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Nissan RB20DET - Engine Tuning

The RB20 engine is one of the larger Nissan RB family of engines that were produced between 1985 and 2002.

The RB20 family included 7 engine models:

RB20E
RB20ET
RB20DE
RB20DET
RB20P
RB20DET-R
RB20DE NEO

Read the History of the RB Engine on the Link Below.

Nissan RB20DET Engine Specifications

The RB20DET was a turbocharged version of the RB20DE. This new version made use of a Garrett T28 turbocharger, running a boost pressure of 7 psi.

Below you’ll find the key specifications for the Nissan RB20DET:

Production Years: 1985-1993 (Yokohama Plant)
Cylinder Block Alloy: Cast-iron
Configuration: Straight-6
Valvetrain: DOHC 4 valves
Piston Stroke: 69.7mm (2.74″)
Cylinder Bore: 78mm (3.07″)
Compression Ratio: 8.5
Displacement: 2.0L (1998cc)
Stock Power: 215 bhp
Stock Torque: 196lb-ft
Weight: 245kg (540lb)
Turbocharger: Ceramic wheel Garrett T28 w/ T3 flange
Tuning HP Potential (Max HP): 400+
Nissan RB20DET – Everything You Need To Know

RB20 Camshaft Upgrades.

Significant gains on the RB20 can be made from camshaft upgrades.

Altering the camshaft profile alters the intake and exhaust durations on the engine and can dramatically change the torque and power output.

Fast road camshafts usually boost the torque throughout the rpm band, you might lose a little low end torque but high end rpm power will improve. Motorsport camshafts, boost the high end rpm power band but as a result the car will not idle smoothly and low end power nearly always suffers. For a road car we recommend that you look at where you spend most time in your RPM range and then match your bhp range to your usage of the car. I would be surprised if you find a RB20 Motorsport cam is a pleasure to live with when driving around busy urban areas. This is because a competition cam causes a very lumpy idle, and makes the car more prone to stall or jerk along in stop start traffic, sadly though many ignore this and end up ruining a perfectly good car and having to revert back to a fast road, or OEM cam profile.

Nissan RB20 Tuning

What is lift?

Lift, in camshaft terms, is how far the camshaft lifts the valve. On the RB20DET engine, both the intake and exhaust camshafts have 7.8mm of lift. The popular Tomei Poncam upgrade (which are direct drop-in camshafts, compatible with the stock valvetrain), features 8.5mm of lift on both the intake and exhaust camshafts.

What is Duration?

Duration, in camshaft terms, is how long the valve is held open by the lobe on the camshaft. In the case of the RB20DET engine, the intake camshaft has 240° (degree’s) of duration, and 240° of duration on the exhaust camshaft. One of the more popular, bolt on camshaft upgrades, the Tomei Poncam’s, increase duration to 256° of duration on both the intake and exhaust. The increased duration means the valve’s remain open for a longer period of time, allowing more air/fuel to enter the cylinder.

Increasing both the lift and duration of an engine’s camshafts allows more air/fuel to enter the cylinders, which in turn, means more power can be produced. When increasing the lift and duration of camshafts, one must ensure the valvetrain is capable of handling the increased lift and duration. Many stock valve trains can handle slight increases in lift. The lift of the RB20DET camshaft can be safely increased from 7.8 to 8.5mm with stock valve springs. Beyond this, stronger valve springs designed for higher lift are required.

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Note: Several poster’s on SkylinesAustralia.com have argued that certain camshaft upgrades don’t require adjustable cam gears, as the manufacturers of the camshafts did enough R&D to maximize the camshafts potential without requiring adjustable gears.

Let's be clear, I know nothing at all

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