Tuning Feature: Nissan RB20ET Modified

"Comprehensive guide to tuning the Nissan RB20ET engine!"

We are regularly getting emails about the greatest RB20ET modifications. So let us look into Nissan RB20ET tuning mods and outline the best upgrades on this great engine and point out some potential pitfalls along the way.

Our aim here is to look into RB20ET tuning and provide tips on the best upgrades. Nissan RB20ET make awesome project engines and with the right modified tuning mods like remaps, turbo improvements and camshafts you will positively improve the drivers experience of your car.

Just because particular parts are popular with RB20ET owners it doesn't mean it is good, instead we will concentrate on the greatest parts to provide your RB20ET with the best power gain for you spend.

Altering your RB20ET cam could make a dramatic difference to your engines torque. Choosing a higher performance cam profile raises the torque accordingly

NB: Fast road cams commonly bump the torque through the rpm range, you might lose a little bottom end bhp but your top end will be better.

Competition cams, bump the top end band but as a result the car will not idle smoothly and low end power nearly always suffers.

A Race camshaft won't do well if driving around busy urban areas.

You should ideally match your torque band to your cars usage so for a daily driver stick with a mild fast road RB20ET camshaft

Some RB20ET engines respond better to more aggressive camshaft durations so view each engine as unique.

The ecu map and fuelling also have a large bearing on the power gains you'll achieve.

Longer valve durations can alter the power 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.

RB20ET Tuning Stages

Stage 1 RB20ET modifications: Drilled & smoothed airbox, Remaps/piggy back ECU, Panel air filters, Fast road camshaft, Intake headers, Sports exhaust manifold.

Stage 2 RB20ET modifications: fuel pump upgrades, Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, high flow fuel injectors, induction kit, Fast road cam, Ported and polished head.

Stage 3 RB20ET modifications: Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Competition cam, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Engine balancing & blueprinting, Twin charging conversions.

Mapping helps fully realize the full potential of all the parts you've done to your RB20ET.

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 often rely on the parts you've applied and the condition of your engine.

Pulling more air into each cylinder is the main goal to any engine upgrade job.

Intake manifold flow the air from the filter and allow it to be drawn into the engine and mixed with fuel.

Structure and flow rate of the Intake headers can make a substantial improvement to fuel engine efficiency on the RB20ET.

It's not uncommon that intake are crying out for an upgrade, although some manufacturers provide well optimised intake.

Adding a RB20ET larger valve kit, getting 3 or 5 angle valve jobs and porting and head flowing will also boost bhp, & importantly will permit an improved bhp increase on other tuning mods.

Turbo upgrades for the RB20ET

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 RB20ET

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

If your motor is fitted with a turbocharger modifications are relatively easy and most turbo engines are made using more solid components.

There are practical limits for every engine, with some being very over engineered and some only just able to handle stock power

Research these restrictions and install better quality crank and pistons to handle the power.

We've seen people spending a fortune on turbo charger upgrades on the RB20ET only to watch the car catastrophically fail soon after it's finished.

Big capacity turbo units tend to suffer a bottom end lag, and small turbo units spool up really quickly but do not have the top end bhp gains.

In recent times the market of turbo units is always increasing and we now see variable vane turbo units, allowing the vane angle is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end bhp and torque.

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

It is common that there is a limitation in the air flow sensor AFM/MAF on the RB20ET when considerably more air is being drawn into the engine.

We note 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor sapped bhp at a much lower level.

Adding a supercharger or additional turbo will make large torque gains, although more challenging to get working. We have this article on twincharging if you want to read more.

Uprating RB20ET fuel injectors

Don't overlook the need to uprate the fuel delivery when you are increasing the bhp and torque - it makes the car more thirsty. We would recommend you to be generous with your injector capacity.

As a rule of thumb add another 20% when buying an injector, this takes into account injector deterioration and provides a bit of 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 RB20ET performance exhausts

Only look to upgrade your exhaust if your current exhaust is actually causing a restriction.

On most factory exhausts you'll see the exhaust 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 will certainly help air flow through 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 can be located in the catalysts installed, so adding a faster flowing race alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the RB20ET

The RB20ET 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 RB20ET, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your RB20ET engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our RB20ET 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 parts were the most effective for them, it helps us improve our recommendations and articles to reflect current trends in modifications and ensures that our RB20ET 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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