Tuning Feature: Nissan QD32 Modified

"Comprehensive guide to tuning the Nissan QD32 engine!"

We often are getting messages requesting info on the things we recommend when it comes to QD32 mods that work. So let us look into Nissan QD32 modifications and outline the best modifications on this great engine and point out some common pitfalls along the way.

The Nissan QD32 have loads of potential and with a few sensible motorsport tuning mods like ECU maps, turbo upgrades and camshafts you will positively improve your driving pleasure.

TorqueCars will examine QD32 tuning and report on the premier mods that work.

Just because particular tuning parts are popular with QD32 owners it doesn't mean you should fit it, we will focus on the ultimate tuning parts to provide your QD32 with the best power gain for you spend.

Altering your QD32 camshaft will make a dramatic difference to your engines engines power. Choosing a higher performance camshaft profile raises the engines power accordingly

NB: Fast road camshafts normally bump the performance throughout the rpm band, you could sacrifice a little bottom end power but your high end rpm power will improve.

Race camshafts, bump the high end rpm power band but as a result the car will not idle smoothly and low end power nearly always suffers.

A Race camshaft will just annoy you whilst driving in heavy traffic.

You should ideally optimize your engines power to your cars usage so for a car used daily stick with a mild fast road QD32 camshaft

Each engine responds better to extreme cam durations so set your engine up on a rolling road.

The map and injectors and fuel pump also will make differences on the bhp gains you'll hit.

A longer valve duration can alter the bhp band and on most engines the exhaust and intake durations do not need to match, although most cams and tuners use matched pairs there are some advantages to extending the intake or exhaust durations.

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QD32 Tuning Stages

Stage 1 QD32 modifications: Drilled & smoothed airbox, Intake headers, Fast road camshaft, Panel air filters, Sports exhaust manifold, Remaps/piggy back ECU.

Stage 2 QD32 modifications: Ported and polished head, induction kit, high flow fuel injectors, Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, Fast road cam, fuel pump upgrades.

Stage 3 QD32 modifications: Competition cam, Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Twin charging conversions, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Engine balancing & blueprinting, Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression.

Mapping helps release the full potential of all the upgrades you've done to your QD32.

It will usually give around 30% more power on turbocharged vehicles and you can expect to see around 15% on NASP engines, but your results may depend much on the upgrades you've carried out and the condition of your engine.

Shoving more air and fuel into the QD32 engine is the whole point to any tuning task.

Intake carry the air from the filter and allow it to be drawn into the engine cylinders.

The size of bore and shape and flow characteristics of the Intake headers can make a substantial difference to to fuel atomisation on the QD32.

Most air intake manifolds are in dire need of a performance upgrade, although some manufacturers provide fairly well optimized air intake manifolds.

Adding a QD32 larger valve kit, carrying out QD32 port enlargement and head flowing will also lift performance, and more importantly will make space for a better performance increase on other upgrades.

Turbo upgrades for the QD32

NASP engines need quite a lot of work when you add a turbo, so we have a separate guide to help you take into account the pros and cons of going this route on your QD32

The more air you can get into an engine, the more fuel it can burn and uprating the induction with a turbocharger upgrade makes excellent power gains.

When an engine has a turbo already fitted parts are more reliable and turbo engines already contain harder and stronger components.

There are practical limits for every engine, with some being extremely strong and some only able to handle stock power

Discover these limitations and upgrade to more solid crank and pistons to survive the power.

We see many drivers spending a lot of money on turbo upgrades on the QD32 only to suffer the indignity of watching the motor literally blow up when it's completed.

Big capacity turbo units tend to suffer a bottom end lag, and little turbo units spool up much more quickly but don't have the top end torque gains.

Thankfully the world of turbo chargers is always developing and we commonly find variable vane turbo chargers, where the vane angle is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end power.

Twin scroll turbo chargers divert the exhaust gases into a couple of channels and push these at differently angled vanes in the turbo charger. They also improve the scavenging effect of the engine.

It is not unusual that there is a restriction in the air flow sensor MAP/MAF/AFM on the QD32 when a lot more air is being drawn into the engine.

You'll see that 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor limited performance at a much lower level.

Adding a supercharger or additional turbo will make large power gains, although harder to install. We have this article on twincharging if you want to read more.

Uprating QD32 fuel injectors

When you raise the torque you will need to look at to the fuel system.

More torque needs more fuel. We strongly recommend you to be generous with your injector capacity.

The rule of thumb is to add 20% when fitting an injector, this allows for injector deterioration and allows some spare capacity should the engine need more fuel.

We think this one is common sense, but you'll need to match your fuel injector to the type of fuel your car uses as well.

Best QD32 performance exhausts

You only need to to boost your exhaust if the current exhaust is creating a flow problem.

On most factory exhausts you'll find the flow rate is still good even on modest power gains, but when you start pushing up the power levels you will need to get a better flowing exhaust.

Sports exhausts generally help improve air flow out of the engine but do not go too wide or you could reduce the flow rate. Stick to 1.5 to 2.5 inches as a rule of thumb.

Common exhaust restrictions are traced to the filters installed, so adding a faster flowing high performance alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the QD32

The QD32 engines, if regularly serviced and maintained, are generally very reliable and have few issues. {But if neglected they can cost a small fortune|When neglected they get very expensive to run|They can however be quite expensive if neglected| }

Regular oil changes are vital on the QD32, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your QD32 engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our QD32 owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

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We really like hearing from our readers, and hearing about which tuning mods were the most effective for them, it helps us improve our recommendations and articles to reflect current trends in modifications and ensures that our QD32 guides and tips are kept up to date.

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This article is flagged for an update, so please pass on specific tips below that I can include. All articles, and content was written by me, Waynne Smith TorqueCars founder. Some outlines are just too general so I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. This entry was filed under Nissan. You can leave a response below or join our forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.

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