Tuned In

Ever wondered if tech support staff at ECU manufacturers just get asked the same handful of questions and help fix the same few tuning problems over and over again?  Wonder no more, because Haltech's Mitch Smith — a guy who spends his day helping customers all over the world with some pretty in-depth tuning and setup questions — predictably has all the answers.

Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in

Based in Sydney, Australia, Mitch left the IT profession to jump into the deep end of the tuning industry in order to do something he loves. Host Andre Simon and Mitch talk about taking that leap of faith and why making a big career move like this can often be a hugely positive life-changing event.

Mitch is self-taught and is an absolute wealth of knowledge when it comes to all things tuning — as you'd need to be if you spent your 9-5 helping other pros figure out some occasionally very challenging problems.  Andre and Mitch focus their discussion on the ins and outs of setting up and tuning standalone systems like Haltech's Nexus series of ECU, and talk about the most common mistakes that customers make, as well as Mitch's solutions to those mistakes.

Being a Nissan RB lover, Mitch is also heavily involved in the Maatouks Racing team — one of the biggest names in the Aussie import scene. Mitch talks about working with Anthony Maatouk and discusses the team's latest weapon in detail — an RB-powered Pro-Mod chassis that's gunning for the overall import world record. After running a 5.8 on only its third pass, it seems like the team could be in with a good shot in the coming season.

This episode provides a great mix of inspiration for those just starting out, as well as some seriously in-depth discussions that seasoned listeners are going to love sinking their teeth into.

Want to learn how to EFI tune? Start with some free lessons right here: hpcdmy.co/tuneb

Check out Haltech's channels here:

IG: @Haltechecu
FB: @Haltech
WWW: Haltech.com

The world's quickest and fastest Supra, quickest factory transmission, NHRA Pro Street tyre champion, and quickest IRS car — these are some titles that the Titan Motorsports 2000HP+ Copper Supra has held over its impressive career so far.

Want to learn how to EFI tune? Start with some free lessons right here: hpcdmy.co/tuneb

The car runs a FuelTech FT600 controlled 2jz with in-house camshafts, CP Carrillo pistons, Ferrea Valve Train components, ARP head studs, Hypertune components, an aftermarket billet block and a production cast cylinder head with an 88mm Precision turbo bolted on to make around 2000HP+ at 2800lbs of weight for the X275 drag racing class rules.

Nero Deliwala runs Andre through some of the current specifications of the car including the reasons and advantages behind the usage of a Liberty air-shifted 5-speed box over the 2-speed auto most other cars in the class use. Also discussed is the head sealing progression in relation to power output, the flexibility around changes to the car to fit other class rules and also how exciting it has been to run a turbocharged car over the last 15 years and witness first-hand the progression in turbo design and technology.

No matter how you feel about electric vehicles, there's no denying the incredible performance that can be achieved with these impressive driveline systems.  With more and more rapid EVs hitting the streets every day, inevitably, enthusiasts are now beginning to ask just what can be gained when working with them.

This week's HPA Tuned In podcast guest is Sasha Anis of Mountain Pass Performance, someone who has dived deeper than most into the world of high-performance EVs.

Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in

Sasha is an accomplished driver and tuner who has, in recent years, refocused his efforts into the EV world, and his insight into this fairly new and constantly changing field of hyper-performance is invaluable.

In this episode, Sasha first breaks down the basics of how an EV system works, and spends time clearing up a few misconceptions around what is and isn't possible, the constant compromises that need to be made, and the future of EV tuning. MoTeC's M1 Build platform and how Sasha uses it in his EV builds is also discussed.

More of this new breed of vehicle on the roads equals more people crashing them, and that means some seriously enticing drivelines have begun popping up at the local wreckers. Sasha was an early adopter of EV swap exercises, and takes us through the process of swapping these monster drivelines into conventional ICE vehicles, and details what needs to be considered, eliminated, and purchased before the first spanner is turned. Mountain Pass Performance's Blue Lightning — a Tesla-swapped Lotus Evora package — is also picked apart.

Sasha also spends time discussing the braking and handling upgrade options he provides for Teslas, as well as a deep look at his well-known Nissan 350Z time attack car that uses a monster NA VQ engine working in tandem with a custom hybrid KERS system that Sasha has spent years developing and improving himself.

It doesn't matter how you feel about electric vehicles, this conversation with Sasha Anis of Mountain Pass Performance is genuinely fascinating and well worth the listen.

Follow Sasha here:
IG: @sashaanis14, @mountainpassperformance
WWW: mountainpassperformance.com

Want to learn more about motorsport wiring? Claim your spot for the next FREE lesson: https://hpcdmy.co/wireb 

After multiple lap records and back to back wins, owner, Pro-Am class driver and passionate time attack supporter Kosta Pohorukov and the infamous Tilton Interiors EVO IX V1 met an untimely end on track. While tragic, the incident that left the old chassis a write off enabled Trent Murphy of TM Automotive and others involved to use the winning formula on a new chassis and add all that extra knowledge they had learnt along the way to do it better.

Want to learn how to EFI tune? Start with some free lessons right here: hpcdmy.co/tuneb

The result was a keen focus on weight reduction, slight aero improvements care of Voltex Racing and after the chassis was completed by Riverside Racing, an incredible 3 month build time in order to make it to the World Time Attack Challenge before heading to Tsukuba in Japan, the home of time attack. With the car producing upwards of 3000kg of downforce, it is no surprise keeping the class spec tyres intact is an issue and an RF tyre delamination saw the team finishing the event early due to damage, but still walking away with 3rd place in the Pro Class with Garth Walden at the wheel, and 1st in Pro-Am via Kosta himself.

The EVO 9's 4G63 retains its cast block as at around 1200HP it doesn’t give them any issues producing 1200HP from a 2.2L capacity. The Emtron ECU and MoTeC PDM and dash display/logger control the engine and a myriad of sensors which ensure engine reliability as well as helping dial in aero and suspension setups to get the most out of the car. A Hollinger 6 speed sequential helps get the power to the ground and while Trent didn’t give any specific numbers, the torque split has been adjusted to ensure the car turns into corners easily, as well as maintaining traction when the noise pedal is used on the exit.

Also discussed is the new BorgWarner EFR 9280 turbo which hits a max boost of around 42PSI and 116,000RPM and its advantages over the old EFR 9180, the importance of packers, bump rubber and getting your spring rates right, using Nitrous and why the MIVEC system is retained. Also touched on is the difficulty of reducing weight when so much strength is needed to handle downforce with the tradeoff being the weight is placed as low as possible to improve handling.

You've seen him roasting tyres on Netflix, swinging wrenches on Donut Media's HiLow series, and smashing out laps in Formula D competition, and now Aaron Parker is here and ready to talk rotary engines, motorsport wiring, and a whole lot more on this week's episode of the HPA Tuned In podcast.

Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in

Aaron Parker will be a name and face known to many listeners thanks to his high-profile gigs in the industry — he's more than just a media personality though. Aaron has a wealth of experience and a whole lot of knowledge in the automotive space, particularly when it comes to Mazda's rotary engine and professional motorsport wiring.

Aaron and Tuned In host Andre Simon jump straight into Aaron's rise through the industry, beginning with his danger-soaked early obsession with street bikes and eventual progression onto four wheels — the rotary-powered Mazda FD3S RX-7 in particular.

Everything rotary then takes over the conversation, covering why these unique motors have such a shaky reputation for reliability, how you can build one properly and have it last for years' worth of hard driving, why rotary tuning and turbo selection needs to be approached differently, and plenty more.

When he's not building cars on the internet, competing in drift competitions in his RX-7, or stunt driving in Hollywood productions, Aaron spends his time running Wolf Motorsport Wire, providing high-end motorsport wiring solutions for some of the fastest cars on the planet.

Aaron and Andre get deep into the ins and outs of the motorsport wiring world, discussing future proofing, providing a service that keeps customers happy, and what makes a good wiring job in motorsport.

There's a lot to chew on in this episode — it's well worth a listen, especially if you think rotaries are garbage.

You can follow Aaron here:
IG: @aaparker.300, @wolfmotorsportswire
YT: Aaron Parker

As mentioned in the podcast, the Stephan Papadakis episode can be found here: https://hpcdmy.co/papadakis

Want to learn more about motorsport wiring? Claim your spot for the next FREE lesson: https://hpcdmy.co/wireb 

18,400 RPM and 900HP from a 3L V10 engine ...and not a turbo in sight on this McLaren MP4/15.

At today's mainstream levels of technology, 900HP V-10 NA is not a cakewalk from an engine with a 3L capacity, and then when you throw 18,400 RPM into the mix but still demand drivability it becomes even more difficult yet this is exactly what Mercedes were doing with their Formula 1 technology way back in the year 2000.

Want to learn how to EFI tune? Start with some free lessons right here: hpcdmy.co/tuneb

As a former long-time Formula One engineer for David Coulthard, Tim White of Garage 59 knows a thing or two about F1 technology, and at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillclimb Andre was lucky enough to spend a bit of time with Tim and the McLaren MP4/15 which finished 3rd in the 2000 season snagging victory at Monaco along the way for the former Mercedes-McLaren team.

Topics discussed include the double paddle operated clutch and how that helped the drivers of this era launch off the line with a small margin of error compensatable, the pneumatically controlled valve springs which adjust pressure based on RPM and the reason for such a system instead of the more convention steel spring setup. Many of the cars other systems are hydraulically controlled rather than electronically due to weight and technology restrictions at the time as well as the rule book which stated everything must be activated by the driver's input in some way.

Also covered are the active trumpets on the intake which can adjust in and out to match the RPM and thus fill in what would otherwise be flat spots in the rev range, and with a potential 18.400 RPM on tap for some of these engines it certainly made a difference in drivability when it came to tracks that had an aggressive mix of both high and low-speed sections seeing the car go from 3000 RPM and around 40kph to 15,000 RPM and over 300kph on the same lap.

When most people outside of Europe think of diesel performance, Cummins, Chev, or Ford probably come to mind. As this week's Tuned In podcast guest tells us, however, there's a lot more to the performance diesel world than the big 6BTs and 6.0 Powerstrokes.

Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in

Originally hailing from France and now based in Nashville, Tennesse, Grégoire Blachon has built his business, Boxeer, off the back of Volkswagen Audi Group's impressive family of TDi four-cylinder diesel engines.

Boxeer's journey began with TDi conversion packages for VW's Vanagon overland vehicles, and having always had an interest in motorsport, Grégoire always felt the urge to start pushing these stout engines in a motorsport environment — specifically hill climbing.

Podcast host Andre Simon and Grégoire get stuck into exactly what makes these little TDis so good, and how he gets the absolute most out of them utilising obscure standalone ECUs, triple compound turbo induction, in-cylinder combustion pressure monitoring, and more.

Grégoire goes on to break down the TDi-powered build he's best known for — his tube-frame Beetle hillclimber — which he's used in the last few years to come tantalisingly close to clinching the diesel win at Pikes Peak.

After breaking the Bug down, Grégoire talks Andre through his new build, which he hopes will absolutely smash the diesel record at this month's 100th running of the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb. Based on a Radical chassis, the new car runs the same triple turbo TDi setup (with some extra added spice) and the same Porsche PDK gearbox, but with a considerable drop in weight and aerodynamic drag, as well as far superior handling and braking.

The European diesel world isn't one that we've discussed much — if at all — on this podcast, so this conversation with Grégoire is a really interesting look at what makes these platforms tick, and how builders like Boxeer are getting serious performance out of them.

As mentioned in this episode, you can find Skynam, the ECU Grégoire uses here: www.skynam.com

And if you want to follow Grégoire's progress, check out the Boxeer social channels below:
IG: @Boxeer_
FB: Boxeer - Diesel Motorsports and Overlanding
YT: Gregoire S. Blachon
WWW: boxeer.com

Learn more about performance diesel engine tuning. Start instantly with 4 free lessons: hpcdmy.co/dieselb

What considerations go into taking a 150HP engine and making it produce 600HP with huge cylinder pressures, reliably?

When you want to double, triple or even octuple an engines output, at some stage you’re going to find the limitations of your factory block and head castings either in dramatic fashion or via constant repairs and rebuilds for ‘minor’ issues. In professional motorsport, either outcome is unacceptable.

Want to learn how to EFI tune? Start with some free lessons right here: hpcdmy.co/tuneb

David Mountain of MounTune runs Andre though some of the block failures they have seen during their engine development programs where very high cylinder pressures are seen to produce large amounts of low-end torque for World RX competition engines where they are running 4 times the power the engine would produce in factory trim.

Discussed are the bore size, block weight, cylinder bore centers and other design parameters they must work within depending on class regulations, how they get away with the pressures a diesel engine would run in a steel block using aluminium instead, and some of the coatings they use on bore liners and piston rings to make it all work.

David also gives some great insight into cast vs billet block production including some of the advantages when it comes to casting. We also learn how 4 week to 3-month production lead times for modern 3D computer-aided design (CAD) production via software like SolidWorks compares to the 5-6 month days of 2D drawings. Interestingly, even with the use of finite element analysis (FEA) a lot of real-world experience is drawn on to ensure a balance is found between the many, many considerations and tradeoffs that every design tweak carries.

Lastly, we learn how MounTune avoids any issues with cylinder sleeves dropping, why the factory design for head studs is not optimal once you start running higher pressures, Nikasil coating use and how before any tools have been lifted the CAD process can be used to ensure those regulation weight targets are hit along with avoiding any major design flaws. While some of this technology seems like magic that does the work for you, in reality without that real-world experience and knowledge bank to draw on it’s useless. Just like any quality tool, the person in charge needs to know what they’re doing to get the desired results.

With CAD software becoming more and more accessible to the general public, a whole new world of possibilities is quickly opening up to the home enthusiast. This week's podcast guest, Kibbetech's Matthew Bernasconi, has spent his entire life immersed in CAD and mechanical engineering and knows this industry better than most.

Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in

In this episode, Matt and podcast host Andre Simon discuss the automotive design and engineering realm at length, starting with Matt's early introduction to, and obsession with, CAD as a teenager. With a mix of formal training and learning on the job, Matt tracks his career from lowly grunt at a speed shop, to designing for the aerospace industry, to now creating some seriously cool offroad race equipment with Kibbetech.

Matt also goes deep into explaining how high-end 5-axis CNC mills operate, and what's required to get them producing perfect parts without destroying themselves — which, as we find out, is disturbingly easy to do. Popular CAD software options are also broken down, and Matt weighs in on the pros and cons of each.

Form vs function, high strength vs low weight‚ mild steel vs stainless vs alloy — this episode is crammed full of great engineering knowledge and just the right amount of advice when it comes to both designing your own parts at home or embarking on a career path in the industry.

Follow Matt and his incredible work here:
IG: @matt_eight26
FB: Kibbetech
WWW: kibbetech.com

Want to start your own motorsport fabrication journey? Start here: https://hpcdmy.co/fabb

Automatic transmission tuning is becoming more necessary as the modern crop of vehicles move further and further away from manual options.

Want to learn how to EFI tune? Start with some free lessons right here: hpcdmy.co/tuneb

Nick Baggett of MoTeC USA runs us through some of the advantages a standalone transmission controller like the Ford 6R80 TCM and others that MoTeC has developed which allow tuners to take complete control of the transmission regardless of what brand standalone ECU is used for engine management.

Also discussed is the reason why you can't just ignore the transmission after upgrading the engine to produce more power and how some safeties are included in order to help prevent damage to the transmission from poor user implemented torque management strategies.