For those of you keeping up with the latest entrees, you’ll know we just got back from Birmingham, UK and posted some pictures from Autosport 2009. Well we took some time, and the train, down to New Street, Birmingham’s downtown district. It was foggy and cold but we managed to snap a few shots of the local culture. Look for a later write up on Café Rouge and O’Neill’s next week. Cheers!
Today we recieved our first sample of the new Carbon Fiber Timing Cover we will be releasing soon for the 2JZ. Over the years we have received many requests for this item, and with no alternatives in the market we decided it was time to begin working on such a piece. Like our other carbon fiber pieces, this piece will be a direct replacement of your lower timing cover, and will match our carbon spark plug cover perfectly. Once fitment is verified we will go to full production with this item and expect a 3-4 week turnaround time. These will be retailed for $329.00 each, however we will be offering the first batch for $299.00 for early adopters. We anticipate the first batch to arrive before TX2K9 for those looking to gain that extra edge in the show and shine.
After months of stockpiling parts and testing the stock turbochargers, we had some extra time in the shop this week to begin upgrading Project Porsche. Here are some of the upgrades she’ll be recieving this go around.
If all goes as planned we should also begin initial testing of our Motec PNP kit as well. We’re still waiting on some body panels and suspension, but our goal is to have everything done and the car at Daytona running next week for Rolex 24 Hours.
When you’re pushing over 1,500hp on gasoline and 1,900hp on methanol with a inline 6 engine, you need to make sure every part of the rotating assembly is up to par for the course. In the past few years we’ve seen 2JZ development go to a level beyond what many would have imagined when many of the parts we use where originally developed. Through years of racing and pushing our engines to their limits we have found what once was considered “indestructible” now needs to be improved to hold up to the rigors of racing. We are fortunate to have great sponsors and technology partners who help us in our quest to create the best 2JZ engines available. One such partner is Sean Crawford and the gang at JE Pistons, whom I had the pleasure of visiting a few months ago on a trip to California for the Red Bull Drifting Championship. After a few discussions with Sean over dinner about advances in technology initially found through their partnership with many Nextel cup teams, we began talking about improvements to our current 2JZ pistons. We’ve made small improvements for the application along the way, but Sean felt it might be best to go back to the drawing board and see what we could come up with using the latest CNC and forging technology available at JE.
We’ve spent the past few weeks working closely with JE’s engineering department to create a pistons that is both strong, reliable and lightweight. The new JE Pistons are being custom engineered and manufactured specifically for our Titan 2JZ engine program, and include the following features and improvements :
Custom Design: After receiving several years feedback and data from our drag engines, JE has been able to custom tailor our pistons designs to perform flawlessly in high horsepower 2JZ engines. Small changes such as top ring location, skirt shape, bottom band design, crown thickness and more have been adjusted to improve performance and durability. The wrist pin has also be moved up to be compatible with the longer stroke crankshaft.
Lateral Gas Ports: These are the small holes that are drilled into the top of the top ring groove. Lateral gas ports allow combustion pressure to get behind the top ring and push it outward. This helps the top ring seal during the compression and power stroke, while does not significantly increasing drag during the intake and exhaust stroke.
3D Undercrown milling: Our new pistons feature a 3D CNC milling on the undercrown of the piston to remove any extra weight and make the piston crown a consistent thickness.
Accumulator groove: When combustion pressure passes by the top ring, it can build pressure between the top and second ring. If this pressure gets too high, it can cause the top ring to loose seal. To help prevent this problem, our new pistons feature a accumulator groove below the top ring to provide more volume between the top and second rings.
Scalloped valve reliefs: When the valve reliefs intersect the outside of the pistons, a thin spot can be created on the piston crown. JE removed these thin spots to prevent pre-ignition.
Premium Wrist Pin: Our new pistons feature a .210″ thick wrist pin manufactured from premium 9310 steel. The extra thickness will reduce bending,flexing, and cracking in our high boost engine
After extensive testing with computer models, we received our first set of prototype pistons incorporating these improvements today. With weight being a key factor in the modifications we were very pleased to end up with a piston that is 79 grams lighter than our current 2Jz piston, and 41 grams lighter than the lightest 2JZ piston we’ve tested. Initial product testing will be completed in a test engine during the quest for new records. We also have other engines slated to receive these pistons in the near future for further testing. Like all of our developmental products if they prove to be as successful on the track as they are on paper, they will find their way into our Titan built to order engine programs that our customers can purchase to be the king of their street. This is just the first of many improvements being made using computer modeling, cell testing of every component within our already potent engine. As we prove these components as we have in the past, our customers can expect the absolute best when it comes to parts from the 2JZ. Keep an eye on the blog for more information on the latest releases and product development.
HRE wheels just released their latest new fitments in their Monoblock series. If you’ve seen any of our recent builds at Titan, you know that we’re big fans of HRE Wheels. HRE is the industry leader and has been building the finest custom 3 pieces wheels for ages, and their new monoblock wheels have added to this legacy. As Orlando’s authorized HRE dealer we can source any of HRE’s fine wheels for your vehicle. We can get you the custom fit and finish you’ve come to expect when modifying your luxury or performance vehicle.
The first new fitment is the M40s, available as shown, 19×8.5” front and 20×11” rear M40’s in a brushed finish.
The other new availability is for the Mercedes SLR with 20×9” front and 20×12” rear M43’s with a brushed finish.
After months of development and testing in race and street applications, we are proud to release the much anticipated Titan Camshafts. Gone are the days of being stuck to choose from 1-2 durations of standard lift camshafts and having to base your tune and setup around it. The 1S and 2S camshafts represent our first release of high lift offerings. These camshafts are typically suited for engines with turbo combinations 70mm or larger. We expect the first shipment of these to arrive January 28th, you can pre-order at the links below to get them as soon as they are released.
Thes camshafts come complete with a 30-day money back guarantee. If you test these cams and are not happy with the results after tuning, return them within 30 days of you original shipment and we will refund 100% of the price of the camshafts (shipping not included).
Please note these cams are a high lift camshaft and require a valve spring upgrade. If you are running stock valve springs we have other options in development that will work for these applications. We will be releasing a few more grinds in the coming months, keep your eyes peeled to our blog and our website for future releases.
Last week our International Wholesale Manager Eric Kerwin and I made the journey over the pond and through the fog to dreary Birmingham England for Autosport 2009. The show itself was great, consisting of two days of pure industry showcase, as well as two days designated for retail customers and general motorsports enthusiasts. It was a great show for us as we were able to talk with motorsports enthusiasts from around the world. While we were there we also took time to do a little site seeing as well as sample the local food. We will have more on that later but in the mean time we snapped a few shots of some of the cars on display. Enjoy.
We’re not just about making power, using that power wisely is equally important. Even with a fairly small office and staff, we use our fair share of supplies to keep track of orders while making sure they are processed quickly and efficiently. That means paper-work, and lots of it! With the price of basic office supplies like paper and ink growing, anything you can do to help stretch those supplies farther is key to saving money. Recently there have been a few new offerings to help business save money on printing. One of them is “ecoFont” from Spranq, a Dutch agency that helps its clients realize their advertising and creative projects from start to finish. Spranq created the “ecoFont” to help increase environmental awareness while also helping save on ink and toner costs.
How does it work? Tiny holes take up space normaly used by ink inside each letter, these blank spots reduce the amount of ink required for printing. Even though the amount saved per-letter is small, Spranq claims you can save up to 20% on printing. The “ecoFont” went thru several variations while trying to find the perfect ratio of hole-to-letter. The end result is that you have clear and easy to read text that not only helps the bottom-line, but also helps the environment. We have already adopted the font for all of our regular printing here at Titan and encourage others to do the same.
Along with using the FREE ecoFont, Spranq has some other tips to help cut costs and reduce your “carbon-footprint” :
• Only print when necessary and use a modern, energy-efficent printer
• Use unbleached paper
• Use modern color separation techniques when printing graphics and logo’s to help avoid wasting ink
• Try to batch your printing together to save energy wasted by “warming up” the printer
• If your printer doesn’t have a “sleep” mode, turn it off when not in use
You can learn more about how ecoFont can save you some green, and download a free copy at
Wednesday we had the pleasure of checking out Orlandos newest racetrack, the Central Florida Road Course. Matt and Reg Tarleton who are overseeing this project invited us out to check out their progress and let us take a few laps in our camouflage 996tt. This freshly developed course was constructed using a large paved plot just minutes from the airport and our new office location. Using bus stops in addition to the acres of paved area on the infield, they where able to create a 1 mile circuit track with various track configuration possible. The road course width is a 30’ minimum throughout and is fenced and walled with tire barriers in impact prone areas.
Overall I was very impressed with the track layout and the facility itself. The overall pavement sections where in good shape and the newly paved sections where very smooth as well. Safety barriers were still being constructed when we visited, however much of the problem areas should be well protected by concrete and tire barriers when the facility goes live in the coming weeks. There is plenty of parking outside the gates, and the interior portions of the track are well lit allowing for night driving sessions in the blazing hot summer months we get here in Florida.
Do to insurance regulations, the course is limited to licensed professional drivers, or drivers who complete the introductory driving course offered at the track. The first such class is January 11th, and we will be attending. Future membership programs and general open days are currently being scheduled, and there is talk of many clubs renting the track out for future events. Overall the track has great potential, it’s definitely not Sebring but this track was not intended to be a comparison to larger tracks. If you’re looking to test vehicle dynamics, keep your driving fresh, or want to learn road racing techniques without traveling, this facility offers a great location to do so. The fees may sound a bit expensive, however as clubs embrace this track and sponsors come on board, you can expect private rentals and open days to become much more frequent and affordable. When you factor in traveling time, hotel costs, etc for your average track weekend, the current price doesn’t seem so bad after all. Future expansion will allow for a longer track and addition facility upgrades, so support local business and check it out.