The VK engine (formerly known as the ZH) is a V8

piston engine A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is typically a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common featu ...

from

Nissan , trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...

. It is an aluminum

DOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion c ...

4-valve design. The VK engine was originally based on Nissan's '' VQ'' V6 rather than the '' VH'' V8 used in previous Q45/ Cima models. Changes include: a variable

intake manifold In automotive engineering, an inlet manifold or intake manifold (in American English) is the part of an engine that supplies the fuel/air mixture to the cylinders. The word ''manifold'' comes from the Old English word ''manigfeald'' (from the ...

, newly designed heads, and a larger

drive by wire Drive by wire, DbW, by-wire, steer-by-wire, fly-by-wire or x-by-wire technology in the automotive or aviation industry is the use of electrical or electro-mechanical systems for performing vehicle functions traditionally achieved by mechanical link ...

throttle chamber. The intake manifold directs air through different paths at different engine speeds to optimise low-end

torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of th ...

or high-end horsepower.

VK45DE

The VK45DE was introduced in 2002 and is built in

Yokohama, Japan is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

. Bore and stroke is . Output is at 6,400

rpm Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

with of torque at 4,000 rpm. Redline is at 6,600 rpm. It has an aluminum

engine block In an internal combustion engine, the engine block is the structure which contains the cylinders and other components. In an early automotive engine, the engine block consisted of just the cylinder block, to which a separate crankcase was atta ...

and aluminum

cylinder head In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head (often abbreviated to simply "head") sits above the cylinders and forms the roof of the combustion chamber. In sidevalve engines, the head is a simple sheet of metal; whereas in more modern ov ...

s. It uses SFI, has 4

titanium Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...

valves per cylinder with VVT and features

forged steel Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die. Forging is often classified according to the temperature at which it ...

connecting rod A connecting rod, also called a 'con rod', is the part of a piston engine which connects the piston to the crankshaft. Together with the crank, the connecting rod converts the reciprocating motion of the piston into the rotation of the cranksh ...

s, 4 one-piece cast camshafts, an unusual variable-flow induction system optimizes airflow for low- and high-speed operation, low-friction

molybdenum Molybdenum is a chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42 which is located in period 5 and group 6. The name is from Neo-Latin ''molybdaenum'', which is based on Ancient Greek ', meaning lead, since its ores were confused with lea ...

-coated pistons, and a microfinished crankshaft.

Motorsport

A flat-plane crankshaft version of the VK45DE was used by

Nismo , abbreviated as Nismo, is a division of Nissan Motorsports & Customizing focused in motorsport and performance-oriented car models for Nissan. Nismo was initially a company, , formed in 1984 as a result of a merger of two motorsport departmen ...

for Super GT races with the

Nissan GT-R The Nissan GT-R (Japanese: 日産・GT-R, ''Nissan GT-R''), is a high-performance sports car and grand tourer produced by Nissan, unveiled in 2007. It is the successor to the Skyline GT-R, a high performance variant of the Nissan Skyline. Alth ...

instead of using the GT-R's VR38DETT

twin-turbo Twin-turbo (not to be confused with a twincharger setup, which is a combination of a supercharger and a turbocharger) refers to an engine in which two turbochargers work in tandem to compress the intake fuel/air mixture (or intake air, in the case ...

V6 engine. The VK45DE was previously used in Nissan's 350Z Super GT car in 2007, replacing the previous VQ30DETT used in that car. In race trim, the Super GT VK45DE produces and of torque. The engine idles at around 3,500 rpm and is restricted to the above specified power output. Without such restrictions, the engine is reputedly capable of producing nearly . Nismo reasons that by using the engine, they eliminate

turbo lag In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

, save weight and generally prefer the torque curve of the atmospheric V8.

Applications

VK45DD

The VK45DD is a V8 engine that is very similar to the VK45DE but adds a direct injection fuel system. This was Nissan's first V8 with direct injection (NEO-Di). It officially produces at 6,000 rpm and at 3,600 rpm, but it has unofficially over . It has a compression ratio of 11.0:1, and a bore and stroke of .

Applications

* 2001–2004

Nissan Cima The is a luxury sedan produced by Nissan for the Japanese market. The car's name is derived from Spanish for "summit". Earlier generations installed a hood ornament with an image of an acanthus leaf. The acanthus leaf was commonly used by class ...

(JDM)

VK50VE

The VK50VE is a V8 engine with at 6,500 rpm and at 4,400 rpm and redline is set at 6,800 rpm. Bore x stroke are and compression ratio is 10.9:1. The valvetrain is a dual overhead cam (DOHC) design with a continuously variable valve timing control system (

CVTCS Continuous Variable Valve Timing Control System (CVVTCS) is an automobile variable valve timing technology developed by Nissan. It is also used in a twin CVTC configuration on engines like the Nissan Juke's MR16DDT engine. CVVTCS is the successo ...

). The engine also features Nissan's

VVEL Nissan Variable Valve Event and Lift (commonly abbreviated as VVEL) is an automobile variable valve timing technology developed by Nissan. Nissan VVEL was first introduced to the US market in late-2007 on the 2008 Infiniti G37 Coupe sporting the ...

valve timing technology.

Applications

* 2009–2013

Infiniti FX The Infiniti QX70, formerly called the Infiniti FX until 2013, is a mid-size luxury crossover SUV produced by the Nissan-owned Infiniti luxury vehicle brand between 2002 and 2017. The FX replaced the QX4 as Infiniti's mid-size SUV. It shares the ...

50 * 2014

Infiniti QX70 The Infiniti QX70, formerly called the Infiniti FX until 2013, is a mid-size luxury crossover SUV produced by the Nissan-owned Infiniti luxury vehicle brand between 2002 and 2017. The FX replaced the QX4 as Infiniti's mid-size SUV. It shares th ...

VK56DE

The VK56DE is a version built in

Decherd, Tennessee Decherd is a city in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,246 at the 2000 census and 2,361 at the 2010 census. History Peter Decherd came to the area in 1831 from Franklin County, Virginia and set up a plantation. In t ...

. Bore and stroke is . Output is at 4,900 rpm with of torque at 3,600 rpm. It has aluminum-alloy block and heads and low-friction molybdenum-coated pistons. The valvetrain is a dual overhead cam (DOHC) design with a continuously variable valve timing control system (

) on the intake valves. It also has 4 valves per cylinder with micro-finished camshafts and ductile iron cylinder liners for increased durability.

Motorsport

also uses the VK56DE for FIA GT1 racing. In race trim, it produces and of torque. The Nissan Motorsport VK56DE was launched in Australia for the V8 Supercars Championship in 2013 by Kelly Racing in Melbourne. The engine has been reduced in capacity to to fit the V8 Supercars regulations. It has a bore and stroke of . It will be fitted to a Nissan Altima version of the V8 Supercars "Car of the Future" specification that will compete from 2013 onwards.

Applications

Notes: * The Titan, Armada, and Pathfinder power figures are for regular 87 octane fuel. The Infiniti QX56 & Nissan Patrol are tuned for premium (91+ octane) fuel. * Some VK56DE powered vehicles are

E85 E85 is an abbreviation typically referring to an ethanol fuel blend of 85% ethanol fuel and 15% gasoline or other hydrocarbon by volume. In the United States, the exact ratio of fuel ethanol to hydrocarbon may vary according to ASTM 5798 that ...

capable.

VK56VD

The VK56VD is a 32-valve, DOHC, Direct Injection Gasoline ( DIG) aluminum-alloy V8 and features

's advanced

(Variable Valve Event & Lift System). The direct injection system provides better wide-open throttle performance and improved fuel economy and emissions performance by reducing engine knock, improving combustion stability and controlling injection more precisely.

VK45DE

Motorsport

Applications

VK45DD

Applications

VK50VE

Applications

VK56DE

Motorsport

Applications

VK56VD

Applications

References

See also