Tuning Feature: Nissan VQ30DET Modified

"Comprehensive guide to tuning the Nissan VQ30DET engine!"

We are always getting posts requesting info on the best VQ30DET mods that work. So let us look into Nissan VQ30DET tuning mods and outline the best modifications on this great engine and point out some frequent tuning mistakes along the way.

This V6 engine from Nissan boasted many versions over it's production run and cylinder capacity ranged from 2.0 to 4.0 litres. Nissan came up with a Race ready version badged as 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 VQ30DET make awesome project engines and with the right tuning upgrades like remapping, turbo kits and camshafts you will noticeably increase your driving pleasure.

TorqueCars will review VQ30DET tuning and summarise the premier modifications for your car.

Just because particular parts are popular with VQ30DET owners it doesn't mean you should fit it, instead we'll focus on the optimum parts to provide your VQ30DET with the best value for money to power increase.

Altering your VQ30DET cam will usually make a dramatic difference to your engines bhp. Choosing a higher performance cam profile raises the bhp .

NB: Fast road cams tend to boost the power across the rev band, you may lose a little low end bhp but your high end rpm power will be better.

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

For a car used daily one, ideally, must carefully try to optimize your power band to your usage of the car.

I'd be surprised if you find a VQ30DET Motorsport camshaft is a pleasure to live with when on the daily commute.

Different VQ30DET engines respond better to different camshaft durations so view each engine as unique.

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

A longer valve duration 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.

VQ30DET Tuning Stages

Stage 1 VQ30DET modifications: Sports exhaust manifold, Fast road camshaft, Drilled & smoothed airbox, Intake headers, Panel air filters, Remaps/piggy back ECU.

Stage 2 VQ30DET modifications: fuel pump upgrades, induction kit, Fast road cam, high flow fuel injectors, Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, Ported and polished head.

Stage 3 VQ30DET modifications: Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Competition cam, Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Engine balancing & blueprinting, Twin charging conversions.

ECU mapping helps fully realize the full potential of all the parts you've done to your VQ30DET.

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

It is the whole point to any engine tuning task to force fuel and air into the VQ30DET engine

Air Intake manifolds take the air from the filter and allow it to be pulled into the engine and mixed with fuel.

Shape and flow rate of the Intake can make a noticeable change to fuel atomisation on the VQ30DET.

We often see air intake manifolds are begging for motorsport parts, although some makers provide fairly well optimized air intake manifolds.

Increasing the VQ30DET valve size, getting VQ30DET port enlargement and head flowing will also boost performance, & more importantly will permit raising the performance increase on other upgrades.

Turbo upgrades for the VQ30DET

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 VQ30DET

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

When your car has a turbocharger parts are simpler to install and turbo engines will have many forged and stronger components.

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

See where you'll find these limits and fit higher quality crank and pistons to survive the power.

We see many mechanics spending a loads on turbo charger upgrades on the VQ30DET only to have the whole thing catastrophically fail when it's used on the roads.

Big turbo chargers tend to suffer a bottom end lag, and smaller turbo chargers spool up really quickly but do not have the peak end torque gains.

Thanks to progress the selection of turbo chargers is always moving on and we are seeing variable vane turbo chargers, where the vane profile is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end power.

Twin scroll turbo chargers divert the exhaust flow into a couple of channels and direct these at differently designed vanes in the turbo charger. They also boost the scavenging effect of the engine.

It is common that there's a limit in the air flow sensor (AFM/MAF/MAP) on the VQ30DET when a lot more air is being sucked into the engine.

You'll see that 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 power gains, although harder to get working. We have this in depth look at twinchargers if you want to read more.

Uprating VQ30DET fuel injectors

Don't overlook the need to look at the fuelling when you are increasing the power - it makes the car more thirsty. Most tuners we speak with say to over specify your injectors flow rate.

As a rule of thumb add 20% capacity when specifying an injector, this allows for injector deterioration and gives 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 VQ30DET performance exhausts

You may need to replace your exhaust if your exhaust is actually causing a flow problem.

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.

Sports exhausts balance the flow of air through the engine.

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

Typically exhaust restrictions are traced to the catalyst and filters installed, so adding a better flowing performance alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the VQ30DET

The VQ30DET 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 VQ30DET, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your VQ30DET engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our VQ30DET 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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