288 WHP Nissan Cube (World's Most Powerful Cube + MR18DE)

Basic information;

Peak Power: 288 WHP

Peak Torque: 248 Ft Lbs

Rev Limit: 7000 RPM

Peak Boost: 20 PSI

 

Parts list:

Fueltech FT450

BPT 16G Turbocharger

FR MR18DE Diamond Racing Pistons

FR Connecting Rods

FR MR18DE King Engine Bearings

AMS Clutch (dual mass)

ARP Head Studs

OEM MLS Head Gasket

BPT 16G Turbocharger

Turbosmart Vee Port DV

Turbosmart IWG

FR Boost Solenoid

SIS Water To Air Intercooler System

2.5" Catted Downpipe/Second Cat Pipe

STOCK Cat-Back

K&N Air Filter

Custom Intake

IDX 1050x Injectors

FR Timing Chain Hardware

Adapted MR16DDT Oil Pans, Oil Pump, Intake Manifold, Turbo Manifold, Crank Girdle, Engine Mount, Torque Mount.

Vibrant Performance Oil Feed Line and Fittings

FR Oil Sandwich Plate

Fueltech IAT Sensor

Custom Upper Radiator Tube

AEM Eugo Wideband

VR38 Spark Plugs

 

 

 

We were contacted by a gentleman in Georgia who was looking to make his Nissan Cube even more unique and give it a little pep in its step. He had 2 requirements: The car needed to be set up to do another 100k miles without risking engine damage and he wanted ~200 horsepower.

 

Done.

 

We over-built EVERYTHING. We designed and installed forged pistons with the help of Diamond Racing, we made them work with our MR16DDT connecting rods to keep costs down. The MLS head gasket will hold more power than the car will ever see, but to be sure we used ARP head studs. The fuel injectors will support up to 400 horsepower effortlessly if it ever gets to that point. The oil pump is a proven pump from a Juke that we know can handle hundreds of thousands of miles and loads of RPM's. The crank girdle from the MR16DDT ensures the engine will never deform under higher loads. This engine package will easily make over 400 horsepower with the addition of E85, a larger cat-back, and a larger turbo. Upgraded valve springs, larger intercooler, EWG Turbo system, it will do north of 500.

 

We ended up making just over 280 horsepower, with the lowest boost tune on the fueltech sitting around 220 horsepower at ~12 psi. 

We had the entire hardware package done and install in less than 2 weeks. The engine was built before the car got here. But as you will soon see, those 2 weeks would not be the only chapters in this cars book up here.

We originally were going to use Uprev to tune the vehicle, as they listed it as supported on their website. But. Once we got the car up and running and, on the dyno, we quickly found that not only does the uprev software for this vehicle not actually fully work, but it also consumes a flash license EVERY TIME YOU FLASH IT. Unable to pull back the ignition timing, we were told by Uprev that they will eventually get around to it. After playing with a few potential solutions, and waiting 2 MONTHS for a solution, the owner supplied us with a piece of hardware to use to retard the timing. Unfortunately, it did not work as we hoped, so the decision was made to use a Fueltech.

We worked very closely with Manny over at Fueltech to set the ECU up as an ignition/fuel controller. This required us adding a second crank sensor (luckily the MR16DDT oil pan we used has a crank sensor port we could use) and adding a cam position sensor, as the OEM cam sensor trigger wheel was not compatible with any aftermarket ecu. We have this same issue on the MR16DDT's.

Thanks to this build, we now have the capabilities to build MONSTER Versa's and Cubes, with the only limitation being the owner's budget. 500+ horsepower Versa's are on the horizon!

The final result was a SILENT sleeper with loads of pep that puts a smile on your face with every pull. It is HILARIOUS to drive around in such an unsuspecting car. NO-ONE has any clue what is next to them on the road, and we hope the owner surprises many people with it over the next 100k miles!

 

Stock 114 hp compared to the new 288 whp: