How do you know if it is safe to turn your engine tune right up to 11 and hit the track?
What checks do you need to do before you know it is safe to turn up the boost or even use what you know is secure on a different fuel type? What sort of process do professional tuners follow when troubleshooting issues during a race weekend? This interview dives into these topics and much more!
Mike McGinnis of Innovate Tuning is also a High Performance Academy tutor and all round engine and transmission tuning expert. He knows his stuff and, luckily for all of us, is happy to share that knowledge at events like the World Time Attack Challenge.
The LYFE Motorsport R35 GT-R Skyline is no stranger to time attack or even this channel having been featured before here and also Pikes Peak. It has seen numerous changes over the years. At WTAC it ran a stroked 4.1L VR38DETT with twin Garrett GTX3076 turbos, Shepherd Transmission DCT with PPG gearset Dodson Motorsport Promax clutch and a MoTeC electronics package.
This GT-R pushes 1300hp on a Dynojet in the United States and 1120hp on a Mainline in Australia, which helps show that not all dyno numbers are 'equal' to the point they generally don't matter in the way most of us think, beyond being data for the tuner behind the laptop.
Owner Cole Powelson had his best WTAC event in the car, hitting a 1:25.9450, which put him third in the EMtron Pro Class and the fastest US driver to take a stab at the event over the years.
The car did double duty, with Donut Media YouTuber Jeremiah Burton also hitting a solid 1:31.4800, which is more than solid for someone new to the car, track and speeds involved.
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TIME STAMPS:
0:00 - LYFE Motorsport R35 GT-R
0:18 - Mike McGinnis
0:25 - Racing In A Different Hemisphere
1:35 - Ethanol Blends & Flex Fuel
2:34 - Dyno Vs Track/Road
2:50 - Fuel Additive & Knock Limitations
4:00 - What Is Knock/Detonation/Pinging?
4:30 - What Causes Knock?
4:47 - How Mike Decides How Far To Push The Engine
5:00 - The Tuning Checks
6:07 - The Tuning Process
6:44 - The Result In This Case
6:58 - Knock Control Strategy
8:15 - Safety Feature, Not A Bandaid
8:28 - Transmission Issue Diagnostic Process
9:53 - What Happened & Why | DCT Failure
10:46 - Transmission Tuning Safeties
11:14 - The Root Cause
12:00 - A Cheap Part, Quick Fix
12:20 - Power Adjustment Per Session
13:44 - Traction Control Stratagy
14:20 - Lower Power Testing Vs Full Push Runs
15:04 - Track Evolution Impact On Tuning
16:00 - WTAC Switch To Slicks
17:12 - Spoiler: Cole Powelson Nailed It!
17:25 - R35 GT-R Track Footage
19:10 - BUILD.TUNE.DRIVE
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