There is an absolute wealth of choices out there in the world of turbocharging. Not only are there different brands, specifications, and power outputs, but there are also different characteristics that make for a totally different power delivery.
Whether you have a stock S15 that you rarely drive, or a wild custom drag car producing a million kilowatts, one thing is certain, your radiator needs to be your best friend.
This little 4-banger has the pedigree to cause a stir from the get go.
This issue we have looked a little closer to home for a worthy race car. The Donut King Australian Performance Car Championship was a logical place to search, with its mix of eclectic race vehicles, battling it out on some of Australia’s favourite race tracks.
Forged pistons are durable, light weight and can take a right good pounding when operating.
This is why we love them and can’t get enough of them. To create something so strong often takes a fire and brimstone approach and here we take a look at the stages in the process of manufacturing a forged piston from scratch.
Winners are grinners and this Audi has held the Le Mans world to ransom for the past 5 years. Employing all the tricks at its disposal, no one can hang with this cat’s game.
Every once in a while a race car is built which is a cut above the rest. It starts off with a unique idea, develops into a vehicle, and then decimates the competition. This month we are looking at the Audi R8, a vehicle which has evolved many times, changing to its environment as needs be.
Pictures speak a thousand words and this is often the case when gazing into an engine bay with all the right goodies.
Intercoolers, intake and exhaust manifolds, wastegates, and custom piping all come together in harmony. These under-bonnet monsters are candy for the eyes as well as other senses.
Come summer time everyone’s main concern is how to keep cool.
But while you are living it up and acting a fool down at the beach getting pissed and chasing chicks, it might be an idea to have a think about how you are going to keep your car cool through out those hot months.
A dirty throttle body can cause all sorts of problems: uneven idle, slow response, lack of fuel efficiency and even stalling if there is enough of a build up of gunk.
Here we head down to Super Cheap to buy a few of the necessary items then we tackle the problem head on.
Having honed his skills in pit lanes and on racing cars everywhere, Pat Cahill was the perfect candidate for this issues ‘Player Profile’. Pat has been tuning cars of all persuasions all around the world for a solid 30 years now and what he doesn’t know about tuning probably doesn’t exist.
In general soft springs on the driven wheels will allow the tyre to provide more traction.
One thing we all share is an intense love for 4 cylinder and high tech performance vehicles. But while some of us live for the adrenalin rush that straight-line dueling provides, others crave the cocaine shot in the arm of drifting. Here we take a look at the different ways you can set your cars suspension, and what the outcomes will be.
Indy So is no stranger to the grinder and his hot dinners to port jobs ratio is exceptional
Now that the SR20 has reached almost mythical status, we at Hot 4s decided it would be of interest for our readers and ourselves to head down the SR20 modification path and build an engine with some heavy duty hard core parts and techniques.
Porting expands on the limitations of the intake and exhaust ports. If you reduce the restriction, you can get more air into the engine faster. read more >>>
Bits 'n Pieces
There are many parts which integrate to ensure that a car handles and performs the way the maker intended. Suspension is one of the most important focus areas of a car, especially if you actually plan on using the car for what it was designed for - driving!
When talking about suspension, there are a number of key components which need to be addressed in the pursuit of awe inspiring handling. Often when talking to car modifiers, once the springs and shocks are sorted, the suspension is "done". But if you are really looking for that extra edge, there are a few more areas to look into. read more >>>
Turbo Lag
Plenty of rhetoric occurs in regards to turbo lag, but often it is not truly understood. Here we try and fill in the gaps.
Lag was one of the biggest demons in a turbocharged set up. Back in the old days, when turbo charging was just finding its way into production vehicles, lag was at its all time ugliest. Low compression internals, coupled with relatively high boost and limited, primitive tuning ability created extremely peaky, temperamental and unreliable engines. They were all or nothing affairs, with two distinct personalities and neither of them actually getting the job done very well. read more >>>
Garrett in Australia
There are a surprising number of people who do not realise that Garrett has been in Australia for the best part of 40 years.
Turbocharger technology has been around for over 100 years now, and Garrett has been a massive part of the push to develop and expand on what is known about forced induction. The Garrett name is the first name you think of when turbocharging pops up in a conversation and their turbochargers are found underneath the hoods of all sorts of production cars. read more >>>
In The Clutch
The
time had come to upgrade the clutch on the 180SX, but
we needed something a bit better than the stock item
due to some serious performance work that will be occurring
in the not-too-distant future. With Exedy clutches
and Advan Performance Centre in the mix, we managed
to hit nothing but net.
It dawned
on me that a new clutch was needed
if I wanted to truly enjoy the full
pleasures of my near-stock 180SX. read more >>>
Hookin' up the
good gear
Quality
tyres are a must in any performance car build up. There’s
no point having a big power if you have bad tyres as it’s
downright dangerous.
After having to deal with bald, middle
aged, grumpy liquorice strips for longer than I deserved,
it was time to upgrade. I figured that while I’m
at it I may as well get a nice new set of tyres also. After
some discussions with people in the know, Goodyear was
contacted and a set of Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3s were on
its way. read
more >>>
The Negative’s and Positive’s of Turbocharging
The good, the bad and the ugly; we examine the ups and downs associated with turbocharging.
Plain and simple, turbochargers can make a hell of a lot of power. Forcing compressed air into the cylinders of an engine is a surefire way of punching out fat torque and kilowatt numbers. Sounds like perfection doesn’t it. Well as we have all heard before from our mother, boss or significant other, we don’t live in a perfect world, and this unfortunately applies to the world of turbos. It is inevitable that all there will be some negatives to the positives when considering forced induction. read more >>>
Hard Bar
Want a stiff ride? Here is the simple, no bulls*** way to increase the stiffness of your chassis.
Having a stiff chassis is one sure fire way to improve the whole dynamics of a vehicle. Steering response and feel is improved, grip on the front and rear is increased and general stability of the car is totally improved. Due to the strut braces evenly distributing grip between both wheels, there is an increased tyre print and therefore the suspension can work to its maximum capacity and design, as can the brakes, wheels and tyres. read more >>>
Strutin’ ‘Round
Now that we have a Whiteline front strut brace installed in the 180SX working its magic on the front towers, Hot4s felt that it was necessary to add a rear strut brace to the package to fully experience their handling benefits in conjunction. Since the Nissan is a hatch back, its chassis strength and structural integrity is compromised directly from the design. After experiencing the effects of a rear strut brace in a 180SX I must say that it is an essential upgrade for any such car. The rear was now incredibly stable and less likely to crash and buckle when hauling through a series of pot holes. If coming through a corner, accelerating hard after the apex results in the car powering down and shooting out of the corner, no mess, no fuss. read more >>>
