I am relatively new to the Pathfinder world relative to many of you. In March I purchased my first Pathfinder - a 2011 V8 LE. It's not my first Nissan (I owned a 300zx shiro series in HS/college) and not my first time driving a Pathfinder (had a V6 as a rental for two weeks after my vehicle was rear ended and in the body shop). Always liked the look, balance of size and agility, and when they offered the V8 as an option late in the model life I knew I had to have one.

Most of what I have done thus far is cosmetic. Now I am looking to move on to performance improvements. 310 hp and 380 lb/ft is respectable, but I want to be a tad closer to the Hemi Grand Cherokees out there currently listed at 360 hp and 390 lb/ft. As most of you are veterans I'm hoping that you would list below some of the tried-and-true bolt on mods as well as perhaps some more labor intensive work (cam shafts) that can be executed to make the 5.6L kick some tail.

My research reveals most of the performance accessories for the Pathfinder are aimed at the V6 so I am trying to narrow my search by calling on those that have gone before me. Any info on the best intake setup, headers, exhausts, under drive pulleys, CPU programmers, etc. would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Headers gears 4" intake and a tuner in short.

Head over to titantalk, they've got tons of go fast mods.

The headers don't fit without modification due to the UCA since the engine bay is smaller. A lot of people like LT Doug Thorley's but they are pricey. With that said, the OBX are essentially DT knock offs at a cheaper price, so since they need to be modified might as well go with them vs banging up a nice set of Thorley's. Couple that with the staight b pipes and with either an 18 or 22" muffler and you'll be on your way. Also, an LS series TB seems to be popular over there. Since we have the 08+ VK we also have a better intake manifold but there are some members over there going with the M56 IM since its a little more top end oriented.

There is a V8 Pathy over there with I/H and OSIRUS running 13.8 or 13.6 without gears so the potential is there.

There's always weight reduction.

The above mods put together well would net about 380-390 whp on a dynojet.

I chose an aleternate route in that I like and want the low end power so any of the above wouldnt do much when on the trails.

Before getting too worked up over HP on paper....realize the regular 5.7L Hemi JGC isn't really any quicker than what you've got. Probably slower acceleration and less towing grunt. Most tests I've seen have the Hemi JGC running very close to the V6 Pathfinder in acceleration. I've not seen a posted number for a V8 Pathfinder. As you mentioned, the torque is right in the ballpark except the Hemi peak torque hits at 1,000 rpm higher than the Nissan 5.9L. So basically you're already ahead in the real world. Unless you want to shoot for outgunning the JGC SRT....

skinny2 wrote:Before getting too worked up over HP on paper....realize the regular 5.7L Hemi JGC isn't really any quicker than what you've got. Probably slower acceleration and less towing grunt. Most tests I've seen have the Hemi JGC running very close to the V6 Pathfinder in acceleration. I've not seen a posted number for a V8 Pathfinder. As you mentioned, the torque is right in the ballpark except the Hemi peak torque hits at 1,000 rpm higher than the Nissan 5.9L. So basically you're already ahead in the real world. Unless you want to shoot for outgunning the JGC SRT....

Nissans 5.6L? or Dodges 5.9L?

I did some googling on this recently for fun...I didn't realize that the VK56 motor is used for all sorts of Nissan racing, so if you want to go crazy there's LOTS out there. 6L stroker kit? 400, 500, and even 600HP Superchargers? Fully built race short blocks ready to drop in? Yup!

Some day when I win the lottery...

RacerZX wrote:I did some googling on this recently for fun...I didn't realize that the VK56 motor is used for all sorts of Nissan racing, so if you want to go crazy there's LOTS out there. 6L stroker kit? 400, 500, and even 600HP Superchargers? Fully built race short blocks ready to drop in? Yup!

Some day when I win the lottery...

Saw a YouTube with it at 8800 RPM, some insane amount of HP, NA .

Also have seen a handful of 350z swaps, albeit called the 560z. Sorta the LS of Japan, maybe not.

NmexMAX wrote:

Nissans 5.6L? or Dodges 5.9L?[/quote]

Sorry, typo. Comparing Nissan 5.6L to Dodge 5.7L

Thank you all for your replies.

I will concede the low-end of the Pathfinder is already quite solid at 380 lb/ft. In fact, with the traction control disabled my Pathfinder readily breaks the rears free in two-wheel almost to the point of annoyance requiring me to drive around in Auto or full-time 4-wheel to spare my tread.

On the other hand, there are times where I'm already at highway speeds and need to overtake another vehicle or distance myself from a clusterfuck on the highway and I can't help but wish there was more gitty up in the mid to high end of the RPM band.

Do any of you know much about tuning for a target power band? Over the years I've read about various applications on all sorts of vehicles where the tuner targets low-end, mid-range, or high-end power. It seems the stock tune of the V8 Pathfinder is almost all low-end. Is there a way to preserve the low-end and improve the middle and high end or is it essentially a trade off, one for the other?

Allow me to clarify...

What I'm curious about are the various applications of the VK56DE motor. It was used in the second gen QX56 -- the one that looks like a supersize Pathfinder -- and output was 320hp and 390 lb/ft though this may be premium fuel spec. Rated output on the R51 is 310hp and 388 lb/ft. Now on the third gen QX56 -- the one that looks like your grandfathers vehicle -- the same block is now called the VK56VD and output is a gnarly 400hp and 413 lb/ft. In the 2011 M56 the VK56VD is rated even higher at 420 hp and 417 lb/ft.

So my question is if there is a way to achieve the numbers of the later generation QX56 or M56? Those are some go like hell numbers and in a mid-size SUV platform like the R51 you'd be a sleeper at a red light for sure.

The VK56VD use direct fuel injection and Nissan's variable valve event and lift system (VVEL). If you wanted that, you would need to source the engine, harness and ECM (and who knows what else) from a '10 or later Patrol, or a '11 or later M56 or QX. I can't imagine that being an inexpensive swap!

smj999smj wrote:The VK56VD use direct fuel injection and Nissan's variable valve event and lift system (VVEL). If you wanted that, you would need to source the engine, harness and ECM (and who knows what else) from a '10 or later Patrol, or a '11 or later M56 or QX. I can't imagine that being an inexpensive swap!

IIRC the new QX56 is sporting this new powerplant. 400hp/420tq IIRC

The tall gearing of the V8 makes it a lot slower than it should be. One of the best mods for the V8 performance is switching to 3.36 Armada Gears. I did this and am probably right around the 6 second mark for 0-60 and I have no other mods. I didnt change the gearing for speed or anything mainly just torque to the wheels.

Clay350 wrote:The tall gearing of the V8 makes it a lot slower than it should be. One of the best mods for the V8 performance is switching to 3.36 Armada Gears. I did this and am probably right around the 6 second mark for 0-60 and I have no other mods. I didnt change the gearing for speed or anything mainly just torque to the wheels.

Not sure how or where this might go, but I've been in brief conversations with Steve from rugged rocks about possibility having more gear swap options in the future. What holds us back is the R230 (rear diff) since the M205 and R180 have plenty of options.

I think the 4.10's would be nice and even better would be 4.56's for those with larger tires.

The 300z also has the R320 and members there have swapped different gears in those diffs for years. But a little legwork needs to be done to see how and what modifications need to be done to our diffs in order to utilize the gears available for the passenger car R230's, since for them, there are some small modifications that need to be done. Ironically, a lot of those guys are interested in the 2.94's since many of them use their cars for commuting.

Clay350 wrote:The tall gearing of the V8 makes it a lot slower than it should be. One of the best mods for the V8 performance is switching to 3.36 Armada Gears. I did this and am probably right around the 6 second mark for 0-60 and I have no other mods. I didnt change the gearing for speed or anything mainly just torque to the wheels.

NmexMAX wrote: Not sure how or where this might go, but I've been in brief conversations with Steve from rugged rocks about possibility having more gear swap options in the future. What holds us back is the R230 (rear diff) since the M205 and R180 have plenty of options.

I think the 4.10's would be nice and even better would be 4.56's for those with larger tires.

The 300z also has the R320 and members there have swapped different gears in those diffs for years. But a little legwork needs to be done to see how and what modifications need to be done to our diffs in order to utilize the gears available for the passenger car R230's, since for them, there are some small modifications that need to be done. Ironically, a lot of those guys are interested in the 2.94's since many of them use their cars for commuting.

Either of you have a guess what this might do for fuel economy? If I'm averaging 16mpg now, thoughts on how this gearing change would affect MPG?

In using 33's so not sure but I've seen a best of 14.9 and a worst of 12.5. I average 13.5, again I'm lifted with larger than stock tires.

Clay would be able to better answer that question.