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HPDE SUMMIT POINT
The last opportunity I had to get some track time for the year was at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia. Only ninety minutes away from my home, it’s a…
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CRUZE FRONT SEAT UPGRADE
When I took my Cruze to the last track day, I realized that my OEM seats just weren’t cutting it. I kept sliding around during cornering, which was not only uncomfortable…
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REVERSE ENGINEERING THE CRUZE CAN BUS
After a thrilling track weekend, I was eager to access and log specific data and parameters with the AEM dash display installed in the Cruze. However, these were not readily…
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HYPERFEST HPDE AT VIR
With my new heat shields in place, I eagerly headed to another event to unleash the Cruze on the race track. It was a return to VIR for the NASA…
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PROBLEM-SOLVING: AGAIN
In the previous installment of Wasting Time and Money, I encountered a significant issue. The turbo manifold, operating at high temperatures during track sessions, caused the cam cover to warp. This…
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FIRST TRACK DAY ATTEMPT FOR THE CRUZE
With the last fuel pump upgrade, the car was actually starting to run well and make decent power. I finally felt it was ready to take to the track to…
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FUEL PUMP & INJECTOR UPGRADE
After the last set of issues, I needed to consider upgrading the fuel pump. I want as much power out of this car as I can safely get, and if…
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PROBLEM-SOLVING: FUN BUT FRUSTRATING
Whenever you venture into the world of custom components, you have to anticipate there will be issues. This is very familiar to me, as my old race car was a…
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BIG TURBO UPGRADE
The time has come. It’s time to add some horsepower to this little beast! Alright, take it easy, killer; it’s just a Chevy Cruze. Sad face. So, I have been…
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AEM DIGITAL DASH DISPLAY
Spending all this money on engine upgrades for a Chevy Cruze doesn’t make sense in itself, I can admit that, but not having a way to monitor certain parameters and…
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LS7 COIL UPGRADE
Usually, when I upgrade, it’s beneficial in some way. It improves performance, increases the strength of a part, or provides some other benefit. This upgrade, though, was for a different…
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PREPARING FOR A BIG TURBO
I know I’m not alone here, and I believe once anyone starts to modify their car, they get to a certain point where they think, yeah, I need more power.…
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OIL COOLER UPGRADE
As you know, I have been upgrading certain items on the Cruze to make it a little more reliable and help protect it when I take it to the track…
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TRANS COOLER UPGRADE
Driving laps on a race track is considerably hard on a vehicle. The engine, trans, and brakes are a few things in particular that take much abuse. So, it’s crucial…
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INTAKE & E85
Next on my list of upgrades was the intake, and E85 Flex Fuel upgrade. For the intake, I went with the K&N Typhoon. I know they actually test and develop…
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ZZP EXHAUST
I said I wasn’t going to do it. I wanted to try and keep this car as low-key as possible, so I told myself I wasn’t going to add an…
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FRONT MOUNTED INTERCOOLER
There are a few things from an engineering standpoint that confuse me about this car, but I guess that’s because I’m not an engineer. I do know one thing; cooler…
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KW COILOVERS
Last month, I installed Brembo brakes on the Cruze, so up next was the suspension. Surprisingly, quite a few kits were offered for the Cruze, both lowering springs and coilovers.…
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BIG BRAKES ON A CRUZE? BUT, HOW?
I wanted to upgrade my car’s brakes, but who would make a brake kit for a Cruze? With its very de-tuned engine, it’s not really considered a performance car, but…
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DO I WANT BIG BRAKES?
Every tuner enthusiast wants big brakes, but why? Because they look frickin cool, that’s why! However, is that a good reason to install them? I don’t know, why not? I…
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POWER AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
After I bought my Cruze I was cruzing down the road, see what I did there? Okay, I was traveling on a two-lane road and came upon a car moving…
