Tuned In

Latest Episodes:

012: Formula 1 On The Water — AC75 America's Cup Wiring With Peter Knight. Oct 29, 2021

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In this fascinating episode of High Performance Academy's Tuned In podcast, we head off on a real tangent as America's Cup electrical engineer Peter Knight — a member of this year's winning Emirates Team New Zealand syndicate — drops by the studio to give us some insight into the high-stakes world of top-tier boat racing.
Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in
While motorsport is more our speed, we were blown away by Peter's insight into this big-money racing arena. We take a look at the parallels between the two worlds when it comes to the wiring, data logging, and aerodynamics, as well as the big differences. How do you accurately measure velocity, for example, when the "track" you're racing on is moving and has a speed and direction of its own?
Peter also gives us a really interesting look into how these jaw-dropping hydrofoils actually work, and how the incredible speeds — up to three times the actual windspeed and magnitudes faster than the previous generation of Americas Cup's boats -—are achieved.
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To wrap up, Peter talks about how data can be used to improve the tactics and strategies when racing, as well as his own climb up through the ranks in the sailing world, dealing with sensitive electronics in some extremely challenging environments, and finally rebuilding and rewiring an entire boat overnight after a catastrophic near-sinking.
All this and much more can be found inside this unique episode of High Performance Academy Tuned In podcast.

011: Do You Have to Break Things to Become a Good Tuner? Universal Tuning Truths With Scott Hilzinger Oct 22, 2021

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Plenty of people in the industry think that blowing up engines and destroying parts is an essential and unavoidable aspect of the learning process when it comes to tuning, but is that really the case? In this episode of High Performance Academy's Tuned In podcast, Andre sits down with Haltech's Scott Hilzinger to answer that question, and much, much more.
Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in
Sydney-based Hilzinger discusses his first DOS-based forays into tuning as a teenager, as well as leaving that stone age behind over the next 20 years through helping to build and develop Haltech ECUs into one of the best options out there in the market.
Scott and Andre also talk about life at the sharp end of the field when dealing with extremely high horsepower builds and the different strategies and considerations that need to be kept in mind once you start pushing 3000, 4000, and even 5000hp. At this level, it's not even so much about making the power, it's about managing that power to ensure the car makes it to the finish line in one piece.
Want to learn how to EFI tune? Start with some free lessons right here: hpcdmy.co/efilesson
The pair also discuss the most common mistakes and questions that Scott always gets from his customers, as well as how you can avoid them with a little thought and commonsense. Scott really knows his stuff – knowledge that's been hard-earned over 20 years spent tuning, developing, and building engine management technology with Haltech.
Trial and error, wheels-up launches, and tuning in the stone age – all this and plenty more in this episode of High Performance Academy's Tuned In podcast with Australian tuning legend Scott Hilzinger.

010: Billet Blocks, Six-Second Quarters, And Pushing Past 2500whp with Tony Palo. Oct 15, 2021

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This week's High Performance Academy 'Tuned In' episode is all about big boost, big launches, and even bigger power figures as we sit down for an in-depth chat with T1 Race Development's Tony Palo.
Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in
Self-taught and always learning by doing, T1 Race Development's Tony Palo is a long-time industry veteran that has spent years pushing the limits of just what's possible in the import drag racing scene. Over the last decade, Tony has narrowed his focus on the venerable Nissan R35 platform, and now runs some of the fastest GTRs in the world.
In this episode, Tony talks to Andre about getting his start in the tuning world and his initial dealings with "fast" Hondas during a time when going quicker largely meant a process of trial and error. These days, things are a lot more precise, and the pair discuss the many advances that the industry has seen over the last decade that have allowed tuners like Tony to push the boundaries of just what's possible.
Learn more about Performance Engine Building by coming along to the next FREE lesson: hpcdmy.co/enginebuildingf
When it comes to R35s, Tony really knows his stuff — something that's immediately obvious as this episode progresses. Massive turbos, billet VR blocks, pushing way past 2500hp, and the lessons that have been learnt along the way are all discussed in detail.
This week's instalment of Tuned In is all about life on the bleeding edge, and it's a wild ride.

009: Inside the high-stakes world of IndyCar with Team Penske's Malcolm Finch. Oct 05, 2021

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What does a team need to do to take a complete open-wheeler rookie and prepare them for one of the world's most competitive race series? How does anyone even get a job working in a top-tier race series like IndyCar, and do Chevrolet or Honda even actually let teams make any changes to the engine tune? Listen to this week's 'HPA Tuned In' podcast for answers to these questions and much, much more.
Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in
From humble beginnings at the bottom of the world, data engineer Malcolm Finch has quickly climbed up the ranks and now finds himself working as a data engineer for one of the world's premier motorsport outfits, Team Penske.
In this episode, Malcolm talks us through the world of IndyCar racing. We discuss the kind of testing and precision that's needed to win at famous circuits like Tallageda, Road Atlanta, and of course — the holy grail — Indianapolis. Malcolm explains how the three very different styles of track — oval, road course, and street — found in the IndyCar series are approached from a data engineer's perspective, as well as fuel strategies, what can and can't be changed on an IndyCar, and exactly how a big team like Team Penske operates throughout the season.
Interested in learning how to do your own wheel alignment for the track or street? Start with a free alignment & suspension 101 lesson now: hpcdmy.co/alignmentf

Malcolm also talks us through his rise in the industry from a university graduate in New Zealand to running one of Team Penske's incredible cars in the States. Seven-post rigs, weight-jacking, and wickers — it's all covered and explained. This podcast is going to drastically expand your knowledge base when it comes to high-level motorsport, data analysis, aerodynamics, and much more.

008: Remote Road Tuning Hillclimb Monsters and Other Highlights With Sander Marques. Sep 24, 2021

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Obsidian Motorsport's Sander Marques is one of the smartest people we've ever met in the motorsport industry. In this week's HPA Tuned In podcast, the long-time tuner and MoTec guru sits down with Andre to talk about how he got to where he is now, what's changed through the years, as well as some of the mistakes he's made along the way.
Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in
Sander provides some interesting insight into what you do and don't need to know to begin tuning from his perspective, and why having a good understanding of the mechanical side of a vehicle is so important if you want to become a good, well-rounded tuner. Sander also spends time discussing some of the cooler projects he's been involved with, in particular BBI Autosport's Pikes Peak class-winning twin-turbo Porsche 911 GT3 hill climb car, which was not only tuned remotely but also without a dyno.
Want to learn how to EFI tune? Start with some free lessons right here: hpcdmy.co/efilesson

For the nerdier listeners, Sander and Andre also get deep into the ins and outs of MoTeC's powerful M1 Build software and discuss how properly understanding it can unlock huge potential for the switched-on tuner. VE tables, torque curves, and a whole lot of tuning geekery are the flavour of the day for this episode, so if that sounds like a bit of you, get settled in for a big healthy dump of knowledge from one of the best.

007: There's More to Going Fast Than a Power Figure — Race Engineer Arne Peeters. Sep 24, 2021

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What does it take to run multiple cars at some of the world's toughest endurance races? Is the life of a top-tier race engineer as glamorous as it all seems? And what's the difference between GT3 and GTE classes anyway? Listen to this week's 'HPA Tuned In' podcast to find out.
Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in
Race Engineer Arne Peeters has spent the better part of the last decade working across Europe and North America for both OEMs and race teams alike, all in the never-ending hunt for more performance and better results. In this episode of HPA's 'Tuned In' we discuss how Arne set his career in motion, his time spent perfecting OEM vehicles for the mass market, and the many intricacies and challenges involved with running teams in endurance racing across the world.
Interested in learning how to do your own wheel alignment for the track or street? Start with a free alignment & suspension 101 lesson now: hpcdmy.co/alignmentf
We also spend time talking about the big gap between amateur drivers and true professionals, and how important it is that a racecar's setup accurately reflect a driver's skill level — something that can be quite challenging when you have people of different abilities on the same team. The importance of understanding and making the most of aerodynamics is also delved into, as well as thoughts on achieving the perfect car balance, the compromises that need to be made to have a career in top-tier motorsport, and plenty more.

006: 'I Just Want Big Flames'. Handing Customer Expectations and Reality - Chris Wall. Sep 10, 2021

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How should I learn how to tune? Do you need to be a mechanic to be the best EFI tuner? Let's find out.
Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in
Chris Wall of Prestige Tuning and Motorsport is easily one of New Zealand's leading, and busiest, EFI Tuners. In this episode of HPA's 'Tuned In' we're going to talk about how he got started with tuning, his time working with Andre at STM (the tuning shop from which HPA was born) along with insight into how to get started, and more importantly how to be the best tuner you can.
Want to learn how to EFI tune? Start with some free lessons right here: hpcdmy.co/efilesson
Some other topics also discussed in this in-depth episode focus around Chris's trackside support role he offers to some customers, how he guides customers to make the best choices they can for their ECU and tuning upgrades for their application, when reflash tuning is better than fitting an aftermarket ECU, the future of reflash tuning, what motorsport disciples are the hardest on gear and much much more than we can fit in a description, so have a listen.

005: Your BEST Performance Modifications - Grant Hosking | Honda Guru. Sep 03, 2021

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What are some of the BEST 'bang for buck' modifications you can do to your car gain performance and improve your lap times?
Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in
In this episode of Tuned In, Andre & Tim are talking to Grant Hosking from Honed Developments about their the technical skills and desire to develop specialist components for various Honda vehicles with a focus on the 90s models.
Topics discussed are the reason why Honed was created and the philosophy behind what parts Honed decided to make. The biggest errors people make when modifying cars and what can actually prove to be the biggest gains with modifications.
Want to learn how to EFI tune? Start with some free lessons right here: hpcdmy.co/efilesson
Another key point discussed is the approach of tuning car setups for the track vs the road and what the biggest compromises that need to be considered are.

004: Building An ECU From Scratch - Scott Kuhner. Aug 27, 2021

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Finding the perfect ECU is hard, but not when you're Scott Kuhner who instead of settling for compromises decided to create & build the EMtron ECU platform himself instead.
Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in
Andre and Tim dive into a bit of history on EMtron, why Scott wanted to create his own ECU and what is the process to do so was, along with the experience/knowledge he had before starting plus what he's learnt along the way.
Want to learn how to EFI tune? Start with some free lessons right here: hpcdmy.co/efilesson
Also talked about is what goes into developing an industry leading ECU, what functions EMtron is bringing to the aftermarket world such as 'Geo Fencing' and 'Throttle Mass Flow'. Scott also gives us insight into the future for EMtron, what sort of development path is the ECU brand heading towards and what potential new products are in the pipeline.

003: 1400whp World Record Setter | The 'Gringotegra' - Myles Kerr. Aug 20, 2021

Show notes

Andre & Tim talk with Myles Kerr from English Racing, a performance workshop developing high performance and world record breaking custom builds who's work has previously featured on our YouTube channel.
Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in
We will dive into what Myles' does is at English Racing to help make sure customers are realistic of the demands of a high performance build for the street and or track, and how he transitioned from a customer service role to building his own 1400WHP Honda Integra.
Myles' 'Gringotegra' is far from any normal Integra, with 1400WHP, a 4WD conversion and many other modifications. We talk reliability issues such a build presents and how he manages to overcome them in order to daily drive this insane Integra.
Want to learn how to EFI tune? Start with some free lessons right here: hpcdmy.co/efilesson
Also touched on is tuning philosophies around half mile drag racing and how they manage torque management on a 2WD vs 4WD cars. Another point discussed is how much harder on the engine is a half mile drag race compared to a quarter mile drag race.

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