What are the tuning capabilities on stock internals? KLZE

[Nascop5]

Hi all, I've decided to go a different route than previously planned. I'm planning on getting a KLZE and swapping it into my p5. From the research I have done, I've found it's lighter and overall a more reliable engine. This will help with future costs and improving the weight distribution in my car. I haven't found what kind of power figures people are getting with Full Bolt ons, and a tune. I can imagine the more basic Bolt ons like CAI, Headers, Catback, Hiflow Cat, would add at a maximum optimistically 15-20hp. I haven't been able to find a tune that everyone is using, as I can imagine everyone is doing something slightly different and making a blanket tune would either A) ruin some cars or B) not be as aggressively tuned to prevent A. What is the limit of these KLZE engines before it starts getting pretty unreliable? Like CR, A/F ratio, Cam adjustment, RPM adjustment, and higher octane gas tunes. I know that I will have to take my car somewhere to get it custom done and they will tell me what my engine would be good at, but I'm asking what can I expect so I can actually decide if I want to do this or not. I've done the math and if I could run this engine at 250, being pretty well built the car would run low 5's for the 0-60, and it's improved weight distribution would make it amazing in the corners. Sorry if I sound redundant with a few my phrasing, just trying to make sure I have all bases covered for my question to be answered to the best of the Forum's capabilities.

 

[Jackie chan]

The kl is heavier than the fs. Not much, but it is. For more in depth info on the kl engine family, i'd get on probetalk or one of the other forums and ask some people who actually have kl's. And unless youre planning on building the motor and doing the swap yourself, It would be stupid expensive to have a shop do all that for you. In which case youd be better off just buying a probe gt or mx6 as a starting point.

 

[MrGiggles]

I would find a wrecked Probe GT or MX6, rebuild the KLDE with forged components, and boost it. You would have all the necessary parts on hand, and be able to sell quite a few to recoup some of the money spent.

It would be difficult to get a ZE to 250hp with only tuning and bolt ons.. Especially if you meant wheel horsepower. That number isn't hard to reach at all with a boosted KL.

There's a Probe GT for 600 bucks OBO 50 miles from me... If it wasn't an automatic I would have bought it already.

 

[Nascop5]

The only thing I am planning on having a shop do is the tune, and the dyno time. I am capable of doing the swap on my own, I can get a KLZE for 700$, I live on the California Coast and there are many imported JDM mx6's here that are being parted out. I'm not sure when I will be able to build it and to what extent, but I'm sure the KLZE will handle it.

 

[Nascop5]

No that figure is not WHP, I have 250 set as the best case scenario number. If I could get 240, that would be astounding.

 

[MrGiggles]

You should be able attain that number, but its a lot of work and money. Does the 700.00 engine include a trans, harness, ecu, etc? 50hp is a little optimistic for bolt ons and a tune though.

A MSP turbo swap would be a lot easier and cheaper, with similar performance. You can exceed that if you build the motor.

 

[Nascop5]

the 700$ includes, the JDM Harness, ECU, motor mounts. I'm having better gears put in my stock gearbox housing. Getting a much taller 5th gear, new syncro's, and much tougher gears. I shouldn't need a new Gearbox as its a direct bolt on to the one already in my car. I don't want to deal with Turbo lag, or building the turbo kit, it's a lot of tedious work modifying the block for the oil lines and mounting, I'd rather just swap the motor and deal with wiring on the Harness and ECU, rather than do all the tedious work and do the harness and ECU, because I'm an aspiring electrical engineer and would say I have a pretty damn good feeling of what I need to do. If I could find a FSDET for sale, I would gladly swoop it, but I can't.

 

[Jackie chan]

An fsdet is just an fsde with a t.

 

[hornsfan10609]

The KL swap is a lot of work, in my opinion you don't get nearly enough for the time, effort and money you put into it. You can have fun with these cars for not much money but it's easy to get in over your head

 

[Nascop5]

well yeah, but that requires piecing a turbo kit together, getting a new radiator, installing the inter-cooler, oil return lines, catch can, wiring, ecu, dyno time to get the tune I want along with the AF controller to lean out the extremely rich ratio that already exists. The bigger and much better engineered KL will allow me to get more power period. IF I build a KL and tune it so it runs amazing NA, then compare it to the FSDET that produces the same power, I will have a harder working engine (more strain), turbo lag, zero bottom end torque, and a decent amount of worry to have as it is a Turbo car. The concept of a Turbo car in it of itself makes it unreliable and not convenient to drive, waiting for oil to circulate to make sure it gets the cooling it needs and such.

 

[Nascop5]

define "not much money" the bottom end I'm looking at for swapping a turbo in from a kit I have to piece together myself, is about a 1000$ the turbo itself is 300$, radiator, piping, manifold, intercooler and all the other little bits and pieces are very annoying to keep track of, and install onto the stock block. No shop I have access to is willing to do it, and charge their usual hourly charge for it. They want almost double...