| Nissan VRH engine | |
| Manufacturer: | Nissan |
| Management: | ECCS-R-NDIS or Nissan Electronics/Hitachi HN-1 |
| Designer: | Yoshimasa Hayashi |
| Production: | 1988 - 2002 |
| Turbocharger: | IHI (some versions) |
| Configuration: | 90° V8 |
| Displacement: | 2996cc 3495cc 3499cc 3999cc 3396cc 4997cc |
| Bore: | 852NaN2 932NaN2 96mm |
| Stroke: | 662NaN2 772NaN2 64.392NaN2 73.62NaN2 62.52NaN2 86.32NaN2 |
| Block: | Aluminium |
| Head: | Aluminium |
| Valvetrain: | DOHC 4 valves x cyl. |
| Fuelsystem: | Fuel injection |
| Compression: | 8.5:1, 9.0:1, 13.8:1, 14.0:1 |
| Fueltype: | Gasoline/Methanol |
| Oilsystem: | Multi-stage dry sump |
| Coolingsystem: | Water-cooled |
| Power: | 4500NaN0 5000NaN0 5300NaN0 6500NaN0 7500NaN0 8000NaN0 9600NaN0 |
| Torque: | 2900NaN0 3200NaN0 3250NaN0 4700NaN0 5420NaN0 5200NaN0 5780NaN0 5910NaN0 |
| Weight: | 1200NaN0? 1500NaN0 1700NaN0 1850NaN0 |
| Predecessor: | Nissan VEJ30 engine |
The Nissan VRH engine family consists of several racing engines built by Nissan Motor Company beginning in the late 1980s. All VRH engines are in a V8 configuration, with either natural aspiration or forced induction. Some VRH engines are loosely based on Nissan's production V8 engine blocks, including the VH and VK engines, while others were designed from the ground up for racing and share no components with production blocks.
The name "VRH" comes from the engines' V configuration ("V"), their purpose as racing engines ("R"), and the fact that all of them have eight cylinders (with "H" being the eighth letter of the Latin alphabet).
In 1987, Nissan began work on an engine exclusively for race use; the result was the VEJ30 engine, developed by Yoshikazu Ishikawa. This engine was based on old technology, and was not a success. For 1988, the VEJ30 was improved by Yoshimasa Hayashi and renamed the VRH30. Changes included increasing the displacement to 3396cc.
This engine was, however, still based on the obsolete VEJ30, and development of the all-new VRH35[1] was started in parallel with the VRH30. In 1989, the VRH35 appeared as a new development engine and was used in the Nissan R89C.
A 3.0-litre variant of the VRH35Z was also used in the 1998 Courage-Nissan C51 at the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans. Both C51s failed to finish.[2]
The design of the engine was later sold to McLaren, where it served as the basis of their M838T and M840T engines (which were used in all of McLaren's line-up since the McLaren MP4-12C).[3] [4]
The VRH30T was used in the R88C.
The VRH35Z first appeared in 1990 in the R90C.
Displacement: 3495cc
In 1997, Nissan, working in partnership with Tom Walkinshaw Racing, fielded a VRH35L in the R390 GT1.
The VRH35ADE was used by Infiniti in their Indy race car.[5] [6]
The VRH40ADE was used by Infiniti in their Indy race car.[7]
The VRH34A is one of two engines used in Nissan's GT500-spec GT-R.
The VRH50A was used in the Nissan R391.
The VRH34A and VRH34B are naturally aspirated engines used by Nissan in their GT-R Super GT race car from 2010.
The VRH34A is 3396cc and produces 450- and over 2900NaN0 of torque.
The VRH34B is 3396cc and produces 500- and over 3250NaN0 of torque.