# 820-1000bhp upgrade costs for R35



## Godzilla_Storm (Aug 27, 2020)

Does anyone know the approx costs and what is involved to upgrade an R35 to 820-1000BHP?


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

You will get a million different answers 

Litchfield will give you 800 with one of there efr kits with capped torque on std rods.

you could go as far as forged motor and built box


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## adz87kc (Jan 8, 2018)

Depends if you skimp out/buy only whats needed or buy what you like.

I've spent the thick end of £40k for that level of engine build as it stands but could be done for far less.
Maybe £15-20k on the engine/turbo and another £10k on the box? Would be stock manifold hybrids at that price though.

People also seem to forget the costs for the fuel system, intercooling and 'whilst it's out' jobs like the front diff etc.


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## Johnny R33 (Sep 11, 2020)

Simple just walk in and " Here sir, I have a blank signed cheque " . Speed/HP costs money Son, How fast and how much do you need? 😂


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## Madmikexxx (Oct 20, 2019)

Ohh yeah it’s the while the engine is out jobs than can spiral 😊 but so worth it 😈


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## PaulcbaGtr (Apr 11, 2020)

To get my 4.5 740 hp to 850hp,it was if i remember about 20k,with forged bottom end,turbos and race intercooler and that was without gearbox work,so the torque was still capped. In the end i traded it in for a 1000 plus hp with modified gears and it worked out much cheaper to do on the part exchange.

Id say anywhere between 30 and 45k,


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

It’s definitely going to be cheaper to let somebody else take a hit, but if he adamant on doing the conversion to his own car then it’s big money.

You need to factor in mileage of the donor car too as it might want timing chains etc which will add money.


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## Godzilla_Storm (Aug 27, 2020)

Thanks all for the replies. I don’t get why gtr upgrade pricing above stage 4.5 is so secretive and not listed anywhere. Audi R8 upgrade prices (supercharger/twin turbo prices) are all listed on the websites I.e push performance/ RE.

As for donor car, I get that it would be cheaper, it’s just my current GTR only has 8700 miles, is a 2013 car that I have had since new, so I know it’s history.


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

Well you have a great starting point.

Theres thousands of variables as to why it’s hard to price and also customers go x garage will do it for 12k and then they look for better pricing even though they probably are’nt using the same parts.

Litchfield efr log manifold kit will be over £10k whereas there original housing one are half that money ( not to the penny)

Rods another example, manleys from the states will be cheaper than Arrows from uk But probably not quite as good If you get to pushing them to the extreme limits.


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## PaulcbaGtr (Apr 11, 2020)

Skint said:


> Well you have a great starting point.
> 
> Theres thousands of variables as to why it’s hard to price and also customers go x garage will do it for 12k and then they look for better pricing even though they probably are’nt using the same parts.
> 
> ...


Theres no substituting quality parts. 
Pay more and get peace of mind and reliability


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

The horse power figure is quite open for interpretation 

850 can be done on a rod job, but beyond that pistons, much more machining and cleaning required.

I think in the real world a rod job to make use of the torque and a log manifold kit with efr6758’s.
yes the manifold kit is expensive but you can forget about the std manifolds cracking. It’s a task finding std manifolds uncracked and it’s an engine out job again to change them.


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## UKPAISLEY (Jan 17, 2003)

As Skint says , its a good starting point. You probably keep the chains and pump as its a low millage car. no head work, just a clean and a forged build is 10K
Intercooler , injectors and license and map another 5K
Turbos 2.5 K hybrids , youre manifolds will probably be ok on a low miles car.
800bhp is different to 900, at the 900 level its a forged engine.

I am currently at 921bhp as of yesterday lol, and its 1.5K fuel system to support that , 800bhp fuel system is £300 lol


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## TREG (May 20, 2004)

The question really is do you need 1000hp? 
Sure you can put the power down on some tracks but anywhere else your not going to see the full potential of that sort of power. 
Road use a 600hp car would be more than enough to see anything off including a 1000hp car imho.


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

The cheapest way is to sell the std car and buy one done, like the black car in the for sale section on here.

somebody said a lm1000 was 50k but I don’t know if that includes the box, a call to them could confirm everything.


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## Reano (Oct 1, 2015)

Hi All,

I'm writing a long winded response (get a coffee) as I wish I had future me to tell me what to look at rather than shorter answers so here goes.

As I have recently done this it all depends on what you want to achieve. Ill give you what I think is a realistic price if doing it yourself, where to find prices (mainly US side) and things to consider if buying one done or doing yourself.

First and foremost I have been from standard (570), stage 2 (c600), stage 4.25 (675) a stage 4.5(700), 5 (825) and now beyond 1000 bhp. <-- Note I started at stage 2 with my second car, went to 4.33 with Litchfield and did a 1 stage many phased progression to 1000+ bhp so I could know what the differences are. I went with SVM and I'll describe why I did and why a certain approach I had with them worked for me. I also landed on using Dimitri as my main tuner having dealt with Linney and Litchfield (I cant fault Litchfield on my map up to 4.33 beyond that I cant comment). I was close to going with Romain from Racecal but at the time our diaries didn't sync. I found customer support and responsiveness to queries the best with these two compared to the big tuners (you are going to want after job done support for tweaks and they excel here).

My goal was to do track, drag as well as standard road.

First up if you don't want a noisy car for road go stage 4, it will be fast enough and it is very very unlikely you will be able to fully use Stage 5 plus on the road (yes it will be faster but for the price for road I don't think its worth it but that's just my opinion having gone through them all).

Cost to stage 1000bhp and safe (depending on where you start from of course) but if from 4.25 and below. I would say you need to budget 50k (this needs to include forged engine and gearbox). Its unlikely you will do it at this price with those items with the more expensive specialists (I've had the quotes).
When I say forged and gearbox. I'm talking about what most have said above Turbos, rods, pistons, manifold, gearset 1 - 6 plus supporting clutch, ETS. AWD, FWD shaft, fuelling, intercooler, injectors I went dual fuel but not absolutely necessary (more for future proofing), etc, etc. Standard cams is fine (I've found). This above if you do yourself is going to cost you 50k minimum anyone who says less (with the tuning/dynotime) is probably not going to do a good job. Note I have not mentioned handling and brakes if you have not upgraded your brakes you will 100% need to and I would recommend as a minimum for handling to do Litchfield handling kit and at least the KW sleeve kit with DSC controller which transformed my car but wasn't at the cost of a full coilover setup that I eventually went to (KW v3 is brilliant again just imho).

So some places to search for prices (as you rightly say UK side at the 1000 bhp figure is variable due to what you might want). It also helps some providers (I feel to hide bumped up prices...).

USA side what we call stage 4.25/4.33 (sport intercooler) is what they call Full Bolt ON or FBO for short after that they then have stages and they list quite transparently the prices and what bhp and torque at the wheel to expect. The choice is great just like all American stuff and it's clear and customer service responsiveness just owns the UK hands down (I've asked and know).

BTW as a side note many many moons ago in my subaru and EVO days I would dabble in tuning myself and used an EFI101 course (hands on tuning and dyno course) it may still be running if not use HPAcademy to get some know how under your belt. Not to go do it yourself (you can of course if you got time and you are risk averse) but so you understand the basics of a t least what a base map is, etc so you can talk sensibly with a tuner. I find this makes them a bit more engaged with you but that's up to you. See here Engine Tuning Workshop "ETW" - EFI University I did my training with this guy in the UK hands on. I cant recommend it enough just for general knowledge. I have also done a couple of these ones just for understanding. To say these are excellent is an understatement Learn How To Tune Like A Pro | Online Tuning Courses

1 Cicio Performance » Nissan GT-R : Porsche Packages Take a look at this for a general package build up to 1500+ bhp but not so much on prices
2. For gearbox and transmission check out here R35 GT-R Transmissions Archives - ShepTrans for good transparent prices and good details of exactly what you can expect and what will be upgraded.
3. One of the undisputed kings is AMS and for example you can go here and see the break down of costs, etc Engine & Components Archives - AMSPerformance.com no one in the UK whether its Litchfield ACSpeedtech, JM Import, SVM, SRD, etc you name them can compare in transparency of cost, service and sheer presence. Go here first research stuff and come armed with knowledge to who ever you choose and don't listen to people who say knowledge aint nothing, etc. Come in as an informed customer.
4.Last ill go with ETS another well known tuner GTR Turbo Kit

For the above do the research then come back with some knowledge of what you want before asking at least 3 tuners the same questions to see who responds best, etc.

OK next is the man maths I used to go for this build, reasons and why then SVM and Dimitri.

1) Man maths just befor Covid hit big I had planned to go a big hurrah skiing hol with kids but wife and I got struck down with a mystery flu we never had before in late 2019so we said lets do a big holiday in 2020, of course that didn't happen and this year was cancelled. So I decided as this was going to be my last performance petrol car (next will be hybrid or electric lets go out with a bang. So I figure I had a few tens of thousands around (not all are in this position).
2) Next up look at your disposal income (granny and eggs warning here). I have a business with employees and we do a lot of computer programming so again was able to add a bit of funds here. If it wasn't for Covid I would not have done this build but having now done it I dont regret it. The speed is truly ridiculous compared to say stage 5 or 4.25. You literally have to concentrate really hard like being on a rollercoaster.

3) Why SVM. One they are like 3 - 4 miles down the road but also they are really flexible for example I would say "what you got lying around?" SVM: "Oh we have a boostlogic or AMS ex Hulk manifold we can do a swap for the standard, take off this discount xyz (and because I have gathered the knowledge of the actual prices if I brought myself or second hand I know if its good or not). They will (well in my case it has been the case) that if things go wrong they rectify at their cost (touch wood only minor things over the last year) and a guy called Ste Parton (I said I would mention him by name) is the best bar none customer support engineer I know of and that's with buying stuff and liaising with most the big names for example I have known Litchfield and Ian since they were Powerstation doing Subarus, AutoTorque on Evo's, etc spoke with JM Imports, ACS, blah blah (not saying they aren't good) just my experience this guy cant be beat then on to building the engine. I guy I speak to they call him GOAT who looked after my car was just amazing in detail, always there to talk. Yes I know there has been mixed reviews but I'm just giving mine.

Last Dimitri!!!! This guy is ridiculous (by the way massive shout out to Romain who was brilliant with queries). Dimitri has mapped my car and even after payment made and the time to start ignoring queries start. This guy answers all the time and I mean all the time. If for example I remember something on a Sunday and think right let me just send this on messenger before i forget. Ill say "Hi Dimitri no need to answer now but if you get the chance what do you think about this to add in the ECutek custom input page" and its like 5 mins later "Hey, what I would do is....."
Extreme service and when I then ask another question with "Apologies for asking I know you must be busy...." He's like "Don't apologies, its my job this is the service you get when I have tuned your car....". Mind blown been so conditioned to accepting substandard (way off American like customer service) I thought it was OK to accept crappy responses and lack of aftercare.

Kev from SVM had recommended him to me and said he is slightly more but he is amazing and to be fair I didn't believe Kev at all! But now having dealt with him I'm saying this right now go with him to Tune (and like I said Romain appears to be the same for aftercare (e.g. I discussed Syvvecs with him, without pulling trigger).

So I'm hoping this helps some body. I've been there done it, recognise substandard aftercare service, BS and the like. 1000bhp+ for me is a mental car and for the cost of less than a Porsche turbo (this includes the original cost of the car) you will get a better car (and yes I hired them for a week along with other exotica before looking to spend) so I could look back with no regrets!! The GTR R35 is going to be a future classic as we move to the electric era. Do it if you can afford it. <-- I say this having had 3 previous regrets of not buying some top cars when they were cheaper when I had the chance and those have been a Ford Mexico Escort Mk1, Subaru 22b when one was being offered at c£25k at the turn of the century and an r34 top spec GTR (not Nur, etc) and these you cant get for less than 100k nowadays!! Some of you may have had the experience with Cosworth and the like. Be your future self 

Last re buying a car that's been done vs do it yourself. As Skint said it could be better to buy one that's already done 1000+ bhp but my only reservation is I would need to know the person and how it was built, etc and in my case (see by build review in projects) I wanted some unique stuff done and again SVM came to the rescue with things like second hand lift kit, lighter seats, blah blah.

For a later model GTR fully build engine, box and supporting expect to pay 90 - 100k which I cant believe people don't think is worth it. Unless its badge snobbery. So if you know the person and build then that's a good option, if not see above.

Hope this helps


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## SKNAM (Nov 30, 2018)

Awesome write up. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and experience, Reano. There is some really useful advice in here for sure.


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## Godzilla_Storm (Aug 27, 2020)

Thanks Reano, very helpful and thanks for taking the time to write the post with your experiences


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## Reano (Oct 1, 2015)

Yep its a lot to spend but I tried to balance it with strengths and weaknesses. To give you more knowledge to be informed


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

I messaged Litchfields earlier, they answered some questions and not others, the enquiry was for myself but relevant to the abov.

upgraded gear set and clutch fitted £8k plus,so £9600. Thought that was ok.

A forged 4.6 stroker motor £25k plus vat and original motor serviceable and healthy.

A 4.4 Billet motor £30k plus vat.

unanswered pricing

Complete log manifold kit

102mm tripple silenced v-band system and downpipes to suit

Fuel system

Race intercooler

I know some are clearly displayed on there site.


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## UKPAISLEY (Jan 17, 2003)

Skint said:


> I messaged Litchfields earlier, they answered some questions and not others, the enquiry was for myself but relevant to the abov.
> 
> upgraded gear set and clutch fitted £8k plus,so £9600. Thought that was ok.
> 
> ...


Interesting prices , I think I need a gearbox, after over boosting for a bit I now have reduced torque and feel its just a little bit slow


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## Reano (Oct 1, 2015)

UKPAISLEY said:


> Interesting prices , I think I need a gearbox, after over boosting for a bit I now have reduced torque and feel its just a little bit slow


And so it begins........


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## Godzilla_Storm (Aug 27, 2020)

So what starts breaking in the gearbox and at what torque (LB-FT)?


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## Silverspeed (Nov 29, 2009)

1st gear, shift forks, to much pressure on baskets...


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## adz87kc (Jan 8, 2018)

Godzilla_Storm said:


> So what starts breaking in the gearbox and at what torque (LB-FT)?


Fairly sure 4th gear sh!ts the bed first.
Baskets can fail, forks break, clutches slip etc but depends on use.


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

There’s no fixed pattern for these going wrong, the only thing is common it’s a box out job and a few quid to sort it out.


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## Reano (Oct 1, 2015)

Skint said:


> A 4.4 Billet motor £30k plus vat.


This would be my next step if I was fortunate enough to do but when you start going beyond 1500 (watching living life fast and hamid’s build) you seem to have to watch what your doing way more. Which I can’t even imagine …


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## PaulcbaGtr (Apr 11, 2020)

Reano said:


> This would be my next step if I was fortunate enough to do but when you start going beyond 1500 (watching living life fast and hamid’s build) you seem to have to watch what your doing way more. Which I can’t even imagine …


Yes both a fraction just over 8 secs quarter of a mile,2.4 and 2.5 100/200. 
Thats just way too fast for the road imo. A 1000 hp i cant really use.


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

What size rims and tyres are you using?


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## Hugh Keir (Jul 25, 2001)

I was of the opinion that I did not want to have to cope with the drama of a broken gearbox stranding me somewhere with additional damage to contend with, so held off on fully modifying the car until I had sufficient funds to have a strong gearbox.

There is no doubt that this is a significant investment, but completely opens up the options on the power you might like to run.

The gearset is expensive, then you need clutch basket and plates plus the ETS 4WD clutch, so is a big investment.

I still have standard shift forks, but they seem to be a common upgrade nowadays.


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

I’ve seen plenty setup with std shift forks just with the bar that holds them made from stronger material, some of the shift forks are broken because of an earlier failure within the box.


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## Imire1 (Dec 24, 2015)

Reano said:


> And so it begins........


Hi Reano Nice write up, am only stage 4 !! and also Only 3 miles from SVM so if I see you in my rear view mirror ill just pull over let you past 😁 😁 

Stu


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## Reano (Oct 1, 2015)

Stage 4 is perfect for the road if you dont want the louder noise.


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## Imire1 (Dec 24, 2015)

Reano said:


> Stage 4 is perfect for the road if you dont want the louder noise.


True and cant be ar$$ come mot time, anyone running sports cats


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

Capristo


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## bartAPC (Jun 27, 2021)

Box out isnt a massive job. Well all in id say can be done within 3 days. I was thinking of doing the build myself but that would mean one ramp down to myself and id be off instead of diagnosing etc. For a fast road car Id be happy with about 800 on the wheels I say.
Can I ask something?
WIth regards to Linney tuning what are yout thoughts?

love

Bart


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## Reano (Oct 1, 2015)

There are much better options give dimitri a call. You can find him here Log into Facebook


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## PaulcbaGtr (Apr 11, 2020)

Iv not heard of Dimitri before.
Is he a big tuner such as Litchfields,JM imports ?


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

Dimitri is always around the world tuning cars, mainly gtr’s. John Morgan off the forum who traderunder Gtr performance have a business relationship.

dudersvr is his username


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## Reano (Oct 1, 2015)

Yep as above he is mainly a tuner rather than a building/sales car shop. JM Imports use Romain from Racecal also very good. They are both Engineer trained and do all kinds of race tuning around the world.

A recent thread on him here Dimitri Keramidas midas tuning


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## PaulcbaGtr (Apr 11, 2020)

Thanks guys just not heard of him until recently off here.
I know who Romain is,specialisis in Syvics and mapping. Very knowlegable guy.


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## Reano (Oct 1, 2015)

Yes the difference between the two in what I have seen is in being contactable. I think Dimitri just answers you even while he is having coffee, weekend, etc but via fast means like facebook chat. Romain will get back to you with detailed list of what he will do but it may take days or weeks. That's all but happy with both.


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

I like tuners who don’t answer there phone whilst mapping, it shows they have there eye on the job.


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## UKPAISLEY (Jan 17, 2003)

Demitri , is spot on always happy to help , great knowledge.


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## Reano (Oct 1, 2015)

Dont think I know any tuner that does that? Care to share Skint?


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

I have a friend who does mapping, he chooses not to do gtr’s through ecutek as he believes there too expensive in there marketing strategie, his view only.


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## Reano (Oct 1, 2015)

OK, this is a real soap cliff hanger. "Tell me more, tell me more..." What does he use, etc lets all learn


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

Sorry for late reply, he does'nt so gtr's full stop unless it is fitted with an aftermarket ecu, he want pay ecutek licensing.


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## scooobyslayer (Dec 8, 2018)

PaulcbaGtr said:


> Yes both a fraction just over 8 secs quarter of a mile,2.4 and 2.5 100/200.
> Thats just way too fast for the road imo. A 1000 hp i cant really use.


I'd have to agree even at my lower 100-200 time of 3.1 on r888r it's borderline to much on the road on e85, but on pump fuel 2 bar boost I pull 100-200 in 4.1 and it's relatively easy to drive at around 1000 whp. 

Pump fuel road, race fuel for racing works well for me 👍


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

Whats at the crank 1200-1250?


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## scooobyslayer (Dec 8, 2018)

Skint said:


> Whats at the crank 1200-1250?


I'd say about 1150 on pump, and 1500-1600 on e85 which is bonkers fast once have traction to much for the road really

To give you an idea of pace ignoring traction issues, at Santa Pod 100-170 mph logged at 5 seconds flat !


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

A few people say 900 is too much road or about the max you can use.


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## scooobyslayer (Dec 8, 2018)

Skint said:


> A few people say 900 is too much road or about the max you can use.


I don't think so not in a gtr anyways imo


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## Reano (Oct 1, 2015)

Its more the torque on street tyres is the limiting factor for road use. 800 - 1000bhp and 650 - 800 lb/ft torque for street car, street tyres to fully enjoy from 1st gear to 6th and everyday drive is where I would place the GTR sweet spot.

Much more than this your fighting too much torque in a particular gear or costs/reliability becomes really high


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## Skint (Oct 11, 2014)

Is that std size tyres you refer too?


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