TUNING THE NISSAN CA18DET (S13)

Always nice to take a stock engine and wake things up. In this case a nice OEM Nissan 200sx still fitted with its CA18DET fitted with bolt on mods by its owner and powered by an FCTuningNistune ECU Solution along with independent boost control. Power and Torque were pretty much as I expected on this health Nissan CA18DET.

Many thanks as always to DP Engineering in Holland for allowing me to host the tuning session there for the SXOC drivers

This FCTuningNistune ECU remap shows how much extra performance a Nissan CA18DET can find without touching the internals. The Nistune tuning suite retunes the factory Nissan ECU directly, giving live control over fuelling and ignition timing while keeping OEM driveability. If you fancy a bit more track pace, take a look at how we pushed a similar Nissan CA18DET S13 to a solid 300hp on OMEX standalone management, or see how a CA18DET was set up for drifting and fast road use on this Drift Spec S13.

This session took place during one of our regular tuning days at DP Engineering in Holland, working through the SXOC (S-Chassis Owners Club) queue of S13s and S14s booked in for remaps and health checks. Being able to retune the stock ECU meant we could dial in safe, repeatable power and torque figures on the rolling road without swapping to a pricier aftermarket ECU, which is exactly the kind of no-nonsense upgrade path we would recommend for anyone running a lightly modified Nissan CA18DET on a budget.

The car itself is a good illustration of why the CA18DET keeps such a loyal following in the S13 and S14 scene: it’s compact, relatively simple to work on, and responds well to sensible bolt-on upgrades before you even start looking at bigger turbos or internals. With the factory Nissan ECU retuned rather than replaced, the owner kept things simple, kept costs down, and still walked away with noticeably better throttle response and more usable power through the rev range. It is exactly this kind of straightforward, well documented Nissan CA18DET build that we like to share, both for other S13 owners planning their own project and for anyone curious about what a stock-turbo CA18DET can do once it is mapped properly.

Tap REVIEWS above in the Main Menu to read more

Nissan 200SX S13

Fantastic to see DW embracing Steve's talents!

Steve has been mapping my S13 for years now. Like others i had used a well known tuner to set up my power FC and thought it was great at the time until i wanted a remap for some extra boost but wasn''t prepared to pay the 400 odd quid for a complete new map. Steve downloaded the map off my car which turned out to be little more than a base map then remapped the PFC without even needing to touch the boost, the difference was night and day.

Steve always makes sure you know what he's doing and why. He listens to what you want and then goes out of his way to make sure you get it.

My car now runs a rebuilt RB25DET and initial tuning from Steve saw it make 444bhp @ 1.2bar.

I look forward to further tuning in the near future.

Jez

Jez, SXOC

FC TUNING

5

2018-04-04T19:48:01+00:00

Jez, SXOC

Fantastic to see DW embracing Steve's talents! Steve has been mapping my S13 for years now. Like others i had used a well known tuner to set up my power FC and thought it was great at the time until i wanted a remap for some extra boost but wasn''t prepared to pay the 400 odd quid for a complete new map. Steve downloaded the map off my car which turned out to be little more than a base map then remapped the PFC without even needing to touch the boost, the difference was night and day. Steve always makes sure you know what he's doing and why. He listens to what you want and then goes out of his way to make sure you get it. My car now runs a rebuilt RB25DET and initial tuning from Steve saw it make 444bhp @ 1.2bar. I look forward to further tuning in the near future. Jez

https://fctuning.com/testimonials/nissan-200sx-s13/

Nissan Skyline R34 GTR

Cant stress enough how impressed i was with the service i got from Steve on mapping my RB26 R34.

Took loads of time setting up on the rollers and then came with me to pod and back for a road tweeking sessions that really transformed the power delivery and the fuel economy.

Always at the end of the phone for friendly honest advice.

He really is a mapping Ninja.

Lex

Lex, DWYB

FC TUNING

2018-04-04T19:59:48+00:00

Lex, DWYB

Cant stress enough how impressed i was with the service i got from Steve on mapping my RB26 R34. Took loads of time setting up on the rollers and then came with me to pod and back for a road tweeking sessions that really transformed the power delivery and the fuel economy. Always at the end of the phone for friendly honest advice. He really is a mapping Ninja. Lex

https://fctuning.com/testimonials/nissan-skyline-r34-gtr/

Nissan 200SX S14

Yup, we was road mapping mine to the dyno, at the dyno, and then back after doing a load of other cars. I think we finished tweaking it at about 3am!

It was mapped previously by a \\"well recommended\\" mapper, but it was like a new car after the remap!

3 of my mates have been to him too, and all been very impressed with the dyno results and service!

Ryan, Kent

FC TUNING

5

2018-04-04T20:00:51+00:00

Ryan, Kent

Yup, we was road mapping mine to the dyno, at the dyno, and then back after doing a load of other cars. I think we finished tweaking it at about 3am! It was mapped previously by a \\"well recommended\\" mapper, but it was like a new car after the remap! 3 of my mates have been to him too, and all been very impressed with the dyno results and service!

https://fctuning.com/testimonials/nissan-200sx-s14/

Nissan 200SX S13

Another very satisfied customer here, transformed the car when the S13 with the waaaayyy to big Ebay super T70 on the RB25DET came on boost on the M25 and then proceeded to spin up the wheels in 4th gear @ 4500 rpm I was WELL impressed !

Next mapping will DEFINATELY be with Steve again (Even if I live 600 miles away in another country)

WJ, Holland

FC TUNING

5

2018-04-04T20:14:56+00:00

WJ, Holland

Another very satisfied customer here, transformed the car when the S13 with the waaaayyy to big Ebay super T70 on the RB25DET came on boost on the M25 and then proceeded to spin up the wheels in 4th gear @ 4500 rpm I was WELL impressed ! Next mapping will DEFINATELY be with Steve again (Even if I live 600 miles away in another country)

https://fctuning.com/testimonials/4827/

Nissan 200SX S15

Been in touch with Steve for over a year now, and have had nothing but a positive experience....cant praise him enough for his hard work and knowledge. Would recommend him to anyone who wants there car tuned! Cant wait to bring the Silvia back with a few no goodies and see if we can get even more out of it.

Richard Wilson

FC TUNING

5

2018-04-04T21:11:46+00:00

Richard Wilson

Been in touch with Steve for over a year now, and have had nothing but a positive experience....cant praise him enough for his hard work and knowledge. Would recommend him to anyone who wants there car tuned! Cant wait to bring the Silvia back with a few no goodies and see if we can get even more out of it.

https://fctuning.com/testimonials/nissan-200sx-s15/

4

FC TUNING