Tuning Feature: Nissan ZD30DD Modified

"Comprehensive guide to performance tuning the Nissan ZD30DD engine!"

We are frequently getting messages asking how to improve the ZD30DD from people wanting to know what are the optimum ZD30DD upgrades. So let us look into Nissan ZD30DD upgrades and outline the best modifications on this great engine and point out some frequent tuning mistakes along the way.

Now we will examine ZD30DD tuning and show the ultimate modifications. Nissan ZD30DD make awesome project engines and with carefully chosen uprated enhancements like remaps, turbo upgrades and camshafts you will definitely maximise the drivers fun of your car.

Just because particular tuning parts are popular with ZD30DD owners it doesn't mean it is good, we shall focus on the best tuning parts to provide your ZD30DD with the best value for money to power increase.

Altering your ZD30DD cam often will make a dramatic difference to your engines power band. Choosing a higher performance cam profile raises the power band especially at the top end.

NB: Fast road cams commonly bump the power across the rev band, you could drop a little bottom end bhp but your higher rpm power will be lifted.

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

For a daily driver one, ideally, must carefully try to optimize your torque band to your cars usage.

I'd be amazed if you have ever thought a ZD30DD Motorsport and race camshaft is a pleasure to live with when driving around busy urban areas.

Some ZD30DD engines respond better to more aggressive camshaft durations so view each engine as unique.

The ECU mapping and injectors and fuel pump also will make differences on the bhp gains you'll hit.

Extending exhaust or intake 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.

ZD30DD Tuning Stages

Stage 1 ZD30DD modifications: Remaps/piggy back ECU, Fast road camshaft, Intake headers, Panel air filters, Drilled & smoothed airbox, Sports exhaust manifold.

Stage 2 ZD30DD modifications: high flow fuel injectors, fuel pump upgrades, Ported and polished head, induction kit, Fast road cam, Sports catalyst & performance exhaust.

Stage 3 ZD30DD modifications: Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Competition cam, Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Twin charging conversions, Engine balancing & blueprinting.

ECU flashing will help release the full potential of all the tuning parts you've done to your ZD30DD.

It will usually give around 30% more power on turbocharged vehicles and you can expect to see around 15% on NASP engines, but your mileage will vary depending on the tuning parts you've fitted and the condition of your engine.

It is the aim to any engine performance tuning job to pull fuel and air into each cylinder

The intake plenum take the air from the filter and allow it to be sucked into the engine cylinders.

The size of bore and shape and flow rate of the Intake manifold can make a substantial difference to to fuel delivery on the ZD30DD.

We often see headers are begging for an upgrade, although some manufacturers provide fairly well optimized headers.

Fitting big valve kits, doing some port work and head flowing will also lift torque, and more importantly will afford you a greater torque increase on other parts.

Turbo upgrades for the ZD30DD

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 ZD30DD

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

When the engine is turbocharged, parts are more reliable and turbo charged engines will have many forged and stronger components.

There are practical limits for every engine, with some being incredibly solid and some just sufficiently able to handle stock power

Discover these limitations and fit better pistons and crank to survive the power.

We've seen guys spending a loads of money on turbocharger upgrades on the ZD30DD only to experience the ZD30DD literally blow up soon after it's been finished.

Bigger turbo units often experience low end lag, and smaller turbo units spool up much more quickly but don't have the top end torque gains.

In the last 10 years the world of turbos is always increasing and we commonly find variable vane turbos, allowing the vane angle is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end performance.

Twin scroll turbos divert the exhaust gases into two channels and push these at differently profiled vanes in the turbocharger. They also boost the scavenging effect of the engine.

It is not unusual that there is a limitation in the air flow sensor (AFM/MAF/MAP) on the ZD30DD when loads more air is being fed into the engine.

We note 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor sapped bhp and torque at a much lower level.

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

Uprating ZD30DD fuel injectors

When you raise the bhp you will need to look at to the fuel system.

More bhp needs more fuel. Don't forget to over specify your injectors flow rate.

The rule of thumb is to add 20% when fitting an injector, this accounts for injector deterioration and allows 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 ZD30DD performance exhausts

Only look to replace your exhaust if the existing exhaust is creating a restriction in flow.

On most factory exhausts you'll see 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 balance the flow of gases through the engine.

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

Common exhaust restrictions can be located in the filters installed, so adding a faster flowing sports alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the ZD30DD

The ZD30DD 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 ZD30DD, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your ZD30DD engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our ZD30DD 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 upgrades were the most effective for them, it helps us improve our recommendations and articles to reflect current trends in modifications and ensures that our ZD30DD 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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