High oil consumption, excessive smoke through the exhaust, high blow-by, lower than expected power output and increased oil contamination are just some of the possible results of an improper engine break-in or run-in. While production engines in new vehicles are already “broken-in” at the factory, any high-performance “built” engine requires […]
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Quick Tech | Bearings: Part 1
Friction is a parasite that consumes energy and craps heat. When you allow friction to go unchecked, it will waste your power, burn your fuel and cook your parts. On the contrary, employing a friction reduction strategy delivers significant benefits. Reducing friction reduces waste and reduces heat. Less waste and […]
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Quick Tech | Automotive Relays
It’s the current that kills you. Currents above 10 milliamps can induce muscle contractions so strong that the victim cannot let go of the wire that’s shocking them. At 20 milliamps, breathing can become labored, while 75 milliamps can cause breathing to cease. At 100 milliamps, ventricular fibrillation of the […]
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Engine Tech | Fuel Flow Bottlenecks
In the previous issue of DSPORT, we addressed all of the possible air flow restrictions that could be serving as bottlenecks. However, simply eliminating all of the airflow bottlenecks only completes half the job. For peak performance and reliability, fuel flow needs to be optimized as well. Too much air […]
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Engine Tech | Boxer, Inline, or V?
We all love making power. Most people know a lot about their engines, from its displacement and configuration, to its benefits and shortcomings. However, many don’t look outside of their engine bays to see what other types of configurations are out there. There are various types of engines that convert […]
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Engine Tech | Air Flow Bottlenecks
In the manufacturing of an issue of DSPORT Magazine, the speed and capabilities of the bindery at our printer represents the bottleneck. You can get faster presses to print more pages and forms per hour, and you can get more automation and labor to box and package the final magazines. […]
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WRX VS BRZ FA20 Cylinder Heads: Part 1 Flow Bench
While they may share many similarities, the differences between the cylinder head on the FA20 engine found in the WRX and the BRZ/FR-S/86 are vast. Instead of taking the “let’s keep it simple” approach to making a turbo and non-turbo variant of an engine, Subaru opted to optimize each engine […]
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Head Torque Plate Solutions | Save Valves and Improve Efficiency
Bent or warped valves and reduced engine efficiency have plagued our 1,300+whp RB26DETT engine ever since we pushed beyond the 1,000whp mark a few years ago. For the longest time, we chalked up the bent or warped valves to extreme temps and the rigors of life at 600 horsepower per […]
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Quick Tech: Dragy GPS-Based Performance Meter
How fast is your car? If you own a performance vehicle that has or hasn’t been modified, chances are you’ve been asked this question dozens of times. If your car is unmodified maybe you respond with the best times recorded by an automotive magazine for your platform. If your car […]
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Brake Tech 201 | Part 1: Understanding Upgrades
If you build enough project vehicles, there will come a time when you either have a need or a want to improve the braking system. In most cases, the parts you need to meet your goals will be available off the shelf. However, you may need a custom solution to […]
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ATTESA Explained | Understanding Nissan’s Electronic Torque Split Technology
If you are trying to build a mega-horsepower street car that isn’t AWD, you will literally be spinning your wheels a good amount of the time. One platform that has used its AWD system to set records for nearly 30 years is the Skyline GT-R. “Godzilla” earned its legendary status […]
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Stop The Swap | Club DSPORT Extends the Limits of the FA20
Ford and Chevy V8s, Toyota 2JZs, Subaru EJ257s and even Ferrari engines have managed to take the place of the Subaru FA20 in more than a handful of BRZ, WRX, FR-S and 86 platforms. Whether the venue is Formula D, Pike’s Peak, Time Attack or even the dragstrip; the go-to […]
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How to: Avoid and Fix Automotive Electrical Issues
Bad grounds, voltage drops, ground offsets, open circuits, dirty power and electrical noise are all terms that you are likely to come across when dealing with automotive electrical systems. Today’s production vehicles have more electrical connections and wiring than ever before. Even full race cars are challenged by more wiring […]
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Royal Straight | King Racing’s Simple Solution to Save EJ257s
While the quality of Subaru’s production line machine work may be adequate for an EJ257 engine to live a long life at factory power levels, there are few EJ257s that will spend their lifetime at factory power levels. At elevated power levels, it’s common that the OEM’s slight misalignment of […]
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The Top 10 Car Modding Myths Busted!
In a world where fake news and alternative realities are daily headlines, it can be a struggle to get past all the misleading advice, exaggerated claims, and flat-out hoaxes. While it is important to remain vigilant in the campaign against misinformation, the old saying “If it sounds too good to be […]
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