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VG33E mods


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Wondering what, if any, are worthy mods to make on the VG33E to legitimately increase power and efficiency.

So far, I've got a HKS Super Hybrid 3-layer foam air filter, NGK IX plugs and wires. With a new car on the way I have put engine swap plans on hold but am still hoping to get a little more grunt out of the VG.

I lack the knowledge to make any intense internal mods but I'd love to learn. In the meantime, I'd just like to know what are some proven bolt-on/plug-and-play upgrades, not this universal eBay bullsh*t. :thumbsdown:

 

Any and all suggestions are appreciated. :beer:

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Wondering what, if any, are worthy mods to make on the VG33E to legitimately increase power and efficiency.

So far, I've got a HKS Super Hybrid 3-layer foam air filter, NGK IX plugs and wires. With a new car on the way I have put engine swap plans on hold but am still hoping to get a little more grunt out of the VG.

I lack the knowledge to make any intense internal mods but I'd love to learn. In the meantime, I'd just like to know what are some proven bolt-on/plug-and-play upgrades, not this universal eBay bullsh*t. :thumbsdown:

 

Any and all suggestions are appreciated. :beer:

I'm planning on purchasing/installing a set of Pulstar pulse plugs....150 bucks for all 6...but, if they make the gains they claim, it will be worth it. And if they don't....there's always that money back guarantee....Ship 'em back, make a fuss, get my money back. Dyno before and after, of course....just trying to decide when I want to throw away a couple hundred bucks.

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I'm planning on purchasing/installing a set of Pulstar pulse plugs....150 bucks for all 6...but, if they make the gains they claim, it will be worth it. And if they don't....there's always that money back guarantee....Ship 'em back, make a fuss, get my money back. Dyno before and after, of course....just trying to decide when I want to throw away a couple hundred bucks.

Not to get off topic, but do a lot of research on them first...I have found mostly the split is 50/50 love them/ hate them. Most of the bad results were that the plug went out after like 5k miles, so out of warranty...Derek also wrote about his experience with them in the Spark plug review thread...

 

 

Other then intake, exhaust, maybe the TB spacer if it really is useful, better plugs and wires, better injectors, one of the superchip things (not the ebay crap, the real one that you plug in and change settings), replace mechanical fan with electrical fan, supercharger from the Xterra, or just buying a VQ powered R50, i know of nothing else

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research them, the idea seems feasible, just they throw out a lot of statements making me think they are full of crap

 

I'm sure with all the supporting mods (electronics, wires, etc.) it's feasible to see an increase.

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If you want proven power port & polish the heads and intake, stuff a huge cam in it, open up the exhaust, then tune the ECU for the changes in air/fuel requirements and to get the most out of a bigger cam you really need to increase the compression ratio. and due to design issues you cant shave the head more than a few thousanths on the vg engines without intake issues. so your only option there is to get some dome topped pistons. other than that your not going to make many horsepower without forced induction. all the fancy plug wires, spark plugs and air filters in the world will not gain you horsepower, they will free up HP lost from economy based stock equipment. there is an ongoing debate on the actual gains from an e-fan v.s a mechanical fan.

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I'm sure with all the supporting mods (electronics, wires, etc.) it's feasible to see an increase.

 

 

there are no supporting mods for nonexistent horsepower. there is no need for an upgraded ignition system if you don't have an upgraded fuel system. even still, upgrade both systems without necessity, and you will still see no power gains. (what good is extra fuel/spark if you don't have extra air?) the only situation that warrants fuel/ignition upgrades are when you already have a significant power increase (forced induction, nitrous, etc.). simply installing bigger wires or high-performance plugs will do nothing for an engine that is not modified. it will give you the capacity for increased power, but they themselves will not increase your power.

 

save your money and just get NGK platinum or iridium plugs, and OEM-spec plug wires.

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If you want proven power port & polish the heads and intake, stuff a huge cam in it, open up the exhaust, then tune the ECU for the changes in air/fuel requirements and to get the most out of a bigger cam you really need to increase the compression ratio. and due to design issues you cant shave the head more than a few thousanths on the vg engines without intake issues. so your only option there is to get some dome topped pistons. other than that your not going to make many horsepower without forced induction. all the fancy plug wires, spark plugs and air filters in the world will not gain you horsepower, they will free up HP lost from economy based stock equipment. there is an ongoing debate on the actual gains from an e-fan v.s a mechanical fan.

 

 

well said.

 

but alas, a reworked VG will probably still be only as powerful as a stock VQ, but arguably at the same or higher cost.

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I've never seen a dyno sheet before/after that proves TB spacers work at all. They're just another item designed to relieve you of your money. How does adding 3/4" of intake plenum volume AT the throttlebody help make more power?

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Power? Well, there really isn't much you could do from everything I've read. And, it depends where you want to make power. The best thing is to do a refresh. Check all your gaskets and hoses, clean your MAF and throttle body, check all your engine and tranny grounds and even add a few more (especially on the alternator). You could replace your fan with an electric one, but the benifits are slim, and if you live in a hot weather area, would be not a good move. Throttle body spacer is pointless. The only good kind of spacer would be a nylon one between the block and intake manifold, but even then the results are slim. So, good way to improve EFFICIANCY (key word) would be the following:

Ground everything. Add some block grounds, ground the alternator, add a ground to the MAF, ground your coil. The more the better. Add a fat ground cable to the battery.

Clean everything. The MAF, the Throttle Body, the intake itself, the cooling system, ect.

 

Or...save your money and do the VG33ER swap...

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on a true TBI engine (fuel is injected at the actual throttle body), a throttle body spacer can improve performance when coupled with bigger injectors. it was a common/cheap mod on the TBI sbc350.

 

on a VG nissan, it's pointless.

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Or...save your money and do the VG33ER swap...

 

That's the plan but I'd rather go JDM diesel. The VG33ER is my contingency plan if I have no luck finding a QD32 in the next year or so.

 

Based on what ya'll have posted, I am better off just leaving my VG33E as is. No point in spending needlessly to end up with minimal gains at best.

 

I will do a massive spring clean-up on my rig, though. What better place to start than the engine. :aok:

 

Thanks to everyone. Cheers! :beer:

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Make yourself a solid VG34...

 

I'd rather wait and get a QD32 and throw on the AXT turbo kit. :aok:

 

You make a good point. When I do the swap, I'm going to rebuild my VG33 into something nasty and hopefully drop it in a HB.

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I'd rather wait and get a QD32 and throw on the AXT turbo kit. :aok:

 

You make a good point. When I do the swap, I'm going to rebuild my VG33 into something nasty and hopefully drop it in a HB.

Like was said before, throttle body spacers only work (mildly, at best) on carbs, very little on TBI...utterly useless on EFI. Only reason I would consider the plugs is because I've personally seen dyno sheets of a Z06 Vette that showed a decent increase in torque with the plugs installed..hadn't heard about them burning out, though. That's crap. The theory behind them, for those of you reading who don't know, is they produce crazy power through a series of internal transformers and, when the plug sparks, it's not so much a spark as a small orb of power that encompasses the entire combustion chamber, rather than igniting a small amount of fuel/air, and allowing the mixture to burn the rest...but in reality, you have to wonder...pulling down 2500 rpm, that mixture is in and out of the cylinder so fast, what difference will a few miliseconds make? The theory sounds good, that upon complete combustion of the fuel/air mix, you are producing maximum torque on the crankshaft at that exact moment, instead of it building on downstroke...But I have my serious doubts...In all reality, at this point, I want to be happy with the Pathfinder as is until I make my kit, just for S&G's...but when it comes down to it....why not just build a truggy or sandrail and trailer it to the mountains/desert...way cheaper in the long run and you can still drive your properly operating vehicle to and from work to pay for your new habit. That's why I ride dirtbikes...so I don't have to trash the Pathy in the sand....granted, I still do, but....that's my own fault.

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I'd love to build my own buggy but I have other toys on the way that will certainly foredshadow that in terms of time and money; I'd still love to have a diesel L4 torque monster under the hood of my R50, though. Time will tell but I do see it happening.

 

I have no intention of making my Pathy strictly an off-road vehicle. As it stands, this rig is my current daily driver and serves its purpose all year round. I would, down the road, like to make a serious off-road rig, probably a D22 Frontier; again time and money permitting. As it stands for now, this Pathfinder is going to be well-equipped but also comfortable on the pavement. :happy:

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on a true TBI engine (fuel is injected at the actual throttle body), a throttle body spacer can improve performance when coupled with bigger injectors. it was a common/cheap mod on the TBI sbc350.

 

on a VG nissan, it's pointless.

its not pointless, it may not ad HP but it does improve throttle response on the VG30i, i had about 3/4" of xtra hollowed out mixture heaters stacked under mine and it made a noticeable difference in the throtte response. and it may even help with the problem of the vg30i's running lean on one bank and rich on the others.

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Like was said before, throttle body spacers only work (mildly, at best) on carbs, very little on TBI...utterly useless on EFI. Only reason I would consider the plugs is because I've personally seen dyno sheets of a Z06 Vette that showed a decent increase in torque with the plugs installed..hadn't heard about them burning out, though. That's crap. The theory behind them, for those of you reading who don't know, is they produce crazy power through a series of internal transformers and, when the plug sparks, it's not so much a spark as a small orb of power that encompasses the entire combustion chamber, rather than igniting a small amount of fuel/air, and allowing the mixture to burn the rest...but in reality, you have to wonder...pulling down 2500 rpm, that mixture is in and out of the cylinder so fast, what difference will a few miliseconds make? The theory sounds good, that upon complete combustion of the fuel/air mix, you are producing maximum torque on the crankshaft at that exact moment, instead of it building on downstroke...But I have my serious doubts...In all reality, at this point, I want to be happy with the Pathfinder as is until I make my kit, just for S&G's...but when it comes down to it....why not just build a truggy or sandrail and trailer it to the mountains/desert...way cheaper in the long run and you can still drive your properly operating vehicle to and from work to pay for your new habit. That's why I ride dirtbikes...so I don't have to trash the Pathy in the sand....granted, I still do, but....that's my own fault.

did you get all this from the manufacturers add's or independant studies? if it came from the manufacturer i would say it was a load of crap, along the lines of the Extenze and other pecker enlargement adds, it sounds really great but.... if it sounds too good to be true..... :thumbsdown:

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on a true TBI engine (fuel is injected at the actual throttle body), a throttle body spacer can improve performance when coupled with bigger injectors. it was a common/cheap mod on the TBI sbc350.

 

on a VG nissan, it's pointless.

 

I thought the VG30Is were fuel injected at the throttle body...?

 

It wouldn't be pointless for an I, but for an E, yes.

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its not pointless, it may not ad HP but it does improve throttle response on the VG30i, i had about 3/4" of xtra hollowed out mixture heaters stacked under mine and it made a noticeable difference in the throtte response. and it may even help with the problem of the vg30i's running lean on one bank and rich on the others.

 

 

i'm not familiar with the VG30I but if it is indeed a TBI engine, then a TB spacer will work. for best effect, a TB spacer should be used in conjunction with higher capacity/overclocked injectors.

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i'm not familiar with the VG30I but if it is indeed a TBI engine, then a TB spacer will work. for best effect, a TB spacer should be used in conjunction with higher capacity/overclocked injectors.

why in the hell would you increase the injector size? adding a spacing under the TBI does not increase airflow. it adds more plenum space for the fuel to mix with the air. you people need to go to the library and read a book or 2. stop reading all the crap thats posted on the internet.

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