Tuning Feature: Nissan CR12DE Modified

"Comprehensive guide to tuning the Nissan CR12DE engine!"

We are always getting posts asking about the things we recommend when it comes to CR12DE modifications. So let us look into Nissan CR12DE parts and outline the best modifications on this great engine and point out some common pitfalls along the way.

Now we will outline options for your CR12DE tuning and summarise the premier mods that work. Nissan CR12DE make a good tuning project and with the best performance parts like remaps, turbo improvements and camshafts you will improve the drivers fun of your car.

Just because particular parts are popular with CR12DE owners it doesn't mean it is good, instead we will focus on the top parts to provide your CR12DE with the biggest power gain return for your cash.

Significant power hikes can be made on engines, and the CR12DE is no exception, through cam upgrades. Altering the cam profile alters the intake and exhaust durations on the engine and can dramatically change the engines power and power output.

NB: Fast road camshafts normally push up the bhp and torque across the rev band, you might lose a little bottom end torque but the higher rpm power will be higher.

Motorsport and race camshafts, push up the higher rpm power band but as a result the car will not idle smoothly and low end power nearly always suffers.

A Competition cam makes it harder when driving in heavy traffic.

You should ideally match your power band to your cars usage so for a road car stick with a mild fast road CR12DE cam

Each engine responds better to extreme camshaft durations than others.

The engine timing and fuelling also have an effect on the power gains you'll get.

Longer valve durations can alter the power 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.

CR12DE Tuning Stages

Stage 1 CR12DE modifications: Drilled & smoothed airbox, Fast road camshaft, Panel air filters, Intake headers, Sports exhaust manifold, Remaps/piggy back ECU.

Stage 2 CR12DE modifications: Fast road cam, induction kit, Ported and polished head, Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, high flow fuel injectors, fuel pump upgrades.

Stage 3 CR12DE modifications: Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Twin charging conversions, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Engine balancing & blueprinting, Competition cam.

ECU flashing will help to establish the full potential of all the modifications you've done to your CR12DE.

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 rely on the modifications you've carried out and the condition of your engine.

Feeding more air and fuel into the CR12DE engine is vital to any engine performance tuning job.

Intake take the air during the suck phase from the filter and allow it to be drawn into the engine cylinders.

Design and flow characteristics of the Intake manifold can make a big effect on to fuel delivery on the CR12DE.

Most intake headers are crying out for aftermarket parts, although a few makers provide decently flowing intake headers.

Larger CR12DE valves, carrying out 3 or 5 angle valve jobs and porting and head flowing will also increase performance, the fantastic side effect is it will make space for a better performance increase on other upgrades.

Turbo upgrades for the CR12DE

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 CR12DE

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.

When the engine is turbocharged, parts are going to make more power and you will discover turbocharged engines use more solid components.

There are common areas of failure for every engine, with some being over specified and some just sufficiently able to handle stock power

We recommend you find these restrictions and fit higher quality crank and pistons to utilize the power.

There are many mechanics spending a loads on turbo charger upgrades on the CR12DE only to suffer the indignity of watching the engine block literally blow up soon after it's been completed.

Large capacity turbos often suffer low end lag, and little turbos spool up quickly but don't have the peak rpm engines power gains.

In recent times the selection of turbos is always developing and we are seeing variable vane turbos, permitting the vane angle 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 push these at differently profiled vanes in the turbo. They also improve the scavenging effect of the engine.

It is not unusual that there's a limitation in the air flow sensor MAF/MAP on the CR12DE when considerably more air is being pulled into the engine.

You'll see that 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor sapped power at a much lower level.

Adding a supercharger or additional turbo will make large bhp gains, although more challenging to install. We have this guide to twinchargers if you want to read more.

Uprating CR12DE fuel injectors

Don't dismiss the need boost the fuel system when you are increasing the performance - it makes the car more thirsty. It is important to be generous with your injectors flow rate.

The rule of thumb is to add 20% to the flow rate when fitting an injector, this takes into account injector deterioration and affords 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 CR12DE performance exhausts

You should look to increase your exhaust if your exhaust is actually creating a restriction.

On most factory exhausts you'll find the exhaust flow rate is good 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 increase the flow of air through the engine.

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

Usual exhaust restrictions come around the filters installed, so adding a higher flowing race alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the CR12DE

The CR12DE 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 CR12DE, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your CR12DE engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our CR12DE 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 tuning 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 CR12DE 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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