Tuned In

Is there something in the water? Is it a cultural thing? Maybe it's the 9 months of cold and dark per year that forces enthusiasts into their garages and workshops that results in some of the world's most extreme race car builds. 

Whatever the answer, there's no denying that Scandinavia is rich with incredible DIY engineers, fabricators, and engine builders, and Sweden's Karel Silha is one of the best.

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The brains behind Karel S. Motorsport, Karel recently sat down with Tuned In's host Andre Simon talk all things race car design and fabrication, building big-power BMW M motors, aerodynamics, and much more.

In this episode, Karel and Andre dive deep into his latest build – an insane tubeframe time attack weapon based off a BMW M4 DTM and running a 1100hp twin-turbo BMW S65 V8 from an E90 M3.

Absolutely everything on this machine is custom, designed and fabricated from the ground up, and Karel goes into plenty of detail about the process – including the initial body design, which began as a 3D scan of a detailed 1:18 scale model of the actual DTM race car. The ups and downs of building high-powered yet reliable BMW motors are discussed, as are the insane aerodynamic aspects of the car and the suspension needed to work with it, along with the intense electronics and data acquisition capabilities that Karel has built in.

Interested in learning how to do your own wheel alignment for the track or street? Start with a free alignment & suspension 101 lesson now: hpcdmy.co/alignmentf

Karel has a lot of experience when it comes to going all-in on a build, and that means that plenty of lessons have been learnt along the way – many of which he's more than happy to discuss with Andre in this insightful and sometimes inspiring episode of the podcast.

If you like building cool things, going fast, and maybe taking things just a little too far in the workshop, this is one episode you're not going to want to miss.

Check out Karel's Instagram here: karel_s_motorsport

Are piston coatings going to save you from a bad tune, and if not, what’s the point? MAHLE Motorsports engineer Eric Grilliot answers these questions and more during a Performance Racing Industry Trade Show visit.

Discussed are how different coatings can look identical to the naked eye but will often have different purposes and intents between manufacturers and also locations on the piston. Top Fuel piston coating vs OEM vs racing and even street applications are touched on along with why different areas of the piston might be focused on, or in the case of Top Fuel Drag Racing why it is beneficial to simply coat the entire piston. 

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How much power is hiding behind a factory diesel tune? What are the traps a gasoline tuner can fall into when dipping their toes into the diesel world? And what's a sure-fire way to create a nifty inspection hole in your diesel block on the dyno?

If you want the answers to any of these questions, as well as many more, check out this week's episode of the High Performance Academy Tuned In podcast with our guest, Nick Priegnitz of Duramaxtuner.com.

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

It can be tricky to find good, solid information in the performance tuning industry when it comes to learning and improving our craft (that is, after all, why we originally founded High Performance Academy) and for whatever reason, it's even harder to find in the diesel world.

This is where Nick Priegnitz comes in – he's long been an open book when it comes to mastering and teaching aftermarket diesel tuning, and in this episode, Andre and Nick discuss the many ups and downs of the field, as well as the many differences seen when compared to gasoline performance tuning.

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

This is going to be a great listen for anyone that's even remotely interested in the world of performance diesel tuning – even if it's not your thing, learning about just how differently these systems operate and how your approach to tuning them needs to be drastically modified is well worth your time.

Want your GT86 to rev out to 9,000 RPM? Here’s one way to do it.

The 570HP 4.5L Ferrari V8 powered ‘GT4586’ of Ryan Tuerck was at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and we caught up with Brian Hartsock of Unicorn Garage to get a few more details of one of the more unusual GT86 engine swaps you’re ever likely to see. The engine hails from the F136 V8 family and originally was housed in a Ferrari 458. Other than some setup changes for fitment, it remains relatively stock and despite boasting 80% of its 540Nm of torque being on tap from 3,250 rpm, Nitrous Oxide is injected up until 6,000 rpm to prevent a lot of clutch work and increased maintenance to keep it sliding.

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We've got an absolute banger for this week's episode of the High Performance Academy Tuned In podcast, as the legendary Ben Collins sits down for some quality chats with Andre about all things driving and, of course, being the Stig. You may not know the name, but you'll definitely recognise the white overalls and helmet.

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

Andre first leans in on Ben's wealth of experience when it comes to professional motorsport and driver training to talk about honing your skills behind the wheel. Ben's insight into common mistakes to avoid, how to get the most out of your car, and things he wishes all drivers knew are valuable ones.

The pair then move on to the real meat and potatoes of the whole thing — how does someone even become the Stig? Ben charts his unexpected rise from an inexperienced driver who'd never even been in race car before 18, to becoming one of the most famous drivers in the world — if not by name. This is a man that has driven and raced almost every type of race and street car, from open-wheelers, to NASCAR, to V8 Supercars, to the 24 Hours of Le Mans and countless roadgoing exoticas — and that means there's just a huge amount of gold worth diving into.

Interested in learning how to do your own wheel alignment for the track or street? Start with a free alignment & suspension 101 lesson now: hpcdmy.co/alignmentf

What was life like as the Stig? How did he keep his identity secret for so long? How much pressure was there for manufacturers to turn in a good lap? What was the best car he ever drove? Andre was bursting full of questions for Ben in this fascinating podcast — so if you want answers to any of the above and much, much more, this is going to be a great podcast for you.

Running 80 PSI of boost and in excess of 2500HP Croyden Racing Developments 'JUN II' is one of the quickest GT-R Skylines in the world with a 6.86 1/4 mile pass at 204mph at the time of recording, most impressively with a street-legal chassis and the weight that comes with that!

This interview with Con from CRD was filmed at Sydney Jamboree where unfortunately race day was rained off but we're excited to see what the car and bigger turbo setup can do in the future.

Want to develop your own skills further? Start with a free live lesson! Claim your spot now: https://www.hpacademy.com/free 

On this week's episode of High Performance Academy's Tuned In podcast, Andre is joined by a legend of the Australian tuning scene, Micks Motorsport's Michael Baghdadi.

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

Mick has been a long time friend of Andre and of HPA, and comes into the conversation ready to lay down a wealth of knowledge when it comes to all things engine building, dyno tuning, and drag racing. 

With a common shared interest in both Mitsubishi's 4G63 and Nissan's SR20 engine platforms, Andre and Mick go way off the deep end in this one. We couldn't quite tell if this conversation evolved into a 'who knows more about these engines' contest, or it was simply – to put it crassly – just a couple of very knowledgable pigs in sh*t, talking shop. Either way, it's a great listen for anyone who wants to get way into the finer details on what makes these two Japanese performance engine staples great, and not so great.

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Mick also drops a surprising amount of trade secrets into the mix over the hour-long conversation, and there are some great discussions on the differences between pump fuel, E85, race gas, and methanol – not just the price and the numbers, but what they all actually mean for a tuner sitting on a dyno.

Do you enjoy listening to two experts go full geek on their chosen field? If so, this is the episode for you.

Mick's Evo VIII tech tour: https://youtu.be/VUUx7AICy_c

More and more late-model vehicles are using CAN bus to help control almost every function in a car from engine-related functions to touch-sensitive door handles. While on the surface this technology is great, when we want to start modifying a vehicle for track use it can cause complications.

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In this week's episode of High Performance Academy's Tuned In podcast, Andre reaches out to Finland to talk billet, big horsepower, and engine building with Elmer Racing's Oskar Elmgren.

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

Elmer Racing is best known for its incredible bespoke billet engines and its success with the PR Tech Racing Porsche 968 at World Time Attack Challenge. The 'RP968' runs one of Elmer Racing's monster four-litre, four-cylinder Thor engines. It holds the time attack record at Sydney's Eastern Creek circuit and is shockingly close to the outright record, held by Nico Hülkenberg in an A1GP car.

With Thor engines dominating out in the wild and a new five-litre 'Hell' engine based on the Nissan VR38 nearly ready to hit the market, we thought this would be the perfect time to sit Oskar down and talk about how someone even goes about building an exquisite piece of tech like this. Where do you start? Is it all trial and error? What are the limitations? Is a billet engine for anyone that can afford it?

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Thankfully, Oskar is a fairly open book, and his insights into the very pointy end of the industry is a fascinating one. This episode dives deep into the weeds of the performance engine building world, and there's plenty in here that'll surprise even the most seasoned performance enthusiast. 

Jett Racing recently reset the world record with a 6.20 at 229 mph with their 2200HP, 110 PSI compound turbocharged 4g63 monster.

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