VK56VD vs the "competition"

[leeleatherwood]

The Nissan VK56VD is an amazing engine, it is best in class. When looking for an engine ideal for off-roading, towing or street driving, the VK56VD is great. We can use dyno statistics and excel to demonstrate this quite easily.

1st Competition:
Often times the Iconic Jeep 4.0 "High Output" found in 90's and 2000's Jeeps has been praised for its generous amount of torque and its relatively flat torque curve. Many people consider the 4.0 as the "Holy Grail" engine for off-roading because of this. The 4.0 HO is a fuel injected, iron block, iron head straight 6. Lets see how the VK56VD stacks up.



We can see that yes the 4.0 HO has a pretty flat torque curve, this is very good.... but so does the VK56VD. We can also see that the VK56VD is making almost 200 ft-lbs of torque at 1000rpm. You will also notice that by 1500rpm, the VK56VD is making more torque than the Jeep 4.0 HO makes total. Max torque of the VK56VD is 413 vs 225 for the 4.0 HO, so almost double. The VK56VD also revs 1000rpm higher and makes much more horsepower.

Conclusion:
The VK56VD is a much better engine than the Legendary Iconic Jeep 4.0 HO in every regards except nostalgia.

Data Sources:

Horsepower and Torque curve for 2016 Nissan Patrol LE (aut. 7) model for Europe Asia

Engine horsepower and torque curve for Nissan Patrol LE (aut. 7) in 2016, the model with 5-door sport-utility wagon body and V-8 5552 cm3 / 338.9 cui, 298 kW / 405 PS / 400 hp (ECE) engine for Europe Asia ..

www.automobile-catalog.com

Horsepower and Torque curve for 2000 Jeep Cherokee 4.0 Limited (aut. 4) model for Europe

Engine horsepower and torque curve for Jeep Cherokee 4.0 Limited (aut. 4) in 2000, the model with 5-door sport-utility wagon body and Line-6 3956 cm3 / 240.7 cui, 135 kW / 184 PS / 181 hp (ECE) engine for Europe ..

www.automobile-catalog.com

 

[leeleatherwood]

Some will say "its not fair to compare a 6 cylinder engine based on 90's technology to the amazing engineers at Nissan using modern V8 technology!"

I agree, so stay tuned for more VK56VD vs "competition" updates!

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Annnnd then someone shows up with a 3.5 Ecoboost HO and the V8 goes home with it's tail between its legs....lol.

 

[leeleatherwood]

So, you decided the 4.0 HO in your Exo Caged Cherokee ain't gonna cut it, "no way that Jap motor gonna out crawl my American Made Muscle!", you go down the street to your neighbor uncle cousin Jim Bobs combination Front Yard/Junkyard/Moonshine Distillery to find yourself a V8, of course being a "MOPAR Guy", its gotta be a HEMI!

You get lucky and score a 2018 5.7 HEMI from a Grand Cherokee, 5.7L because "Ain't no replacement for displacement ammirite?" Late model, latest technology. This is gonna be amazing, sure to beat that jap crap.



Very respectable, almost identical to the VK56VD except for the major dropoff at 5000rpm where the Nissan motor keeps on pulling until redline. Honestly you cant go wrong with a late model 5.7 Hemi.

Conclusion:
The 5.7L Hemi puts up a good fight, but the VK56VD is still better in every regards.

Data Sources:

Horsepower and Torque curve for 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland AWD 5.7L V-8 (aut. 8) model for North America

Engine horsepower and torque curve for Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland AWD 5.7L V-8 (aut. 8) in 2018, the model with 5-door sport-utility wagon body and V-8 5654 cm3 / 345.6 cui, 268 kW / 364 PS / 360 hp (SAE net) engine for North America ..

www.automobile-catalog.com

 

[leeleatherwood]

Annnnd then someone shows up with a 3.5 Ecoboost HO and the V8 goes home with it's tail between its legs....lol.

lol, ok I will do that one next. Ecoboost probably will win.

I am huge fan of Turbo V6, I think it is an ideal engine configuration. Ford's reliability on the otherhand.... but I still applaud them for going hi-tech.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

lol, ok I will do that one next. Ecoboost probably will win.

I am huge fan of Turbo V6, I think it is an ideal engine configuration. Ford's reliability on the otherhand.... but I still applaud them for going hi-tech.

I've owned 4 F150s and one F350. As work vehicles I've had two F150s. I've also owned two Tundras. The least reliable out of the lot was my 1st gen Tundra...lol.

Even if Ford is less reliable, the cost difference pays for a looot of repairs....haha.

 

[leeleatherwood]

Having a hard time finding raw Ecoboost engine dyno numbers by rpm to plug into excel, infact not really even finding data for chassis dyno. Even with chassis dyno numbers we can estimate crank numbers by scaling the peak to match what the mfr states peak HP/TQ should be.

Anyways, since I am having a hard time finding the data I will focusing on different engines for now.

EDIT: Found the data, see below.

 

[leeleatherwood]

"LS Swap that **********!"

LS swaps are pretty much the go-to for any type of buggy. Cheap as dirt, lots of transmission options, easy to swap, huge aftermarket. Pretty good engine for a buggy, truggy, mud truck, rock bouncer etc. Also very common to swap into older Landcruisers and just about any vehicle that someone wants more power out of.

The 5.3 is the most common swap, mostly because its dead nuts easy to find. Found in just about every Chevy truck made in the last decade, a quick craigslist search will easily find dozens for cheap.

Lets see how it stacks up to the VK56VD.



Down over 80 hp and 80 torques, not lookin good. Falls flat on its face at a little over 5k RPM while the VK keeps on screamin. I don't think 0.3 more liters to match the VK would help.

Conclusion:
I think more people should be doing VK swaps than LS swaps. ?

Sources:

Horsepower and Torque curve for 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ 4WD 5.3L V-8 Flexfuel (gas.) (aut. 6) offered since mid-year 2009 for North America U.S.

Engine horsepower and torque curve for Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ 4WD 5.3L V-8 Flexfuel (gas.) (aut. 6) in 2010, the model with 5-door sport-utility wagon body and V-8 5327 cm3 / 325 cui, 239 kW / 325 PS / 320 hp (SAE cert) offered since mid-year 2009 for North America U.S...

www.automobile-catalog.com

 

[Grassland]

Got dyno chart for a VK40DE or what ever the vanilla six that goes forever in the Xterra, Pathy, and Frontier?

 

[leeleatherwood]

Got dyno chart for a VK40DE or what ever the vanilla six that goes forever in the Xterra, Pathy, and Frontier?

It should be available.

I will do that after 3.5 EcoBoost (found the data) and 6.2 Hemi.

 

[Grassland]

Nissan 4.0 vs Toyota 4.0 and remember the hilarious single cam 4.0 in the previous gen Rangers that made what like 207 crank HP? Those would also be nice comparison.

I'm surprised at how similar the curves are for Hemi and 5.6
Seeing that chart I'm surprised as far as gasser V8s go that Nissan isn't selling more half tons.

 

[leeleatherwood]

Incase you didnt know, the 3.5 EcoBoost is a beast. Twin Turbo 3.5L V6. Aluminum Block, Aluminum Heads... yes please. Better than those dumb ass Diesels Chevy is putting in the Colorados and Jeep in the.... Jeeps. We'll cover those later but the writing is already on the wall: Turbo Gas > Turbo Diesel all day long.

Anyways, this isnt even the HO version, couldnt find number on that but I found the non-HO 3.5 EcoBoost found in Explorers, which are direct competitors to the Armadas and Infinitis the VK56VD is found in.



Without looking at the complete picture, you could easily assume that the 3.5 EcoBoosts 400 hp would make it roughly equal to the VK56DE's 400 hp, well you would be wrong. Not all Horsepower is created equal and this is a perfect example.

You can see the 3.5 EcoBoost makes peak power from 5000rpm and just holds it there until 700rpm later, its not until 5800rpm that the Nissan motor catches up. Not only that, but the EcoBoost is pumping out constantly more power "under the curve" than the Nissan.

Then you see the torque curve, jesus. Yep, give me an EcoBoost over a diesel any day of the millenium.

Conclusion:
High Feature Turbocharged engines are the future. Nissan has them too, such as the VR30DDTT and VR38DETT which are incredible. The thing is, Nissan only put them in premium vehicles, but Ford is pushing them hard and putting them into anything people will buy. Bottom line, EcoBoost rocks. Now where's the 5.0 EcoBoost?!?!

 

[billiebob]

1st Competition:
Often times the Iconic Jeep 4.0 "High Output" found in 90's and 2000's Jeeps has been praised for its generous amount of torque and its relatively flat torque curve. Many people consider the 4.0 as the "Holy Grail" engine for off-roading because of this. The 4.0 HO is a fuel injected, iron block, iron head straight 6. Lets see how the VK56VD stacks up.

Really irrelevent. Test data and statistics do not reflect driveability, tractability of an engine. But having owned Wranglers since the first YJ came out with the carbureted 258, I'll testify for off road bottom end grunt at under 1000RPM, the Wrangler straight six rules,,,, still. Once you exceed 3000 rpm, you are looking at interstate performance. I just bought another Rubi with that straight 6. Yep, definitely the holy grail.

Once I leave the pavement I barely touch the gas pedal.

The reason to chose gas is for simplicity and weight. The reason to avoid a new diesel is due to complexity, weight, fuel quality, .... new diesels have lost all the advantages that diesels had 20 years ago.

The 4.0L is to overlanding what the small block Chevy is to hot rodding.

 

[leeleatherwood]

Really irrelevent. Test data and statistics do not reflect driveability, tractability of an engine. But having owned Wranglers since the first YJ came out with the carbureted 258, I'll testify for off road bottom end grunt at under 1000RPM, the Wrangler straight six rules,,,, still. Once you exceed 3000 rpm, you are looking at interstate performance. I just bought another Rubi with that straight 6. Yep, definitely the holy grail.

Once I leave the pavement I barely touch the gas pedal.

The reason to chose gas is for simplicity and weight. The reason to avoid a new diesel is due to complexity, weight, fuel quality, .... new diesels have lost all the advantages that diesels had 20 years ago.

The 4.0L is to overlanding what the small block Chevy is to hot rodding.

The 4.0 is a great engine, not denying that. I would certainly take a 4.0 over the 3.8 and 3.6. (I had XJ with 4.0)

But over 3 decades have passed since it reached its "final" fuel injected form, it simply doesnt have the chops to compete in any category (besides simplicity) to the VK56VD.

Modern engines, in general, have fantastically smooth idle and smooth power delivery throughout the rev range, plus a V8 has inherently more smoothness than a straight-6 due to more firing events per crankshaft revolution. VK56VD wins, there is no solid debate.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

"LS Swap that **********!"

LS swaps are pretty much the go-to for any type of buggy. Cheap as dirt, lots of transmission options, easy to swap, huge aftermarket. Pretty good engine for a buggy, truggy, mud truck, rock bouncer etc. Also very common to swap into older Landcruisers and just about any vehicle that someone wants more power out of.

The 5.3 is the most common swap, mostly because its dead nuts easy to find. Found in just about every Chevy truck made in the last decade, a quick craigslist search will easily find dozens for cheap.

Lets see how it stacks up to the VK56VD.

View attachment 614256

Down over 80 hp and 80 torques, not lookin good. Falls flat on its face at a little over 5k RPM while the VK keeps on screamin. I don't think 0.3 more liters to match the VK would help.

Conclusion:
I think more people should be doing VK swaps than LS swaps. ?

Sources:

Horsepower and Torque curve for 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ 4WD 5.3L V-8 Flexfuel (gas.) (aut. 6) offered since mid-year 2009 for North America U.S.

Engine horsepower and torque curve for Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ 4WD 5.3L V-8 Flexfuel (gas.) (aut. 6) in 2010, the model with 5-door sport-utility wagon body and V-8 5327 cm3 / 325 cui, 239 kW / 325 PS / 320 hp (SAE cert) offered since mid-year 2009 for North America U.S...

www.automobile-catalog.com

For the cost of just the Nissan engine, I can easily run 7PSI on a bone stock 5.3 (or 6.0) and create an absolute monster that will put down some impressive HP/TQ numbers per dollar spent. If you take the total price of the VK swap, I can probably build an 800HP LS that's happy on pump gas and has great street manners.

The LS is to todays car scene what the small block was to our fathers car scene. They are dirt cheap, plentiful, and cheap to upgrade. The nice thing about the LS is the bottom end is beefy enough to support hundreds more HP thsn stock.