Tuning Feature: Nissan RB20DET Modified

"Comprehensive guide to tuning the Nissan RB20DET engine!"

We are always seeing threads asking about the optimum RB20DET power upgrades. So let us look into Nissan RB20DET tuning mods and outline the best modifications on this great engine and point out some frequent tuning mistakes along the way.

The Nissan RB20DET offer good returns when tuned and with carefully picked sports modifications like ECU maps, turbo kits and camshafts you will dramatically maximize your driving pleasure.

Our aim here is to examine the options for your RB20DET tuning and show the best upgrades.

Just because particular upgrades are are common on RB20DET it doesn't mean its worth having, instead we'll focus on the best upgrades to provide your RB20DET with the best power gain for you money.

The camshaft profile plays a big part in the engines power output so camshaft upgrades make quite a large difference. The intake and exhaust durations will alter depending on the chosen camshaft profile, so large engines power gains are on offer for camshaft upgrades.

NB: Fast road cams tend to increase the performance throughout the rpm range, you could sacrifice a little low down bhp but high end rpm power will improve.

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

On a typical daily driver one, ideally, should ideally to match your engines power to your cars usage.

I'd be surprised if you have found a RB20DET Motorsport and race cam is a pleasure to live with when driving in heavy traffic.

Some RB20DET engines respond better to extreme camshaft durations so view each engine as unique.

The ecu map and injectors and fuel pump also will make differences on the bhp gains you'll get.

Longer 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.

RB20DET Tuning Stages

Stage 1 RB20DET modifications: Fast road camshaft, Panel air filters, Drilled & smoothed airbox, Remaps/piggy back ECU, Intake headers, Sports exhaust manifold.

Stage 2 RB20DET modifications: Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, Ported and polished head, high flow fuel injectors, induction kit, fuel pump upgrades, Fast road cam.

Stage 3 RB20DET modifications: Competition cam, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Engine balancing & blueprinting, Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Twin charging conversions.

Remaps helps unlock the full potential of all the parts you've done to your RB20DET.

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

Forcing more air into the RB20DET engine is the whole point to any engine upgrade job.

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

Structure and flow rate of the Plenum can make a substantial effect on to fuel atomisation and engine efficiency on the RB20DET.

It's not uncommon that plenum chambers are in desperate need of a performance upgrade, although a few makers provide reasonably well designed plenum chambers.

Adding a RB20DET larger valve kit, doing a bit of 3 or 5 angle valve jobs and porting and head flowing will also increase bhp and torque, & more importantly will allow you to get raising the bhp and torque increase on other upgrades.

Turbo upgrades for the RB20DET

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 RB20DET

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 a car is turbo charged modifications are going to net you a larger power gain and you'll see that turbocharged engines are built with stronger components.

However engines have limits

It is important to find these limits and upgrade to better quality crank and pistons to utilize the power.

It's not unheard of guys spending a loads of money on turbocharger upgrades on the RB20DET only to see the car literally blow up soon after it's first rolling road session.

Big turbochargers will usually suffer no power at low rpm, and low capacity turbochargers spool up much more quickly but won't have the high rpm power band gains.

Thanks to progress the range of turbochargers is always evolving and we now see variable vane turbochargers, permitting the vane angle is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end torque.

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

You'll commonly see there is a restriction in the air flow sensor MAP/MAF/AFM on the RB20DET when loads more air is being drawn into the engine.

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

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

Uprating RB20DET fuel injectors

You will need to ensure that the engine is not starved of fuel so will have to look at the fuelling when you start exceeding 20% of a bhp increase.We would recommend you to be generous with your flow rate on the injectors.

As a rule of thumb add 20% to the flow rate when fitting an injector, this takes into account injector deterioration and affords 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 RB20DET performance exhausts

Only look to boost your exhaust if the current exhaust is actually creating a flow problem.

On most factory exhausts you'll see the flow rate is still 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 can usually air flow from 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 as a rule of thumb.

Common exhaust restrictions come around the emissions filters installed, so adding a better flowing performance alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the RB20DET

The RB20DET 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 RB20DET, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your RB20DET engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our RB20DET 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 RB20DET 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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