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  • 2018 Subaru WRX

    James brought his 2018 Subaru WRX in for his next round of modifications!

    Up first in the shop, John removed the factory plastic intake manifold and replaced it with a more Subaru aesthetically appropriate wrinkle red powder-coated forward-facing BRZ intake manifold, beautifully packaged by I Build Racecars, topped off with a front-mount intercooler system from Extreme Turbo Systems featuring that unmistakable cold side titanium charge pipe, all complimenting the existing modifications perfectly, including a down-pipe and SF air-intake system from COBB Tuning, a Street Series air/oil separator from IAG Performance, and a 3-port electronic boost control solenoid kit from GrimmSpeed.

    With the mechanical work wrapped in the shop, Matt strapped her down to the rollers for Vlad to perform a custom Pro Tune via COBB Tuning‘s Accessport. With 93 octane in the tank, and the factory turbocharger delivering 21psi, Vlad increased the FA20DIT’s output to a solid 338.93awhp & 342.05lbft! Great improvements both in terms of performance and under-hood aesthetics as well!

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  • 2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

    Alan brought us his 2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 to address the LS7’s infamous valve drop issues, add another 100whp+ worth of naturally aspirated power, all while maintaining optimal driveability!

    Up first, John performed baseline dyno runs to establish our starting point, coming in at 444.69whp & 432.73lbft. Then in the shop, Louis disassembled the LS7 to the short block and reassembled with a set of CNC ported cylinder heads from Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, a custom billet-core camshaft from Cam Motion designed with a goal of optimal drivability over peak power, valve springs from Brian Tooley Racing, pushrods from COMP Cams, rocker arm bronze bushing trunnion upgrade from Smith Brothers Pushrods, fasteners from ARP, SC1R intake system from Vararam Industries, 2.00″ primary OD long-tube headers from Stainless Works Cerakoted by Detective Coating connected to a Chambered Turbo axle-back exhaust from Stainless Works, spark plug wires from MSD Performance wrapped in Protect-a-Boots from Design Engineering, Inc., 160° thermostat from Lingenfeld, topped off with an Atomic AirForce intake manifold from MSD Performance, all brought together with new OEM GM gasket, seals, fluids, and timing components (along with a C5R timing chain).

    With the mechanical work wrapped in the shop, John strapped her down to the rollers for Vlad to perform a custom calibration via HP Tuners. The results? 560.58whp & 526.71lbft — a gain of 115.89whp & 93.98lbft! Tons of usable power for both the street and track, and yes, all while delivering that optimal drivability Alan was after.

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  • 2014 Chevrolet Corvette – Supercharged

    2014 Chevrolet Corvette – Supercharged

    James brought us his 2014 Chevrolet Corvette to have the LT1 loaded with forged internals, the boost turned, and to break the 700whp mark on pump gas!

    Up first in the shop, Andrew removed & disassembled the LT1 to the bare block, and then reassembled with Wiseco Automotive drop-in pistons, Katech CNC ported cylinder heads, Jannetty Racing Enterprises Inc. camshaft, Corvette C5R timing chain, ARP fasteners, Brian Tooley Racing & COMP Cams valve train components, Johnson Lifters Dog Bone lifters, Cam Motion AFM/DOD delete plugs with OEM GM components to complete the AFM/DOD delete, OEM LT4 high-pressure fuel pump & fuel injectors, DSX Tuning auxiliary fuel pump, a Circle D Specialties 258mm Pro Series 3,200rpm stall speed torque converter, along with all the OEM gaskets, seals, and miscellaneous components to bring it all together with the existing A&A Corvette Performance supercharger system, MSD Performance Atomic AirForce intake manifold, Stainless Works long-tube headers.

    With the mechanical work wrapped in the shop, Matt strapped her down to the rollers for Vlad to perform a custom calibration via HP Tuners. With 93 octane in the tank and the Vortech V-3 delivering ~8.5psi, Vlad increased the LT1’s output to a goal exceeding 740.03whp & 666.03lbft! Fantastic pump gas performance for this Stingray!

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  • 2017 Chevrolet Camaro SS – Whipple Supercharged

    2017 Chevrolet Camaro SS – Whipple Supercharged

    Steve brought us his 2017 Chevrolet Camaro SS in to have the LT1 put under some pressure!

    Up first in the shop, Archer installed a W175AX 2.9L twin-screw system from Whipple Superchargers, Super Damper from ATI Performance Products, 1.875″ primary OD long-tube headers from Stainless Works Cerakoted by Detective Coating connecting to a full exhaust system from Stainless Works, spark-plug wires from MSD Performance wrapped in Protect-a-Boots from Design Engineering, Inc., all topped off with an air-intake system from Roto-Fab, LLC.

    With the mechanical work wrapped in the shop, John strapped her down to the rollers for Vlad to perform a custom calibration via HP Tuners. With 93 octane in the tank, and power transmitting through the 8L80E automatic transmission, Vlad increased the LT1’s output to 674.68whp & 647.74lbft! While there is more power on the table, we decided to stop here with the stock pistons in mind.

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  • 2018 Subaru WRX STI Type RA

    2018 Subaru WRX STI Type RA

    Casey brought us his 2018 Subaru WRX STI Type RA, 1 of only 500 produced, for the first round of modifications! Up first, Matt performed some baseline dyno pulls to establish a starting point, coming in at a healthy 287.09awhp & 293.31lbft. Up next, Alex installed an SF intake system from COBB Tuning, a Street Series air-oil separator from IAG Performance, all topped off with a turbocharger-back exhaust system from COBB Tuning.

    With the mechanical work wrapped in the shop, Matt strapped her back down to the rollers for Vlad to perform a custom Pro Tune via COBB Tuning’s Accessport. With 93 octane in the tank, Vlad increased the EJ257’s output to 323.76awhp & 360.62lbft, picking up 36.67awhp & 67.31lbft at peak, and 60.03awhp & 81.82lbft in the mid-range! That’s definitely a difference Casey will notice, and should keep him entertained (for a while). It’s great to see a Type RA being thoroughly enjoyed as a modified daily driver.

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  • Dom Ranieri: Lead Performance Technician

    Dom Ranieri: Lead Performance Technician

    Dom joins National Speed Richmond with a career full of high-performance experience and knowledge!  Starting off in his teenage years, Dom began working on cars professionally in his parents’ automotive shop until the age of 16 when he left to attend trade school.  From there, Dom studied Automotive Technology at the University of Northwestern Ohio where he earned three associate degrees in Automotive, High Performance, and Diesel.  Over his career, Dom has built everything from 2JZ-swapped 350Zs, 2JZ-swapped classic Mercedes-Benz, SR20DET-swapped FB RX-7s, full restomods including everything from a 427cid-swapped ’67 Mustang to an LSA-swapped ’72 442, full builds on every generation of Viper, Corvette, and Camaro, a wide variety of big-power Subarus, GT86/BRZ/FR-S, Dodge Chargers/Challengers, and everything in between.  In his spare time, Dom is a well-known Fire Poi performer and travels across the nation regularly for performances.  When he’s not on the road, he enjoys working on his fully-built 426cid-equipped (400 based) 1983 Chevrolet Camaro.  When asked why Dom didn’t just jump to an LSx swap, he replied, “as much as I love EFI, it’s still just too much fun beating people with a carburetor.”  It goes without saying, Dom is the Renaissance Man of the group! (edited) 

     

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  • Kevin Thackston: General Manager

    Kevin Thackston: General Manager

    Kevin joined the National Speed team with over 10 years of experience of not only building a wide variety of high-performance cars but also tuning them! This combination of mechanical and tuning experience gives Kevin a unique perspective to confidently handle whatever project is in front of him. From installing a supercharger on a Shelby GT350 to wiring a Toyota Supra for a stand-alone ECU, Kevin’s got the knowledge and experience to confidently deliver. A testament to his high-performance (and turbocharged) addiction, Kevin’s personal fleet includes a modified 2016 Ford Focus ST, and a J32 V6 swapped and turbocharged 1995 Honda Civic.

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  • 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk – 800 HP

    2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk – 800 HP

    Martin brought us his daily driven 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk to get it breathing easier, making more boost, and put on ethanol!

    Up first, Archer removed the supercharger snout for porting by Kong Performance matched to their 112mm throttle body, then once returned, moved on to installing a 2.85″ upper supercharger pulley and billet idler from Metco Motorsports, ID1300x fuel injectors from Injector Dynamics, Boost-a-Pump from Kenne Bell Superchargers, a set of 2.00″ primary OD long-tube headers from Kooks Headers and Exhaust, 180° thermostat from Mishimoto Automotive, all topped off with a set of Pro-Kit lowering springs from Eibach.

    With the mechanical work wrapped in the shop, John strapped her down to the rollers for Vlad to perform a custom calibration via HP Tuners. Up first with 93 octane in the tank, Vlad increased output to 764.78awhp & 706.84lbft. Then, after a quick change to E85, Vlad dialed in the ethanol calibration, increasing output to 810.29awhp & 744.63lbft! With both calibrations stored on his laptop, Martin can switch back and forth based on his needs using his MPVI2. Martin now has himself one seriously badass daily driver!

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  • Vlad Yevtushenko: Performance Calibrator

    Vlad Yevtushenko: Performance Calibrator

    No matter the quality of hardware that goes into a high-performance build, it’s nothing without a proper calibration, and that’s where Vlad comes into play at National Speed. Vlad joined the National Speed team armed with work experience with Texas big-power speed shops, certifications from EFI University, a Bachelors in Automotive Engineering Technology from Ferris State University, and a ton of industry experience building and tuning high horsepower street performers. With the specialized know-how, systems, and tools, Vlad ensures that our customer’s vehicles achieve the best performance and efficiency possible. Whether it’s a nasty all motor Chevrolet Camaro SS on HP Tuners, or a big single-turbo Toyota Supra on AEM Infinity, or a bolt-on Subaru WRX STi on COBB Tuning’s AccessPORT, Vlad’s got it under control. Channeling his expertise in making reliable horsepower (and a lot of it), Vlad built his ultimate daily driver, his 1,034whp Quicksilver 1998 Toyota Supra 6-speed.

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  • Indigo Blue 2019 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

    Indigo Blue 2019 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

    Ethanol in the tank, power stepped up, and dancing shoes on.

    Last round, James brought us his Indigo Blue 2019 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat for an intake system from JLT Performance, 2.75″ upper supercharger pulley & billet idler from Metco Motorsports, ID1050X fuel injectors from Injector Dynamics, 2.00″ primary OD long-tube headers from Stainless Works, 180° thermostat from Mishimoto Automotive, upper & lower control arms from BMR Suspension, 3.25 geared 9.00″ rear-end conversion from Driveshaft Shop, all brought together with a custom calibration by Vlad via HP Tuners, netting 799.44whp & 726.08lbft on 93 octane.

    This round, James brought her back in to squeeze out more power, and make sure it gets put down. After installing a fuel pump voltage booster from MSD Performance and filling the tank with E85, Vlad got busy dialing in the ethanol calibration. The result? 875.55whp & 810.71lbft! That’s a gain of 76.11whp & 84.63lbft off just fuel alone! Side note, we’d love to see what this setup would do with a ported supercharger, throttle body, and another 1-2psi of boost pressure.

    Then, with the new output dialed in, Alex got her sitting pretty on a drag pack from Carlyle Racing featuring WELD Racing S79 wheels (20×6 front & beadlocked 17×10 rears) with Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels Street S/S radials. It goes without saying, James’ Hellcat is now one hell of a killer street car!

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