Tuning Feature: Nissan VH41DE Modified

"Comprehensive guide to tuning the Nissan VH41DE engine!"

We are always getting posts asking how to improve the VH41DE from people wanting to know what are the things we recommend when it comes to VH41DE modifications. So let us look into Nissan VH41DE mods and outline the best modifications on this great engine and point out some potential pitfalls along the way.

The Nissan VH41DE are fantastic to work on and with the optimum uprated upgrades like a remap, turbo upgrades and camshafts you will maximise your driving experience.

This pages aim is consider VH41DE tuning and report on the optimum mods that work.

Just because particular upgrades are popular with VH41DE owners it doesn't mean it is good, we will focus on the ultimate upgrades to provide your VH41DE with the biggest power gain return for your cash.

The cam profile plays a big part in the engines power output so cam upgrades make quite a large difference. The intake & exhaust durations will alter depending on the chosen cam profile, so large bhp gains are on offer for cam upgrades.

NB: Fast road camshafts commonly raise the power through the rpm range, you could drop a little low end bhp but the top end will be better.

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

For a typical daily driver one, ideally, need to match your torque band to your driving style.

I'd be amazed if you have found a VH41DE Motorsport camshaft is a pleasure to live with when driving around busy urban areas.

Different VH41DE engines respond better to extreme cam durations than others.

The map and fuelling also have a large bearing on the torque gains you'll get.

Longer valve durations 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.

VH41DE Tuning Stages

Stage 1 VH41DE modifications: Remaps/piggy back ECU, Sports exhaust manifold, Intake headers, Drilled & smoothed airbox, Panel air filters, Fast road camshaft.

Stage 2 VH41DE modifications: induction kit, Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, fuel pump upgrades, Ported and polished head, high flow fuel injectors, Fast road cam.

Stage 3 VH41DE modifications: Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Twin charging conversions, Engine balancing & blueprinting, Competition cam, Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression.

Remaps allows a tuner to unlock the full potential of all the tuning mods you've done to your VH41DE.

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 usually differs on the tuning mods you've fitted and the condition of your engine.

It is vital to any performance tuning task to pull more air and fuel into the VH41DE engine

Intake headers carry the air during the suck phase from the air cleaner and allow it to be drawn into the engine and mixed with fuel.

The bore size, shape and flow rate of the Plenum can make a big change to fuel atomisation on the VH41DE.

It's not uncommon that air intake manifolds are in desperate need of motorsport parts, although a few makers provide reasonably good air intake manifolds.

Big valve conversions on the VH41DE, doing some port matching and head flowing will also improve bhp and torque, and as an added benefit will allow you to get a better bhp and torque increase on other tuning mods.

Turbo upgrades for the VH41DE

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 VH41DE

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

When your motor is fitted with a turbo upgrades are simpler to install and most turbo charged engines use stronger components.

However every engines will need better parts at higher power limits

See where you'll find these limits and install more solid crank and pistons to survive the power.

It's not unheard of mechanics spending a loads of money on turbo upgrades on the VH41DE only to experience the VH41DE throw a rod when it's used in anger.

Bigger capacity turbochargers tend to suffer no power at low rpm, and little turbochargers spool up quickly but won't have the high rpm torque gains.

We are pleased that the range of turbos is always improving and we commonly find variable vane turbos, allowing the vane profile is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end torque.

Twin scroll turbos divert the exhaust flow into a couple of channels and flow these at differently designed vanes in the turbocharger. They also help the scavenging effect of the engine.

It is common that there is a limitation in the air flow sensor MAP/MAF/AFM on the VH41DE when loads more air is being sucked 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 performance gains, although more challenging to install. We have this article on twincharging if you want to read more.

Uprating VH41DE fuel injectors

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

More bhp needs more fuel. Most tuners we speak with say to be generous with your injectors flow rate.

The accepted safe increase is to add another 20% when buying an injector, this allows for injector deterioration and gives you 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 VH41DE performance exhausts

You only need to to replace your exhaust if the existing exhaust is actually causing a restriction in flow.

On most factory exhausts you should find that your 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 equal out the flow of air through the engine.

But if your exhaust pipe is too big, ie: over 2.5 inches bore, you will lose a lot of the exhaust flow rate and end up sapping power and torque.

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

Problems and issues to look out for on the VH41DE

The VH41DE 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 VH41DE, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your VH41DE engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our VH41DE 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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