RB26 vs 2JZ: the Skyline GT-R engine against the Supra engine

The RB26 and the 2JZ are the two engines people argue about most in Japanese car culture. The RB26DETT powered the Nissan Skyline GT-R. The 2JZ-GTE powered the Toyota Supra. Both are turbocharged inline-sixes, and both were officially rated at the same 276 hp.

They got to that number in very different ways. If you've read our 1JZ vs 2JZ breakdown, this is the rivalry one level up.

The RB26DETT

Nissan brought the GT-R name back in 1989 with the R32, after a 16-year break, and built a special engine for it. The RB26DETT is a 2,568 cc, or 2.6-liter, inline-six with double overhead cams and four valves per cylinder.

• Bore and stroke: 86 mm by 73.7 mm, so the bore is wider than the stroke is long

• Block: iron, with an aluminum cylinder head

• Turbos: two, running in parallel, each one feeding three cylinders

• Official output: 280 PS, or 276 hp

• Redline: 8,000 rpm

Torque grew with each generation. Nissan lists 353 N·m, about 260 lb-ft, for the R32, 368 N·m for the R33, and 392 N·m, about 289 lb-ft, for the R34. It also used six individual throttle bodies and two mass airflow sensors, according to Hagerty.

The RB26 went into the R32 GT-R from 1989 to 1994, the R33 from 1995 to 1998, and the R34 from 1999 to 2002. Nissan built 43,937 R32 GT-Rs and 11,578 on the R34 platform. It also went into a four-door R33 GT-R built by Autech, the first four-door GT-R since the 1969 2000GT-R. One known weak spot is the stock turbos, whose ceramic turbine blades are light but brittle.

The 2JZ-GTE

Toyota's engine arrived first in a luxury sedan. The 2JZ-GTE debuted in the Aristo, which went on sale in Japan in October 1991, before it went into the fourth-generation A80 Supra.

• Displacement: 2,997 cc, or 3.0 liters

• Bore and stroke: 86 mm by 86 mm, a square layout

• Block: iron

• Turbos: two, running in sequence

• Official output in Japan: 280 PS, or 276 hp

• US-market Supra Turbo: 320 hp and 315 lb-ft

The sequential turbos are the big design difference. In Toyota's words, "At low speeds, only one operates, greatly improving low-speed torque as well as response." Then, "At medium and high speeds, both turbo units go into operation for high output." Toyota's UK arm says the engine made 90% of its peak torque from 1,300 to 4,500 rpm.

Toyota chose iron for the block "for the strength to handle a substantial increase in power," the company's US newsroom says. The Supra was sold in the US from 1993 to 1998 and in Japan until 2002, and just over 11,200 were sold here.

Why the numbers look the same

Both engines were rated at 280 PS because of a voluntary limit among Japanese automakers, often called the gentlemen's agreement. Hagerty describes the R34's rating as being "in line with a gentleman's agreement between Japanese auto manufacturers." In US trim, the 2JZ-GTE was rated at 320 hp.

The cap faded in the 2000s. Honda's 2004 Legend launched in Japan with 300 PS.

Which one tuners pick

The shapes of the engines tell the story. The RB26's wide bore and short stroke favor high revs and top-end power, but its smaller size makes low-rpm torque harder to find, according to Jalopnik. It rewards a driver who keeps it near the redline.

The 2JZ has 429 cc more displacement, a tough iron block, and more torque. It gets swapped into so many other cars that the 2JZ swap has its own glossary entry. Toyota's newsroom credits it with making the Supra "a favorite of tuners," whose modified cars inspired the Supra in the 2001 film The Fast and the Furious. Toyota's UK site says heavily modified 2JZ engines have reached up to 2,041 bhp.

If you want the most power for the least drama, the 2JZ is the easier answer. If you want a high-revving engine with six throttle bodies and the GT-R badge, it's the RB26.

The cars are another argument. The R34 GT-R is boxy and aggressive. The A80 Supra is smooth and round. Put the R34 and the A80 Supra head to head on WhipJury and settle which one looks better. For the GT-R engine that came next, read about the R35's VR38DETT.

Sources:

R32 GT-R launch, RB26DETT displacement, output, and torque: Nissan Heritage Collection

R33 GT-R torque: Nissan Heritage Collection

R34 GT-R engine and torque: Nissan Heritage Collection

Four-door R33 GT-R: Nissan Heritage Collection

RB26 block, turbos, throttle bodies, redline, and R32 production: Hagerty

RB26 production years: Hagerty

R34 rating and production: Hagerty

2JZ-GTE debut and sequential turbos: Toyota and Toyota 75 Years

A80 Supra displacement and output: Toyota 75 Years

Iron block, US output, US sales, and tuners: Toyota USA newsroom

Torque spread and tuned output: Toyota UK

Bore and stroke of both engines: Jalopnik

Honda Legend output: Honda