cadet_man recommended stiffer springs on stanza struts did the trick....he has been known to claim that his corner entry speeds were possibly even better than with the tuned A15 on board...of course he is running around 15psi+ though

The whole idea of the CA18DE is to stay out of Turbo/Supercharged class, but keep the weight and center of gravity down compared to using an SR20DE. However, it does make sense to tune the ecu and get bigger cams, maybe custom extractors and possibly higher compression. No doubt I will have to recalibrate my suspension after the swap before I go all out at a track day or competitive event.

I did a CA16 NA years ago. It was all good, although a steep learning curve.
The CA18 would be a better bet if you weren't interested in staying in a 1600cc class limit...The CA18 is a bloody fantastic engine.
Remember that your gearbox and diff will also be heavier, so it isn't just 25kg!

Er...there goes the suspension theory then.

The extra 25kg made that much difference?

I am considering a CA18DE installation (once I decide I'm rich enough and insane enough to try)

I thought the extra power for very little weight would make a much finer car.

Anyone else opted for non turbo CA18DE and found it to be a ball tearer?

The car I was refering to had 910 front struts, with avenger stationwagon rear coils. He had also built adjustable everything for it. It was a VERY smart handler around the corners, but the A12 gave away too much on the straight.

The DE is a torquey beast. I had a CA18DE in my 1200 Sedan for 3 years in the mid 90s. It used to rip seconds with 5 people in the car, felt very strong. A complete difference to the stock A14 that was in it beforehand.

I think lightening the flywheel would free up a lot of acceleration. The stock flywheel is designed for a car almost twice the weight.

Granted the extra weight would change the handling characteristics of the car, but could it alter the corner speed so greatly - this extra 25kg - to make it a tragedy to drive?

And couldn't this change in weight over the front wheels be accounted for with stiffer springs and matched shocks?

I would expect a quicker lap at Sandown with a CA18DE under the hood as compared with a hot A12.....

The CA18DE would at least represent a 40% increase in power. for 25kg more weight...

I think the extra weight would make a bigger differance to handlingrather than straight line performance.

The weight made that much difference?
A12 = 87kg, worked motor I guess 90hp
CA18DE = 113kg, stock 130hp

Maybe it wasn't weight, could it possibly have been that the front suspension needed some adjustment to account for this extra weight? It is about 25kg of extra weight roughly over the front wheels.

Yeah, If you're going CA..... You may as well go the DET.
If you're dead set on a N/A, why not go SR20?