Jake is a founder of 8020 Media and TuningPro. He has over a decade of experience in the automotive industry including parts sales, writing, DIY modifications & repairs, and more. Jake is currently converting his N54 to a single turbo and building a Miata track car. He’s an experienced, hands-on automotive enthusiast who delivers in-depth, well-researched content.
A 2.3L 4-banger engine in a truck might not sound like a lot of power or performance. While the Ranger produces 270hp and 310lb-ft. of torque from the factory, the turbocharged 2.3L EcoBoost engine can produce a lot more power with some simple bolt-on modifications. This guide is going to cover the four best performance…
The 2.3L Mustang is a great engine that that can be made even better with a few bolt-on performance upgrades. In our 5 Best 2.3L Mustang Mods guide, we discussed an intercooler as one of the best performance mods. Intercoolers provide some decent power gains but also help maintain consistent performance, in addition to offering…
Upgrading the charge pipe on a Focus ST is common practice for increasing airflow from the intercooler to the engine. Fortunately, the engine uses a metal charge pipe from the factory which means cracking or failure isn’t a concern. It is however small and restrictive which is why upgrading it can offer some solid performance…
When Ford revived the Ranger in 2019 it was given the 2.3L EcoBoost. An upgraded downpipe is one of the best mods for the Ranger. Upgrading to a less restrictive downpipe will reduce exhaust backpressure and improve power and responsiveness. This guide is going to discuss what a downpipe is, performance benefits of an upgraded…
VTEC is just Honda’s fancy term for its variable valve timing technology. It’s similar to BMW’s Vanos or Toyota’s VVT-i systems. VTEC technically stands for Variable Timing Electronic Control. Honda, however, also has two other variations of this technology: i-VTEC and VTEC-E. They are all variable valve timing and lift systems but they work a…
Upgrading the stock suspension to coilovers is one of the best handling mods you can make to the Subaru BRZ, Scion FRS, and Toyota 86. With a naturally-aspirated engine and ~200hp, the 7.6 second 0-100km/h is by no means fast. However, the light 2,700lb curb weight makes these cars agile and quick and really fun…
What the Mazda RX-8 lacks in power, it makes up for in handling. Once ranked a top-10 handling car for under $100k, the RX-8 is one of the best handling cars on the street and on the track. However, coming in around 185whp, it certainly doesn’t offer much in the form of straight line power….
Considering its heavy weight, one of the best performance upgrades you can make to the Infiniti G35 is the addition of coilovers. While coilovers won’t necessarily make the car faster, they will make the car seem quicker by providing improved handling and cornering. In addition to that, they can provide a more comfortable ride and…
Whether packed with the 2.0T or the 3.8 V6 engine, the Genesis Coupe is an awesome and quick sports car. With a few performance engine mods these cars can be quite fast while still remaining nimble and agile from a handling perspective. However, once you’ve tossed all your engine mods on the Gen Coupe you…
Since the NB Miata is naturally aspirated, performance engine mods aren’t always the best upgrade. A few thousand dollars of mods won’t get you much in the way of horsepower so a lot of times money is better spent on performance-handling mods, such as coilover upgrades. Coilovers not only offer appearance benefits by being able…
One of the best performance mods for the NA Miata is suspension, and furthermore, coilovers. Not only do coilovers add some appearance appeal by offering adjustable height drops, but they also improve handling and cornering by lowering the car’s center of gravity and stiffening the suspension. This guide is going to focus on the benefits…
The twin-turbo 3.3L version of the Kia Stinger has a very strong engine. Just a few bolt-on upgrades like tuning, an intake, downpipes, and intercooler can get these engines very close to 500whp, and the factory block and internals can handle nearly 800whp. In this guide we’re going to discuss five Kia Stinger performance upgrades…
