• Rajab Racing Intake Manifold
• Emtron KV8 ECU
• Radium Fuel Hanger Nissan Skyline Late R33 & R34
• Nissan RB Twin Cam – Race Series CAM Trigger Kit
• Outsider Garage R34 DBW Pedal
• Bosch 74mm DBW
• Rework of the catch can
• Replacement breather hoses

I was kept completely in the loop as ever by both Lee (for the mechanical side) and Mike for the mapping side, and it’s turned out beautifully.

Rajab Racing Intake Manifold

Well, being the nerd I am, I like to have the car modernised where possible, and lets face, it safety is flexibility is key. And looking through the ECU logs, the amount of trimming that had to do be done when tuning on the ignition map on the stock intake was crazy. So to kill two birds with one stone, I decided to change the intake and go Drive By Wire.
The Rajab Manifold is doing exactly what it said it would. Better turbo response, more power through the whole rev range and no sacrificing of low end torque like the short runner manifolds. The Drive By Wire gives us more safety controls, better torque management and CRUISE CONTROL.
The downside is the cold side of the intercooler piping needed a reworking and the catch can piping. Not the end of the world, but it’s not plug and play like the Nismo – although it doesn’t profess to be, but it’s cheaper and better But is it worth it? Absolutely. And it looks sexy, doesn’t it!

Emtron KV8

After the removal of the Link G4+ ECU, the Emtron KV8 gave so many more options and flexibility to the car. It’s allowed the intake to be fitted with the DBW throttle, and to move the map away from the ITB/MAP merge to a true VE and Throttle Mass Flow, like how the modern OEM manufactuers calibrate their cars. Efficiency is key! ATESSA control will be dialled in at a later date…
I’ve now got so many strategies to play with, much better safety and CRUISE CONTROL! So when I go on my trips away, I can actually rest my leg for the journeys on the motorways/authobahns/etc. I’ll report more on this after more miles in the car. Read more here.

Radium Fuel Hanger

When the fuel pump was upgraded, we noticed that the fuel pump hangar was looking like a bit of a disaster, so we decided to upgrade it properly. The Radium Engineering fuel pump hanger replaces the entire factory fuel pump assembly inside the Nissan fuel tank. It can be configured with 1 or 2 fuel pumps, I just chose a single Walbro 400 for my needs, I can always upgrade at a later date should I need. The pump is suspended down in the bottom of the tank, similar to the stock fuel hanger. From there, they feed through polyamide nylon tubing to the top hat.

The factory Nissan fuel level sender and low fuel switch are reused so full functionality is retained. A venturi jet pump is integrated into the top plate and provides means to draw fuel from the opposite side of the fuel tank.

Race Series CAM Trigger Kit

Anyone who’s tuned an RB knows one thing: the OEM trigger system (CAS) is CRAP. It has issues at higher RPMs, the timing can drift due to belt stretch. After talking with Mike @ SRD, I went for PRP‘s Race kit, with a 36-2 Crank kit. It uses a MoTeC ‘reluctor’ type sensor and a MoTeC Camshaft ‘hall effect’ type sensor, a completely sealed sensor with external plug system.

This has been proven on many 1000bhp cars, so my 500whp affair won’t be a bother. The nerd in me like that it will provide 3 times more data than the 12-1 tooth system and infinitely more reliable than the OEM. It’s basically a Supra set up! Controversial statement…

Outsider Garage R34 DBW Pedal

The final part of the equation was the DBW pedal. I found lots of options for R32 and R33, but the guys at Outsider Garage came up trumps for me. They quickly checked against a car they had in the premises and reported first hand that it worked. So I ordered the bracket, pedal and loom. Perfect. If only everyone was that easy to deal with. Bolted in, with lots of wire to allow it to be wired in neatly to the Emtron.

The car is now right up there with the modern way I wanted it. Now, I have to think of what’s next for it.
Do I do more, or do I get a Supra and start a fresh journey… Tuning never stops!

The post R34 GTR – June 2024 Tuning Updates first appeared on BlownByTwins.

We get the car on the dyno and Mike (the mapper) does a brilliant overlay video for me, and we notice that the fuel pressure is dropping as revs/boost increase. The car didn’t go lean, but it wasn’t a good sign. Watch the video below and check the 4th bar down, the yellow fuel pressure one…

New fuel pump time! This is why I love SRD. They saw the problem had the right part in stock and just gave me a quick call to verify I was ok to do it. Boom. Two hours later, it’s back on the dyno, new fuel pump installed, and no falling fuel pressure. Perfect.

Remember when modifying your engine, especially older ones, to monitor as much as you can. Without monitoring fuel pressure, we’d not have seen this early warning sign and the pump could have failed on boost or heavy load and caused potentially heavy damage to the engine.

The post The Importance of Data first appeared on BlownByTwins.

I was already booked in for my annual service and MOT at Litchfield on the 30th March, and it now looks like this is being added to the mix. It’s a great opportunity to get the car on the dyno and make sure all is well with it, the power, the torque, the emissions.

According to both Litchfield and EcuTek, I can expect

• Smoother driveability, especially at low speeds
• Enhanced performance with lower octane fuels
• Refined injector calibration for precise scaling and timing
• Advanced boost control, increasing precision for larger turbo setups
• Comprehensive Flex Fuel integration across all map slots
• Simplified Rolling Launch setup for seamless operation
• More reliable and safe Torque-based Launch Control

This software also leverages Litchfield’s experience with the latest MY22 Nismo models, incorporating factory improvements in engine and gearbox calibrations.

CAN’T WAIT

The post EcuTek v9 … MORE first appeared on BlownByTwins.

The car was supposed to have a Link G4X, but turned out to have a Link G4+. A previous generation of Link G4 Plug’n’Play range, a bit of a disappointment, but what can you do. I never liked the Link G4 software much anyway. So I did what I do, research and end up watching High Performance Academy, just when they release the Emtron course.

The Emtron KV8 is pretty much perfect for what I want to do with the car – make the most power on a stock block as possible whilst being safe and bringing the car into the modern age! Throttle Mass Flow and Drive By Wire, better torque strategy, etc. I had a great chat on Instagram with Ben from Emtron, we talked about the car, the goals and the path I want to go down – best parts that are not only class leading, but that are not the cookie cutter approach that anyone else has done. And in the UK, not many cars are on Emtron.

Throttle Mass Flow is used in OEM level applications. It’s an estimation of airflow by using the following sensors

• MAP sensor
• Throttle Inlet Pressure sensor
• Air Temp sensor
• Throttle body sensor

Determining the pressure ratio, then with the temperate you’ll know the air mass and then model it accurately. It’s more accurate and reliable than just Speed Density, and helps towards managing to the torque which is vital on the stock RB26. The DBW will not only make the car drive better, it’ll tidy up the engine bay and get rid of the throttle cable, the idle speed control valve, etc.

But to do this, I need an intake manifold upgrade. I don’t want to do the stock ITB DBW hack, I’m not a fan of that. I’ll still have the issue of cylinder 5/6 going lean and pulling timing from them. The NISMO manifold looks amazing, but it’s as rare as a Kardashian-free news day, and will require a lot of work to make it a DBW setup, and the Plazmaman and Hypertune are short runners and I don’t want to push the power to the top end / sacrifice that nice little extra torque I gained from the new turbo.

I’ve seen a long intake runne from Rajab Racing that had some positive reviews, but it’s a bit out of the budget for now and I’ve not seen any in the UK yet.

The post New ECU Time first appeared on BlownByTwins.