117: Got an LS? Here’s How to Get the Most Out of Tuning It.

For most builds, gone are the days of zip-tying an old Bosch 044 fuel pump into place with a healthy dose of sealant, partly because these days there are simply more options but also because builds have gone from 400hp up to 1000-1500hp+ for many performance street applications, and the budgets have increased to match.Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-inKevin from Frenchy's Performance Garage runs us through some of the main considerations that go into some aftermarket solutions, including their own for the GTR platform being used as an example.The 3 main problems Kevin and the team hope to solve with an aftermarket fuel pump setup are:Surging (lack of fuel supply)Mounting (lack of tidy solutions for popular pump options)Powering (easy to source wiring connectors)We'll take a quick look at these points and touch on how aftermarket solutions can be integrated into your stock fuel lines and what exactly it is about stock solutions that don't work on many street-turned-race cars.

Have you ever wondered how small aftermarket companies are able to drastically improve on parts from OEMs and huge players like Garrett or Borg Warner that have massive R&D departments and even bigger budgets behind them? If you ask this week’s guest, Robert Young of Forced Performance and Xona Rotor, he’ll tell you: “We try harder and we’re better at it”. Of course, the reality isn’t quite that simple… Luckily we’ve got a full two hours to dig into this topic and many others surrounding the world of performance turbocharging.Use FORCED25 to get $25 off HPA’s Boost Control Tuning Course: https://hpcdmy.co/boostbOn this episode of Tuned In, we start by looking at how Robert became the turbocharger guru he is today as the name behind Forced Performance and Xona Rotor — the latter formed in partnership with Greg Jones of Tial Sport. This is a story that involves years spent studying physics and mechanical engineering, as well as hands-on experience at turbo shops and with his own projects that ranged from old Ford Fairlanes and fast air cooled VW drag cars, to the early DSM drag world of rapid Mitsubishi Eclipses.  Both Robert’s companies produce ultra high performance aftermarket turbochargers and turbocharger components for a range of vehicles, and as one of the main brains behind these sought-after products, Robert is an absolute goldmine of turbo knowledge. This means that the conversation quickly dives very deep into the world of boost, discussing a huge range of topics — journal vs ball bearing, billet compressor wheels, compressor maps, turbo sizing, and so much more.This episode is a true turbo tech info dump in the best way possible. If you have any interest in going fast, don’t sleep on this fascinating conversation with a big brain of the forced induction world. Follow Robert here:IG: @forcedperformance, @xonarotorFB: Forced Performance Turbochargers, Xona Rotor WWW: forcedperformance.shop, xonarotor.comDon’t forget, you can use FORCED25 to get $25 off HPA’s Boost Control Tuning Course: https://hpcdmy.co/boostbTime Stamps:3:35 How did you get involved with cars?8:52 Where did the passion for turbocharging come from?20:15 Starting your own turbocharger business?25:10 How hard was it to design a cast stainless steel exhaust housing?29:06 Ball bearing vs journal bearing turbos38:51 Forced Performance overview43:35 Turbos for Subaru’s EJ engine47:10 How did Xona Rotor start?51:42 Why didn’t you copy Garrett’s bearing technology?59:46 Why is Xona Rotor its own company?1:01:51 How are Xona Rotor turbos so good, frustrations of copied turbos1:11:40 Development process for the compressor wheels?1:31:34 Evolution of turbine wheels1:44:06 How do we find the right size turbo?1:59:22 Final three questions

Many people think driving skills can only be a 'gift you either have or don't' and something that doesn't need any work or effort to build and maintain. Those people are wrong.Mike McGinnis of Innovative Tuning shows how 'the science of speed', aka data analysis, is used by both professional and amateur (Pro-Am class) drivers, using Cole Powelson of LYFE Motorsport and Jeremiah Burton of Donut Media & Big Time as examples at the World Time Attack Challenge.🔥 The LYFE Motorsport R35 GT-R boasts 1200hp from a 4.1L VR38DETT engine and MoTeC electronics package including their i2 Pro data analysis software. This setup is designed to optimize the car's performance, especially in competitive environments including WTAC and hill climb events. The vehicle features twin Garrett GTX3076 turbos, which contribute significantly to its power output and performance capabilities.Despite the advanced electronics and data systems, Mike highlights that valuable insights can still be gained from a more limited range of sensors. In some cases, even the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) sensors can be leveraged for purposes different from those initially intended. This approach allows for flexibility and innovation in data collection and analysis, potentially improving vehicle performance without the need for extensive additional equipment, making it much easier to get started with.There are also a few helpful tips here on how to best leverage your data including why you might consider overlaying your data based on distance rather than time and where pro drivers can pick up huge amounts of time with their more aggressive braking confidence, a skill that is certainly learnable with some data, rather than just 'butt dyno' opinions.

When pushing OEM engines to their limits, factory components often fall short. Platinum Racing Products in partnership with Crest CNC addresses these issues with their new cast cylinder head for the Subaru EJ series.Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in✅ Solving EJ Series ProblemsKnown for head lifting and cracking, the EJ20 needed a robust solution. PRP's cast head offers improved intake port spacing for larger valves, thicker head material, and a redesigned exhaust port for better flow and reduced back pressure.☝️ Why Cast Over Billet?While billet is great for prototypes, casting is ideal for mass production, offering better thermal expansion properties and consistent quality.🔥 Enhanced PerformanceThe new design supports 14mm head studs and versatile coil mounting options, making it easier for high-power builds. Customizable port designs allow for CNC porting up to 420 CFM, ensuring optimal performance.

Creating high-end race cars and parts for a living is a dream for many of us, but how do you turn that dream into a reality? We don’t have all the answers, but we can pick the brains of the people who’ve pulled it off, like this week’s guest, Joe Scarbo.Use SCARBO50 to get $50 off HPA 3D Modelling course: https://hpcdmy.co/CADbJoe Scarbo of Scarbo Performance and Scarbo Vintage began his love affair with all things motorised like many of us — young and elbow-deep in a deconstructed radio control car trying to fix and improve it. This episode first covers Joe’s early days as he gained an appreciation for all things automotive through his love of both RC cars and go-karting. After a few too many crashes in the kart, Joe steered his passions towards the engineering side of the game, and began building his first car completely from scratch. With little experience and zero computer power, Joe designed and built a four-seater 350 SBC-powered off-road sand car that’s still hitting the dunes to this day, despite it being finished before Joe was even out of his teens. While he was still studying mechanical engineering at university, Joe found himself employed as a fabricator and machinist at a high-end race shop. From there, his career began to snowball as his design skills became more and more in demand. We dig into the design side of Joe’s career in this conversation, discussing the creation of strong and light wheels, chassis’, and everything in between.After that, Joe talks us through different fabrication and manufacturing processes, discussing some of the pros and cons around CNC, water and laser cutting, notching, materials, and more. This chat also goes into the business side of the equation as we attempt to answer age-old questions like: how do you accurately quote your work? And when is it better to just outsource certain jobs?The star of this episode, though, is undoubtedly Joe’s current passion project, the SV1 Rover. This monster off-roader is a marvel of engineering, and a machine that Joe has labelled the world’s first “hyper truck”. Whether he’s right or wrong about that we’ll leave up to the listener, but either way, the details we get into on this 30-inch travel go-anywhere-at-very-high-speeds beast is well worth a listen. Find out how it was designed, what powers it, what it’s capable of, and much more in this episode of Tuned In.Check out Method Race Wheels here: https://www.methodracewheels.comFollow Scarbo Performance here:IG: scarboperformanceFB: Scarbo Performance CorpWWW: scarboperformance.comDon’t forget, you can use SCARBO50 to get $50 off HPA 3D Modelling course: https://hpcdmy.co/CADbTime Stamps:3:30 How did you get interested in cars?8:32 What did you become passionate about through your mechanical engineering degree?14:27 Designing a car at 19, how did you figure out how strong to make all the components?18:20 What happened after your degree?25:31 Design work for Method Wheels31:35 How do you balance weight, strength vs looks when designing wheels?36:27 Starting your own company52:18 Overview of Scarbo Performance1:08:48 SV Rover — what was the initial concept?1:18:13 How much did RC cars influence your design? 1:46:43 Engine configuration in the SV Rover and an EV option?1:50:01 Did the SV Rover work out of the box or were there teething issues?1:57:28 Where is the SV Rover at? Are you going to be offering this to customers?1:58:59 Final three questions

What do you do when you're bored of being one of the fastest 5-cylinder drag cars in the world? Double down and reach for a V10 is the answer Hank Iroz of Iroz Motorsport went with, and we're glad he did!Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-inWith world-leading experience gained on the RS3 platform, the switch to the Audi R8 V10 is a similar area for the Iroz team, and with the R8 and Huracan platforms being similar and very active in the drag racing world, it's a great platform to be active with.It was early days for the car during this interview with a lot of work done but limited testing yet, however, the car was setup with weight balance as a primary focus, and as such the Xona Rotor X5C TR9980 performance turbos were not located out the back as we commonly see, but rather don't he side where some cooling is usually found, and a GT4 chassis was used as the starting point given they are already well caged and come with all the sensors you need, and probably some you don't for drag racing.With an AMS Performance and Dodson parts package plus a MoTeC electronics system as part of the puzzle, we're interested to see where this project heads in the future.

Big Power Engine Parts | Design, Manufacturing & Selection.Aftermarket parts including crankshafts, pistons, rods, engine blocks and more—we all use them—but what goes into deciding what is made and what material is used to ensure you are really getting something better than OEM, and how do you know if you need such an upgrade?Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-inChristian from Nitto Performance Engineering gives us some insight into these topics and more, with examples including high-volume SR20 oil pumps, RB32 Torrington bearing upgrades, and ACL custom bearings, as well as how 3D printing is used for research and development.The difference between Sine Drive and Flat Drive oil pumps is also covered, as well as some of the power levels that see engine builders move from OEM to aftermarket parts and materials, including 4340, EN40B and EN26.

Imagine if Formula 1 got rid of most of its rules and regulations — how fast could they go? The freedom to design and build whatever will result in the fastest time is a dream for many in the higher levels of motorsport, but for British hillclimb champion Alex Summers, it’s a reality. Use ALEX100 to get $100 OFF HPA’s Track Day Package: https://hpcdmy.co/trackdaybThere have been a lot of great families in motorsport over the years — the Earnhardts, the McRaes, the Andrettis — but when it comes to the prestigious world of British hillclimbing, one surname is better recognised than most — the Summers. This week’s guest, Alex Summers, comes from legendary hillclimbing stock, with his grandfather, father, and mother all committed participants of the sport at the highest levels. That Alex is a British hillclimb champion and three-time runner-up isn’t much of a surprise with that kind of family history.In this episode, we first cover Alex’s early days in racing, as well as his schooling and engineering education. Starting out working for McLaren during a university placement, Alex then moved to Aston Martin, where he’s been for the last decade. During all that time, he’s never stopped racing. This leads us to his current weapon of choice, the ‘P4t’. This absolute rocketship was designed, engineered, and built by Alex himself. It weighs 500kg and runs a 700hp, 16,000rpm Cosworth IndyCar V8, resulting in one of the fastest cars on the generally very short venues that make up the British hillclimb championship season. Unlike many overseas competitions, Britain doesn’t have much in the way of elevation, meaning runs generally last well under a minute. This form of very short and sharp racing is described as “drag racing with corners” by Alex, and this, along with very few regulations, makes for some very unique requirements when building a competitive car. We dig deep into the P4t build, asking the big questions about the engine, chassis, and suspension setup.Alex is also known for his involvement with the McMurtry Spéirling development team, and was one of the first drivers to test the insanely fast 1000hp fan car. We find out what a car as fast and unique as the Spéirling and its 2000kg of downforce is actually like to drive and what it takes to get record-setting runs out of it.Follow Alex here:IG: @alex_summers_hillclimbYT: Alex SummersTK: @alex.summers.hillclimbDon’t forget, you can use ALEX100 to get $100 OFF HPA’s Track Day Package: https://hpcdmy.co/trackdaybTimestamps:3:47 How did you develop an interest in cars?6:27 How much time do you need to spend in a kart to be really good?11:57 Seriousness of the British Hill Climb Championship18:42 What’s your formal education?26:39 Opportunities in the UK for high-end motorsport31:29 Australian V8 Supercars and British touring cars34:34 What happened after you finished your degree?40:20 How do you mentally switch on for a hill climb run?47:55 How do you improve at hill climb when track and car time is limited?59:44 What are these hill climb cars based off?1:02:28 Would a British hill climb car be competitive at Pikes Peak?1:05:36 Pros and cons of turbocharging in these cars, different engine combinations1:12:57 How do you set up suspension with your aero package for hill climb?1:18:13 What is a heave spring and how does it work?1:21:05 How and why the carbon monocoque?1:35:10 How did you get involved with the McMurtry team?1:41:08 How do you guess as a driver the level of grip available from

1200hp is nothing to sneeze at in a full-fat RB-powered Nissan R32 GT-R 'Godzilla', but it's outright wild in an SR20-powered 4wd Nissan pulsar GTi-R running 45 psi of boost! With the naming convention so close is this car worthy of the title 'Mini Godzilla?'Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-inOwner Akin Uykun gave us some insight into this build, which features a lot of great work from the PowerTune team, including their adaptor kit that allows the use of a Holinger sequential designed for the Mitsubishi EVO platform.Running a MoTeC electronics package, the SR20 has a VE head, and some of the issues with the DE/DET heads at this level are discussed along with the cylinder head sealing the dry deck Bullet Engineering billet block utilises. The difference between a dry vs wet block is also explained, along with some insight into the fuel setup.A high performance Precision 72-75 turbocharger is used to make the bulk of the 1200hp, but nitrous is also use lower in the rev range to help with spooling and up top to add the last 200hp to the peak output.Without a doubt, this is one of the fastest Pulars in Australia if not THE fastest, and if Akin manages to hit the low 8's in the future, a world record could even be possible, but he's not quite there yet.

Braking at 3g = approximately -105kph (-65mph) in 1 second.Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-inMeet the RP968: A 1500hp capable beast that shattered the Sydney Motorsport Park lap record with a blistering 1:17.860, dominating WTAC for four straight years in the EMtron Pro class.It takes the full package to smash an outright lap record, and that's what the RP968 has done with teams of clever people like Ashley Field of 909 Motorsport behind the scenes and Barton Mawer behind the wheel. Despite running a large capacity 4-cylinder engine and a 1500hp+ capable Thor billet block from Elmer Racing, amongst other performance goodies, the Bosch Motorsport ABS system that is there to reduce speed, not increase it, has been a key player in getting the lap times as low as possible on the day.With a switch from the M4 to the M5 unit and more fine-tuning of brake pad compounds and spring rates, the team has gone from seeing 2g under braking to 3g, giving everything on and in the car (especially the driver) a huge workout.To reach this level of performance takes more than just slapping on a 'big brake kit' and calling it good, however, and Ashley discusses some of the considerations that go into a high downforce car when it comes to trying to have braking performance at both high and low speed without bouncing or loss of traction.