MENUPulsar GTi-R Tuning
"Keep your finger on the Pulse"
The Nissan Pulsar GTi-R is one of the quickest small cars offered by the giant car maker.
The principle of creating a car based on a tight and lightweight chassis and then bolting on the biggest engine around really does work.
To get a 200plus SR20DET bhp engine in this car is a tribute to the determination of the Nissan WRC Rally team to create something which could comply with the Group A rules. The engine boasts 16 valves and a DOHC arrangement controlling the intake and exhaust valves separately.
Because the engines are so highly stressed they are often prone to failure and reliability issues. If properly serviced and maintained and sympathetically driven there is no reason why this should be the case. When buying look for a big batch of receipts and check the car has been fastidiously serviced.
The large vent in the bonnet is the first hint that this car is something special. A large rear spoiler and front vented bumper further hint at the power on offer. The seats and interior reinforce the sporty feel of the car.
The following mods are usually carried out by our members, decide how far you want to go before you begin.
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Best Engine Mods for your car
- Engine Tunes - engine tuning/remapping provides the most advantage in terms of cost savings, aftermarket ECUs, and piggyback ECUs are all alternatives.
- Fast road cams are one of the most significant mechanical changes, but they must be installed by someone who knows what they're doing and they are not always easy to source but you might find a local firm to regrind a stock camshaft.
- Intake and Exhaust - Note that on their own these mods will NOT ADD POWER in most cases, but they can help enhance power after other mods by removing the restriction.
- Upgrades to turbochargers and superchargers - forced induction is the most efficient approach to increase air supply, allowing you to burn more fuel and make more power. It is one of the most costly upgrades but provides the best gains.
- Head work - The goals of porting and flowing the head are to get air flowing into the engine while removing flow restrictions and turbulence.
Typical stage 1 mods often include: Exhaust, Panel air filter, Engine Tunes/Remapping, lighter flywheel
Typical stage 2 mods often include: Fast road cam, ported and polished head, fuel injector & fuel pump upgrades,
Typical stage 3 mods: Engine balancing, forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Internal engine upgrades (pistons/head/valves), competition cam.
So what can be done to improve on an already quick car? Looking first of all at the engine we would look at uprating the turbo. A boost controller mated to an aftermarket ECU will enable you to setup the engine map and maximise the return on the turbo upgrade.
A larger and more efficient intercooler will help bring the intake charge temperature down further and free up a few more horses.
Nissan Pulsar GTi-R with fast road cams boasts higher peak torque and bhp figures making the car explosively powerful. Depending on the amount of power increase you are after you will need to ensure that the fuelling matches the engines air intake. Bigger injectors and an uprated fuel pump would be the way to go.
Often owners look to improve the GTi-R handling by fitting some fully adjustable coil overs. That way you can set the car up to suit your individual driving preference. We would not recommend lowering your Pulsar by more than 35mm especially if you have fitted larger rims.
Some of our members have had trouble tracking down suitable Nissan Pulsar GTi-R performance parts and many have opted for custom exhausts and air intakes fabricated to their own requirements. Why not join us in our forum to discuss Pulsar tuning and tell us about your project.
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