Now, I am by no means an expert on engines, or the Q45, but I find something that I think is somewhat strange when I read some of the topics. I hear a lot about how there are no possible ways to upgrade the engine in the Q because there is really no way to get any more power out of the engine, because it is too complex and has already been completely optimized. I agree with everyone that the Q45 is a beast! And I love being able to drive one from each generation at will, but I just don't understand how it is so impossible to achieve significant horsepower gains through modifications of the Q45 engine.
Just for example, the 97 Q has the 4.1 liter V8 engine and produces 266 horsepower. I haven't really heard of many people significantly increasing the power of any Q45. Now I know this is a completely different car, but this is just an example. My brother owns a 1990 GSX Eclipse. The car is AWD, turbo-charged, and has an inline 4 cylinder engine that i believe is 2.0 liters, or maybe slightly larger. He somehow manages to produce well over 500 horsepower from an engine half the size of the q45 engine. Also there are many small V6's that produce well over 1000 horses. How come there is no one that can achieve anything like this from a Q45? Is it really impossible?
Complexity of Q45= Less power?
When you said turbocharged, you said the magic word. Crank up the boost and you can make almost limitless power, for a little while. If you are willing to engineer a boosted Q engine and lose a lot of reliability, you can have the power. But it would make more sense to get a lighter car like a 300ZX turbo that already has all the engineering figured out for you by several aftermarket outfits. The Q has plenty of power for what it is and the cooling, lubrication, braking, suspension and driveline are all balanced for the existing power. If you increase power significantly, then all the other systems will have to be strengthened commensurately and you are probably talking $30-40K to do it right. That's a lot of bucks for a car that's one wreck away from a $5K total value.
The 2.0L 500 Hp and and the 1000 HP V6 are certainly NOS and supercharged or turbocharged.
I've seen racing setups using liquid NOS and injectors (complete with custom ECU) and sure, that could be done to the Q. The car I had a real good look at had well over $100K in it (according to the builder).
For a naturally aspirated engine running common fuel, the 4.5 produces around 75 ft/lb of tourqe per liter - very close to the theoretical limit. Much higher than even the turbo 300zx's of the 80's
I've seen racing setups using liquid NOS and injectors (complete with custom ECU) and sure, that could be done to the Q. The car I had a real good look at had well over $100K in it (according to the builder).
For a naturally aspirated engine running common fuel, the 4.5 produces around 75 ft/lb of tourqe per liter - very close to the theoretical limit. Much higher than even the turbo 300zx's of the 80's
Ditto ditto. No one ever said it can't be done. What's been said--and I generalize here--is that it can't be done for cheap and that there is very little aftermarket support. Unlike your friend, you will not find dozens of turbochargers on Ebay for your car. But the engine can definitely handle the power...you just have to choose where you want to be between the cost, power, longevity and reliability tradeoff study.
You can get more horsepower out of the Q V8 if you are willing to tear into the engine, If you know someone who can reassmble it correctly, and time it correctly then you are golden, you would be able to do some nice headwork, maybe even do a larger size piston for more compression, like for instance we run the TT300z pistons in our SR20DEs, also IF you could find someone to custom ground some cams for the motor that would really yield some HPs, I think what you would end up with is a motor that would now have a lil bit more tourque, but the hi rpm HP would be sick, Im picking up a spare motor from SOPDADOPE and do think im gonna pull the heads and see what we can do, we have a flowbench and that will help out a ton, bottom line is if you have the cash anything can be done, now you just have to do the transmission , the rearend, and the brakes, and some other stuff to be up to the task, and oh yeah 500 hp for 180K< Im all over that:D
I am also alll about the power! If i could get a few hundred more horses out of a car I would do it, even IF its gonna break down sooner. After all who actually buys a car expecting to keep it for 250,000 miles.....or even 150 for that matter. Most people end up getting rid of their cars before 100,000.