You’ve probably been told or heard from someone that “an internal combustion automotive engine is just a sophisticated air pump.” Here’s the truth. What you have been told isn’t entirely accurate. First, a pump is a device used to move fluids and it operates at relatively low pressures. Air is […]
Read MorePart 10: PROJECT RH9 GT-R | Pump Gas: 505whp Attained, 600whp Possible?
Last issue, we said “when we get back on the dyno, we won’t be surprised to see 500-plus horsepower on 91-octane with a boost and power curves that we never believed possible with turbos so big. As predicted, we accomplished our mission with 505 horsepower registering on the dyno after […]
Read MorePart 9: Project RH9 GT-R | Test & Tune
Giant peak horsepower figures made on race gas make for great headlines. Just the mention of a “1000-horsepower Supra”, “740-horsepower WRX” or “500- horsepower EVO” draws attention. While peak horsepower numbers are real and exciting to any enthusiast, these high- caliber numbers tend to distort the total performance picture. This […]
Read MorePart 8: Project RH9 GT-R | GT-R Back in Black, Getting Ready to Attack
We almost forgot why our Project RH9 Skyline GT-R was our dream car. With a broken factory transmission, our Project RH9 GT-R went from its daily- driven, head-turning glory to a very-large obstacle in our garage. While obtaining another factory transmission would have had us back on the road in […]
Read MorePart 7 : Project RH9 GT-R | A New Mission
Guess what broke on Project RH9? Another factory transmission. Old school Turbo readers might be seeing visions of another Project Talon in the works. To be honest, I’m picturing the same thing. Text & Photos by Michael Ferrara Back in the days, Project Talon chewed up every single available transmission […]
Read MorePart 6: Project RH9 GT-R | Building a 1000 Horsepower, 9-Second Daily Driver
Call us a little crazy. No. Instead, just call us insane. As we continue to improve the performance of our Project GT-R, we also continue to raise our goals. In many ways, this project mirrors our experience with the magazine as a whole. We make progress every issue and we […]
Read MorePart 5: Project GT-R | Slowly but Surely, We Sort Out the Problems
Last month, we promised to upgrade the fuel system, do a compression check, do a leak-down test and more to figure out why our GT-R had made a step backwards in terms of power output. We were then going to strap the car back on the dyno and give it […]
Read MorePart 4: Project GT-R | Smaller Turbine Housings Good, Tuning Issues Bad
The orders have been placed, but parts delivery for the GT-R is taking longer than expected. This downtime has enabled us to get back on the same DynoJet chassis dynamometer at XS Engineering to evaluate the performance of the engine with the smaller P13 turbine housings in place. As it […]
Read MorePart 3: Project GT-R | 749 Wheel Horsepower Found, One Transmission Lost
It’s the night before the biggest race of the year. The BFGoodrich Tires IDRC International Finals presented by ICEMAN Intakes is coming to Los Angeles and the DRAG Sport Project RH9 GT-R is going to be ready. The IDRC International Finals mark the biggest import drag racing event on the […]
Read MorePart 2: Project GT-R | 655 Rear Wheel Horsepower and More on the Way
It’s official. We think we accidentally built the most-powerful GT-R in the U.S. At least, it’s the most powerful one that we know about. The previous record holder was the nitrous-fed “Big Bird” from Motorex. Big Bird generated 654 horsepower at the rear wheels. Text & Photos By Michael Ferrara […]
Read MorePart 1: Project GT-R | Building the First RH9 Skyline in the U.S.
Meet our DRAG Sport Project GT-R. This is a 1996 Nissan Skyline GT-R V- spec. Before the turbocharger upgrade that you are about to see, the car generated almost 380 horsepower at the wheels. That’s enough to run in the 112-116mph range in the quarter mile, with low 12-second elapsed […]
Read MoreD’GARAGE CRX: Honda Twin-cam Swap
Whether you drive a Honda or not, the term VTEC is something you’ve probably heard of either in a joke, seen in an internet “meme” or plastered on the side of a car accompanied by the letters D, O, H and C. It’s not high horsepower, large displacement or even […]
Read MoreD’GARAGE Scion FR-S Flex Fuel Tuning
Since its release in 2012, the FR-S/BRZ has received an enormous amount of praise for its excellent chassis, abundance of aftermarket support and entry-level price point. Yet, both the press and enthusiasts unanimously agree that the power output of an unmodified FA20 engine leaves much to be desired. Instead of […]
Read MoreEngine Tech: 1000whp Honda B-Series Build Part 7
Simon and Garfunkel, Ike and Tina Turner, Sonny and Cher, Cheech and Chong, Madonna and Sean Penn, Miley and Liam, J.Lo and Diddy, Justin and Britney. These were all famous couples that all made headlines, yet eventually split. The same can now be said for DSPORT and the FAME Civic. […]
Read MoreD’GARAGE CRX
Purchasing used doesn’t always mean purchasing abused. However, when it comes to used cars, it seems like there’s always something that needs to be fixed, replaced or repaired. When replacing basic things on a car like brakes, suspension, wheels and tires, sometimes it’s tough to find quality, affordable replacement parts. […]
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