Tuning Feature: Nissan VQ23DE Modified

"Comprehensive guide to performance tuning the Nissan VQ23DE engine!"

We are frequently seeing threads about the best VQ23DE upgrades. So let us look into Nissan VQ23DE parts and outline the best upgrades on this great engine and point out some potential pitfalls along the way.

This Nissan V6 came in many different setups over it's production run and engine size ranged from 2.0 to 4.0 litres. Nissan produced a motorsport version badged as the VQ30DETT showing what this platform is capable of. Some of the 3.5 liter engines have pretty strong internals and can withstand up to 1000hp in ideal conditions, and parts from these high spec engines are often sourced and fitted into others accross the range.

This pages aim is provide a guide to VQ23DE tuning and highlight the premier mods that work. Nissan VQ23DE are awesome to work on and with carefully chosen motorsport enhancements like remapping, turbo kits and camshafts you will dramatically increase the drivers pleasure of your car.

The best VQ23DE mods on an engine are sensibly the ones that give the best value for money.

We won't be swayed by popular VQ23DE mods, they need to be cost effective.

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 engines power gains are on offer for cam upgrades.

NB: Fast road cams commonly increase the performance over the rpm range, you may sacrifice a little low down power but the higher rpm power will improve.

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

In a car driven daily one, ideally, must carefully try to match your power band to your driving style.

You'll never have ever thought a VQ23DE Competition cam is a pleasure to live with when in heavy traffic.

Some VQ23DE engines respond better to mild camshaft durations so set your engine up on a rolling road.

The ECU mapping and fuelling also have an effect on the bhp gains you'll hit.

Altering valve durations 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.

VQ23DE Tuning Stages

Stage 1 VQ23DE modifications: Sports exhaust manifold, Intake headers, Panel air filters, Drilled & smoothed airbox, Fast road camshaft, Remaps/piggy back ECU.

Stage 2 VQ23DE modifications: Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, Ported and polished head, high flow fuel injectors, induction kit, fuel pump upgrades, Fast road cam.

Stage 3 VQ23DE modifications: Competition cam, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Engine balancing & blueprinting, Twin charging conversions, Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves).

Remaps will help release the full potential of all the mods you've done to your VQ23DE.

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 mods you've applied and the condition of your engine.

Feeding more air and fuel into the VQ23DE engine is the whole point to any engine modification project.

Air Intake manifolds flow the air during the suck phase from the air cleaner and allow it to be sucked into the engine cylinders with fuel for the squish phase.

Structure and flow characteristics of the Plenum can make a big effect on to fuel atomisation on the VQ23DE.

I usually find intake are crying out for a performance upgrade, although a few makers provide well optimised intake.

Fitting big valve kits, doing some VQ23DE port enlargement and head flowing will also lift bhp and torque, & more importantly will give you raising the bhp and torque increase on other parts.

Turbo upgrades for the VQ23DE

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 VQ23DE

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.

When your car has forced induction tuning parts are relatively easy and you will discover turbo engines are made using more solid components.

There are reliable limits for every engine, with some being incredibly solid and some only able to handle stock power

Research these restrictions and fit more solid crank and pistons to cope with the power.

We've seen mechanics spending a loads of money on turbo upgrades on the VQ23DE only to experience the motor literally blow up when it's completed.

Big turbochargers will usually experience no power at low rpm, and low capacity turbochargers spool up quickly but do not have the high rpm torque gains.

Thankfully the range of turbo units is always developing 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.

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

You'll commonly see there is a limit in the air flow sensor AFM/MAF on the VQ23DE when considerably 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 was restricting torque at a much lower level.

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

Uprating VQ23DE fuel injectors

Don't miss you'll need to increase the fuelling when you are increasing the bhp and torque - it makes the car more thirsty. Don't forget to over specify your injector capacity.

The rule of thumb is to add 20% capacity when specifying an injector, this takes into account 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 VQ23DE performance exhausts

You should look to boost your exhaust if your current exhaust is actually creating a restriction in flow.

On most factory exhausts you'll find the 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 can usually air flow through the engine but avoid an exhaust that is too wide or you may end up reduce the flow rate. Stick to 1.5 to 2.5 inches for best results.

Typically exhaust restrictions are traced to the catalysts installed, so adding a higher flowing sports alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the VQ23DE

The VQ23DE 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 VQ23DE, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your VQ23DE engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our VQ23DE 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 VQ23DE 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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