Evo IX: Stock versus Turbo XS Exhaust & Flash Tune

I know that there is a bit of interest out there about the sort of gains which can be made on the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution engines with just the fitment of an aftermarket exhaust. In fact, the gains which can be made are quite substantial. Moreover, I have proof.

Here is a comparison of a stock Evo IX engine and the same engine fitted with a 3 inch Turbo XS exhaust and a flash tuned ECU.

The latter combination yields a 26% gain in maximum power. Most notable, however, is the massive gain in torque across the entire rev range. On the street or on the circuit, this would result in a much more flexible and useable engine.

Flex Fuel Testing on Mitsubishi Evo 9

These are the results of preliminary testing of our Flex Fuel test car, a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9.

So what is Flex Fuel? It is a system which allows you to run E100 (100% ethanol) or 98 RON unleaded petrol or anywhere in between on the same car with the same fuel system.


The test car is an Evo 9. In order to manage wide range of parameters of the flex fuel system, it is fitted with a wideband O2 sensor, fuel composition meter, Insight Motorsports Evo twin pump upgrade, ViPEC V88 ECU, Xspurt 1000 injectors, fuel pump controller and digital individual cylinder knock control.


The test engine is an 124000 km old Evo 9 engine (as per the photo) that is totally standard mechanically apart from the aforementioned support system improvements and a Turbo XS 3 inch exhaust.

Once more road testing with varying levels of fuel composition is completed, we will replace the wastegate actuator since it has been limiting the boost due to its age (original turbo remember). We expect the engine to run about 20 psi, which from our experience should produce close to 260 kW ATW on E100.

The next step will be to install an adjustable fuel pressure regulator to allow for an increase in fuel pressure. This will allow higher injector flow capacity and therefore more boost.

Flex Fuel kits will be offered from early 2011.


This particular car has a 700 hp race engine ready for installation and will also be setup with Flex Fuel.

Jim Hunter Motorsport Subaru WRX Wins Eastern Creek 8 Hour

The Jim Hunter Motorsport Subaru WRX, driven by Jim Hunter, Gavin Bulla and Barton Mawer, has won the inaugural Eastern Creek 8 Hour. At the end of a grueling and action packed 249 laps, the Jim Hunter Motorsport team was ahead by a single lap.

The WRX was running the new Cosworth plug-in ECU, the first in Australia, and was tuned by Insight Motorsports' Scott Kuhner. Congratulations to all involved in this landmark victory.

Check out the official press release.

Twin Pump Kit for Evo X - Coming Soon!

We will have an upgraded in-tank fuel pump kit for the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X ready early next year. The similar to the existing kits for earlier Lancer Evolutions, the Evo 10 kit will feature twin upgraded in-tank fuel pumps mounted on a bracket engineered by Insight Motorsports.

These photos of the product in the development stage should give you an idea of the precise fitment and finish we are striving for in the final product.

Stay tuned!

The R35 GT-R's Blue Suspension

You learn something new everyday or so the saying goes.

Well, here is something which you might not have known. The R35 GT-R's shock absorbers are blue.

OK, so it is not ground breaking news. Nonetheless, it caught me by surprise the other day when we had our R35 test mule up on the hoist to fit the HKS GT600 kit. I expected that the dampers would be matt black. I did not expect that a production car, particularly one of the GT-R's calibre would have shock absorbers that looked so "aftermarket". But really, it should not come as a surprise because the shocks are in fact "aftermarket", being Bilstein items, albeit fitted as standard from the factory.

I would not have thought that a coat of black paint would have been to much to ask though...

Stock R35 GT-R - Dyno Power Run

To put these numbers in perspective:

Model? Nissan R35 GT-R

Modifications? None

Fuel used? 98 RON pump fuel

Why the flat spot is the mid range? Not sure. That’s the way Nissan made it. The tune was massively rich; so, this would more than likely explain it. It was literally choking on fuel.

Is the boost really that low? Yes, it is.

Is the engine really still making power when the limiter cuts in or did you stop to avoid the 180km/h limiter? It closed the throttle on me (i.e. it hit the rev limiter).

This is just the beginning. The workshop is beginning to get overcrowded with R35 GT-R parts ready for testing, including the HKS GT600 and GT800 kits and a titanium exhaust system. Stay tuned!

Insight Motorsports Dry Sump Systems

We are excited to say that we have two new dry sump systems available. The first is designed for the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. The second is a “generic”, but more extreme race kit.

The Insight Motorsports engineering team has been busy developing a range of high end products for the performance Evo market.  Over the past 18 months we have been actively working on a dry sump system which we feel will be the most complete and highest quality system on the market.  Our system incorporates a CNC billet plate which takes the place of the original oil pump and includes upgraded oil passages for improved flow.

The test version of our system saw action at Superlap 2009 at Oran Park the Tilton Interiors/InsightMotorsports Evo 9 RS, with blistering results. Since then, we have made many improvements and the kits have undergone rigorous in-house testing.

For starters, the new kit has engineering to bypass the original oil pump drive and strengthened pulley support for the timing belt idler.

Furthermore, the Peterson 3 stage pump has been upgraded to a new R4 4 stage pump. This will be used by a second Tilton Interiors/Insight Motorsports Evo 9, which has yet to race. Many of you would have seen the first TI/IM white Evo 9, which has been quite successful, with wins under its belt at Oran Park and Eastern Creek. The second TI/IM silver Evo 9 is a step up again. We are going to need some nicknames for these two. At the moment, it is just New Evo and Old Evo, which is a bit harsh towards Old Evo considering that she is the same model as New Evo.

If a 4 stage pump is not enough, we can offer a 6 stage pump which will be used as a part of an all out race kit. Scott Kuhner will be fitting this to his famous Datsun Stanza. Scott already has a sub 9 second pass under his belt at the helm of the Stanza and will hopefully be returning to Sydney International Dragway very soon. Scott has promised me some pictures of the build of his Stanza. I will get them up here very soon.

The kit includes:

• Dry sump pump, screw type – 4 stage Peterson R4 for Evo or 6 stage for race kit 
• Front oil pump bypass plate and balance shaft elimination – CNC machined billet aluminium 
• Sump pan with internal pan scavenge cross over – CNC machined billet aluminium 
• Windage tray 
• ATI race harmonic balancer and spline drive - same as original design 
• Replacement oil pump idler and bearing assembly. 
• All associated fittings and oil filter fitting and adapters.

Check it out here.

New Dyno Room Almost Finished!

It is almost finished! After more than a year of design and consultation and months of building, our new, purpose-built dyno room is almost complete

We are still working on the finishing touches. You can see from the photos that we still have some materials to install. Nonetheless, the room is already in a functional state. It is so functional in fact that the pressure differential (i.e. suction) generated slams the door shut. There is no handle on the door as yet. We just use a piece of aluminium held in place by the suction of the airflow through the room. And we have not even sealed up the doors properly yet.

Even at this early stage, the reduction in noise volume from the outside is unbelievable. We can work upstairs in relative peace and have phone conversations without trying to fit in words between power runs. Our neighbours are even saying hello to us again. The new dyno room is making a massive difference to our workplace. It was worth the wait and the effort.

The room still employs our trusted Dyno Dynamics 4WD dynamometer. However, it differs from a traditional setup in that it does not need a separate fan installed in front of the car. Such fans, no matter how big, have never come close to matching real world airflow. In our dyno room, air is pulled back from behind the car instead, making the room function like a mini-wind tunnel. The airflow is so good that we believe that this could be used for some simple aerodynamic testing, such as wool tuft testing and intake temperature testing.

The metal duct you see is the exhaust fan, which is about 1.5m in diameter. Insight Motorsports Director Scott Kuhner, in typical Scott style, wanted even bigger. However, he would have needed to get the power from the street upgraded for the whole factory complex! The size of the fan is really put into perspective when you see the size of the “small” fan it replaced, which is actually quite big! Compare it to the car tyre in the photo below.

Why go to all this trouble? Because that is what our customers expect. The increased airflow will allow us to more accurately reproduce road conditions. It will also mean that we will spend less time waiting for cars to cool down between power runs or dealing with overheating problems.

We believe that this is now one of the best dyno facilities in Sydney. It is the perfect environment for Scott Kuhner, one of Sydney’s most reputable tuners, to work his craft. Scott has a great deal of experience tuning race cars. These facilities will no doubt help us to assist more racers in setting up their cars and achieving their goals.

Stay tuned, I will endeavour to get some videos of the dyno room in action up here as soon as possible!

R35 GT-R is invited to the speed region of the limit...

Do you know what that means? Apparently, it means 800ps in Japanese. At least, that is what HKS promises with its GT800 kit for the R35 GT-R.

Given HKS’ excellent reputation and proven record developing products, we have faith that 800ps (more or less 800 hp) is a realistic figure for the GT800 kit. HKS does a lot of testing before releasing its products. Nonetheless, we will be conducting testing of our own so that you can be confident in the results.

The GT800 kit employs the GT II Turbine with “Symmetry Twin Turbo Layout”, designed and manufactured in-house at HKS exclusively for this kit. A special, heat resistant exhaust manifold was also developed to prevent problems due to excessive heat.

The GT800 kit does not include some key upgraded parts – notably fuel pumps, injectors, boost controller, engine internals or engine management. Through our own in-house development, we will find a solution for each of these key components – possibly through the HKS catalogue, but just as likely from our other trusted suppliers such as ViPEC or some new Insight Motorsports parts.

We will be offering this kit for our customers. Furthermore, we will be testing it on our test R35 GT-R using our in-house dyno as well as at Sydney International Dragway. Obviously, this level of improvement will require some modifications. So, we will keep you informed. Whatever works for us will be made available to our customers!

According to HKS, the R35 GT-R “goes to the ultimate speed range” with this kit; I suppose that means that 800-odd horses under the bonnet of an R35 GT-R should be a lot of fun! We will see!

R35 GT-R - Built with a Tuner's Philosophy

The Nissan R35 GT-R boasts a virtual smorgasbord of specifications to drive car lovers wild. Comparisons of power figures, quarter mile times, lap times at the Nürburgring, wheel masses and other trivia could go on for days.

But have you ever considered the philosophy behind the much fabled R35 GT-R?

Image courtesy Nissan

The R35’s styling is strikingly Japanese, drawing on characteristics of Japan’s quirky culture; but if you look past its Japanese skin, you will see that there is aftermarket tuning in its DNA. The R35 is built much in the same way as aftermarket tuning houses (in Japan, Australia and elsewhere) built R32’s, R33’s and R34’s of yesteryear. Forged, lightweight, alloy wheels; upgraded Brembo brakes; higher output motor – the R35’s spec sheet reads more like a nicely upgraded car than a factory standard. In fact, those familiar with the infamous late night, top speed runs of Top Secret’s gold GT-R would not be at all surprised by the 300+km/h top speed of the R35.

A lot has been said about the difficulty of modifying the R35’s factory ECU. While it can be cracked, or worked around, this is not the crux of making improvements to the R35. The biggest challenge is that Nissan has already taken most if not all of the proverbial low hanging fruit and indeed some of the higher hanging fruit too. The R35 is a far cry from past performance Nissans where a simple exhaust, intercooler and boost upgrade yielded massive gains. Nissan’s engineers have spent a lot of time getting the most from every aspect of the R35 GT-R from chassis to engine. Therefore, any improvements will need to be equally well thought out.

So, how can we possibly get any more power from the new Godzilla? The simple answer lies in Nissan's marketing catchphrase of "the ultimate supercar for anyone, anywhere, anytime". No matter how good the GT-R is, it is still a compromise in different ways. Does a supercar need an 11 speaker Bose sound system? Does a luxury car need to run a sub 12 second quarter mile? Is it reasonable to expect the GT-R to dominate at the drag strip as well as the circuit? It all depends on your perspective.

Image courtesy Nissan

As a street legal, luxury supercar, Nissan have come close to perfection with the R35 GT-R. Nevertheless, there are areas where the R35 GT-R can improve if you set clear goals. For example, if you want to set a blistering sub 10 second quarter mile pass in your R35 GT-R, it is possible. In fact, the benchmark has already been set and will surely be improved upon. If you want to get better track times, then measures to reduce weight from the arguably chubby R35 would logically be the first place to look. Just want a streetable supercar? Then Nissan has probably got it right for you from the factory, but there is still room for improvement here and there.

With that in mind, we are going to try to get more performance from our new test R35 GT-R, focusing on making gains where the R35 can really shine – at the race track – while still maintaining its daily driveability. We will probably start with a titanium exhaust system and some simple weight saving measures. From there, an upgraded HKS 800ps turbo kit would be a good start, don’t you think?

Image courtesy Nissan

We will keep you posted with our progress towards improving our test R35 GT-R, including back-to-back comparisons. Best of all, any products we use on our test R35 GT-R will be available to you to use on your own R35 GT-R.

Stay tuned or feel free to contact us if you cannot wait to get your hands on an upgrade for your R35 GT-R

Cobra Nats 2010

Some videos of the 2010 Cobra Nationals. Enjoy!

Cobra Nats 2010 Compilation

Cobra Nats 2010 - Blue Cobra Eighth Mile Drag