COBB Tuning Blog

Our weekend at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, NV marked the first event back on track for the COBB Tuning Team in just about 2 months. In our time away from the tarmac I worked on securing new sponsorship for the rest of the season, and by the time we reached Pahrump, MSI and Jongbloed wheels were on board as parts sponsors.

Our weekend started off a little rocky in the Nevada desert; early Saturday we identified an issue with our front wheel studs requiring a tear down of the front hub and knuckle assembly. Luckily, we had a spare hub from Subaru of Ontario that allowed us to get back on track quickly, missing only the first two morning practice sessions.

Having never driven Spring Mountain, there was definitely a bit of a learning curve. Even on my “sighting laps” I could tell that I was going to love the track, and the car was singing praises as well. The car was doing great for its first event back on track, the new LIC radiator setup was keeping water temperatures in check and I was really able to work with the car to learn the track. When it came time for the first time attack sessions, it was apparent that there was going to be some close competition.

Steve Ruiz didn’t disappoint in his performance, he was consistently within several tenths of our times and a new face, Thomas Smith with Zenkai Motorsports, was laying down some incredibly impressive times. At the end of the day, we had secured a solid 2nd place finish just one tenth in front of Ruiz, and around 1-second behind Smith.

I was incredibly pleased with the car’s performance and our results. We went into the weekend anticipating adversity and we really succeeded in finishing where we wanted to secure a larger points lead for the Street Tire Class Overall championship. Looking ahead to Infineon, we are going to continue to work on improving the car’s cooling system and we will be making some subtle chassis changes. I would like to thank OS Giken, Subaru of Ontario, LIC Motorsports, Jongbloed wheels, COBB Tuning, and Velocity Carbon for all of their continued support and making this car what it is today.

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The BETA release of the COBB Tuning AccessPORT for the 2011 Subaru WRX is now available for download from COBB Tuning. The AccessPORT for the 2011 WRX is the only hand-held ECU reflash and interface device available for the 2011 WRX allowing enthusiasts to instantly increase and monitor the performance of their vehicles! The AccessPORT is completely plug-and-play with Stage1 calibrations pre-loaded in the firmware and ready for install. Stage1+AEM Intake calibrations are available for download from the 2011 Subaru WRX AccessPORT Map Database. Stage2 maps and AccessTUNER Race tuning software will be available for download with the full release of the 2011 Subaru WRX AccessPORT, targeted for October 10, 2010.

All AccessPORTs with the part number AP-SUB-003 can be updated to support the 2011 Subaru WRX by following these  simple steps:

1. Plug the AccessPORT into a PC
2. Run AccessPORT Updater. Download it if required.
3. In AccessPORT Updater,  select Tools > Options from the menu bar.
4. Check the box next to “Check for beta AccessPORT firmware?”
5. Select OK.
6. Click Update.

POWER. FLEXIBILITY. CONTROL.

The AccessPORT is the industry leading OEM ECU flashing, managing and monitoring assistant. Unlock power hidden within the ECU by replacing conservative factory settings with more aggressive calibrations. The result is impressive gains in torque and horsepower while maintaining a high degree of safety. The AccessPORT comes with pre-installed maps that are optimized for common performance modifications.

Typical Performance Gains Stage 1: +13.5% HP and +17.3% TQ (see modification requirements)

Click for more details

Tuning flexibility ranges from simply loading one of the included performance maps designed for common modifications or visit one of our licensed ProTuners for a custom dyno calibration. Extract maximum power from virtually any modification while retaining the drivability and sophistication inherent in the OEM ECU.

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Stage2 AccessPORT calibrations for the 2010 Legacy GT are now available for immediate download from COBB Tuning! Immediately increase the performance of your downpipe-equipped Legacy GT with these latest maps and take advantage of the added performance of a free-flowing exhaust!

These calibrations are designed for cars with an aftermarket downpipe only. Gains will only be realized on vehicles so-equipped. These maps do not feature COBB Tuning’s Boost-Select feature.

Stage2 91 MTv100 - Intended for 2010 Subaru Legacy GT MT with STOCK INTAKE SYSTEM, STOCK INTAKE FILTER, and a turbo-back exhaust system with high-flow catalytic converter running 91 or 92 octane petrol. Boost Targets: ~16psi tapering down to ~14psi by the 7000 RPM redline, +/- 1psi.
***Warning, torque levels may exceed the holding capacity of the stock clutch.

Stage2 93 MTv100 - Intended for 2010 Subaru Legacy GT MT with STOCK INTAKE SYSTEM, STOCK INTAKE FILTER, and a turbo-back exhaust system with high-flow catalytic converter running 93 or 94 octane fuel. Boost Targets: ~17.5psi peak boost pressure tapering down to ~15.5psi by the 7000 RPM redline, +/- 1.0psi.
***Warning, torque levels may exceed the holding capacity of the stock clutch.

Stage2 ACN91 MTv100 - Intended for 2010 Subaru Legacy GT MT with STOCK INTAKE SYSTEM, STOCK INTAKE FILTER, and a turbo-back exhaust system with high-flow catalytic converter running Arizona, California, or Nevada 91 octane petrol. Boost Targets: ~14.5psi peak boost pressure tapering down to ~12.5psi by the 7000 RPM redline, +/- 1psi.
***Warning, torque levels may exceed the holding capacity of the stock clutch.

* All Stage1 + Stage2 performance maps now include a “LWG” version:
• LWG: Lower wastegate duty cycle (LWG) for use when regular calibration produces higher than targeted boost.

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Redline Time Attack hosted it’s fifth west coast event (Round 8) of the year at Spring Mountain’s 19 turn, 3.1 mile circuit outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. LIC Motorsports and the Takata Time Attack Impreza were in attendance to continue their pursuit of a Modified AWD Championship.

“All year we have been battling issues relating to brake bias and rear end grip,” said Adam Levy of LIC Motorsports. ”With a two month break in the series we decided to take the opportunity to make some significant changes in hope of making an improvement. We removed the ABS system, added a driver adjustable brake bias proportioning valve, and completely rethought and redesigned our rear suspension. On two separate occasions prior to the race we visited our local track to ensure the changes were dialed in before we made the eleven hour drive to Las Vegas.”

As James took to the track for his Saturday morning practice sessions, the improvement in rear grip became quickly apparent as two consecutive rear axles were broken. The atypical axle failures indicated that the axles were seeing higher stress levels than in the past. With some slight adjustments to the car and James’ driving style, additional failures were averted. As the practice day progressed temperatures increased and the serious desert heat over-stressed some cars forcing them to an early retirement. The Takata Impreza was not immune to the heat either as the engine’s head gasket began to fail. Despite limited practice, the team opted to park the car until Sunday’s Time Attack to reserve the engine’s performance and avoid tempting complete failure of the gasket.

Sunday’s Time Attack again challenged teams with extreme heat. Fortunately the Takata Impreza was able to withstand the heat despite a compromised head gasket. Even under higher boost levels used for the Time Attack sessions, the LIC Motorsports’ racing radiator and oil cooler maintained a safe temperature for the engine. James claimed 3rd in Modified AWD for the team in the Time Attack. The performance allowed the Takata Impreza to start the Super Session sprint race on the front row with Brian Lock in the Cobb Tuning GTR. With both the Takata Impreza and Cobb GTR battling the heat, the 15 mile Super Session became a test of endurance.  Both cars broke away from the rest of the pack with the Cobb GTR out front. James maintained a close gap to the GTR throughout the race but was unable to find a passing opportunity, giving Takata Time Attack a 2nd place finish.

“I am so impressed by the changes Adam and Noah have made to the Takata Impreza,” said driver James Elterman. “I now have great confidence in the braking system and we are clearly out braking our competition. Furthermore the rear end grip is exceptional and I can accelerate out of the corners significantly sooner which enables us to achieve higher speeds on the straights. Above all I am grateful for the reliability of the car which has allowed us to collect points in every event thus far, which is something that cannot be said of any of our competitors.”

After 5 events Takata Time Attack loseWeight Exercises its lead in the Championship for the first time giving Brian Lock in the Cobb Tuning GTR a 5 point advantage. The series resumes on October 24th and 25th for the penultimate round at Infineon Raceway in Northern California where LIC Motorsports hopes to make the best of their home-field advantage.

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Chris Billedo is easily the hardest working man in the paddock at the Redline Time Attack this season. He runs a FWD Enthusiast Class Civic Si and with a small crew and an intense willingness to go out and win. Chris is the only FWD Class car running a COBB Tuning AccessPORT. Round 8 of the Redline Time Attack marks Chris’ first win in class and we hope to see more in the final two races!

“Coming into this event I was nervous but also anxious, coming off a 2 month break without any practice didn’t make things better either. This would also be a race after an off track excursion at the last round at Big Willow. This weekend at Spring Mountain we ran the 3.1 mile, 19-turn configuration. I’m used to race tracks that have on average 9 to 12 turns. One of the things that made me nervous was knowing that I’d be going against a few locals. I had no experience at all on this track but knew that if I could concentrate I would do fine.

“ Saturday was a practice day very similar to an HPDE day. The day started well, I got good sleep and was well rested to concentrate on learning the track. As each practice session went by I kept getting faster and faster and was feeling very confident each time out. But I had one problem, I seem to always be the lucky one to have problems with timing. As each session went by I felt like I was improving and getting faster but due to the problems with my timing system my lap times weren’t improving nor getting faster. That made me a little upset because I learned that most of the people in my class were running much faster. I was also having problems with my car overheating but thanks to the Cobb AccessPORT and the Monitor section I was able to keep an eye out on temperatures of the car.

“Sunday is the big day where times actually count. Since my timing wasn’t working the day before, I sort of lost my confidence because I kept thinking I wasn’t going to even podium because of how slow I was running but I didn’t let that bring me down. I just thought to myself, “if I’m slow then I’m slow.” I always promise myself and to my team that I’ll try my hardest each and every lap I’m out there. I went out on my first qualifying session and felt really good about the run. I just concentrated on the turns and remembering them. When you remember turns it helps you get set up for the next one. I came in to pit and was very surprised. I was first in grid for my class and was very happy.

“Time attack sessions are where it counts, my first session the car felt okay but not to my liking. I went out and just drove my hardest, and was able to put out a time that put me in second but the first place car failed tech so I was bumped up to 1st. I was happy that I was in 1st but I’d rather earn my first place rather than by default. So the second session came and I felt really good about how the car felt. I drove the warm up lap and then the 3 time attack laps, came into pit and my team just showed me 1 finger. Letting me know that I was in first, I was able to beat my first session time by 2 seconds.

“I ended up taking 1st place, this is also my first career win. I hope there is more to come! Thanks to all my sponsors that have helped me to get to where I’m at now!”

*photos coutesty of David Karey

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You know it’s a hot race weekend when you need to put reflective tape on your right boot to keep from burning it. It never ceases to amaze me the dedication that the crew has to work in these types of conditions. At times this weekend the thermometer in the pits read over 109 degrees! With this heat nothing was left half done, nothing was left unchecked, and the car performed flawlessly because of that. It really is the people behind the scenes on a weekend like this that makes the difference and wins the race!

Our GT-R was perfect again showing that even at its immense Lose Weight Exercise of 3700lbs, the tight turns of Spring Mountain Raceway could not hold it back from another track record, another overall Mod win, and taking the lead in the championship. The only wrench that was thrown into the weekend was the addition of 2 inches to our front splitter. The added downforce really threw off the aero balance of the car and required the quick fabrication of a custom Gurney flap on our Aeromotions wing. The gurney flap was just what the car needed, the aero balance was fixed, and we were able to sustain over 1.7 G’s in some corners on a DOT tire!

Helping keep our brakes in check this weekend was the addition of the Willall Brake Water Spray kit. The kit, that injects water into the veins of the rotors to help keep temps in check, made a real difference. The pedal feel was extremely consistent over the longer braking zones. Normally braking from the top of 5th gear to 2nd gear requires additional pedal pressure towards the end of the braking zone due to temperature increase. With the Willall system in place this was not necessary. I can’t wait to get to a track we have tested on before and get a good before and after feel for the system; Hats off to Willall Racing for another great GT-R product.

With a our first lead in the championship all year, due to our DNF in the Super Session at Round 1, I look forward to Infineon (my home track) to increase that lead and close out the season on top. Infineon features hard transition corners (not the greatest thing for our pig of a car) and should prove challenging for me and the crew. I am confident though that we will get the setup nailed and be the car to beat again. See you there!

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COBB Tuning is happy to announce the release of Stage1 AEM Cold Air Intake maps for the 2008 and 2009 STI. Take advantage of the performance potential of your AEM intake-equipped car and enjoy the added induction noise with the simple push of a button with this plug and play calibration. This calibration is intended for the AEM intake only and is not intended as a generic cold air intake calibration.

These new calibrations feature COBB Tuning’s new Boost Select feature. Boost can be dialed in from low to high boost by using the SI-Drive knob to select between the two different boost settings. Boost can be increased by 3 psi from “S” mode to “S#” mode using the SI-Drive knob on the fly.

These Maps are available for download from Subaru AccessPORT Map Database:

Stage1+AEM 91 v106 Boost Select HWG.ptm – 91 or 92 octane ONLY. This calibration is intended for vehicles with underboost or difficulty hitting boost targets.

Stage1+AEM 91 v106 Boost Select LWG.ptm – 91 or 92 octane ONLY. This calibration is intended for vehicles with over boost or boost creep issues.

Stage1+AEM 91 v106 Boost Select.ptm – 91 or 92 octane ONLY. Stage 1 calibration for AEM intake.

Stage1+AEM 93 v106 Boost Select HWG.ptm – 93 octane fuels only. This calibration is intended for vehicles with underboost or difficulty hitting boost targets.

Stage1+AEM 93 v106 Boost Select LWG.ptm – 93 octane fuels only. This calibration is intended for vehicles with over boost or boost creep issues.

Stage1+AEM 93 v106 Boost Select.ptm – 93 octane fuels only. Stage 1 calibration for AEM intake.

Stage1+AEM ACN91 v106 Boost Select HWG.ptm – 91 CAN octane ONLY. This calibration is intended for vehicles with underboost or difficulty hitting boost targets.

Stage1+AEM ACN91 v106 Boost Select LWG.ptm – 91 ACN octane ONLY. This calibration is intended for vehicles with over boost or boost creep issues.

Stage1+AEM ACN91 v106 Boost Select.ptm – 91 ACN octane ONLY.  Stage 1 calibration for AEM intake.

Stage1+AEM Economy Mode v106.ptm – Economy mode for all Stage 1 AEM intake equipped cars.

*Mapping for 2010 and 2011 STI vehicles will be released once calibrations have been verified by public testing.

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The COBB Tuning Motorsports team once raced to the top of the podium at Round 8 of the Redline Time Attack. Held at the Spring Mountain Motorsports Park, outside Las Vegas, NV, the COBB Tuning GT-R driven by Brian lock quickly shot to the top of the leader board in the AWD Modified Class and held the top spot all weekend. Despite temperatures that crested the 110 degree mark, the GT-R performed flawlessly not only posting another overall Modified Class win, but setting a new track record for a Modified Class car.

Cameron Benner, driver of the COBB Tuning STI, found himself locked in a three way duel in the AWD Street Class. Local boy, Thomas Smith, in the Zenkai Motorsports GR-Chassis STI proved to be very fast around his home track. Benner also faced off once again with Steve Ruiz in the AEM/Stoptech EVO X. Despite being plagued with mechanical issues, Ruiz continues to be very quick and threatened to take the lead all weekend, if his car could just complete a lap. Despite pushing his car to the absolute limit, Cameron could only muster 2^nd place behind Smith who clearly had the home court advantage. Ruiz brought up the rear in third just a few tenths off of Cameron and his STI.

Once again the Super Session gave the crowd a taste of real wheel to wheel action and a chance to get a side by side comparison of the fastest cars of the weekend. Brian Lock and the GT-R lead the race from start to finish with the Takata Time Attack/LIC car nipping at his heels. Cameron and his STI had a good fight mid pack and battled for 4^th place where he finished also taking the top Street Class spot for the Super Session.

Both AccessPORT-tuned cars ran throughout the weekend without as much as a hiccup despite the oppressive heat. The only issue was when early Saturday morning a stripped wheel stud sidelined the STI for a single practice session.

The COBB Tuning STI and GT-R are leading the points in the Street and Modified classes both in class and overall! The team will be looking to cement this lead with only 2 races remaining in the season. In the Modified class the championship is still very much up for grabs. In the Street Class, Cameron Benner has dominated the season and needs only to finish the next two events to take the championship.

The COBB Tuning Motorsports Team will be headed back to the track in October at Infineon Raceway for Round 9 and a chance to clinch the points lead heading into the season finale.

[Show as slideshow]

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Check out the summer fun at COBB Tuning Surgeline! As the summer winds down, take a look at all the fun times had with the crew at COBB Tuning Surgeline including our free drags and our end of summer BBQ! Be sure to join us at all COBB Tuning facilities for First Thursdays. Check out our website for details!

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COBB Tuning will be opening a new retail sales, service and tuning facility in Southern California in November 2010. The new shop, named COBB Tuning Socal, will be at the center of the LA import tuner scene in its Fountain Valley, CA location. COBB Tuning Socal will offer installation, fabrication, maintenance, repair and AccessPORT engine management tuning services.

COBB Tuning is excited to bring its high-quality performance parts, easy-to-use AccessPORT engine management solutions, proven tuning philosophy and outstanding customer service to the mecca of import performance. In return, COBB Tuning Socal will provide an important link to the fastest moving import tuning scene in the country, keeping up with the latest trends and technology in performance modification.

COBB Tuning Socal will offer a full menu of services from this new facility, including: bolt-on power installations, staged power packages, engine builds, professional dyno tuning, custom fabrication, precision alignments, project car consultation, suspension design and set-up and drivetrain enhancement. Jon Drenas has been a significant tuner in the area for many years and will continue to crank out high horsepower creations as the lead calibrator at COBB Tuning Socal, providing professional dyno tunes for customers as well as R&D tuning for AccessPORT development. Danny Heng will be COBB Tuning Socal’s front man, leading the sales team and providing customers with insightful project car consultation. The remaining positions will be announced as they are staffed in the upcoming weeks.

Keep up to date as the build-out of COBB Tuning Socal progresses by subscribing to the COBB Tuning Blog and becoming a fan of the COBB Tuning Socal Facebook Page. The COBB Tuning Socal Grand Opening date will be announced shortly and will be an open invitation to visit the new facility, meet the staff and meet fellow tuning enthusiasts. Stay tuned for more exciting news coming from COBB Tuning Socal!

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