About this podcast
High Performance Academy Presents: Tuned In. A podcast interviewing influential people from around the world at the top of their respected fields. Covering topics such as Tuning, CAD, Performance Engine Building, Automotive/Motorsport Wiring, Data Analysis, Driver Coaching/Training, Motorsport Fabrication and Car Setup.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 375 episodes
- 174: The Future of Custom Car Building? · 1 h 33 minWhat happens when you combine a classic Porsche 356 with a modern 718 Boxster? For Peter Lamb from Melomotive, it's an ambitious restomod project blending vintage styling with…
- 173: The Art and Science of Race-Winning Engines · 1 h 57 minWhat does it take to build race-winning engines, break land speed records and compete with some of the biggest names in NASCAR? For Brian Salter of Salter Racing Engines, the…
- 172: More Than Just HP: The Engineering Behind Drifting · 2 h 16 minWhat happens when a passion for drifting, engineering and making things turns into a full-scale manufacturing business? For Josiah Fallaise, it became FDF Race Shop — an…
- 171: The Ultimate Pikes Peak Build? Chasing the Outright Record · 2 h 1 minHow do you build a car capable of breaking the outright Pikes Peak record? For four-time winner Robin Shute, the answer was to take everything he’d learned developing his heavily…
- 170: Engine Building, Tuning & Training the Next Gen · 2 h 8 minCars weren’t an obvious career path for Angelina Alcantar. Her family had no automotive background, and her parents hoped she’d pursue something more traditional. But a…
- 169: Pushing the BMW M50 Beyond 1000HP · 2 h 1 minMaking over 1000HP is one thing — building a car that can make that power, survive constant abuse, and still be driven hundreds of miles on the street is something else entirely…
- 168: How Do You Make 3000+HP Survive Drag and Drive? · 2 h 18 minIt’s hard to believe — some would even say crazy — what modern Drag and Drive cars are capable of. Thousands of horsepower, five- and six-second passes, all while towing a…
- 167: From Turbo Hondas to Holley EFI Guru · 2 h 1 minJoe Simpson didn’t grow up building cars with his dad or surrounded by race engines. Instead, an early fascination with imports, turbo Hondas, and the underground tuning scene…
- 166: Building Record-Breaking GT-Rs & Lamborghinis | AMS Performance · 2 h 8 minWhen Martin designed his first camshaft for the Ford Merkur XR4Ti, he probably never imagined that one day he'd be building some of the fastest GT-Rs and Lamborghinis in the…
- 165: Pioneering the Mazda FD3S RX-7 · 2 h 4 minWe often hear about drivers who built successful racing careers, but Peter Farrell’s story goes far beyond the driver’s seat. While many enthusiasts know him for his work…
- 164: CAD: The Gateway to Making Dreams a Reality · 1 h 20 minWe all dream up incredible vehicle concepts—Nate Wilkerson of Wilkerson Customs brings them to life. Combining engineering expertise, CAD design, and a lifelong passion for…
- 163: ZF 8HP: The Automatic Everyone Wants? · 1 h 24 minAutomatic transmissions were once the last thing performance enthusiasts wanted in their builds—but that’s changing fast. Greg from Turbolamik is at the centre of that shift…
- 162: The Real Science Behind Engine Airflow & Performance · 2 h 2 minSome people learn engines by doing—others take it a step further and truly understand the physics behind what’s happening. Jake from Bain Racing sits firmly in that second…
- 161: Standalone vs OEM ECU: Understanding Modern Engine Control · 1 h 50 minFrom carburettors and distributors to neural networks and AI-driven ECUs, Gerry Bechet’s career spans the full evolution of modern engine control. From his early days at Toyota…
- 160: Next-Level Toyota Builds with Ryan Tuerck – ST205 Celica · 1 h 29 minWe all fantasise about dream car builds, whether they’re elaborate masterpieces never done before or something stock standard we’ve seen a hundred times. Some people just have a…
- 159: BMW Direct Injection on MoTeC: Genius or Headache? · 2 h 11 minPort-injected engines and aftermarket standalone ECUs go hand in hand—but controlling direct-injected engines is far less charted territory. Brett Strom from Strom Motorsport has…
- 158: No Compromise? Why the 8HP Might Be the Ultimate Transmission · 1 h 39 minHaving a silky-smooth automatic alongside a quick-shifting manual transmission capable of handling 1000HP in the same transmission seems impossible—but the ZF 8HP might just…
- 157: Inside IndyCar’s Golden Era of Racing · 1 h 42 minThe 1990s were arguably the ‘Golden Era’ of motorsport, particularly in the world of wings-and-slicks racing. High-revving engines, intense competition, and iconic car designs…
- 156: Breaking Down Diesel: Myths, Tuning & Truth · 1 h 40 minThe internet is packed with misleading information—and the automotive world is no exception. Thankfully, creators like Jamin Seat from the YouTube channel Freedom Worx are…
- 155: Building The Worlds Best Sounding 5 Rotor · 2 h 5 minDavid Mazzei may well have the best-sounding turbocharged rotary on the planet, but how he chased down that elusive F1 V10 sound with this masterpiece of an engine is somewhat…
- 154: 1000+ HP Diesels to 2JZ Weapons — Chuckles Garage Does It All · 1 h 50 minPikes Peak and land speed record racing couldn’t be more different when it comes to motorsport, and that’s exactly why Scott Birdsall from Chuckles Garage is so interesting. From…
- Revisited: Want to Get Your Car Handling Better Than Ever Before? Listen to This. · 1 h 59 min*** We’ll be taking a break over the Christmas/New Year period and will be back in action mid-January. That means that although there won’t be any new episodes for a few weeks…
- Revisited: Is Honda’s K-Series Really the Greatest 4-Cylinder Ever Made? · 2 h 16 min*** We’ll be taking a break over the Christmas/New Year period and will be back in action mid-January. That means that although there won’t be any new episodes for a few weeks…
- 153: A High School Project Gone Wild: 1,450HP IndyCar x Firebird · 1 h 54 minWhat would happen if you took an IndyCar inspired chassis, dropped a 1973 Pontiac Firebird body over the top of it, and then added a 1,450hp twin-turbo LS? That’s essentially…
- 152: Building a Lamborghini Gallardo into a WTAC Weapon · 1 h 45 minThere’s no arguing the Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 is no slouch. But the World Time Attack Challenge is a whole different league, and in standard form this factory race car is…
- 151: CBR1000 x Miata - A Match Made in Heaven? · 1 h 18 minMany car enthusiasts have fantasised about a lightweight car with a motorcycle engine swap. After all, what’s not to like about a high-revving, lightweight engine that produces…
- 150: The Self-Taught Way: Building Wild Engines from Scratch · 1 h 56 minImagine being a self-taught engineer who mastered the intricacies of engine design and is now building bespoke engines from the ground up. That’s exactly what Josh Valman from…
- 149: Cracking the CAN Code: Mastering Integration in Performance Builds · 1 h 52 minCAN communication might seem like a secret, nerdy language spoken only by electronic components —and, in a way, it is. But behind that digital chatter lies the key to unlocking…
- 148: The “Impossible” Backyard V10 Screamer · 1 h 53 minWant a high-revving, F1-sounding, naturally aspirated V10 on a budget? Sounds impossible—until Jack and Diego from Build It Yourself made it happen. They took a humble Ford V10…
- 147: Inside the Art of Bespoke Engine Building · 1 h 35 minWhether it’s a bespoke quad-turbo V12 or a modified OE production engine, the fundamentals remain the same—we’re all looking for those extra gains. Italtecnica’s Riccardo Breda…
- 146: From Home Builds to Hypercars: Composites for Everyone · 1 h 45 minComposites might seem like the secret language of aerospace engineers and hypercar builders, but Gabriel Mountjoy from Common Fibers is here to break down those barriers. He’s…
- 145: How to Avoid Wasting Thousands on the Dyno · 1 h 56 minIt’s common for car enthusiasts to rush their car onto the dyno before it’s truly ready, only to have it strapped down and the tuner uncover a list of issues. Nothing kills the…
- 144: Is a Retired F1 Car the Ultimate Track Toy? · 1 h 38 minFormula 1 represents the pinnacle of motorsport and James Densley along with the team at TDF Limited are breathing new life into retired F1 cars, transforming them back into the…
- 143: DIY Motorsport Isn’t Easy But It’s Insanely Rewarding · 2 h 0 minNo matter the stage of a build, most projects reach a point where giving up feels tempting. They demand grit and perseverance—and Karel Silha from Karel S Motorsport’s wild…
- Field Report: Why Your CAD Designs Don't Work · 10 minDesigning an elaborate engine block or cylinder head in CAD is one thing, but actually manufacturing that design is another challenge altogether. In this video, we talk with…
- 142: “Composites” aren’t just for high-end motorsport · 1 h 22 min“Composites” aren’t just expensive and elaborate carbon fibre parts for high-end race teams. It may be easier, more accessible, and cheaper than you think to get started in the…
- Field Report: A Clever Solution | 400HP 3-Cylinder G16E-GTS · 9 minThe Toyota GR Yaris and GR Corolla are already cult favourites, and now they’re about to get even faster. Use the code ‘PODCAST500’ to get $500 OFF HPA's VIP Package…
- Field Report: Is a 940kg Toyota MRS the ULTIMATE Grassroots Racer? · 13 min"The closest we've got to a mechanic is a panel beater." - Has this group of friends on a budget built something quicker and more special than many big chequebook builds ever…
- 141: This Could Make or Break Your New Harness. · 1 h 50 minForget the hype around “Mil-Spec” wiring — most builds don’t need it. Smart, fit-for-purpose materials and design can still deliver a reliable harness with great performance and…
- Field Report: A BETTER conversion option? · 9 minEver wondered what it takes to convert an old car into a modern 600hp EV using aftermarket tech instead of a Tesla swap? Use the code ‘PODCAST500’ to get $500 OFF HPA's VIP…
- Field Report: 550hp Micra | 'Let TORQUE take the wheel' · 7 minEver seen a 550whp front-wheel-drive Micra out on track? Sean Austin’s FWD K11 Nissan Micra is running a turbocharged Primera P11 SR20VE+T Neo VVL (the best SR20?) & 6-speed…
- 140: You Don't Need a PhD to Add SERIOUS Performance. · 1 h 54 minYou can go a long way with club-level aero — and this is how to do it. On this week's episode of Tuned In, ex-Mercedes F1 aerodynamicist and brand new HPA tutor Kyle Forster…
- Field Report: They Can't Afford to Get This Wrong. · 8 minEver wonder how a connecting rod that can handle 3000hp+ is designed, tested, and manufactured? Here's a rare inside look at how true high performance aftermarket components are…
- Field Report: 1969 Datsun + 16 feet of Titanium = 1 EPIC Build. · 11 minWhat happens when you combine flame-bent titanium, 3D scanning, and a 1969 Datsun Roadster? You get one of our favourite builds, and a happy missus. Connor McElvain @ConnorButter…
- 139: The TRUTH Behind Drivetrain Losses on the Dyno. · 1 h 57 minReal-world performance is what matters when tuning a vehicle, but let’s not pretend the numbers on a dyno sheet mean nothing. The thing is… How can we trust one result from…
- Field Report: Why YOU Are Doing Car Aero WRONG. · 20 minWe often chase engine and tuning upgrades first, but could a front splitter and rear wing be a smarter starting point for our race cars? We caught up with Kyle Forster from JKF…
- Field Report: Can 'Over Building' Your Engine Damage It? · 7 minSome bearings are tough enough to survive 3000 horsepower, but that doesn’t mean you should use them in your street build. Choosing the right bearing isn’t as simple as just…
- 138: The Secret to Effective Aero on a Budget. · 1 h 43 minThink getting extra speed out of an aero package is just for the pros with all the money? It’s not... But you DO need to know what you’re doing. This week, we’re sitting down…
- Field Report: Will This Replace Your Tape Measure? · 16 min3D scanners are not always cheap, but here's why they might still be worth your money. 3D scanning is changing the game for motorsport and custom fabrication, and tools like the…
- 137: Fabricating the BEST Custom Cars on Earth. · 1 h 54 minAnyone who knows modified cars will have heard of the Ring Brothers, builders of some of the greatest custom machines ever conceived. With huge scope and an equally impressive…
