Tuning Feature: Nissan ZD30DDT Modified

"Comprehensive guide to performance tuning the Nissan ZD30DDT engine!"

We often are getting messages requesting info on the things we are recommending when it comes to ZD30DDT upgrades. So let us look into Nissan ZD30DDT modifications and outline the best modifications on this great engine and point out some potential pitfalls along the way.

Therefore we examine the options for your ZD30DDT tuning and point out the ultimate modifications. Nissan ZD30DDT make a good tuning project and with carefully chosen modified modifications like a remap, turbo improvements and camshafts you will dramatically maximise the drivers experience of your car.

Just because particular upgrades are appear in lots of ZD30DDT projects it doesn't mean it is good, we shall concentrate on the ultimate upgrades to provide your ZD30DDT with the best power gain for you spend.

Altering your ZD30DDT camshaft will make a dramatic difference to your engines engines power. Choosing a higher performance camshaft profile raises the engines power .

NB: Fast road camshafts usually push up the bhp and torque across the rev band, you could sacrifice a little bottom end power but your higher rpm power will be better.

Motorsport and race camshafts, push up 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, need to optimize your engines power to your usage of the car.

I'd be shocked if you have ever thought a ZD30DDT Race cam is a pleasure to live with when on the daily commute.

Some ZD30DDT engines respond better to extreme cam durations than others.

The engine timing and fuelling also will say much on the bhp gains you'll hit.

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.

ZD30DDT Tuning Stages

Stage 1 ZD30DDT modifications: Remaps/piggy back ECU, Fast road camshaft, Intake headers, Sports exhaust manifold, Drilled & smoothed airbox, Panel air filters.

Stage 2 ZD30DDT modifications: induction kit, Ported and polished head, high flow fuel injectors, Fast road cam, Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, fuel pump upgrades.

Stage 3 ZD30DDT modifications: Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Competition cam, Twin charging conversions, Engine balancing & blueprinting, Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression.

ECU mapping helps unlock the full potential of all the tuning parts you've done to your ZD30DDT.

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 will depend much on the tuning parts you've applied and the condition of your engine.

Pulling air into the ZD30DDT engine is the whole point to any engine tuning project.

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

Structure and rate of flow of the Headers can make a large effect on to fuel mixing and power on the ZD30DDT.

I usually find air intake manifolds are in desperate need of performance upgrades, although some makers provide fairly well optimized air intake manifolds.

Big valve conversions on the ZD30DDT, getting port matching and head flowing will also boost performance, and importantly will permit a better performance increase on other parts.

Turbo upgrades for the ZD30DDT

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 ZD30DDT

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

If your car has forced induction upgrades are relatively easy and most turbocharged engines are made using strengthened components.

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

Research these restrictions and upgrade to more solid crank and pistons to survive the power.

We see many drivers spending a loads of money on turbo upgrades on the ZD30DDT only to suffer the indignity of watching the car literally blow up just after it's completed.

Larger turbos tend to experience low end lag, and little turbos spool up really quickly but do not have the top end power band gains.

In the last 10 years the choice of turbos is always increasing and we now see variable vane turbos, where the vane profile is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end power.

Twin scroll turbos divert the exhaust gases into 2 channels and direct these at differently angled vanes in the turbocharger. They also increase the scavenging effect of the engine.

It is not unusual that there's a limitation in the air flow sensor AFM/MAP on the ZD30DDT when a lot more air is being pulled into the engine.

You'll see that 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor was restricting torque 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 ZD30DDT fuel injectors

When you lift the power you will need to increase to the fuel system.

More power needs more fuel. We would recommend you to over specify your flow rate on the injectors.

As a rule of thumb add 20% to the flow rate when specifying an injector, this allows 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 ZD30DDT performance exhausts

You only need to to increase your exhaust if the current exhaust is creating a flow problem.

On most factory exhausts you'll find the exhaust flow rate is 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 balance the flow of gases through the engine.

But if your exhaust pipe is too big, ie: it's over 2.5 inches bore, you will lose a lot of the flow rate and end up losing power and torque.

Common exhaust restrictions are in the catalysts installed, so adding a better flowing race alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Problems and issues to look out for on the ZD30DDT

The ZD30DDT 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 ZD30DDT, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

For more information on Tuning your ZD30DDT engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our ZD30DDT 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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