Tuning Feature: Nissan VQ37VHR Modified

"Comprehensive guide to tuning the Nissan VQ37VHR engine!"

We often are getting emails inquiring about getting more power from the VQ37VHR and wanting to know what are the greatest VQ37VHR upgrades. So let us look into Nissan VQ37VHR parts and outline the best modifications on this great engine and point out some common pitfalls along the way.

This V6 engine from Nissan came in many different setups over it's production run and engine size ranged from 2 to 4 litres. Nissan produced a motorsport 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.

Let us detail the best approach to VQ37VHR tuning and outline the best upgrades. Nissan VQ37VHR are popular engines and with the right tuning tuning mods like ECU maps, turbo improvements and camshafts you will improve the drivers enjoyment of your car.

Just because particular modifications are popular with VQ37VHR owners it doesn't mean it is good, we will concentrate on the best modifications to provide your VQ37VHR with the best power gain for you spend.

Significant power hikes can be made on engines, and the VQ37VHR 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 power band and power output.

NB: Fast road cams usually increase the bhp and torque throughout the rev band, you may sacrifice a little low down torque but the higher rpm power will be better.

Competition 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 road car one, ideally, must carefully try to optimize your bhp range to your driving style.

I'd never have found a VQ37VHR Competition camshaft is a pleasure to live with when on the daily commute.

Some VQ37VHR engines respond better to different camshaft durations check your engine on a rolling road.

The engine timing and fuelling also will say much 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.

VQ37VHR Tuning Stages

Stage 1 VQ37VHR modifications: Fast road camshaft, Intake headers, Remaps/piggy back ECU, Drilled & smoothed airbox, Sports exhaust manifold, Panel air filters.

Stage 2 VQ37VHR modifications: Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, Ported and polished head, Fast road cam, high flow fuel injectors, induction kit, fuel pump upgrades.

Stage 3 VQ37VHR 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, Twin charging conversions, Engine balancing & blueprinting.

ECU flashing allows a tuner to unlock the full potential of all the parts you've done to your VQ37VHR.

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 may vary depending on the parts you've done and the condition of your engine.

It is vital to any engine upgrade project to feed more air into the VQ37VHR engine

Intake headers transmit the air from the filter and allow it to be fed into the engine cylinders with fuel for the squish phase.

The bore size, shape and flow rate of the Intake manifold can make a large difference to to fuel atomisation and engine efficiency on the VQ37VHR.

It's not uncommon that intake manifold are in desperate need of motorsport parts, although a few car makers provide fairly well optimized intake manifold.

Increasing the VQ37VHR valve size, carrying out 3 or 5 angle valve jobs and porting and head flowing will also raise power, and more importantly will raise potential for increasing the power increase on other upgrades.

Turbo upgrades for the VQ37VHR

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 VQ37VHR

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.

When the engine has forced induction modifications are giving better power gains and you'll see that turbo engines are made using stronger components.

There are common areas of failure for every engine, with some being incredibly solid and some only just able to handle stock power

See where you'll find these limitations and upgrade to stronger pistons, crank and engine components to survive the power.

We see many people spending a lot of money on turbo upgrades on the VQ37VHR only to watch the engine block explode soon after it's been finished.

Larger capacity turbos tend to experience low end lag, and smaller turbos spool up quickly but don't have the high rpm engines power gains.

We are pleased that the world of turbo chargers is always developing and we commonly find variable vane turbo chargers, allowing 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 gases into two channels and feed these at differently profiled vanes in the turbo charger. They also boost the scavenging effect of the engine.

It is common that there is a limit in the air flow sensor AFM/MAP on the VQ37VHR when considerably more air is being drawn into the engine.

We see 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor was restricting performance at a much lower level.

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

Uprating VQ37VHR fuel injectors

Don't overlook the need to look at the fuel delivery when you are increasing the performance - it makes the car more thirsty. It makes sense to be generous with your injector capacity.

The accepted safe increase is to add 20% capacity when specifying an injector, this accounts for injector deterioration and provides a little 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 VQ37VHR performance exhausts

You may need to replace your exhaust if the existing exhaust is actually creating a flow problem.

On most factory exhausts you'll see the exhaust flow rate is fine 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 help increase the flow of gases through the engine.

But if the exhaust pipe is too large, ie: over 2.5 inches bore, you will lose much of the exhaust flow rate and end up sapping power and torque.

Typically exhaust restrictions come around the catalyst installed, so adding a freer flowing race alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the VQ37VHR

The VQ37VHR 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 VQ37VHR, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your VQ37VHR engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our VQ37VHR 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 VQ37VHR 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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