This past Friday night, NASA’s 3rd attempt to launch mission STS-128 was a success. We were lucky enough to gain access to this event and actually had closer seats than even the press. The Discovery Space Shuttle is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station during its 13 day voyage. Here are a few pictures and a video of the launch. Enjoy.
Eibach Sportline is the extreme-performance spring set created for the extreme enthusiast—the one who craves a race-car attitude for maximum street performance—with the lowest possible drop, but with the exceptional ride quality you expect from Eibach.
Engineered with the same care as our Pro-Kit springs, Eibach Sportline springs achieve legendary handling by aggressively lowering your Hyundai’s center of gravity, using our precision— engineered progressive spring rates.
Sportline:
Extreme Performance Meets Extreme Style
Race-Car Like Handling
Lower than our PRO-KIT—Lowers Genesis 1.4″ Front and 1.6″ Rear
Progressive Spring Design
Excellent Ride Quality
Part of the Eibach SPORT-PLUS
Million Mile Warranty
By radically lowering your car’s center of gravity, our Sportline springs dramatically reduce squat during acceleration, body roll in corners and nosedive under braking. By using our proprietary, progressive spring design, our Sportline springs provide the ultimate balance between high performance, extreme lowering and comfortable ride quality. When combined with today’s wild 18″, 19″ or 20″ wheels and tires, the result is a car that handles just as white-hot as it looks.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
FRONT:
OE rate: 25 N/mm (141 lbs/in)
SLK rate: Progressive 24-42 N/mm
(137-240 lbs/in)
Tubing: Yes
Bump-stop: New Eibach bumpstop and dustboot
OE wheel center to fender: 384mm
(15.1 in)
SLK wheel center to fender: 349mm
(13.7 in)
Sportline can be aligned to OE specifications.
Approximate installation time: 1.0 hr
REAR:
OE bar: 54 mm (308 lbs/in)
SLK rate: Progressive 26-81 N/mm
(148-461 lbs/in)
Tubing: Yes
Bump-stop: New Eibach bumpstop
OE wheel center to fender: 394mm
(15.5 in)
SLK wheel center to fender: 353mm
(13.9 in)
Sportline can be aligned to OE specifications.
Approximate installation time: 1.0 hr
This weekend team Titan is participating in the 19th annual Fast Fours & Roteries Jamboree at Willowbank Raceway, in Queensland Australia. The team departed Tuesday on the 20+ hour flight “Down Under”, and arrived Thursday (14 hours ahead). The racing doesn’t start until the 29th but we have begun testing and have a few spy shots form the track.
Turbonetics introduces compressor anti-surge and turbocharger protection for the BMW 335i coupe and sedan. Designed to minimize wear on the internal bearings of the turbochargers and provide increased throttle response, the 335i BOV kit combines increased durability and performance.
BMW owners have always understood the link between form and function. Just like the factories the vehicles come from aftermarket parts need to live up to design and performance. The Turbonetics 335i BOV kit surpasses both standards. As today’s cars become more and more finely tuned to wring every last bit of performance and fuel economy, certain parts are called on more than others. The forced induction system on the 335i’s N54 engine platform is pushed to greater limits with small twin turbochargers come from the factory running higher than average boost levels. With higher boost comes added stress on the turbochargers rotating components. A well designed and efficient blow-off valve kit helps to alleviate unnecessary wear and strain on the turbochargers internal thrust bearings, turbine wheel shaft, increase lifespan and improve performance.
Turbonetics BMW 335i BOV Kit
Part Number: 11403
Kit features:
• Twin Raptor Blow-Off Valves easily handling 600+HP for maximum flow and efficiency
• High flow BOV filters to prevent particulate entry and noise suppression
• Polished aluminum BOV’s for high strength & clean looks
• Filters are removable for increased sound appeal
• Polished aluminum horns available separately
• Precision machined adaptor flanges to mount to factory positions
• All hardware, and accessories necessary for installation
Why are blow-off valves important? The turbocharger is moving large amounts of air while under boost, and this pressure is being delivered to the engine while the throttle is depressed. As soon as the throttle is lifted the butterfly closes in the throttle body preventing the pressurized air from entering the intake manifold. Because the engine is still moving exhaust gases and the inertia of the turbocharger is turning the turbine and compressor wheels, the air literally stacks up against the throttle blades. Pressure builds up within the system’s piping extremely quickly and once it reaches the compressor wheel the air actually flows back out of the compressor inlet and limits the compressor from rotating. Because of the air reversing direction the pressure drops allowing the wheel to spin and once again raise the pressure. This process of up and down pressure and air reversal is surge and the result is the fluttering/barking sound that comes from the turbo. Surge is very detrimental to the turbocharger, resulting in various stresses being placed on the unit. The compressor wheel has high loads placed on it as it tries to move against this wall of air, and as high pressure air finds its way behind the compressor wheel. Compressor surge can result in the compressor wheel spinning on the shaft, shaft breakage, bearings to have unnecessary wear and potentially create contact between the wheels and housings.
The compressor blow-off valve is placed after the intercooler and before the throttle body to help eliminate the pressurized air. Vacuum controlled, the BOV receives a signal from inside the intake manifold or just after the throttle body, pulling up on a diaphragm, causing a valve to open inside the unit. The pressurized air that is discharged is then routed back to the inlet of the turbocharger or vented to atmosphere protecting the compressor from surge and assisting in maintaining the speed at which the turbochargers wheels are turning improving throttle response and drivability.
This morning we had the pleasure of picking up this beautiful CLK Black Series for a series of upgrades we will be installing here at Titan Motorsports. The car was recently wrapped in Matte black vinyl which looks absolutely stunning in person. While this treatment has gotten very popular in recent months almost to the point of saturation, this car definitely pulls the look off better than most. The car in stock form makes 465hp/500tq, however we’re expecting quite a bit more after installing headers/intake/exhaust and an RennTech ECU reflash. The 7speed gearbox makes driving in traffic anything but a chore, while providing smooth crisp shifts during performance driving. A custom cut set of DPE’s is on the way for test fitment complete with matte black center, once we confirm they fit we will be installing them on the vehicle and lowering the improve the vehicles stance.
Tanabe has recently released the Touring Medalion Exhaust T70146 for the new Nissan GT-R.
It features 70-80mm piping, and a 120mm tip.
Injen Technology continues to lead the way, delivering “World Class Performance Intakes”. Injen’s patented MR step-down process and Air Fusion come together to give you the first pre-tuned, twin, cold air intakes engineered for your 370Z. The all-new SP1989P keeps raising the bar as the only “Tuned Cold Air Intake System” on the market capable of producing up to 15HP and 11ft/lbs of Torque.
This past weekend, Titan Motorsports raced at National Trail Raceway in Columbus Ohio, for the ADRL Ohio Drags III.
We had spent the last week and a half prior to the event at Rick Jones Racecars, making sure the car was ready to go for this race after the wreck we had in St. Louis two weeks prior. The car left Rick Jones’ on Wednesday, August 19, and we were unable to test the car before Ohio. We had to make some adjustments to the car after being repaired so we were unsure how the car would react.
ADRL has recently eliminated the normal Friday test session so the first run since the repairs would be the 1st qualifying round of the Columbus race. The car left the starting line fine but started to drift towards the left around 60 ft out. In the second round of qualifying, we had better results. Despite the car snaking around between the center line and the wall, the car still made a solid 4.09 run at 179.5 mph. This put us in the #1 qualifier position for a while until Chuck Ulsch took it away in round 3. We did however manage to maintain the #2 qualifier position. We once again had another solid qualifying effort. That makes 4 races in a row we have qualified in the #2 spot.
In the first round of eliminations we were able to overtake our opponent, even though we had a less than stellar run. The car had begun to slide around in the middle of the racetrack and driver Gary White had to lift off of the throttle a few times to keep the car under control. The car slowed to a 4.5 second run, but the car in the other lane had problems as well, and we were able to advance.
In the second round we were matched against the #4 points position holder Todd Moyer. “This was one of the wildest runs this year” claimed Titan owner Nero Deliwala. Once again, at about 60 feet out, the car moved out to the left. We had a .990 second 60 ft, but the car had drifted so far left that Gary had to lift off of the throttle to save the car from going over the center line. Moyer also had problems and lifted the front tires 4 feet off the ground halfway down the track. The Scion ran a 4.54 second pass, but was edged out by Moyer’s quick recovery and 4.52 second pass. In the shuffle, Moyer damaged the engine when the rear tires unloaded from the wheelie. In a show of great sportsmanship, despite being handed a defeat, team Titan, along with Grahm from team Pappas chipped in to help Moyer get ready for the next round.
We will be testing before Rockingham to make sure the car is 100%. As the past races have shown, the ADRL XTF class is immensely competitive and anything less than 100% just won’t do. Chuck Ulsch proved this by once again breaking another record into the 3’s, running a 3.982! What may be even more impressive is the fact that he backed up his run with a 3.99 at 201.28 mph! Not only was Ulsch the first in the 3’s on a 10.5” tire, but now the first to break the 200 mph barrier. Many of the Pro Extreme guys are not even hitting that mph in the 1/8th. We love the level that the XTF class has risen to and hope to continue our success in the class as well. We’ll see you at the races!
Looking for some quick bolt-on power? The all new SES1837ICP is guaranteed to deliver all the speed you need on demand! This eye catching upper intercooler piping will pack on an additional 8HP and 8Ft/Lbs of Torque to the wheels. Go with Injen Technology the only intake company that tunes with the patented MR Technology step-down process.
T1 Race Development has introduce the latest injector, the ID2000 to their Injector Dynamics line of injectors.
The ID2000 fills out the Injector Dynamics range by providing as much as 3700cc/min at 130 psi. For you monster power methanol guys, that means 1 injector per cylinder for all but the most demanding applications. For those of you who need more flow than an ID1000 at 100 psi, the ID2000 fits the bill nicely and will deliver 2200cc/min at 43.5 psi. (3 bar). And…it will do it with the same low pulse-width extension as the ID1000. What that means to you is the extra fuel you need without sacrificing the bottom end, or a large investment in the fuel delivery system.
The first question asked about the ID2000 was “My car idles horribly with 1600cc injectors, how could it possibly be better with a 2000cc injector. The answer is exceptional linearity and low pulse-width extension. The chart below shows the response of the Bosch 1600cc injector, and the new ID2000.
Those of you who have tuned with the 1600’s know what a bitch it can be to get a smooth idle, but maybe you didn’t know why. You’ve probably noticed that pretty much every car you have tuned with them idles with a pulse-width of roughly 1.5msec. You probably also noticed that small changes in air temp compensation, manifold pressure, or any other minor disturbance that would cause the pulse-width to change has a drastic effect on the fuel ratio. And you probably even noticed that the idle mixture got richer even if you made the pulse-width smaller! Well…now you know why. (Or you didn’t bother to look at the chart!)
In comparison, the ID2000 is extremely well behaved down low and will not only be a breeze to tune, but it will respond properly to air temp and manifold pressure compensations. To show just how low the ID2000’s will go, Tony put a set in a bone stock 1.8 liter 120hp non VTEC Integra. (Yes, I laughed too!)
So do they purr like a stock injector at 14.7:1 air fuel ratio like the ID1000’s? Absolutely not. But… they do hold a nice smooth idle at 850 rpm with no coughs and hiccups, and the car drives nicely through the powerband.
Now by no means does Injector Dynamics claim that this is the perfect injector for your 120hp Integra, but if it will idle and drive smooth in this application, those of you who need this kind of flow will be thrilled with its low pulse-width performance.
Low pulsewidth extension is just half the picture. We also need our injectors to deliver when we stick our foot in it. Every injector has a definable characteristic called the recovery time. The recovery time is the amount of time that we need to let the injector “rest” between pulses if we want to maintain linearity. Looking back at the chart, you can see that the 1600 starts to deviate from linearity at about 7.9 milliseconds while the ID2000 will run up to about 9.2 milliseconds before it starts to go steeply non linear. Since the injectors were cycled at 100hz, a 10 millisecond pulse-width equals 100% duty cycle. That gives the ID2000 a recovery time of .8 millisecond while the 1600 has a recovery time of about 2.1 milliseconds. So what does that mean in the real world? It means that at 9000rpm where we have one intake cycle occurring every 13.33 milliseconds, the ID2000 can run linearly all the way to 12.53 milliseconds while the 1600 is limited to 11.23 milliseconds. To put this in terms everyone can easily understand, the ID2000 will maintain linearity up to 94% duty cycle while the 1600 is limited to 84.25%, and when it does go non linear, it does so very abruptly!
Just like the rest of the Injector Dynamics line, they are modified and tested in groups of 200pcs. They are tested from zero pulse-width to 100% duty cycle, and matched across the pulse-width range. The matching process is based on the dynamic flow of the injector not the static flow, and all sets are matched to +/- 1% from 2 milliseconds on up. The result is injector sets that are matched as well at idle as they are at maximum duty cycle. It should be obvious that this is the only type of matching that relates to performance on a running vehicle. (Unless you run your injectors static!)
Applications Available:
ID2000-11-48 (48mm O-ring To O-ring and 11mm Top O-ring)
ID2000-14-48 (48mm O-ring To O-ring and 14mm Top O-ring)
ID2000-11-60 (60mm O-ring To O-ring and 11mm Top O-ring)
ID2000-14-60 (60mm O-ring To O-ring and 14mm Top O-ring (Standard EV1 Conf.))