070: Motorsport Engineering on Only Two Wheels.

02/02/23 • 111 min

This week, powertrain performance and race data engineer Chloé Lerin joins the podcast from snowy Milwaukee to give us a little insight into something we’ve never covered before — motorcycle engine development and data analysis.
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During the week, Chloé works as a combustion engineer for Harley Davidson, while on the weekend she moonlights as an Aimsport analysis specialist/data engineer for various teams competing in the MotoAmerica championship.
Chloé took the route of education in her career, so we first look into her path towards a master's degree in combustion engineering and how that has affected her career as she went off to work for big equipment manufacturers like John Deere and Cummins. This eventually lead to her current role at Harley Davidson, and it’s here that we’re able to dig deep into the motorcycle engine development world — there’s probably quite a lot of information here that’ll surprise you, especially when it comes to the perception of Harley Davidson versus the engineering reality.
The conversation gets pretty deep in the weeds when discussing the very fine points of combustion characteristics, knock avoidance, and cam phase control, but to counter that Chloe also answers some very basic questions like; why do Harleys sound like that, and just why do they have to be so damn loud?
The latter half of the episode is all about motorsport — Chloe is currently building her own Yamaha R6 race bike and has long been heading to track days, which is where she began working with Aimsport as a data engineer for privateer teams in the MotoAmerica championship. There’s some really interesting insight to be found here as Chloe discusses the differences between motorcycle and car data acquisition — some obvious, and some that you might never have thought of.
You may or may not have an interest in bikes — either way, the engineering is all relevant and the knowledge that Chloe drops in this episode is well worth taking in.
Follow Chloé here:
IG: @enginerdissima, @unicornium_engineering
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Previous Episode

069: Making 500hp Per Cylinder Without Windowing Your Block.

After an extended break over the new year period, The HPA Tuned In podcast is back with our first guest for 2023 — the talented Devin Schultz of Boostin Performance.
Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in
Devin and his shop Boostin Performance are best known for their absolute mastery of the DSM world thanks to their ‘Red Demon’ Talon/Eclipse, which is currently the world’s fastest Mitsubishi, running as quick as a 6.97 @ 213mph.
This 2000hp car is capable of a 1.4 second 0-60 sprint, and is in fact the first 4WD four-cylinder to break into the sixes, anywhere in the world. Now, if you’ve been following this podcast for a while, you’re probably already aware of host Andre Simon’s passion for all things Mitsubishi 4G63, so as you might guess, this conversation between two 4G fanatics dives very deep into the Mitsubishi weeds to discuss these iconic four-cylinder engines in detail.
Time is spent talking through what’s involved in getting a 2000hp four-cylinder to run reliably and hold together pass after pass, as well as the pros and cons of billet blocks, big and small port heads, and solid-filling your block. Round that out with some discussion around turbo technology, slipper clutches, and nitrous strategy, and you’ve got plenty of tech-heavy info to dig into.
Devin also discusses how he built his business, his branching out into GT-Rs and Supras, and just how important it is to have a solid level of mechanical understanding to back up your tuning career.
It doesn’t really matter if you’re a Mitsubishi fan or not, this episode is full of interesting engine-building and tuning yarns that are well worth the listen.
Follow Boostin Performance here:
IG: @Boostin Performance
FB: @Boostin Performance
YT: Boostin Performance
WWW: shop.boostinperformance.com
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Next Episode

Field Report: 1000HP+ A90 Supra Pistons.

What is the design and thought process behind aftermarket piston manufacturing for relatively new engines to the scene like the BMW B58 found in the Toyota A90 Supra?
Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in
At PRI Barry Pettit from Mahle Motorsport took us through some of the considerations they put into their forged A90 Supra B58 engine pistons. Interestingly even with the idea in mind that their customers would want to crank up the boost and take things to 1000HP and beyond, unusually, these forged examples are LIGHTER than the OEM versions, yet stronger. Nailed it!
Off the bat, the compression ratio has been lowered a little to 10.5:1, however as Barry explains Mahle can supply pistons with lower ratios as required with ease upon request. The lower ratio is a nod towards the fact that many in the aftermarket switch from direct injection to port injection for more flexibility, but the ‘injection bowl’ required to get an efficient burn in DI setups is retained meaning the piston can still be used with either option.
Oversized pistons are potentially an option for the future, and Barry also touches on why the thicker crown is beneficial for cooling and not just strength and how Mahle’s role in manufacturing the OEM pistons for BMW did give them a solid headstart in relation to the design and production of these performance application alternatives.
Want to learn how to tune EFI? Start here instantly, and for free: https://hpcdmy.co/tuneb