Tuning Feature: Nissan QG16DE Modified

"Comprehensive guide to performance tuning the Nissan QG16DE engine!"

We are frequently getting posts asking about the best tips for QG16DE power upgrades. So let us look into Nissan QG16DE parts and outline the best modifications on this great engine and point out some frequent tuning mistakes along the way.

The Nissan QG16DE have loads of potential and with the optimum performance upgrades like ECU maps, turbo upgrades and camshafts you will dramatically maximise your driving enjoyment.

Here we review and look at QG16DE tuning and highlight the best modifications.

Just because particular tuning mods are are common on QG16DE it doesn't mean it is good, instead we will focus on the greatest tuning mods to provide your QG16DE with the biggest power gain return for your cash.

Significant power gains can be made on engines, and the QG16DE is no exception, by means of camshaft upgrades. Altering the camshaft profile alters the intake and exhaust durations on the engine and can dramatically change the torque and power output.

NB: Fast road camshafts commonly increase the bhp through the rev band, you could sacrifice a little low down torque but your high end rpm power will be higher.

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

In a road car one, ideally, should ideally to match your power band to your driving style.

You'll never find a QG16DE Competition cam is a pleasure to live with when on the daily commute.

Some QG16DE engines respond better to different cam durations than others.

The map and fuelling also have an effect on the bhp gains you'll get.

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.

QG16DE Tuning Stages

Stage 1 QG16DE modifications: Drilled & smoothed airbox, Panel air filters, Intake headers, Remaps/piggy back ECU, Fast road camshaft, Sports exhaust manifold.

Stage 2 QG16DE modifications: high flow fuel injectors, induction kit, Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, fuel pump upgrades, Fast road cam, Ported and polished head.

Stage 3 QG16DE modifications: Engine balancing & blueprinting, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Competition cam, Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Twin charging conversions, Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression.

Remaps should help to to establish the full potential of all the parts you've done to your QG16DE.

It will usually give around 30% more power on turbocharged vehicles and you can expect to see around 15% on NASP engines, but figures achieved often depend much on the parts you've fitted and the condition of your engine.

Feeding more air and fuel into the QG16DE engine is vital to any engine upgrade task.

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

Design and flow characteristics of the Plenum can make a big change to fuel delivery on the QG16DE.

Many mass produced engine intake are needing aftermarket tuning parts, although a few makers provide fairly well optimized intake.

Fitting big valve kits, getting QG16DE port enlargement and head flowing will also boost bhp and torque, and more importantly will permit an improved bhp and torque increase on other modifications.

Turbo upgrades for the QG16DE

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 QG16DE

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

If your motor is fitted with a turbo parts are going to net you a larger power gain and you will discover turbocharged engines are made with uprated components.

However every engines have weakspots

Discover these limits and upgrade to higher quality crank and pistons to survive the power.

It's not unheard of guys spending a loads of money on turbocharger upgrades on the QG16DE only to watch the engine literally blow up on it's first outing after it's been enthusiastically driven.

Bigger capacity turbochargers tend to experience no power at low rpm, and little turbochargers spool up really quickly but won't have the top end power band gains.

In the last 10 years the world of turbo chargers is always improving and we now see variable vane turbo chargers, permitting the vane angle is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end bhp.

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

It is not unusual that there is a restriction in the air flow sensor AFM/MAP on the QG16DE when a lot more air is being sucked into the engine.

Going up you'll find 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor was restricting bhp and torque at a much lower level.

Adding a supercharger or additional turbo will make large performance gains, although more difficult to setup. We have this guide to twinchargers if you want to read more.

Uprating QG16DE fuel injectors

You will need to ensure that the engine is not starved of fuel so will need to increase the fuelling when you start going beyond 20% of a bhp increase.We strongly recommend you to be generous with your injector capacity.

The accepted safe increase is to add 20% to the flow rate when buying an injector, which takes into account injector deterioration and allows a little spare capacity should the engine require 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 QG16DE performance exhausts

You should look to improve your exhaust if your exhaust is actually causing a flow problem.

On most factory exhausts you should find that the flow rate is fine 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 avoid an exhaust that is too big or you will reduce the flow rate. Stick to 1.5 to 2.5 inches as a rule of thumb.

Typically exhaust restrictions come around the catalyst and filters installed, so adding a faster flowing race alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the QG16DE

The QG16DE 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 QG16DE, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your QG16DE engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our QG16DE 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 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 QG16DE 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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