Tag: turbo

1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec Makes 550whp On Pump Gas!

The R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R: it’s the thing of dreams for the Gran Turismo generation. But as more have been circulating United States roads in recent years, the resounding sentiment seems to be, “huh, I kinda’ expected more…” But here’s a quick reminder: these cars weigh in at over 3,400lbs, and typically produce only around 300whp in stock form on our dynos. Sure, it was competitive for its time, but fast forward to 2022, and there are now several family cars that would pace it door-to-door from a dig.

However, this problem has a rather simple solution: more horsepower! And that’s what Sean brought us his gorgeous QM1 Cloud White 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec to have done. But before we get into the build details, just look at how magnificently appointed this car is… NISMO Omori Spec LM GT4 wheels, NISMO aero package, even NISMO carbon fiber B-pillar garnishes. The JDM fanboy in all of us is in love.

And such a spectacularly iconic car needs power to match! But Sean’s goals for this scope of work wasn’t to break any records, but rather, to “future proof” his setup so he can add more power down the road if (when) he gets the itch. So, for this round of work, the goal was to make safe pump gas power. Build details below:

Engine

• RB26DETT N1 engine block

• OEM R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R long-snout crankshaft

• CP Pistons 86mm 2618 forged pistons

• Manley Performance Turbo Tuff connecting rods

• ACL Race connecting rod and main bearings

• Machine work and assembly by Mazworx

• ARP fasteners throughout

• Tomei 1.20mm thick cylinder head gasket

• OEM Nissan N1 engine oil pump

• OEM Nissan N1 water pump

• OEM Nissan timing components with HKS timing belt

• Nitto Performance cylinder head drain-back system

• Tomei oil galley restrictor

• Tomei PONCAM 262°/262° intake & exhaust camshafts

• Tomei valve springs & retainers

• All OEM Nissan gaskets and seals needed for assembly

Fuel System

• Injector Dynamics ID1050x fuel injectors

• Walbro 450lph in-tank fuel pump

Turbocharger System

• Full-Race Motorsports top-mount twin-scroll T4 turbocharger manifold

• BorgWarner S366 turbocharger

• TiAL Sport MV-S wastegates

• Full-Race Motorsports down-pipe

• Custom fabricated aluminum 2.50″ hot-side intercooler piping with 4-ply reinforced silicone couplers

• Custom fabricated aluminum 3.00″ cold-side intercooler piping with 4-ply reinforced silicone couplers

• Custom fabricated aluminum 5.00″ air-intake system

• Custom fabricated 304SS wastegate dump-tubes and down-pipe adapter

Drivetrain

• NISMO Super Coppermix twin-disc clutch assembly

Engine Management

• Haltech Platinum Pro stand-alone EMS with CAN WB02

• Haltech ethanol content sensor (for future Flex Fuel calibration)

• AEM Performance 3.5bar MAP sensor

• AEM Performance 3-port electronic boost control solenoid

• OEM GM intake air temperature sensor

• Custom calibration by Vlad on 17psi

The result is a setup that is overbuilt in the right areas, to not only make the power, but to do so with optimal drivability and long-term reliability. Prime example, if you’ve never driven a NISMO Super Coppermix twin-disc clutch, then you don’t know how great a twin-disc clutch can drive! And with that all said, here’s some documentation from this killer build!

Disassembly in full swing!

Engine assembly underway, based around the N1 engine block!

Cylinder head going on!

Contact Us to Discuss Your Next Project

March 4, 2022
2019 Ford Ranger Baja – CR Performance Engineering Turbo

Check out David’s 2019 Ford Ranger Baja! With a Pro Comp Level Kit, FOX 2.0 Performance Shocks and 18″ Fuel Off-Road Tactic wheels, this pickup was ready to add the power necessary to match its factory aggressive looks.

Performed by us:

• Mountune USA 1400-IC-AA Heavy-Duty Intercooler Upgrade

• CR Performance Engineering 54mm Turbo, Stage 3, 6+6 Blade Billet Compressor Wheel

• NGK Spark Plugs LTR7IX-11 spark plugs

With the mechanical work complete, John strapped her down to the rollers for Vlad to perform a custom calibration via HP Tuners. With 93 octane in the tank, Vlad was able to increase the output to 332.71whp & 390.09lbft!

February 1, 2022
Golden Power: Victor White’s 815whp 2008 Subaru STI
One of the best parts of being in the automotive community and building cars is seeing the different evolutions and phases of builds through the years. Victor White’s Subaru STI is a great example of this.

Victor came to us with his 2008 Subaru STI ready for the next phase of its life, going from a built motor to an insane IAG Tuff Stage 4 Short Block with Stage 5 heads with a big Precision 6870 Turbo.

We were as excited as Victor was for this next phase of his GR STI, so we pulled it in and got to work! First things first, out went the old built motor, ready for it’s next life in a new chassis, and we started getting the bay ready for the new IAG Performance Short Block. Topping off the motor is a Process West intake manifold alongside the massive 6870 Turbo from Precision Turbo and 44m waste gates from TiAL.

As we assembled the block, we couldn’t help but admire how great it looked. There’s something about engine components that strike the eye just right.

Even with as good as it looked, Victor wanted to take the aesthetics to the next level. To match his gold wheels and set off the engine bay, the IAG Fuel Rails and top feed TGV housings were anodized gold.

To fuel this golden powerplant, twin Walbro 450lph fuel pumps were installed and run with a COBB tuning flex fuel kit in order to make the most of the E85 compatibility and potential power gains.

With big power Subaru builds like this, the factory top mounted intercooler just doesn’t get the air needed to keep the engine cool and in proper boost, so we tapped the team at Extreme Turbo Systems for a front mount intercooler kit, powdercoated gold to match the rest of the accent pieces.

Sometimes, custom builds require custom work, and that’s where our custom fabricating team comes in handy! Our Performance Technician, Alex, got to work fabricating everything needed to finish up the build, from a custom fabricated coolant reservoir to fuel lines and turbo piping. With Alex’s custom work and some fittings from Vibrant Performance, Fragola Performance, and Radium Engineering, the motor was ready to go!

With the motor buttoned up, turbo piped up, and intercooler mounted in the front, it was time to move on to supporting the boosted bomb under the hood.

To help the transmission handle the boost in power, we installed chromoly billet transfer gears along with a triple disk competition clutch and flywheel from IAG Performance. DSS Axles were also installed to help put the power down to all four wheels.

Keeping the build functional and just as good as stopping as going, the brakes were swapped out for EBS Brakes GD Rotors and Yellow Stuff Pads. Running to each corner are stainless steel brake lines from StopTech.

With the build all set, the only thing left was to get tuning. We strapped the STI on the rollers and let it rip!

After working the COBB Accessport and laying down an impressive 816whp and 669lb/ft of torque on E85, Victor’s STI was reborn into its new phase of life, as an absolute monster!

We love being able to help other enthusiasts make their performance dreams a reality, and Victor’s build was another great example of that! We can’t wait to see what else he has in store for his STI hatch.

Parts List:

IAG STAGE 4 TUFF EJ25 SUBARU CLOSED DECK SHORT BLOCK FOR WRX, STI, LEGACY GT, FORESTER XT

IAG Performance Competition Triple Disk Clutch and Flywheel

IAG Billet Transfer Gears

Precision Turbo 6870 Turbocharger

StopTech stainless steel brake lines

OEM subaru baskets and components

LFR7AIX Spark Plugs

ARP 2000 Series Head Studs

EBC Brakes GD Rotors and Yellow Stuff Pads

Twin Walbro 450lph fuel pump – E85 compatible

Gold Anodized IAG cnc top feed tgv housings

Gold Anodized IAG Fuel Rails

Gold Anodized Extreme Turbo Systems Front Mount Intercooler

TiAL 44mm Waste gate valves (black)

Cobb Flex Fuel kit,ethanol content sensor, fuel pressure sensor kit,

ATI Performance Super Damper Crank Pulley

Fragola hoses & PTFE fittings

Vibrant Performance Aluminum Vbands and fittings.

For a closer look at this build, take a look at the gallery below.

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April 21, 2021
Turbolestra: Your Once Daily Tablet For Automotive Enhancement

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January 6, 2009
Eyesore Racing's Ghettocharged Miata for 24 Hours of LeMons.

Sure you got Supercharging and Turbocharging and hell, even Twincharging but what about Ghettocharging?

Alright, maybe it’s not a new form of forced induction, but damn is it Ghetto! I thought I’d seen it all with budget builds, but this is a TRUE budget build. Electrical conduit from Home Depot for Coolant Lines, Sheet metal from a Heater shed? Dear God.

This car was built by Eyesore Racing for the 2009 24 Hours of LeMons(A play on Lemans obviously) and the goal is to build a car for under $500 (including the cost of the car) and send them through a proverbial gauntlet with events such as “The Personal-Injury-Lawyer Anti-Slalom”, “The Marxist-Valet Parking Challenge” and the “Wide Open Throttle Rodthrowapalooza” and that’s BEFORE you get to the starting grid. Twelve hours into the race, the car voted People’s Choice is called in and awarded a cash prize, the car voted People’s Curse is called in and destroyed. At the end of the 24 hours, an awards ceremony showers the survivors with trophies, plaques, and a Four-figure winnings in bags filled full of nickels. It’s always sure to be fun, that’s for sure.

Anyhow, back to the car. Eyesore Racing bought this piece for $17.99 in God knows where and went to work. They found two more Miata wrecks plus enough worn-out engine parts to assemble a possibly serviceable powerplant, and a turbo from a MDM (Mexican Domestic Market) Dodge Stratus. With the remaining money they went to work and fabbed up this ridiculous conglomeration of pipes you see above. I guess you could call this a top-mount turbo manifold…considering it sticks about a foot out of the hood. On 4.5 pounds of boost it made 140whp, which is ~50hp over stock. Not bad for some ghetto fabbing.

I wish those guys over at Eyesore Racing good luck in the 24 hours of LeMons and major kudos to them for having the Gonads and ingenuity to fab up something like that!

Here’s a video of the “Beast” on track:

December 22, 2008
Running on Fumes: Improper sizing of…Everything.

One thing that I’ve noticed: a lot of people can’t size equipment right.

What I mean by this is the guys that are throwing a 70 trim journal bearing turbo on a small displacement motor and wondering why they don’t spool until 1k before redline. They always ask why their powerband is so bad, or nonexistent. LAWL. This is what I mean folks. It’s all about sizing. In the case of turbos, bigger isn’t always better. If anything, if you’re running such a large turbo on a small displacement motor, when it finally DOES spool it’ll probably just blow your tires off anyhow. More often than not, you’d be way better off getting a smaller ball bearing turbo and actually having a powerband while still having some response.

Having an aftermarket stall on a automatic is great also, but just like everything else, it’s got to be properly sized. Let’s say you have a 4400rpm stall on your daily driven car. Does this make sense to you? I guess most people tend to forget that if you have such a large stall, your car will barely move in traffic unless you are applying a gratuitous amount of throttle. Finding a proper sized torque converter is key if you plan on driving on the street without sloppy and jerky acceleration.

Let’s see. How about cams? I’ve seen guys with stock GSRs, stock valvetrain, with stock compression and Toda Vtec Killers. Hmm, why does my car produce 1ft/lb of torque at low RPM and stutter until I get to 6,000 RPM? Fail. There is no reason to get the largest lift/duration cams there ever was, because in that case, it just doesn’t work. Sure, you’ll have top end power for days but you’ll have to rev to 50,000k (exaggeration, obviously) to get the use out of them.

Of course, this is just a few minor niggles than bother me, but I’m sure I’m not the only one. Before you buy anything. Please for the sake of yourself and anyone else around you. Please either do research, or talk to someone that knows what they are talking about.

Thanks,

Greg

December 12, 2008
World's Largest Diesel – The Wartsila-Sulzer RTA9-….Nevermind.

When the Cadillac 472ci came out in 1968, they were a giant in the world of displacement. While still a large motor, it has now been overshadowed.

The Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C Turbo 2 stroke diesel engine is the most powerful and most efficient Diesel motor in the world today. These engines were designed primarily for very large container ships that need ridiculous amounts of torque to move.

(Note the stairs leading into the crankcase!)

Let’s talk numbers here: How does 1,556,002 Cubic Inches sound? That’s equivalent to 25,480 liters. Take that Honda! The 14 cylinder version of the inline diesel motor produces 108,920 horsepower. Sure that sounds pretty astronomical, but not when compared to its astounding 5,608,312 ft/lbs of torque. Holy cow! You can forget about taking this baby to a 9k redline though — this motor tops out at a blistering 102rpm. You can also get rid of your hopes of a 50/50 weight distribution too because this motor weighs 2300 tons.

(Worlds Largest Piston)

I wouldn’t expect to hear about some crazy motor swap considering I’m sure it’s hard to find something else suitably sized. It’s interesting to see how far you can push the mechanical limits sometimes, and I hope that the (deep breath) Aioi Works of Japan’s Diesel United, Ltd. (whew..) keeps pushing the limits.

December 1, 2008
Why don't we get these? European Hot Hatches

It’s just not fair. I’m not too sure why we don’t get hot hatches over here, but it’s just not fair.

Take a look at the Ford Focus for example. Sure we have it, but over here, in all honesty it’s a box of fail (sorry Casey) compared to what already exists in Europe. At its peak the USDM Ford Focus was pumping out a whopping dismal 170 hp for the top of the line SVT motor. In Europe, they replaced the 2.0 liter 4 banger for a 5 cylinder turbocharged 2.5 liter which produces a very stout 225hp and 236ft/lbs in stock trim for the ST model.

Not only did they get the bigger motor, but the Focus also has a 6 speed and looks so much better (IMO) as well. It also returns miles per gallon figures of 30.4 with mixed driving. What are you doing Ford? We can’t even get the right version of the Focus over here for God’s sake, something we already have the groundwork for. Based on current conversion rates, the Focus ST would sell at around $22,850.

Next up is the Clio Cup, produced by the French manufacturer Renault. While it’s not turbocharged, as compared to the other hot hatches in this article, it still pushes out an awesome 200hp all motor from it’s 2.0 liter mill. While 200hp doesn’t sound incredible, it’s run through a 6 speed manual and returns 33.6 Miles per gallon. Based on current conversion rates, the Clio would sell at around $18,700.

Moving along is my personal favorite, the Vauxhall Astra VXR. We actually do get this vehicle under the Saturn Astra guise, but not exactly the way the Europeans do. In Europe it is powered by a 1.8 liter turbocharged motor producing around 237hp and driven through a 6 speed tranny. We don’t quite have that option yet, but I believe in the near future the motor from GM’s HHR SS might be powering the Saturn Astra Redline. I surely do hope so because the aftermarket for the Astra VXR in Europe is ridiculous. Currently the top of the line Astra retails for $18495. I suppose we will see what the VXR retails for if it ever comes to fruition in the US.

November 20, 2008
World's Fastest Honda Civic for Sale on eBay

How many of you Honda guys WOULDN’T like to have the world’s fastest Honda Civic?

What if I also asked how much you would be willing to pay to HAVE that title.

That’s right folks, out of all the places in the world it could be, it’s for sale on eBay.

Officially the World’s Fastest Honda Civic, having run at over 225 miles per hour on the Bonneville salt flats, has now been offered up for sale. It’s your chance to own a piece of history. Whether you want the car for the ultra hardparking status, want to be super mad JDM Tyte, or actually want to use the vehicle for Bonneville Speed Week 2009, all of the status and glory can be yours for $22,000 USD (Currently).

The motor used to power the Civic is a 84mm Dart B18c Head and Block with a plethora of high quality parts. Highlights include a massive Turbonetics T72 turbo, 720cc RC Injectors, and a Hondata S300. In all honesty, the motor doesn’t appear to be too incredibly extreme when considering a title such as World’s Fastest Honda Civic.

I know you’re looking for the Power numbers, so I won’t disappoint. This motor produced an astounding 728HP and 503ft/lbs of torque at 29lbs. For reference, that is a ridiculous 369 Horsepower per liter and 182 Horsepower per cylinder. The salt flat records were run at 14lbs, which produces close to 517HP and 351ft/lbs to the WHEELS. I can only imagine the lag on a huge snail like a T72 must be ridiculous and when boost hits…better hold on to something.

Appearance-wise the exterior of the ’99 Si is fairly extreme. Built completely for the lowest drag coefficient possible, the front spoiler, belly pan, parachute mount, aluminum work, roll cage and rear wing have all been custom fabricated. The front-end is reminiscent of a snowplow rather than a sleek speed machine, but it apparently does the job.

Simply lowered on Eibach coilovers, it isn’t slammed to the ground like most would imagine it would be. Slowing this salt rocket down is a massive set of 13″ inch Baer Brakes in the rear, and STOCK brakes in the front. I imagine this is for weight transfer on slow down — wouldn’t want the rear end to come around on you at those speeds, would you?

All in all, for all the work and press, $20,000 dollars doesn’t sound that bad. It’s an easy way to own a piece of history that won’t be forgotten any time soon. Plus…who doesn’t want to say they own the fastest civic in the world?

November 10, 2008
The Forgotten Gem: Chrysler Conquest

Low. Black. Popping. Crackling. Whistling. Half mechanic and half bionic, the Chrysler Conquest was a vehicle some revered in an almost mythical sense. The name itself struck a tone of confidence in an owner. Created by Mitsubishi, but being imported and sold under the Chrysler name, the Conquest is also often overlooked as one of the great Japanese sports coupes. Reactions range from confusion, to pure fright as the loud blowoff valve vents off pressure into the atmosphere. Quizzical looks and turned heads are produced anywhere you go as if the Conquest name has been completely forgotten.

Performance

Touting a powerful 2.6 liter turbocharged motor, sending power through a 5 speed transmission to the rear wheels through a factory Limited Slip Differential, the Chrysler Conquest was an overlooked gem. In 1988 the Conquest truly became a driver’s car. An optional handling package became available with staggered wheels, 8 inches wide in the front and 9 inches wide in the rear. Not only did that allow for better road gripping prowess but the package also included gas adjustable shocks. Just remember this is 1987 we’re talking about folks. Boost builds and hits like a hammer, pinning you into the seat until the next gear, and you can very easily find yourself overwhelmed and sideways in an instant.

Personal Opinion

I had the pleasure of riding in a mildly modified example and the results are impressive to say the least. Fitted with a small 16g turbocharger yet essentially stock, the car put down over 315ft/lbs to the wheels — that’s V8 territory! To put this into perspective, the stock vehicle makes just over 180 to the wheels. Driving one is a purely visceral experience as so many noises and sensations penetrate your brain. Due to some simple mechanical problems, you can find many Conquests in very good shape as the owners have simply abandoned fixing them and listed them for sale instead. Simply put, the Chrysler Conquest is a very affordable diamond in the rough for someone looking for cheap rear wheel drive fun.

November 5, 2008