* Do get yourself a 255-lph fuel pump, and try some 370cc injectors from the Japanese market Bluebird for about $100, available at your local JDM parts importer.
* Do think about a more advanced fuel and/or ignition timing method than the stock ECU, unless of course, you use rods and pistons on your driveway to make an artistic statement.
* Do not leave the stock exhaust system on the car. You'll be almost doubling the stock horsepower, so use some common sense and account for the increased airflow.
* Do make other provisions for the increased power. Wider, stickier tires never hurt, and a stiffer suspension helps you swerve around the obstacles you'll be bombing toward.
* Do tune the car on a dyno. It's the only real way to set up a car, especially one as involved as this.
Sentra SE-R Turbo
Engine
Engine Code: SR20DE
Type: Inline four, aluminum block and head, turbocharged and intercooled
Internal Modifications:
JWT S3 272-degree cams
External Modifications:
Nissan Bluebird T25 turbo, cast-iron manifold, top-mount intercooler, 2.5-in. downpipe, 3-in. side-exit exhaust, 3-in. Magnaflow cat, NISMO thermostat, 300ZX radiator cap, JWT Pop charger, Unorthodox Racing pullies
Engine Management Modifications:
Nissan Bluebird 370cc/min. injectors, Walbro 255-lph fuel pump, HKS turbo timer, A'PEXi S-AFC II
Drivetrain
Layout: Transverse front engine, front-wheel drive
Drivetrain Modifications: 2000 Sentra SE clutch disc, JWT pressure plate, Fidanza 9-lb. Flywheel
Suspension
Front: H&R springs, KYB AGX shocks, strut tower brace, Whiteline four-pt. control arm brace
Rear: H&R springs, KYB AGX shocks, Active Tuning strut tower brace, Progress anti-roll bar
Brakes
Front: Slotted rotors
Rear: Slotted rotors
Exterior
Wheels: 15x7-in. Knig Rated R
Tires: 205/55-15 Falken Azenis, RT-215
Body: Carbon-fiber hood with WRX hood scoop
Interior
Sparco Torino seat
Adam's Example
There's clearly more than one way to boost a Sentra, but this is how Adam Bliss of Temecula, Calif., did it. The manifold and turbocharger are O.E. Bluebird pieces, along with the factory intercooler and intake piping. Everything bolted up without hassle, the only custom fabricated pipe being the one that leads air into the cold side of the turbo from the JWT Pop Charger and the 2.5-inch downpipe that guides hot air out. A homemade 3-inch side-exit exhaust (with a 3-inch catalytic converter) accentuates the lumpy burble of JWT S3 272-degree cams and, as a side benefit, scares small children.
Adam reports that the hardest part of the install was having to remove the oil pan when plumbing the oil return, so as not to allow aluminum shavings into the sump.
This particular car is quite a bit more modified than the basic Bluebird setup discussed above, but it does retain the same key basic ingredients. Adam uses an A'PEXi S-AFC II to control fuel delivery to the Bluebird 370cc injectors.
The compression remains stock (9.5:1) in Adam's car, and as such, special attention was paid to keeping the newly boosted block cool. He added little stuff, like a 300zx radiator cap and a Nismo thermostat, used in tandem with a Modine radiator and a manual fan switch to keep temps down in California traffic. In true SCC form, Adam hacked up a carbon-fiber hood so he could add a WRX hood scoop, which gives the intercooler the air it needs to be more than an above-engine heatsink. On our dynojet, the car was able to squeeze out 213 wheel-hp and 196 lb-ft of torque, with 150 lb-ft of that available as early as 2350 rpm.
As we mentioned, the extra horsepower isn't worth much when you're bobbing around corners and your brakes feel like you're stopping a luge sled loaded with refrigerators. So Adam opted for KYB AGX shocks teamed with H&R springs and a Progress rear anti-roll bar to keep the car planted. Sticky Falken Azenis rubber in 205/55-15 wrapped around 15-inch Knig wheels and slotted brake rotors round off the package.
Raid the engine bay of a Japan-spec Bluebird (Altima turbo) or Avenir, where you'll find a small T25, an even smaller top-mount intercooler with special smooshed-down piping to fit under the hood, and a cast-iron exhaust manifold.