I have been in my fair share of good swapped S13 240's and they run strong! "BUT" there are about 90% of them that run like shiet and those are the ones that people encounter. Most shops that Do swaps on those cars don’t know the in's and out's of the engine and half the time we end up fixing all the screwed up things other shops do.
Also a properly tuned SR will make plenty of torque and can out run many 7M powered cars. Ernie's Rotora car, made just under 500 RWHP for one season of racing with stock internals, bouncing off the rev limiter. It had cams, MHG, Studs and turbo upgrade, 550cc injectors and one hell of a tuner.
A stock KA-T will never last boosted. Yes it will run, but will not last. Built KA-T can be made to last, but the plethora of aftermarket parts made for the SR is second to none. Why try to use a "truck engine" (It really is) the SR bore and stroke is just like the 2jz.
I’m not picking sides, but now that I'm both sides of the fence, things are clear now. I once didn't like the SR or the KA, but after dealing with them on a first hand basis with Ernie Fixmer, I have much more respect for the SR.
The 7M can make good power, but will never last under formula D or D1 conditions. Under time Attack the SR can clock lap times to match higher displacement engines and cars with more money. Again the 7M can do it also but it's harder on it.
At some point it becomes a matter of how much money you have and the power you want to make, some engines are more efficient then others and the physical limitations of the internals (bore vs. Stroke) play a key role in any engine.
So in short, just because is not a 3 liter doesn't mean is not good enough. My 1UZ power SC will get smoked by most SR's out there and its a 4 liter! It can do nice burouts and that's about it! :biglaugh: