Tuning Feature: Nissan VK50VE Modified

"Comprehensive guide to tuning the Nissan VK50VE engine!"

We are frequently seeing threads asking how to improve the VK50VE from people wanting to know what are the things we recommend when it comes to VK50VE power upgrades. So let us look into Nissan VK50VE modifications and outline the best modifications on this great engine and point out some potential pitfalls along the way.

Our aim here is to review VK50VE tuning and summarise the premier upgrades. Nissan VK50VE great bases for a tuning project and with carefully chosen tuning parts like remaps, turbo kits and camshafts you will definitely maximize the drivers pleasure of your car.

When talking about the ultimate parts for your VK50VE engine, we are going to focus on the upgrades that give the biggest 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 and exhaust durations will alter depending on the chosen cam profile, so large bhp gains are on offer for cam upgrades.

NB: Fast road cams usually bump the power throughout the rev range, you could drop a little low end torque but the high end rpm power will be higher.

Competition cams, bump 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 typical driving style.

I'd be shocked if you find a VK50VE Motorsport cam is a pleasure to live with when in heavy traffic.

Different VK50VE engines respond better to extreme camshaft durations so set your engine up on a rolling road.

The engine timing and fuel pump and injectors also have a large bearing on the torque gains you'll hit.

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.

VK50VE Tuning Stages

Stage 1 VK50VE modifications: Panel air filters, Remaps/piggy back ECU, Intake headers, Fast road camshaft, Drilled & smoothed airbox, Sports exhaust manifold.

Stage 2 VK50VE modifications: fuel pump upgrades, high flow fuel injectors, Ported and polished head, Fast road cam, induction kit, Sports catalyst & performance exhaust.

Stage 3 VK50VE modifications: Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Twin charging conversions, Competition cam, Engine balancing & blueprinting, Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves).

ECU flashing allows a tuner to to establish the full potential of all the modifications you've done to your VK50VE.

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 may depend much on the modifications you've carried out and the condition of your engine.

Feeding fuel and air into each cylinder is vital to any tuning project.

Intake flow the air during the suck phase from the air cleaner and allow it to be pulled into the engine and mixed with fuel.

Structure and rate of flow of the Intake headers can make a big effect on to fuel atomisation on the VK50VE.

It's not uncommon that air intake manifolds are crying out for aftermarket parts, although some makers provide reasonably good air intake manifolds.

Larger VK50VE valves, doing some port matching and head flowing will also increase torque, & more importantly will raise potential for a better torque increase on other parts.

Turbo upgrades for the VK50VE

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 VK50VE

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

If your motor is turbo charged parts are going to net you a larger power gain and most turbo engines are built using more solid components.

However every engines have weakspots

See where you'll find these limits and upgrade to better quality components to handle the power.

It's not unheard of tuners spending a loads on turbo charger upgrades on the VK50VE only to see the whole thing literally blow up just after it's used on the roads.

Larger turbos commonly experience low end lag, and low capacity turbos spool up quickly but don't have the high rpm engines power gains.

We are pleased that the choice of turbo units is always developing and we now see variable vane turbo units, where the vane profile is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end performance.

Twin scroll turbo units divert the exhaust flow into two channels and push these at differently designed vanes in the turbo charger. They also increase the scavenging effect of the engine.

It is common that there is a limit in the air flow sensor MAP/MAF/AFM on the VK50VE when a lot more air is being pulled into the engine.

We see 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor was restricting power at a much lower level.

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

Uprating VK50VE fuel injectors

Don't dismiss the need increase the fuelling when you are increasing the bhp - it makes the car more thirsty. It is important to over specify your flow rate on the injectors.

The accepted safe increase is to add 20% to the flow rate when specifying an injector, which 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 VK50VE performance exhausts

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

On most factory exhausts you should find that your flow rate is still 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 through the engine but do not go too large or you may end up reduce the flow rate. Stick to 1.5 to 2.5 inches for best results.

Common exhaust restrictions are traced to the catalyst and filters installed, so adding a better flowing sports alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the VK50VE

The VK50VE 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 VK50VE, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your VK50VE engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our VK50VE 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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