VG33E - What can be done to this motor?

[houdini]

so, i have not been able to find anyone who has done any real modifications to boost power on this motor. i have installed an intake, exhaust and replaced the clutch fan with dual efans. a small help, but i was just curious as to whether anyone was doing anything additional to this motor.

VG33E

later.

[mtcookson]

Depends how crazy you want go with it... you can actually build up a 3.4 liter VG that can make upwards of 250 hp and 260 lb. ft. of torque (maybe more... I don't think its been done often enough to find the limits). It definitely takes some work though.

Basically you use VH45DE pistons to get the compression up to 9.7:1 (up from ~8.9:1). It requires that you bore the engine out and have the pistons notched for valve reliefs to match the VG heads. The particular buildup that I saw, the guy used 1 mm over sized Q45 pistons. The stock rods also need the small end to be honed out a little bit for the Q45's larger piston pin, they said to aim for .0001 - .0003 clearance there.

You'll also need some cams, slight head/port work, good intake and exhaust, and an ECU tune to optimize everything and get you up to the 250 hp range.

There's a chance you could even add the supercharger on top of that for even more power. The stock VG33ER superchargers are a little small, being an M62, but it should definitely give you a little more power. I've not really looked into the VG33's all that much but supercharger wise, if anyone is making any adapters to use an M90 instead that would definitely be the route to go. The M90 is a much better match for the VG.

Those are the two best routes I know of off hand for making a noticeable increase in power in the VG trucks.

[houdini]

thanks mtcookson. got some things to think about.

[tmorgan4]

For anyone looking to do this swap, I've got a good set of VH45DE pistons.

[Jakw]

Make a vg33et. 10% more power than a vg30et!

[pimp1911]

Does anyone know where I can get my hands on a VG33E motor? Ecu/harness etc etc.

[mtcookson]

Probably the best place to check would be http://www.car-part.com. You can search salvage yards nationwide there.

[tmorgan4]

Pimp1911....I might be able to help you out. Unfortunately I cut up my VG33E harness. I still have a ECU. I've got plenty of engine parts, basically a complete engine. It probably wouldn't be worth it to ship, but if you need any parts, I probably have them.

[biggee72]

There were a bunch of VG33 motors on ebay. It's a pretty gutless motor as you you. I've read a bunch of threads on other boards about this and it typically seems way too expensive to make any REAL power with this motor. You may be better off doing a VQ swap.

[mtcookson]

You could probably do the 3.4 liter setup cheaper than you could get a VQ that makes more power (than the VG34 setup).

[Zdaddy]

You could probably do the 3.4 liter setup cheaper than you could get a VQ that makes more power (than the VG34 setup).

The VG33E is an awesome motor. I say all SOHC NA VG's, HP wise, are gutless. The SOHC was originally designed for turbo in mind. In turbo form, they are extremely powerful, and very well worth the cost of conversion.

However, if your looking for some decent gains while staying NA, try slapping on some headers, cams, and adjustable cam gears. You'll be well into 200HP at the wheels...I'd guess 214WHP with a VG33E (NA) with these bolt on mods, thats roughly 244HP at the crank. Get into some ECU tuning, and you'll see even more, trust me.

Russ84NA on VGP offers adjustable cam gears for the VG (the only ones I know available), if you want to contact him.... That would be the first mod I'd do...set it to 5deg retarded and you should see some significant difference right there

[mtcookson]

I second that on Russ's cam gears... those things are beautiful. I'm definitely planning on picking some up for an upcoming project. You can get them directly here: http://www.z31parts.com

[Jom]

been thinking about the vg33et for a while now

i have access to a vg33e and ive been thinking about swapping it into my s12

gonna be quite the project though

[mtcookson]

That would definitely be fun. I've been wanting to do a VG33ET as well... those suckers can make some insane torque.

[Zdaddy]

I've talked to quite a few S12 guys on VGP and they all seem to have a problem with room in their engine bays for a turbo. you gotta pound in the firewall for the stock VG30ET crossover pipe. You could do a remote turbo setup but that will cost more in fabrication...

[mcx]

i would suggest checking out my thread "remote turbo project"at Club-s12.org in the vg30 section...with your truck, there might be enough under clearance to make a mid-mount instead on my rear location..either way it will work fine.

[pathfinder97]

The VG33E is an awesome motor. I say all SOHC NA VG's, HP wise, are gutless. The SOHC was originally designed for turbo in mind. In turbo form, they are extremely powerful, and very well worth the cost of conversion.

However, if your looking for some decent gains while staying NA, try slapping on some headers, cams, and adjustable cam gears. You'll be well into 200HP at the wheels...I'd guess 214WHP with a VG33E (NA) with these bolt on mods, thats roughly 244HP at the crank. Get into some ECU tuning, and you'll see even more, trust me.

Russ84NA on VGP offers adjustable cam gears for the VG (the only ones I know available), if you want to contact him.... That would be the first mod I'd do...set it to 5deg retarded and you should see some significant difference right there

I yet to find anything but the cam gears thanks to the link. Any help? Also is there any danger in doing this if your dont know much about tuning?

[TJcars2]

Yea. If you don't know what you're doing I would have a reputable shop do it for you.