Nissan Skyline R33 GTS-T

This Nissan Skyline R33 GTS-T belongs to one of our customers but we felt it well worth including here, as a good example of a more complex engine management install. The Nissan Skyline R33 GTS-T has a 2.5 litre, twin-cam, straight-6 RB25 DET engine, producing 246BHP and 217 lb-ft of torque as standard. In this state of tune the engine has a compression ratio of 9.0:1 and runs the original two stage boost, second stage providing 7psi of boost between 4500 and 7000rpm. This particular car is rear-wheel drive, with the HICAS rear-wheel steering system. 

The original brief given by our customer was that he wanted 800BHP+ in the long term but he sensibly wished to break the car development into different stages, ensuring that the car was developed properly at each stage.

Stage 1: Engine Management & Fuel Delivery

Target: 300BHP+, 280 lb ft +

This stage involved the installation of a fully mappable engine management system to allow us full control of the engine for all further stages of development, as well as upgrading the fuel system to ensure that we had a healthy supply of fuel at all times. At this stage we were going to retain the standard injectors and turbocharger, therefore these components would be our limiting factors at approximately 320 BHP.

The fuel system upgrade included the replacement of the old 8mm steel lines with larger 10mm plastic-coated aluminium Goodridge fuel lines and the addition of a large aluminium swirl-pot feeding an uprated in-line fuel pump. The standard pump was removed and inspected, then re-fitted simply to feed the swirl-pot. As well as this, all rubber fuel hoses were replaced as a matter of course, the fuel filter was upgraded and the fuel pressure regulator was replaced with a fully adjustable rising rate regulator with a built-in gauge. The base fuel pressure was increased slightly from standard to 48psi to ensure that the standard injectors would be able to provide sufficient fuel at 12.2psi of boost.

The engine management involved the installation of one of our fully mappable engine management systems, including 3D mappable boost control via an electronic boost controller. The use of a integral 2.5 Bar MAP sensor and air temperature sensor allowed the removal of the restrictive air-flow meter. The expensive and un-reliable coil-on plugs were replaced with a remote-mounted 6-cylinder 'Wasted Spark' type coil-pack and HT leads. 

Unfortunately, as this car is an automatic, we were unable to get a decent power run on the rolling road. This was despite numerous attempts with the vehicle locked in 2nd gear and the kick-down switch disconnected at the throttle body. Each time we thought we were about to get a decent power run, we either got wheelspin or torque convertor slip! This also meant that we had to do most of our engine management mapping without the aid of the rolling road.

At this stage the customer was very happy with what we had achieved. The car runs superbly, very smooth and very rapid!  

For Sale

Due to a new family member, our customer has now decided to sell this car. £2500 is the asking price.