Tuning Feature: Nissan RB30ET Modified

"Comprehensive guide to tuning the Nissan RB30ET engine!"

We are frequently getting posts about the optimum RB30ET upgrades. So let us look into Nissan RB30ET upgrades and outline the best modifications on this great engine and point out some frequent tuning mistakes along the way.

Here we look at RB30ET tuning and summarise the optimum modifications. Nissan RB30ET make awesome project engines and with the right uprated enhancements like remapping, turbo kits and camshafts you will certainly enhance the drivers enjoyment of your car.

Just because particular mods are popular with RB30ET owners it doesn't mean it is good, we will concentrate on the greatest mods to provide your RB30ET with the best power gain for you spend.

Altering your RB30ET cam often will make a dramatic difference to your engines bhp. Choosing a higher performance cam profile raises the bhp especially at the top end.

NB: Fast road camshafts usually increase the bhp and torque over the rpm band, you may lose a little low end bhp but the top end will be better.

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

A Motorsport camshaft makes it harder when in heavy traffic.

You should ideally match your engines power to your driving style so for a typical daily driver stick with a shorter duration RB30ET camshaft

Some RB30ET engines respond better to more or less aggressive camshaft durations so view each engine as unique.

The map and injectors and fuel pump also have an effect on the torque gains you'll make.

A longer valve duration can alter the torque 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.

RB30ET Tuning Stages

Stage 1 RB30ET modifications: Drilled & smoothed airbox, Fast road camshaft, Intake headers, Remaps/piggy back ECU, Sports exhaust manifold, Panel air filters.

Stage 2 RB30ET modifications: fuel pump upgrades, Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, induction kit, high flow fuel injectors, Fast road cam, Ported and polished head.

Stage 3 RB30ET modifications: Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Twin charging conversions, Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Competition cam, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Engine balancing & blueprinting.

Mapping will help to establish the full potential of all the mods you've done to your RB30ET.

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

Pushing air into the RB30ET engine is the whole point to any engine modification project.

The intake plenum transmit the air from the filter and allow it to be sucked into the engine and mixed with fuel.

Structure and rate of flow of the Plenum can make a substantial improvement to fuel engine efficiency on the RB30ET.

Commonly we find the intake headers are in dire need of aftermarket tuning parts, although some car makers provide reasonably well designed intake headers.

Big valve conversions on the RB30ET, getting port matching and head flowing will also lift bhp and torque, and more importantly will permit a better bhp and torque increase on other tuning parts.

Turbo upgrades for the RB30ET

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 RB30ET

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

When your car is turbo charged parts are giving better power gains and we find turbo charged engines already contain harder and stronger components.

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

See where you'll find these limits and install forged components to handle the power.

We see many people spending a lots of money on turbo upgrades on the RB30ET only to suffer the humiliation of seeing the engine block throw a rod just after it's used in anger.

Large turbochargers will usually suffer low end lag, and smaller turbochargers spool up really quickly but do not have the peak end torque gains.

Thanks to progress the market of turbo chargers is always evolving and we now see variable vane turbo chargers, permitting the vane profile is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end torque.

Twin scroll turbo chargers 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.

You'll commonly see there is a limitation in the air flow sensor (AFM/MAF/MAP) on the RB30ET 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 was restricting bhp at a much lower level.

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

Uprating RB30ET fuel injectors

When you lift the bhp you will need to increase to the fuel system.

More bhp needs more fuel. We strongly recommend you to be generous with your flow rate on the injectors.

The rule of thumb is to add 20% when fitting an injector, this takes into account injector deterioration and provides a bit of 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 RB30ET performance exhausts

You may need to boost your exhaust if your current exhaust is creating a restriction.

On most factory exhausts you'll find 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 from the engine but do not go too big or you will reduce the flow rate. Stick to 1.5 to 2.5 inches as a rule of thumb.

Common exhaust restrictions come around the catalysts installed, so adding a better flowing performance alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the RB30ET

The RB30ET 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 RB30ET, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your RB30ET engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our RB30ET 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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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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