I would highly recommend just getting a bluebird DET over the GTiR.
***Amen brutha!
The GTiR engine has a lot of different parts compared to the regular DET/DE which share a lot of common parts.
***Exactly, I have had a hard time sourcing simple replacement parts like a new oil pan and water pump. If you throw or break a rocker arm, your car will be down for a while, too..as the mechanical valvetrain is very different than the USDM hydraulic lash adjusters. You will have to order these parts from Japan, England, or Australia.
Not to mention the hp difference is neglidgeable.
***AT stock boost levels, this is true. However, at higher boost levels with a bigger turbo, the GTi-R head and short runner intake manifold shine through. Also, the GTi-R has mechanical lifters, which can be safely revved higher than the hydraulic lash adjusters in the Bluebird and SR20DE.
If I had to do it all over again, I would have turbocharged my SR20DE or just got a Bluebird engine. The quad throttle bodies are very finicky and it is hard to adjust the idle speed properly, as the throttle bodies need to be synchronized.
I got the GTi-R to be cool, to be different, and b/c the engine was rare...not realizing that I would have been much happier with a low maintenance Bluebird.
IMHO.
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Jay Whitely
Tampa, FL
1996 200SX SE-R
GTi-R powered with F-MAX kit