As most of you know, me and former member 1992Q45a are working on a supercharger project for the Q45. Well, it is official... The rumor is true, there is no holding us back now..... What this thread intends to do is keep the naysayers updated.

The abstract on the project, and the technical details:

Background:

With the help of Wes's now departed Q, this project will become a reality. Without Wes contributing the engine from his old Q this may never have came into fruition. A Q enthusiast back in the day had a custom Eaton M90 unit developed for the Q45. Thomas Knight of http://www.boosthead.com/ fabricated the original system. Below is a picture. We have commissioned Thomas again and he will producing the new unit for us.

Goal:

To create a fast Q45. The Q is a very formidable car at highway speeds, but due to the economy gearing and only 4 speeds at its disposable it really is lackluster in normal driving. Another Q enthusiast Rob has created the fastest NA Q running a 14.2@100 mph. This is an incredible accomplishment for the Q, lowering it's 0-60 and 1/4 time to most modern large sporty sedans, and creating a serious high speed performer. We're looking for even more performance, with estimated power at 400-450 HP. Essentially we will be using a very similar setup to the Jaguar XJR, that is a V8 utilizing Eaton FI.

Components:

Currently we have decided to go with an Eaton M90. There have been questions of why use a supercharger versus a turbo, and why use an Eaton compared with a vortech. While I love the idea of a turbocharged Q45, I think the Eaton offers the best value. The Q45 engine is a very good high rpm performer, with it's VVT and 7,300 redline it really performs best after 4,000 RPM. The goal for this project was to address the low-end performance issues of the Q45. Putting in a positive displacement supercharger like the Eaton will satisfy this requirement. Based on my driving experience with the Jaguar XJR I have very high expectations for the Q with the Eaton. JWT Has already developed a boost map ecu program for the Q45, so we will be using this boost mapping for our unit. This eliminates what can be a very difficult step in FI, the ECU tuning. The boost map is a MAF based system, meaning that engine timing and injector open time are determined by the MAF voltage, so more boost can be easily added, so long as you do not exceed the injector's capability. We are looking at 6-7 psi. The high compression of the engine, and us wanting to maintain reliability was the dominating factors in staying in a low PSI environment. For cooling we will be using an Alcohol/Water injection system. This should keep inlet temperatures down and increase HP.

Timeline:

Sept 6, 2004: Wes's 1994 Q45 dies. Little did we know that this less than stellar Q45 would provide the guinea pig engine.



November 2004: Thomas Knight, the original fabricator of the Q45 supercharger for Dr. Rex Birkmire, is contacted and asked if he would be willing to develop a supercharger for the Q45. Thomas agrees this can be done, and we begin planning on the next steps.



December 2004: Wes's guinea pig engine is removed, and also JWT is contacted to inquire on the boost ECU.

January 2005: Final preparations are made on the engine

February 2005: Engine is crated and sent to Thomas Knight



March 25.. Engine finally shipped out..

of course,i really,really like this.i was beginning to think-well,never mind.what naysayers?at this point anyone with a computer should know...the vh45de loves boost.450zxttvh45dett power,baby.

Now this is what I like to see!

When will the first Eaton supercharged Q hit the road? Hopefully, soon.

The Q45 really needs redemption. All the Qs I keep seeing are ragged out and ready for the junkyard.

There is one car, a 94-96 Ivory Pearl Q, that I keep seeing. It has considerable damage to the right front corner. Well, I saw it recently and it has new 17 in. rims on it but the body damage is still there.

Once the FI options open up, I'm hoping that these cars will end up in the hands of more people who care.

Good luck with your project, Wes.

-sijoko

That last photo looks like a cheap coffin!

THIS IS SWEET...cant wait to hear more about it..i'm putting off getting the ecu from aacomp for now.. cuz if i can come up with funds to supercharge then i'd need JWT.. hmmm.. now where to get money..

Elwesso wrote: For cooling we will be using an Alcohol/Water injection system.

How exactly does that work?.. is there much maintenance involved in that kind of system?... i admit.. i don't know much bout that..

Jesda wrote:That last photo looks like a cheap coffin!

Very good Wes. I am anxiously awaiting the completion of this "devil" project. At 150K miles and counting, I don't think a SC is in my near future unless I should somehow suddenly need a new engine. Hmmm….maybe this would give me a good excuse to trash my current engine and then drop in a newer JDM & SC at the same time. I don't want to put a SC on a 150K engine. I know from you all that Infiniti built engines with extreme quality, but for me "seeing is believing" as it is hard to imagine how a 150K engine would all of a sudden handle a little boost. Congrats…..

I do have a question, Wes. How can your old engine be used for tests if it's damaged?

louiegz wrote:I do have a question, Wes. How can your old engine be used for tests if it's damaged?

It's being used for fabrication set up, if you will simply as a template. Physical development, not functional development.

Rex wrote:It's being used for fabrication set up, if you will simply as a template. Physical development, not functional development.

Aye, the devil's in the details. The reality will be quite interesting, whatever it is. Let's hope there is one this time!

It would be nice if 450ZXTT would share his configuration and tuning data. Can't imagine stock injectors and fuel mapping could handle the induction change and maintain power. One has to wonder about the lack of oil cooling on the pistons and their high compresson ratio. Seems like some lower compression forged pistons and a revised oiling system with external cooler and greater capacity would be in order. Not a project for the financially limited.

Good luck.

Well, they're planning on using the same set up that Rex (Dr. Birkmire) used, including the JWT mapping and the newly joined gentleman fro England/UK. The injectors should be good for ~550hp, but the question is aroud the different compression ratio between the 90-93 & 94/95. As I understand it the CR on the 90-93 was slightly less??

450ZXTT is a smartman, The joy of doing modifications on your own is that you developed the technique. In the business and legal fields we call it the secrets of the trade. Slim has put in thousands and thousand of dollars not including man hours in his research and development of the450ZX TT, its only fair if someone else was willing to do the same if he wanted the same results. This isnt a modification simple internet research and reading literature can actually teach you to do. My hats off to slim and everybody that is out there doing custom mods for the Q.

Alright Ill try and answer everyones questions.....

nissanforlife wrote:THIS IS SWEET...cant wait to hear more about it..i'm putting off getting the ecu from aacomp for now.. cuz if i can come up with funds to supercharge then i'd need JWT.. hmmm.. now where to get money..

How exactly does that work?.. is there much maintenance involved in that kind of system?... i admit.. i don't know much bout that..

The system basically works like this... There is a hose that feeds the water alcohol into the system.. ITs a VERY cool system (pun intended) and basically it injects water into the system like a fuel injector.. There is a LED that tells us when its spraying... Its a very low maintenance system and you can mix up your own brew... Its a cheap alternative to intercooling and due to our low PSI..

maxnix wrote:Aye, the devil's in the details. The reality will be quite interesting, whatever it is. Let's hope there is one this time!

It would be nice if 450ZXTT would share his configuration and tuning data. Can't imagine stock injectors and fuel mapping could handle the induction change and maintain power. One has to wonder about the lack of oil cooling on the pistons and their high compresson ratio. Seems like some lower compression forged pistons and a revised oiling system with external cooler and greater capacity would be in order. Not a project for the financially limited.

Good luck.

Actually the stock injectors are QUITE capable of handing the power we're using... Our setup will have them at about 70-80% duty cycle, whic is still well within their safe range.... Plus theres also 550CC injectors that you can get if you want to expand even more....

I talked with JWT and other people who KNOW their nissans and the 6-7psi setup we're using is VERY safe according to them, even at 7300 RPM... we may go with an external oil cooler just to be safe.....

Rex wrote:Well, they're planning on using the same set up that Rex (Dr. Birkmire) used, including the JWT mapping and the newly joined gentleman fro England/UK. The injectors should be good for ~550hp, but the question is aroud the different compression ratio between the 90-93 & 94/95. As I understand it the CR on the 90-93 was slightly less??

As I understand, the 9093 had 10.2:1 and 94 had 10.5:1...

Great work so far. So how did the original SC kit perform? Is this going to be available for others to purchase as well? If so, do you have any speculation on the price?

I know exactly what its going to cost but Im not gonna tell if your seriously intersted... Like ready to put down the money... I dont want to waste anyones time here.....

lets just say you should get this done easily for under 5 grand...

I talked with Rex (not to be confused with the Rex that posted in this thread) a while back, and he said it transformed the car.. it was almost "undriveable".. When youd floor it from a stop, it would light up the tires so much it would either spin out, catch after flying sideways, and so forth... He was running crappy tires with the piepans.....

Over 100RWHP was gained, and his Q was running TERRIBLE.. 178RWHP dyno before, then 280RWHP after..... Since we know most Q put out about 300 HP (240HP to the wheels) the Q should put out about 400HP (340RWHP) and thats with no intercooling or exhaust mods.....

Just for clarification, im not doing this... Im going to do it (tentatively) later this year, more towards the fall..... Im not gonna be guinea pig...

I'm reeally keeping my thumbs crossed for everyone !!

Fred..

PalmerWMD wrote:I'm reeally keeping my thumbs crossed for everyone !!

Fred..

Im hoping I can come up with the funds... That would have to be pretty cool to see your old car supercharged Youll get to drive it for sure...

But first, brake upgrade must occur

A S/C Q45a--for 5 grand!! That's a bargin. I can barely imagine how mine would run with another 100HP on tap.

Just REPLACING a defective wiring harness on my 400Hp MBZ sl-600 costs $5K today. And I can get to the same Hp on the Qship?

Notice I said UNDER 5 grand, and that should include some form of intercooling (water injection), JWT, eaton and all the fabrication. hell throw install labor too!!!

elwesso wrote:Over 100RWHP was gained, and his Q was running TERRIBLE.. 178RWHP dyno before, then 280RWHP after.....

178rwhp is 5 more hp than my car dyno'd i really should spend money on the Q instead of the S13.

p.s. why do you need a spare tb, wes? i've got a standard one with no tps if you need it.

Sultan, email me... im having idle problems (see IOM)

[email protected]

Also.....

Heres some of the products we will tentatively use on our SC Q...

http://zzperformance.com

I think you can get this done for around 5k. Some used parts and smart thinking, but plan for it to go over. I won't forgive you however for stealing my thunder!!! That's all I'm going to say about that! At least for now. I'm getting ready to take my Q off the road for a while..... and spend some more money on her. Hmmm I wonder why?

Good luck with the venture Wes. I think you really starting to make a name for yourself by starting this little project. It's called Steppin' out.

Rex, I think the 94 and up compression is 11:1 and the 93 and down is 10:2.

red

PalmerWMD wrote:I'm reeally keeping my thumbs crossed for everyone !!

Fred..

Um.. Is that a vote of confidence? Or are you sitting patiently with your hands in lap and fingures crossed?

redmanfx wrote:I think you can get this done for around 5k. Some used parts and smart thinking, but plan for it to go over. I won't forgive you however for stealing my thunder!!! That's all I'm going to say about that! At least for now. I'm getting ready to take my Q off the road for a while..... and spend some more money on her. Hmmm I wonder why?

Good luck with the venture Wes. I think you really starting to make a name for yourself by starting this little project. It's called Steppin' out.

Rex, I think the 94 and up compression is 11:1 and the 93 and down is 10:2.

red

Red did you get my email regarding parts... Also, id kinda like to compare notes

mother of god that snout pulley is huge!

mine's probably %25 smaller...

I also run 12psi though.

updated...

Update: 4/10/05

Thomas recieves the engine and work starts this week.

Update: I got offered a Novi Centrifugal supercharger for $500. Works fine. SHould I get it?

elwesso wrote:Also.....

Heres some of the products we will tentatively use on our SC Q...

http://zzperformance.com

I have ordered stuff from them. Great source from guys that know what they are doing.

Sounds an interesting project. Do you have any pics and sources of supply for manifold, supercharger, etc. Can you tell me who is JWT?