Enthusiasts purchase aftermarket performance products for two main reasons: 1) to make the vehicle perform better and/or 2) to improve the vehicle’s toughness and reliability. For some enthusiasts, it’s all about performance; for others, reliability is the key. However, the vast majority of tuners address both performance and reliability in […]
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Engine Lubrication 101: Controlling the Flow
The human body can’t live without blood. Blood delivers oxygen, nutrients and other essential substances to the body and its organs. Similarly, oil serves an essential role in the performance and operation of the engine. Oil is responsible for lubricating, cooling and removing contaminants for nearly all moving parts. However, […]
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Wraps, Coatings & Treatments | Getting the Extra Edge
Sometimes using the best parts made of the highest quality materials isn’t enough. Fortunately, specialized coatings and treatments can be used to increase performance and reliability from your engine and the components it contains. These new technologies not only allow additional power and torque to be produced but also increase […]
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Exhaust 101: Moving Up By Moving Out
Turbo exhaust manifolds, headers, downpipes and cat-back exhaust systems are all designed to increase performance by improving the exhaust flow out of the engine. On “all-motor” applications, the proper header and cat-back exhaust can reduce pumping loss, increase scavenging and improve cylinder filling to maximize volumetric efficiency, torque and power. […]
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Intake Manifold 101: Ensuring the Cylinders are Working Their Best
Every cylinder in your engine is a member of the same team. The goal of this team is to make maximum power. When every member of the team is putting forth an equal effort, the engine runs smoother, stronger and more reliably than ever before. When one or more cylinders […]
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Cylinder Head 101: Getting the Chambers and Ports In Shape
Like the cylinder block, the cylinder head is also responsible for holding a number of other components, namely the valvetrain. The valve guides, valve seats, valves, valve springs, valve retainers, valve locks, buckets, followers, lash caps and camshafts are all fitted to the cylinder head. In addition to this responsibility, […]
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Engine Block Tech 101: Go Bigger or Go Stronger the Right Way
Bigger, stronger, or both bigger and stronger? When performance goals require increased engine displacement or projected cylinder pressures and power levels exceed factory block capabilities, the engine block will need to be addressed. The engine block serves as the foundation for the entire engine. Its primary purpose is to establish […]
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Car Care 101: Keeping the Shine Alive
As car enthusiasts, we sometimes overlook one important facet of car care. This doesn’t refer to general engine maintenance or being able to perform your own repair work; we’re actually talking about keeping a car’s finish clean and protected from the elements. All too often, a proud owner will be […]
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Performance Fluids 101: Get Your Car On The Right Liquid Diet
For performance enthusiasts, a lot of thinking goes into the parts purchased and installed on their project vehicles. Sometimes it’s tempting to save a few bucks by not using performance fluids on your vehicle so that you can get that new electronic boost controller or strut tower brace. The quality […]
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Aero & Body 101: Using Aero To Cheat The Air
Remember studying aeropalmetics as a kid? This is where you stick your arm out the passenger window while mom is driving. When you would tilt the forward (leading edge) part of you palm-down hand up, your arm would lift up. Tilting the leading edge of your hand down would cause […]
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Learning Curves | Recognizing a Race-Friendly Dyno Graph
You don’t race dyno graphs, however, dyno graphs can provide the roadmap to go faster than the competition. By understanding how peak horsepower, the powerband, area under the horsepower curve and the actual shape of the power curve affect performance, the engine can be tuned to produce a curve that […]
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Braking 101: The System, Physics and Science of the Motion Management
For a car to be of use, it must be able to start, steer and stop. The purpose of an automotive braking system is to allow the driver to be able to decelerate or slow the vehicle as they see fit. Road conditions, speed limits and obstructions make the braking […]
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Differentials 101: Solving the Differential Equation
Many people assume that at least two wheels receive power from the drivetrain. Their logic assumes both front wheels pull a front-wheel-drive vehicle or both rear wheels push a rear-wheel-drive vehicle. In about 95 percent of all vehicles, this is an incorrect assumption. In actuality, almost all vehicles on the […]
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Clutch 101: Getting a Grip on Performance Clutches
The clutch is arguably one of the most important components to any manual transmission vehicle. It modulates the energy at the spinning flywheel and transfers it through the driveline to propel your car forward. For most vehicles, there are many clutch system upgrades. To select the most ideal clutch for […]
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Transmissions 101: Upgrades for Increased Torque Capacity and Optimized Performance
In the U.S., most enthusiasts don’t think about upgrading their vehicle’s transmission until it becomes absolutely necessary. By absolutely necessary, we mean the point at which the engine produces more torque than the transmission can handle. The end result is often broken shafts, bent forks and worn synchros. In Japan […]
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