for us!

from my experience we've had some race teams running a 4 dr lancer as their race car for circuit use and didnt have much problems keeping up with other 2 dr mitsu , only problem was always in the corners the 2 dr would be able to zip past faster thn the 4dr.it always happens.but once in a while i've also notice a properly set up 4dr perform better. some of the ol skool guys here also agree that a 4dr is much stable on the track, but i cant be sure as i raced a 2 door colt for most of my time so this is a new thing for me.

as for me, using a 4 door , the only issue i'm a bit worried about is that the weight of the 4 door vs a 2 dr.as i've have seen many 4 dr race cars with this problem.
the whole idea of wht i am tring to build with this 4 dr is a well balanced race car that i can use on drags and the circuit , also the occasional gymkhana thats going on. right now i am prepping the 4 door shell in preparation for a sr16ve swap and hope that a 16ve would be a good balance for the car.

but give me more opinions guys, i really would like to do it right the first time as i have never set up a 4dr for race use before. and also, i am a firm supporter of nissan, having a 510, 240z and a stanza 160j so thats why i took the sentra b13 as its a cult classic here where i stay as the taxi's goin up the mountains here use them and these guys ARE FAST!!(honda's cant keep up wth them along the bends).

I would advise gutting as much as you can, weld the back door shells shut to get rid of the maximum material IMHO

gluck on the project!

I would advise gutting as much as you can, weld the back door shells shut to get rid of the maximum material IMHO

gluck on the project!

seriously welding the back doors is my current plan but was thinking of doing so to get the chassis as rigid as i can. i cant imagine how it'll look with welded rear doors.:tongue:

I still want the other several hundred days of driving, and a bar-only w/o a cage seems like a half-measure. If I am in a class where I need a bar, I want the full F-R cage, or I feel like I'm just fooling myself.

In any case, agree no competitive disadvantage I can think of, either.


I think a good tight fitting bar does help to some extent. The B13 I built for my ex had a kirk bar in it, and it was the tightest feeling SE-R I'd ever driven without a full cage.

does anyone know if the weight difference between a 4 dr and a 2dr significant??

anyway, i managed to get hold of a sr16ve front clip and will start the conversion once the car come back from bodyworks.
how does a sr16ve fare in a b13 4 dr chassis?i know a sr20de is really good for a b13 and gives a lot of torque, but never had a try with a b13 with a 16ve inside. is it too much?o rtoo little for the b13 chassis.???:confused:

i did pretty well with mine. by the time i sold the car it was equipped with an sr20.

why weld the rear doors? you may need to get back there and it would be near impossible with race seats and a cage. plus, it is a good place to through spare tires and track tools.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/ssnh/07Sentra/IMGP0727.jpg

iam doing good in mine.sr20ve in it with mods n suspension,many extras.if yall need info let me know.

Interesting, but I've always been told the opposite with other platforms. Typically that 4 door shells are stronger since they don't have one giant hole in the side, but 2 smaller ones. I know of several 4 doors built on just that concept. I agree though that there is no real reason why a 4 door can't be made to be as competitive as a 2 door if all other things are equal.
yeah same here, an E36 M3 is stiffer in the 4 door variant than the 2 doors..

seriously welding the back doors is my current plan but was thinking of doing so to get the chassis as rigid as i can. i cant imagine how it'll look with welded rear doors.:tongue:

weld from the inside... ;)