Thread: VE swap in auto P11...

Pretty much making this as a brainstorm thread. A buddy of mine wants to VE swap his P11 since the mileage is getting up there. The car is his daily driver and super clean so he is not seaking a 1/4 mile monster. He just wants a fresh motor in it that he can get in and drive. He wants to remain auto since he hits traffic everyday in his commute to work so 5 speed swap is out of the question.

Has anyone done the VE with an automatic yet? I would imagine the factory trans would be better versus the CVT trans, no? I also would think all mounts will bolt up so long as we swap everything over from the original setup in the P11. My main concern is the ecu. What could be used as far as dialing the car in?

I know way back my car ran fine with a DE ecu/maf. Other guys report running super rich.

Basically looking for input from you guys to see some pro's/con's to doing this swap. TIA!

VE in Japan comes with CVT as stock. Of course it will run nicer with 5 speed. But VE + CVT is oem.

Yeah I know. I was just saying the stock automatic P11 transmission here in the US is probably better performance wise than the CVT trans. Is it even possible to use the cvt trans in this swap? Not big on auto's but since its for a friend I am willing to take on the job.

Anyone have thoughts on how to go about this? Scary how 5 speed makes the world so much easier.

I'd stick with an another RR motor when his current one dies. I don't see the point of a ve unless he will be gunning it everywhere. It would feel like a RR on lowend imo.

It'll work fine. No different than a de swap.

Tell Josie to swap a 5 speed and learn how to drive a standard transmission! /end sarcastic comment

Why does he want to keep it automatic, may I ask without being too intrusive?

x 2!!!!! Keep it simple and avoid the hassle of dealing with emissions and all other related nonsense. He should find a nice minty fresh RR and do a quick swap.

I am not sure what emissions are like in your area but if he has to stick with the stock ECU, he will have error codes for EVAP solenoid and EGR. These are not easily dealt with on a 32-bit ECU. He will also have to get an adapter made to run the RR TB on the VE plenum. Without the RR TB, you will have additional codes for IACV.

If he is able to drop down to a 95-99 ECU, he will have to deal with atleast one of the following, IACV, EGR, rear o2. Not to mention he will have to unplug evap canister plug to allow for proper TPS voltage. The B15/P11 engine harness shares TPS/EVAP wiring.

VE with RR ECU is somewhat fun but not worth the hassle! VE with G20 ECU isn't bad and can be reliable but it all depends on how strict emissions are in your area. If you have to pass plug-in, he will fail. Going to older ECU requires re-wiring of the harness for IACV/AC, MAF, rear o2 etc. Not to mention he might fail a visual inspection for the EGR.

If it were me, I would drop in a fresh RR, slap on a homemade CAI, ebay header, mandrel-bent 2.5" aluminized cat-back w/ stock cat and S3R cams. Alot less hassle and plenty of fun too!


Edit: It seems you didn't specify whether it was a '99 P11 or an '00+ P11 but I assumed it was '00+. If he has a '99 G20, most of this was just an exercise for my typing skills!!!

Sadly Auto's suck the life out of RR's. But I don't see VE being any better. Best bet is a Maxima VQ swap with an auto trans if you must.

Guys, Bes' friend made up his mind and wants vvl. If he wanted opinions on what he should do, he'd post a "what should i swap" thread.

Bes, I talked to Josie about this a couple weeks ago. A guy I know swapped a ve in to his wife's auto p10. I think he sent his ecu to jwt. According to the guy, the p10ve gets great gas mileage. I think Jose's car will need to get some old school love with an safc.