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Not sure if this post was originally for K8 vs ZE, or DE vs ZE, but as for K8 having enough power.....i thought so too...compared to our old '85 Tempo.
if you are looking for a FUN car to drive with a V6....the 2.5L swap is a MUST.

NOW...the next question is what you're looking at doing with it, as everyone is saying.
if you want to just toss on a turbo and not worry about it, buy a DE
if you want to just toss in the motor and not worry about it, buy a ZE
if you want to fully rebuild the thing to sqeeze out every ounce of power possible, either NA or turbo'ed or supercharged......go ZE.
however, if you wanna toss in the engine on a budget and still have something half-decent, you can go DE and be happy. it won't do 14s, but it won't normally disapoint. (much better than 17s with the K8 )

I think it all comes down to preference. If I had a DE for instance, I wouldn't be fully satisfied with it because I know that there is a more powerful motor. That is the thing, when you have a ZE there is nothing that can really be any better so it makes you (at least in my opinion) feel abit faster and makes the car abit more of a rarity.

It also comes down to price and availability, if I could get a DE right now for a good price I would do it because I know they are a tough motor that puts out good torque. But there not so easy to locate in my area, so a ZE is the way to go, not to mention it usually has lower k's which is also a plus.

As for ecu's, I have a kl36 that I bought last year and I still have never used it lol, but it seems nowadays that the k8 chipped is even a viable option and that is not that expensive at all, so in reality you are only paying a few hundred bucks more for a motor that has a few horsepower and lower k's, so in the end the choice is yours, which do you prefer..

ze vs. de

i would definately have to say that it depends on preference and more importantly goals.
if you want to get a faster motor for as little money as possible (but not the fastest), go with a de.
if your goal is to run the best that you can n/a then a ze would be the way to go.
if your goal is to run 6-8 psi then you would get more out of the ze.
if you wanted 10-12 psi the safer route would be the de
if you want to go all out on the boost then the big question boils down to the difference in the ze heads vs the de heads because i personally would change the other components in the motor (except the crank)

as far as on the interprep website, the motor that they used was a de and the changed components were the intake and cams only. the heads were de heads and the bottom end was a de bottom end.

Just do what I did.. Build a ZE.

Get some kl31 heads from a millenia.
Get a millenia Block
Buy some used KLZE pistons
Buy some KL31 KLZE cams.
Buy a millenia manifold (curved)
Rebuild it with a Millenia Rebuild kit.
Use some KLDE retainers.
Block off your EGR.


You have your 200 HP, freshly rebuilt, and no scare of dropping a valve by a broken retainer.

fieromx3 wrote:search around find a DE for like 200 bux slap in a MSnS and some goodies and kick the s--- out of the ZE i bet ya for like 500 bux i could take a DE and kill the ZE...

Wanna Test That Theory??? i have less than $200 into performance parts for my ZE
home made cold air intake
kl-31 chip from ebay $35 in kl07 ecu
light weight crank pulley
leaky exhaust lol

fieromx3 wrote:search around find a DE for like 200 bux slap in a MSnS and some goodies and kick the s--- out of the ZE i bet ya for like 500 bux i could take a DE and kill the ZE...

Give me the same MSNS, and I'll take that bet

Yeah I will just do a twin screw SC on my K8 and kill the lot of you. ZE DE chumps

Tunes67

mazdaspeedmx_3 wrote:

fieromx3 wrote:search around find a DE for like 200 bux slap in a MSnS and some goodies and kick the s--- out of the ZE i bet ya for like 500 bux i could take a DE and kill the ZE...

Wanna Test That Theory??? i have less than $200 into performance parts for my ZE

yes i do if u have 500 dollars and a de ill do the project with u!!

Honestly..i have had alot of experience with both ZE and DE engines.

A KLZE will take anything a KLDE can take....they use the same block..its just gonna make that much more power with the upgraded heads/manifold/cams.

MY KLZE and my friends have dyno'd about 165-170 WHP on a pretty much stock KLZE. on a semi- stock KLDE you will be dynoing about 140 WHP. But what i always tell everyone is ride in a KLZE car and then ride in a same car with a KLDE...the feeling will settle that score right there. LOL. You can't just look at the numbers....the "Curve" is what u want...and a KLZE has a rediculously straight trq curve and the high RPM HP to carry it on. A KLDE can simply not do the same as the ZE does.

well i gess in satsfied i love my de on spray and i will love my de with boost....
when i blow it up i will get another de.

Custommx3 wrote:

max kl wrote:im not tryin to piss any one off. but. i cant understand why go with a ze

lots more money
how much more hp what 30 40 hp
no state side parts support
boost ha. if you biuld it then boost
a high pef j-spec motor should dliver 100 hp per litre
again now goin for anger just the honest truth

well, for the amount of money you will spend to get comparable power to a KLZE, you'll spend 2x as much as the motor swap costs.

and its 70 more HP not 30-40.

Trust me.. ride in a KLZE powered mx-3, and you'll want to do the swap.

umm 70hp... try 20-30
The 2.5 L (2497 cc) KL family uses an 84.5 mm bore and 74.2 mm stroke. It includes the Japan-only KL-ZE, which produced 196 hp (149 kW) and 165 ft.lbf (224 Nm). Another variant, the KL-DE (often incorrectly called the KL03) was the worldwide version, with 164-170 hp in various applications.

Mazda introduced a key technology with these engines, known as the Variable Resonance Induction System (VRIS). A series of two butterfly valves coupled with electronically controlled actuators varied the volume and length of a resonant chamber attached to the intake manifold, producing 4 resonant frequencies. The valves actuate at particular engine frequencies (i.e. RPMs) to produce optimal torque/horsepower output at any given engine speed.

Applications:

* KL-DE/KL03
o 1993-1997 Mazda MX-6 LS
o 1993-1997 Ford Probe GT
o 1993-2002 Mazda 626 ES
o 1995-2002 Mazda Millenia L
* KL-ZE
o 1997 Mazda Capella Wagon
o 1993+ Mazda MX-6 Mystere (Japan)
o 1993+ Mazda MS-8 (Japan)
o 1993+ Mazda Eunos 600/800 (Japan)

Just cause Wikipedia says something doesnt make it true Noob. There have been a LOT of cases where Wikipedia has been guilty of misquotes and erroneous facts. Also.. if your going to quote outside sources.. provide a link to them so others can read for themselves.

Tunes67

max kl wrote: a high pef j-spec motor should dliver 100 hp per litre

Are there even any high performance j-spec engines put out 100hp/litre besides a lot of the honda engines? I am talking n/a engines here.

nissan toyota usa motors most make 90hp perliter

well, my thaught it this. I dont know if its different in other areas but THERE ARE NO ZE'S AVAILABLE around where I live...nobodys got em...huge scrap yards with a thousand acres of proprty and full computerized inventory has not had one since I have been put on a waiting list 1 year ago. I found one that was toast in a buy/sell paper (hole in the block). Nobody will deliver one without costing me large $$. On the flip side, DE's can be found on curbsides @ garbage day they are so common around here...and dirt cheap...Local junker yard has 2 available for $150 each tranny extra....And it seems to me that while gas proces rise people have a fascination with making their cars less fuel effecient...I would much rather have a clean running k8 and be done with it....Dont have to spend months working out the bugs of a motor swap.