Holley
Fuel Pumps
Holley offers high-flow universal EFI in-line pumps that are easy to mount on a variety of vehicles. They will handle 400–700 hp.
www.holley.cominline_mediumwraptextright16597970/tech/modp-0907-engine-management-system-and-fuel-injection-systemmodp_0907_22+engine_management_system_and_fuel_injection_system+holley_fuel_pumps.jpgTrue

Size: 225/45ZR17
Type: Ultra-high-performance summer tire
UTQG: 340 AA A
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Cosworth
’08–09 Subaru STI FMIC
Cosworth’s front-mount intercooler system for the ’08–09 Subaru STI (GRB) installs without any cutting or trimming of the vehicle and features large-diameter powdercoated aluminum tubing and a robust isolated mounting system. The engineered system features a large, efficient aluminum core with mandrel-bent aluminum tubing for maximum performance up to and exceeding 600 hp.
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Description
Remember when bolting on an intake made an extra 5 hp on a Honda? We thought those days were gone as cars got smarter and more fickle. It took intake manufacturers some time to figure out how to get around this, but now we're seeing a new generation of highly engineered intakes that are really good at providing additional top-end flow, but more importantly getting newer, overly complex vehicles to make power everywhere.inline_mediumwraptextright16648448/tech/modp-0907-2009-nissan-370z-stillen-cold-air-intakemodp_0907_01+2009_nissan_370z_stillen_cold_air_intake+dyno_run.jpgTrue

We all dream about building what we’d like to call the ultimate street car—obscene horsepower, daily driveability, every creature comfort imaginable, show-stopping looks and undeniable track prowess. Unfortunately, few of us ever come to this reality. The fine line between street car, show car and track assassin doesn’t come easily, if ever, and those of us who started with these grandiose dreams typically end up with a car hugely lopsided toward, track, show or completely inept in any capacity. This is exactly why we brought another Nissan into our project car stable, even though we already have one, as well as an Infiniti G35.inline_mediumwraptextright18991701/tech/modp-0907-project-nissan-350z-twin-turbomodp_0907_02+nissan_350z_twin_turbo+front_right.jpgTrue

There isn’t much to be done to an NSX when it comes to making it handle better. More times than not, most changes made aren’t improvements at all. Even slight changes in wheel and tire sizing might drastically change the car’s limit-handling character.inline_mediumwraptextright18992421/tech/modp-0907-acura-nsx-kw-v3-clubsport-suspensionmodp_0907_02+acura_nsx_suspension_settings+skipda_testing.jpgTrue

If you read the May issue of Modified, then you'll probably remember the test drive we did of Hyundai's new and affordable rear-wheel-drive sports coupe, the Genesis Coupe. Test driver and senior editor Andy Hope felt that the 210-bhp, 2-liter turbo version would be the hot ticket with some mods, but in stock form enjoyed the V-6 version more for its ability to hang the tail end out, thanks to its 306-bhp and easily disabled traction control. Question is, how receptive will the 2.0T Genesis Coupe be to some aftermarket monkey business designed to push horsepower up into rear-tire-burning territory? To answer that question, I turned to AMS Performance's special projects technician Ivan Phipps (whose 9-second, street-legal S14 was featured back in July '07), who recently picked up a Nordschleife Gray 2.0T Track coupe in order to evaluate it and develop a line of AMS go-fast goodies for it.inline_mediumwraptextrightIvan Phipps and the AMS R&D team have been working overtime to evaluate the coupe and have already prototyped a number of bolt-on power-adders, including a full turbo-back exhaust system.19043175/tech/modp-0907-2010-hyundai-genesis-coupe-turbomodp_0907_01+2010_hyundai_genesis_coupe_turbo+on_the_lift.jpgTrue

Kumho
Ecsta SPT
The Ecsta SPT has a unique casing construction that allows it to absorb bumps, making it ideal for sports car owners on a budget. Select sizes are available in colored smoke for drifting.
www.kumhousa.com

Sizing 15"–22"
UTQG 180inline_mediumwraptextright16855787/tech/modp-0906-performance-tire-buyers-guidemodp_0906_01+performance_tire_buyers_guide+kumho+ecsta_spt.jpgTrue

ARC
Evo X Super Induction Box A
RC’s Super Induction Box is a full aluminum dual-filter replacement for your stock box. The intake has immaculate welds and fits to your stock MAF pipe. The ARC super induction box focuses on low, mid and high engine response. When stepping on the gas, in between the cleaner and the intake manifold, is unused air. ARC invented this induction box to utilize the unused air and give it better airflow and better response.
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Hybrid powertrains and performance rarely find themselves in the same sentence. Famed Honda tuning house Mugen can be credited for this occasion. The Honda tuning specialist has set its sights on the all-new Insight by developing a line of parts that address the footwork and aerodynamic aura of Honda’s fuel-sipper.inline_mediumwraptextright16326767/tech/modp-0906-mugen-tuned-insight-hybrid-newsmodp-0906-02-o-news-mugen-insight.jpgTrue

Sporting a new set of 17x8.5-inch +32 SSR Type-F wheels and Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec tires, the DC2 Integra had the right footwork. But with its stock ride height and plush suspension, it looked more like a 4x4 than a sports car. Some suspension tuning would fix that.

Size: 245/40R17 (f), 255/40R17 (r)
Type: Maximum-grip summer tire
UTQG: 200 AA A
Features:
W speed rating safe up to sustained 168-mph use.
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Back in the day, most aftermarket and factory turbocharger systems featured simple log-style exhaust manifolds. But just like on normally aspirated engines, where exhaust manifold design has become recognized as a critical element to maximizing horsepower and torque output, there has been increasing attention paid to turbocharger and turbo manifold design. Divided or "twin-scroll" turbos and manifolds have emerged as the preferred design of many of the top tuners and even OEMs, showing up on high-performance models like the Mitsubishi EVO, Pontiac Solstice GXP and JDM Impreza STI. But what exactly are the differences between single-scroll (or constant pressure) turbo systems and twin-scroll (or two-pulse) turbo systems and how do these design differences impact overall engine performance?inline_mediumwraptextright16322615/tech/modp-0906-twin-scroll-turbo-system-designmodp-0906-02-o-twin-scroll-cut-away.jpgTrue

At 51 years old, Nick Thomas is not the man you’d expect to see behind the wheel of the three rotary beasts you see here. Throw in his proper British accent and high-power executive demeanor, and any cop pulling this car over is in for a bit of a surprise when the tinted windows roll down. But there’s a reason for this. Thomas is the modern-day Sisyphus, smitten by the rotary gods and damned to collect and restore rotaries for all eternity.

Nitto Tire and Team Achilles Motorsports recently competed in the world’s longest endurance race: the 25 Hours of Thunderhill. The race requires teams to drive throughout the night for 25 hours straight. At the end of 25 hours the team with the most laps is declared the winner. The team campaigned a BMW M3 in the second fastest class overall and the fastest class requiring D.O.T.-compliant tires. The team ran on Nitto’s NT01 road race tires. Nitto created a new website that documents the race as it unfolded. inline_mediumwraptextrightnitto tires48064018507096/tech/modp-0905-nitto-thunderhill-endurance-racemodp-0905-01-o-nitto-tire-volk-racing-wheel.jpgTrue

Introduction
When you decide to alter your vehicle’s stance, nine out of ten times the geometry changes in a negative way, which then goes on to affect the performance and daily driving abilities of your car. Luckily, the fix is an easy one. Adjustable suspension control arms will allow you to align and setup your car to your desired specs. However, there are many pieces floating around on the market that are poorly made but come at a bargain price, making them hard to resist. Fight the urge and remember that control arms are a critical component on your car and having one fail can spell disaster before you know it.
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While most people ignore it, there’s still pretty common knowledge that tires are the most important part you can throw at a car. And it makes sense because the rubber on your wheels is all that keeps a car on the road. But if tires are so important, then it would mean that the wheels they are mounted on play almost as important of a role in vehicle performance, right?inline_mediumwraptextright1200160017571037/tech/modp-0906-mitsubishi-lancer-evo-9-wheel-testermodp-0906-25-mitsubishi-lancer-evo-9-wheel-tester-test-car.jpgTrue

When it comes to fast streetcars, low-rpm torque is king. It's low-rpm torque that lets a car initially pull away from a light or pass on the highway with just a tip of the throttle and no downshift. That's why nothing beats a big pushrod V-8 when it comes to stoplight racing. (Not that we would know anything about that.) Project WRX offers the next best thing: A fast-spooling turbo matched to an engine that moves plenty of air at very low engine speeds with relatively low redline. This means our turbo spools instantly and provides the most air where the engine wants to make torque, before 5,252 rpm. The compressor and turbine on the stock turbine maxes out just shortly after that, but by then you're probably already at the next light. Low-end grunt means faster acceleration without having to wait for boost or the need to slip a clutch in order to launch the car without bogging. Even though Subaru decided to put a larger turbo on the '09 WRX, we're going to stick with our stock dinky but lightning-fast hair dryer that can come to peak torque before 3,000 rpm while still making decent power. It's like having rally car response without the inlet restrictor and anti-lag.

If there's one good thing about driving a cheap car, it's that you never feel bad when you own it. Have you ever flown off track and gotten the bumper pelted with a shotgun blast of pebbles? No problem, it didn't look that great to begin with. Is your fuel level gauge not working? Who cares? This car is more than 19 years old. Just keep your auto club membership card in your glovebox (they'll eventually be on speed dial anyway). There isn't a curb, rock, parking space, racetrack, or mountain road on earth that will strike fear into your heart when you're driving a cheap car that won't likely be mistaken for a Ferrari F430. It's a great state of mind to be in. Who needs an STI or Evo right?

For all the time and effort we spend on making power, few people really take tuning to the next step by optimizing the transmission's gear ratios to the engine's power curve. It's not nearly as important if the car is new and has an abundance of power but, in the case of Project Corolla, gearing can mean everything on the track.

Back when we still had our bone stock 2006 Subaru WRX project car we undertook a little intake test to see just how aftermarket air intakes work. The question wasn't so much whether an intake made power or not but was more about how it made power. We tested the stock intake box, an Injen cold air (or long runner intake assembly), and a K&N Typhoon short intake on Crawford/i-Speed's Dynapack dynamometer. Each intake was tested with the ECU cleared of all its learned long term fuel trim, boost and igniton timing adaptations and dyno'd three times to let the car learn on the dyno at WOT, allowing the ECU to learn only performance oriented mapping trims. The final pull was again with the ECU reset, just to confirm if anything else had changed. The runs for the stock curves were the baseline performance curves, taken with the car pulling into the shop after running many street miles on the stock ECU. After a hard reset and a "dyno" learning cycle, we see the "Stock Learned" curves are more performance oriented. Physical measurements of each intake's external and internal geometry were also made to see if the power gains were from flow considerations in the hardware itself.

When we last left off with Project S13, we just started getting ambitious with our second-hand project car. The base platform for cheap speed was already in place when we started - SR20DET swap, 198whp, new brakes, and a TEIN suspension. Shaking loose nineteen years worth of age was as simple as new Energy Suspension urethane bushings, brake pads, tires, and a comprehensive fluid and water pump swap. Almost.

Let's start with a simple fact - there's no pouring of anything when it comes to making tires. A tire isn't made by pouring rubber into a mold and letting it cure. Just as we discussed in Part 1 of our tire tech series, the modern radial tire is a complex part made of many parts. Each part is laid up in progression as the tire is built from the inside out. Depending on the purpose of the tire, each of these components will differ in design and compounding. In Part 2, we'll take a pictorial look at just how a tire is manufactured and assembled with an unprecedented tour of Continental Tire's Mount Vernon manufacturing facility. Even within the passenger classification, tires are drastically different in construction, parts, materials, and assembly. We'll be looking at just the construction of a passenger tire from an overall perspective.

Project NSX

Somewhere in our mission statement, underneath all the hoopla about performance, going fast and real world testing, there's a miniscule clause that says we also care about how our cars look. Something we've ignored in our long tradition of beaters and Krylon specials.

It's time to wrap up our Castrol Syntec Top Shop Challenge VQ35DE engine build. The opportunity to work with Cosworth Engineering has given us a lot of insight as to what it takes to design and build a race engine, but with the competition just around the corner, it's time to wrap it up. Now that the bottom end is built and the Cosworth CNC heads are bolted down, all that's left is to look at the gas exchange process, or sucking and blowing as we call it.