Nissan Silvia

The Silvia name dates back to a semi-handmade coupe of 1965, and it ran through several generations before the one that made it famous. The S13 arrived in 1988, first with the CA18DET and later with the SR20DET.

The S14 followed in 1993, wider and heavier, and the S15 in 1999, sold almost only in Japan. Production ended in 2002.

The same platform went abroad under other names. The 180SX was the hatchback sold in Japan beside the S13. In Europe the cars were sold as the 200SX, and in North America as the 240SX, with a larger non-turbo engine in place of the SR20DET.

The SR20DET is the reason there is so much to say here: a compact, strong turbo four with decades of development behind it. This section covers the engine, the common swaps for cars that never had it, and the suspension and steering changes that drifting made standard.

Most of what follows comes from tuners, parts makers and magazines rather than the carmakers, and several of those sources sell the parts they describe. Each point names its source. Power is given in the unit the source uses, and figures "at the wheels" are lower than figures at the engine.

• Know which SR20DET you have. The engine changed with each generation: the S13 carried a Garrett T25G turbo, the S14 added variable cam timing and a larger T28, and the S15 got a T28R and 480 cc injectors. The factory ECU cannot be reflashed, so serious tuning means a standalone ECU. (source 2)
• The head gasket goes first. Tomei, which makes turbo kits for the engine, names the head gasket as the stock engine's first weak point and puts the stock engine at about 300 to 330 PS at best. On the factory gasket it advises no more than 1.0 to 1.1 kg/cm² (14.2 to 15.6 psi) of boost. A metal gasket allows 1.3 kg/cm² (18.5 psi), which Tomei also gives as the limit of the stock pistons; forged pistons take 1.5 to 1.6 kg/cm². (source 1)
• Then the rockers, pistons and main caps. The rocker arms are not shaft-mounted and can come loose at high rpm, which an aggressive rev limiter or an ignition-cut gear change makes worse; HP Academy recommends a fuel-cut limiter. It rates the stock pistons higher than Tomei does, at around 400 hp at the wheels, and says the cast main bearing caps give out from about 600 hp at the wheels. The 360-degree optical cam angle sensor is another known problem. (source 2)
• The head sets the rev ceiling. The standard head stops making power at around 7,500 rpm. For more, builders fit the SR20VE head, which HP Academy puts at a safe limit of around 8,500 rpm. (source 2)
• What drifting made standard. One parts maker's staged drift guide shows the usual order. First, for 150 to 300 hp: coilovers, steering-angle parts (longer lower control arms, tension rods and tie rods) for about 50 to 55 degrees of lock, a two-way limited-slip differential, a power steering cooler and a fixed bucket seat. Next, for 300 to 400 hp: steering rack relocation, a hydraulic handbrake, larger brakes from the Z32 300ZX and an oil cooler. Above that: a front-mounted intercooler, a standalone ECU, a bigger radiator and fans, and a roll cage. (source 3)
• For cars that never had the SR20. The same guide covers a turbocharged KA24DE in the 240SX, and 1JZ and GM LS swaps paired with a 350Z six-speed or 300ZX five-speed gearbox. (source 3)
• Before buying a tuned one. White exhaust smoke points to a turbo burning oil, clutch shudder to high-rpm standing starts, and wear on the inner edge of the rear tyres to wrong alignment. (source 4)

No car on this site has more kits. The Silvia was the canvas for the drift aero makers, and parts swap between the S-chassis cars, which is how front-end conversions like the "Sileighty" came about.

Documented builds, each credited and linked to where it was first shown. We describe them; the photos and the full story stay with the people who made them.

The ones that don't fit anywhere else. Engine swaps nobody asked for, body conversions, and ideas that should not have worked.