I hate this! What the Hell? How is it doing that? This trio of phrases was also heard on our dyno starting back in March. The cause? Our Project Scion FR-S was not cooperating with what was supposed to be a simple intake system showcase. The reason? Big government! The […]
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Ecutek FR-S | Reprogramming the Power-Limiting Factory ECU
Purchasing an ECU refresh solution is not an option for FR-S/BRZ owners. Instead, it should be considered a requirement. In fact, it should be the first performance part purchased for the vehicle. The reason is simple. No significant power gains can be realized on the FR-S/BRZ platform with the factory […]
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Scion FR-S/BRZ Intake Test: Pt 2 | Testing with EcuTek
What will over 300 runs for the purpose of an intake showcase teach you? At times, it didn’t seem like much. The factory ECU seemed bipolar at times. Sometimes happy to make power and other times set on spoiling the fun. Fortunately, the addition of the EcuTek tuning solution significantly […]
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Six-Speed VQ Trans Swap for KA-powered Nissan S14
Putting together a performance parts combination to produce more power than you ever expected feels like finding a wad of cash in a jacket you haven’t worn in six months. There’s a sense of surprise, happiness and the inevitable daydreaming of how you are going to use this horsepower or […]
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Tuning the GRB STI for More Power on E85
The very instant you drive a brand-new car off the lot, you have just lost thousands of dollars. The immediate depreciation of value is, hands down, the worst part of buying a new car. According to data collected by Edmunds.com, new cars lose an average of 11-percent of their value […]
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Full-Race’s Answer to the Naturally Aspirated FA20
“Bounce on the devil put the pedal to the floor.” Unfortunately, a bone-stock FR-S/BRZ would most definitely leave Jay-Z with 99 problems, power being each and every of them. Nearly four years after its introduction, an overwhelming majority of enthusiasts continue to agree that the only thing missing from the […]
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Dyno Tech Guide Part One: Choosing the Right Dyno
Nearly 20 years ago, I was fresh out of college and working for Turbo & High-Tech Performance magazine. Back then, so little was known about import performance. There was no information and no resources to turn to as no one had pushed import performance as we would. The racers, enthusiasts […]
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Dyno Tech Guide Part Two: The Test Cars
Project Patience: Supra is Waiting for it’s Time to Shine Waiting for a project to be completed ranks high on the list of enthusiast anxieties. Delays seem almost unavoidable and often add to the frustration and anticipation. For Brent Huckaby, a certified American Petroleum Institute inspector, dealing with these issues […]
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Dyno Tech Guide Part Three: The Verdict + Dyno Showcase
Is the Percent of Power Gained Going to Be the Same From Dyno to Dyno? NO While some dynos showed comparable gains at specific RPMs, other engine speeds showed much different gains. Since different dynos have varying algorithms on how the load is applied, the boost curve is affected. Hence […]
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AiM Raises the Bar with its Color Dashlogger
In the modern age of media where CGI and explosions in 3D dominate the silver screen, a younger audience would claw their eyes out during any black- and-white film of the old days. From television, to photography, even to the Nintendo Gameboy, the transition from monochromatic presentations to full color […]
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Edelbrock’s Supercharger Solution for the BRZ/FR-S
Popular opinion is known to sway with the reveal of new information. This fact holds true for any segment from politics to tuning philosophies. Over the past three years as performance parts manufacturers continue to roll out different forced-induction systems for the Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S, the general consensus on the […]
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Fuel Tech 201
Attention to detail is often the difference between winning and losing. Fuel Tech 101 explored the basic components that make up the fuel system: fuel tank, fuel filter(s), fuel lines, fuel rail, fuel pressure regulator and fuel injectors. Fuel Tech 101 also detailed the math behind choosing pumps and injectors […]
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Dialing in Optimal Weight Distribution | Balancing Act
Nearly everyone has gone through or will have to go through the ultimate test of friendship: helping a friend move. The situation worsens if they happen to live in an upstairs apartment and need assistance moving the couch. Although this piece of furniture is mostly symmetrical and balanced in weight, […]
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Nitrous 201: Advanced Nitrous Oxide Technologies
A blast of performance from a button. A properly designed nitrous-oxide system can reliably deliver a “shot” of additional performance on demand. A simple system with simple controls is able to deliver simple results. If your goal is simply fun, a properly installed, well-engineered kit will deliver. But, what if […]
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Valvetrain 201: Flow, Seal, Expel and Repeat
Click Here to Read Our 101 Guide to Understanding the Valvetrain Control the flow in, seal the Cylinder during compression and combustion then expel the exhaust and repeat. An engine’s valvetrain is responsible for establishing the exact timing and magnitude of each of the four cycles. The camshaft(s) and the […]
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