Tuning Feature: Nissan VQ30DE Modified

"Comprehensive guide to tuning and performance parts on the Nissan VQ30DE engine!"

We are frequently getting posts about the premier VQ30DE power upgrades. So let us look into Nissan VQ30DE modifications and outline the best mods that work on this great engine and point out some frequent tuning mistakes along the way.

This Nissan V6 had many revisions over it's production run and cc ranged from two to four litres. Nissan came up with a Race ready version the VQ30DETT showing what this platform is capable of. Some of the 3.5 liter engines have pretty strong internals and can withstand up to 1000hp in ideal conditions, and parts from these high spec engines are often sourced and fitted into others accross the range.

The Nissan VQ30DE really good project engines and with the best motorsport modifications like remapping, turbo upgrades and camshafts you will positively maximise your driving pleasure.

Let us review VQ30DE tuning and summarise the best modifications for your car.

Just because particular parts are appear in lots of VQ30DE projects it doesn't mean its worth having, instead we will focus on the ultimate parts to provide your VQ30DE with the best power gain for you money.

Significant power hikes can be made on engines, and the VQ30DE is no exception, by means of 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 cams commonly increase the bhp over the rpm range, you may sacrifice a little low down torque but your higher rpm power will be lifted.

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

On a daily driver one, ideally, must carefully try to match your bhp range to your cars usage.

I'd be surprised if you have ever thought a VQ30DE Motorsport and race camshaft is a pleasure to live with when in heavy traffic.

Some VQ30DE engines respond better to more or less aggressive cam durations so view each engine as unique.

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

A longer valve duration 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.

VQ30DE Tuning Stages

Stage 1 VQ30DE modifications: Remaps/piggy back ECU, Panel air filters, Intake headers, Sports exhaust manifold, Fast road camshaft, Drilled & smoothed airbox.

Stage 2 VQ30DE modifications: Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, high flow fuel injectors, Ported and polished head, fuel pump upgrades, Fast road cam, induction kit.

Stage 3 VQ30DE modifications: Competition cam, Engine balancing & blueprinting, Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Twin charging conversions.

ECU flashing helps unlock the full potential of all the tuning mods you've done to your VQ30DE.

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 usually rely on the tuning mods you've carried out and the condition of your engine.

It is the aim to any performance tuning project to push fuel and air into the VQ30DE engine

Headers flow the air from the air cleaner and allow it to be pulled into the engine cylinders with fuel for the squish phase.

The bore size, shape and flow characteristics of the Intake can make a noticeable improvement to fuel mixing and power on the VQ30DE.

I usually find intake are crying out for performance upgrades, although some car makers provide reasonably well designed intake.

Big valve conversions on the VQ30DE, doing some port work and head flowing will also raise torque, and importantly will raise potential for an improved torque increase on other tuning mods.

Turbo upgrades for the VQ30DE

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 VQ30DE

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, upgrades are more reliable and most turbo engines are made with many forged and stronger components.

However you'll find engines have weakspots

Discover these limitations and upgrade to higher quality components to handle the power.

We see many mechanics spending a lot of money on turbocharger upgrades on the VQ30DE only to watch the motor throw a rod on it's first outing after it's used in anger.

Bigger capacity turbos often suffer a bottom end lag, and smaller turbos spool up really quickly but won't have the peak end bhp gains.

In the last 10 years the range of turbo units is always moving on and we commonly find variable vane turbo units, where the vane profile is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end performance.

Twin scroll turbo units divert the exhaust gases into 2 channels and flow these at differently profiled vanes in the turbo charger. They also boost the scavenging effect of the engine.

You'll commonly see there's a limit in the air flow sensor AFM/MAP on the VQ30DE 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 limited bhp and torque at a much lower level.

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

Uprating VQ30DE fuel injectors

You will need to ensure that the engine is not starved of fuel so will need to increase the fuelling when you start going beyond 20% of a torque increase.It is important to over specify your flow rate on the injectors.

The rule of thumb is to add 20% to the flow rate when buying an injector, this allows for injector deterioration and allows a little 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 VQ30DE performance exhausts

Only look to increase your exhaust if the existing exhaust is actually causing a restriction in flow.

On most factory exhausts you'll see your flow rate is still fine 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 biggest exhaust you can find this will reduce 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.

Usual exhaust restrictions can be located in the emissions filters installed, so adding a higher flowing race alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the VQ30DE

The VQ30DE 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 VQ30DE, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your VQ30DE engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our VQ30DE 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 VQ30DE 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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