Tuned In

With enough effort and development time, where's the limit on how much power you can extract from an engine? On this episode, Mark Mazurowski of Mazworx is here to talk about his own experiences in doing just that with Nissan’s iconic 90s workhorse, the four-cylinder SR20. Use “MAZWORX50” to get 50% OFF our HPA Engine Building Starter Package: hpcdmy.co/enginepackageb Mazworx is a well-known...

This 1973 Datsun 240Z (S30) is an excellent example of modernising an older vehicle for competition motorsports, and still driving it home afterwards complete with aftermarket ABS! Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in With double the stock horsepower via a 3L Nissan L28 with custom pistons, rods, cam, and a ported N42 head care of Datsun Spirit Inc...

There’s no denying that the C6 Corvette is an excellent sports car platform, but it’s probably not the first option that many people reach for when looking to put together an ultra-competitive top-level time attack car. Feras Qartoumy clearly understands its potential, though. He’s not only built a competitive Corvette — he’s built an absolute monster that doesn’t just take podiums, it smashes ple...

What do you know about rocket antilag systems? Not much? Good, you're going to love this then. Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in Sporting a 1200hp LS7-based engine, Mike DuSolds 1967 Chevrolet Camaro has been 'slightly' modified for competition motorsport anywhere from sea level, to 14,000ft (4,300m). Time attack, hill climbs, str...

Drive nearly a thousand miles cross country, sit in traffic for hours, and spend your days laying down five and six-second ETs at the drag strip for a week solid? ‘Drag and drive’ events are a unique form of torture for some of the world’s fastest street cars. In this episode, Steve of Steve Morris Engines is on the podcast to tell us how he builds a 4500+hp motor that can handle that kind of puni...

DCT considerations, GT-R vs Huracan, horsepower vs car setup, this interview has it all. Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in Competition between the Audi R8, Lamborghini Huracan and long-established Nissan R35 GT-R platforms has been heating up in the drag racing world for some time, and our next guest is no stranger to being at the pointy end of...

You might not know the name, but you’ve probably seen Sam Albert’s Subaru WRX online. Powered by a screaming 4.3-litre Ferrari V8, Sam’s flame-spitting AWD rally car is fast, it’s cool, and it sounds amazing … But why go to all that trouble when Subaru’s own EJ drivetrain — the one that this car uses from the factory — has proven itself a capable championship-winning setup since the late eighties?...

CAD is the future, and the future is here, but is an engineering degree a necessity to break into this world for your own projects or even professionally? Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in As the man in charge of this side of the business, Dmitriy Orlov of BBI Autosport is no stranger to computer-aided design (CAD) and the manufacturing processe...

More engine capacity, bigger turbos, wider rubber. As enthusiasts, we’re almost hard-wired to want more of everything. In the motorsport world, however, bigger often isn’t better and it sometimes takes experience — often gained through painful lessons — to properly understand that and to build a car right. No one knows this better than this week’s guest, Jimmy Assaad of Evolution Racing Supplies....

Laser welding in industrial environments is becoming more and more popular than traditional MIG welding and TIG welding methods, but why? Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in Serra Laser's Evan Shea runs us through some of the differences and similarities of a laser welder compared to TIG welding, including why a laser weld can not only be fas...

While you might be able to get away with a little sloppiness when building an engine for a street car, that’s not going to fly when it comes to dedicated race engines. In this episode, we sit down with Tom Hughes from Hughes Race Built to discuss exactly why that is, how we can ensure we’re building our engines right, what makes a great naturally aspirated race engine build, and much more. Use “HU...

Can you run a billet block on a street build? With 1650whp what 1/4 mile time can a full trim R34 do? Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in With 1650whp at 55psi of boost this R34 GTR Skyline is arguably one of Australia's fastest roll racers, and even more impressively this 1600kg car will do 8-second passes while retaining the full stock trim...

And we’re back! After a few weeks away from the microphone, we’re jumping back into the Tuned In podcast with our longest and tech-heaviest episode yet — one that will satisfy even the nerdiest listeners. Use “DIGGLES100” for $100 off our HPA Engine Building Starter Package here: https://www.hpacademy.com/hpa-engine-building-starter-package/ This week, we’re talking to Australia’s Ben Diggles. Ben...

Active aero, mid-mounted flat 6 pushing out 1400hp at sea level, 1100hp at the Pikes Peak start line and 900hp at the top of the mountain. What does any of that mean or matter? Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in NOTE: This was recorded before the sudden and sad passing of driver Ken Block in early 2023. RIP to a motorsport and performance industr...

What's the best way to tackle a big build project and actually follow through to its completion? Just how useful is learning how to design in CAD? Is stance dead? And just how the hell did Ferrari manage to build such an overweight and underpowered car? These questions and many more interesting head-scratchers are all answered on this week's episode of the High Performance Academy Tuned...

How do you trigger both Mercedes and Mazda purists at once? This. This is how you do it, and we think it's awesome. Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in Tuning and wiring specialist Adam Peeling of Smart EFI (who we've spoken to previously at Pikes Peak) gives us a rundown on this build and his involvement. Originally a 1993 FD3S but look...

“Circuit drivers see one corner 1000 times — rally drivers see 1000 corners one time.” In this High Performance Academy Tuned In episode, we’re joined by the one and only Dave Carapetyan of Rally Ready. Use ‘RALLYREADY50’   to get 50% off HPA's Suspension Tuning & Optimization course: hpacademy.com/courses/suspension-and-car-setup Better known as ‘Texas Dave’, this driver and instructor o...

Factory Mazda parts quality and their limits, knock/detonation in a rotary engine, lightened rotors, stud kits, clearancing plus ethanol fuel advantages are just a few of the topics discussed with Rob Dahm adding more and more specific details the deeper the discussion gets. Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in Rotary engine building traditionally...

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 Perfor...

The RZ34 Z is the newest offering in the Nissan Z line, and AMS Performance was quick to set a world-first 9-second pass using (by today's standards) relatively basic upgrades. Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in Back in 2022 9.92 at 137mph was the first run in the 9's in a RZ34 Z 2023 Nissan Z Proto Spec and Nick Cassara of AMS Performa...

On this week's episode of the High Performance Academy Tuned In podcast, Andre is joined by an absolute legend of the import scene. John Shepherd has been around since the very early days of import drag racing. Through campaigning his AWD Eagle Talon, John lead the first charge and pushed the boundaries of just what was possible with a Japanese performance car. Use ‘SHEP100’ for $100 off the...

Say goodbye to the old saying "cast ain't fast" with Dart's 2JZ cast iron engine block. When it comes to the many limitations factory cast blocks have when we try and take them from 200-300hp to 2000-3000hp or more, the go-to option in the aftermarket is generally a billet alloy block that offers more strength and improved design (sometimes application specific), but at a subst...

What makes a good intake plenum? How do you fabricate one to ensure it can handle 100+psi of boost without blowing itself to pieces? And why do we even need to fit an aftermarket intake plenum in the first place? This week’s episode with D’Arcy French of Plazmaman answers these questions and many more. Use “PLAZMAMAN50” for 50% off our HPA 3D Modeling & CAD for Motorsport course here: hpacadem...

Converting a FWD Honda to a RWD platform is not easy task, but it does come with some solid benefits as we will discuss looking at this F20c powered space framed Honda Prelude [TECH TOUR]. Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in With an Ethanol fed, 24-26 PSI boosted, 9,000 RPM 750hp Dandy Engines F20c boasting Eagle Rods, factory crank and camshafts...

The 2JZ-GTE isn’t Toyota’s only iconic tuner engine — before the famous straight six was anywhere near production-ready, enthusiasts and racers were already years deep into the development of the venerable 1600cc four-cylinder 4A-GE. In this episode, we sit down with Matt Trevena of MT Performance Engines to discuss everything Toyota 4A-GE, engine building, and much more.  Use “MTPERFORMANCE50” fo...