Tuning Feature: Nissan YS23DDT Modified

"Comprehensive guide to tuning the Nissan YS23DDT engine!"

We are frequently getting emails about the greatest YS23DDT modifications. So let us look into Nissan YS23DDT parts and outline the best modifications on this great engine and point out some problems along the way.

Now we will review and look at YS23DDT tuning and show the greatest mods that work. Nissan YS23DDT great bases for a tuning project and with carefully chosen performance parts like remapping, turbo improvements and camshafts you will greatly enhance the drivers enjoyment of your car.

Just because particular modifications are appear in lots of YS23DDT projects it doesn't mean it is good, instead we'll concentrate on the top modifications to provide your YS23DDT with the best power gain for you spend.

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 engines power gains are on offer for cam upgrades.

NB: Fast road camshafts commonly bump the power through the rev band, you may lose a little low end bhp but the top end will be lifted.

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

A Competition cam is not great driving in heavy traffic.

You should ideally match your power band to your usage of the car so for a road car stick with a shorter duration YS23DDT cam

Different YS23DDT engines respond better to mild camshaft durations so view each engine as unique.

The engine timing and fuelling also have an effect 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.

YS23DDT Tuning Stages

Stage 1 YS23DDT modifications: Sports exhaust manifold, Remaps/piggy back ECU, Drilled & smoothed airbox, Fast road camshaft, Intake headers, Panel air filters.

Stage 2 YS23DDT modifications: fuel pump upgrades, high flow fuel injectors, Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, induction kit, Fast road cam, Ported and polished head.

Stage 3 YS23DDT modifications: Competition cam, Engine balancing & blueprinting, Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Twin charging conversions, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger).

ECU flashing helps fully realize the full potential of all the tuning parts you've done to your YS23DDT.

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

Forcing more air and fuel into each cylinder is vital to any engine performance tuning task.

The intake plenum take the air during the suck phase from the air filter and allow it to be drawn into the engine and mixed with fuel.

The size of bore and shape and flow rate of the Air Intake manifolds can make a noticeable effect on to fuel engine efficiency on the YS23DDT.

We often see air intake manifolds are needing aftermarket parts, although some OEM provide reasonably well designed air intake manifolds.

Fitting big valve kits, carrying out YS23DDT port enlargement and head flowing will also raise torque, the fantastic side effect is it will permit increasing the torque increase on other tuning parts.

Turbo upgrades for the YS23DDT

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 YS23DDT

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.

If a car is turbocharged, mods are going to make more power and most turbocharged engines are built with many forged and stronger components.

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

It is important to find these restrictions and fit better quality crank and pistons to cope with the power.

It's not unheard of people spending a lots of money on turbo upgrades on the YS23DDT only to watch the engine throw a rod when it's been enthusiastically driven.

Bigger turbo units tend to suffer a bottom end lag, and small turbo units spool up quickly but do not have the top end engines power gains.

We are pleased that the market of turbo chargers is always developing and we now see variable vane turbo chargers, allowing the vane profile is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end bhp.

Twin scroll turbo chargers divert the exhaust flow into two channels and direct these at differently profiled vanes in the turbo. They also increase the scavenging effect of the engine.

It is not unusual that there is a restriction in the air flow sensor AFM/MAF on the YS23DDT when a lot more air is being drawn into the engine.

We see 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 challenging to configure. We have this feature on twinchargers if you want to read more.

Uprating YS23DDT fuel injectors

When you raise the torque you will need to pay attention to to the fuel system.

More torque needs more fuel. Don't forget to be generous with your injector capacity.

The accepted safe increase is to add 20% capacity when specifying an injector, this allows for injector deterioration and allows 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 YS23DDT performance exhausts

You only need to to improve your exhaust if the current exhaust is creating a restriction in flow.

On most factory exhausts you'll find the flow rate is ok 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 out of 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.

Usual 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 YS23DDT

The YS23DDT 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 YS23DDT, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your YS23DDT engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our YS23DDT 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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