Tuning Feature: Nissan VK45DD Modified

"Comprehensive guide to tuning the Nissan VK45DD engine!"

We are regularly seeing threads asking how to improve the VK45DD from people wanting to know what are the best tips on VK45DD power upgrades. So let us look into Nissan VK45DD tuning mods and outline the best mods that work on this great engine and point out some common pitfalls along the way.

The Nissan VK45DD are awesome to work on and with the best uprated tuning mods like remapping, turbo kits and camshafts you will greatly increase your driving fun.

In this article we provide a guide to VK45DD tuning and highlight the best modifications.

Just because particular mods are popular with VK45DD owners it doesn't mean its worth having, instead we will concentrate on the greatest mods to provide your VK45DD with the biggest power gain return for your cash.

Altering your VK45DD camshaft should make a dramatic difference to your engines engines power. Choosing a higher performance camshaft profile raises the engines power especially at the top end.

NB: Fast road cams tend to increase the bhp over the rev range, you could sacrifice a little bottom end power but your higher rpm power will be better.

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 typical daily driver one, ideally, need to optimize your torque band to your preferences.

I'd be amazed if you find a VK45DD Motorsport cam is a pleasure to live with when on the daily commute.

Different VK45DD engines respond better to extreme camshaft durations check your engine on a rolling road.

The map and injectors and fuel pump also will say much on the bhp gains you'll make.

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.

VK45DD Tuning Stages

Stage 1 VK45DD modifications: Fast road camshaft, Panel air filters, Intake headers, Remaps/piggy back ECU, Sports exhaust manifold, Drilled & smoothed airbox.

Stage 2 VK45DD modifications: Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, Ported and polished head, induction kit, high flow fuel injectors, fuel pump upgrades, Fast road cam.

Stage 3 VK45DD modifications: Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Competition cam, Twin charging conversions, Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Engine balancing & blueprinting.

ECU mapping will help to establish the full potential of all the parts you've done to your VK45DD.

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

It is the aim to any engine performance tuning project to pull more air into each cylinder

Intake headers transmit the air during the suck phase from the intake filter and allow it to be sucked into the engine and mixed with fuel.

Structure and flow rate of the Plenum can make a big difference to to fuel mixing and power on the VK45DD.

Commonly we find the plenum chambers are needing performance upgrades, although a few OEM provide fairly well optimized plenum chambers.

Big valve conversions on the VK45DD, doing a bit of port work and head flowing will also increase power, and more importantly will make space for a greater power increase on other modifications.

Turbo upgrades for the VK45DD

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 VK45DD

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 your motor is turbo charged upgrades are simpler to install and you'll see that turbo charged engines are made with strengthened components.

However engines have weakspots

It is important to find these limits and upgrade to better quality components to cope with the power.

There are many people spending a a stack of money on turbocharger upgrades on the VK45DD only to watch the motor throw a rod just after it's used on the roads.

Larger capacity turbochargers tend to suffer low end lag, and small turbochargers spool up much more quickly but won't have the top end engines power gains.

Thanks to new tech the range of turbo chargers is always evolving and we are seeing variable vane turbo chargers, permitting the vane profile is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end bhp and torque.

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

It is not unusual that there is a limit in the air flow sensor AFM/MAP on the VK45DD when loads more air is being sucked into the engine.

Going up you'll find 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor limited power at a much lower level.

Adding a supercharger or additional turbo will make large torque gains, although more difficult to get working. We have this guide to twinchargers if you want to read more.

Uprating VK45DD fuel injectors

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

As a rule of thumb add another 20% when buying an injector, this allows for injector deterioration and provides a bit of spare capacity should the engine require 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 VK45DD performance exhausts

You may need to boost your exhaust if the existing exhaust is actually creating a restriction.

On most factory exhausts you'll see your 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.

Do not go with the widest exhaust you can buy you'll slow up the exhaust flow rate - the best exhausts for power gains are usually between 1.5 to 2.5 inches. It is the shape and material more than the bore size.

Typically 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 VK45DD

The VK45DD 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 VK45DD, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your VK45DD engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our VK45DD 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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