EngineLabs

A valve is one of the simpler components in any engine. No electronics, no oil passages, and all of them basically look the same. But what we ask of the humble valve is pretty extreme. It must open and close dozens of times every second for hours on end, survive serious spring loads, seal combustion pressure, transfer heat into the seat and guide, and do all of that while living in a valvetrain spinning into the stratosphere.

Walking into the AFR Facility immediately reveals why this brand dominates aftermarket airflow dynamics. For decades, Air Flow Research has engineered high-performance cylinder heads that maximize horsepower for engine builders across the country. Peak intake velocities require exact engineering, and this company consistently delivers top-tier castings. Now, we got the chance to visit their facility to see firsthand how they make some of their products. Rows of raw castings greeted us right away.

Vortech’s dyno room houses the intense mechanical testing that keeps the company engineering superchargers for modern horsepower demands. Over the years, the brand has continually adapted its supercharger systems to meet the strict airflow requirements of modern high-output street engines and track vehicles. Meeting modern performance expectations requires rigorous development work behind closed doors before any hardware ever reaches consumer vehicles.

Is hydrogen the fuel of the future? Some very intelligent people have been researching the possibilities. Their work continues to push hydrogen technology closer to practical, real-world applications. One such group is SwRI (Southwest Research Institute). Founded in 1947 by Thomas Baker Slick, Jr., an adventurer, philanthropist, and oilman. SwRI is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It has locations across the US.

There’s no doubt that the name Cosworth carries some incredible weight in the performance engine world. Their decades of experience at the forefront of world motorsports powerplant production have led to some of the best known and most successful projects in the industry. However, there are also a lot of projects that are much less known. Not because they weren’t successful, but because for one reason or another, the spotlight just didn’t hit them.

When it comes to custom-built engines, one of the last things that many people think about is the dipstick. However, if you’ve made any modifications to the oil pan — be it modifications to the stock pan, or a completely aftermarket oil pan — the OEM dipstick is usually pretty useless. Obviously, aftermarket dipsticks exist, but those are usually pretty universal options, which require modification to your specific combination.

During our visit to the RaceTec facility, we saw how raw metal becomes high-performance engine hardware. If you are curious about what happens in the shop, here is a quick look at internal combustion manufacturing. Forged pistons start as thick aluminum blocks before heavy industrial tooling applies immense force. This aggressive pressing action compresses the heated metal into dedicated dies, creating the basic piston silhouette and establishing dense grain alignment across the crown.

Matt Field is the owner of Drift Cave Motorsports LLC and a professional Formula Drift driver. Drift Cave specializes in track-ready race car fabrication and preparation under one roof. Services include complete chassis builds, roll cage installation, suspension, and more. That’s the boilerplate. According to motorsports and engine builder fandom, Matt Field is also the proud owner and builder of one of the most inspiring, custom-built, LS-powered Chevy Corvette C8 drift cars to hit the track.

Building a performance engine involves deciding where to spend your money most effectively. Pistons are one of those decisions. A forged piston costs more than a cast piston commonly found in production engines. But does every modified engine really need one? The answer depends less on a specific horsepower number and more on what happens inside the cylinder: that is where the real limit shows up, making the switch easier to justify.

SCAT builds high-performance rotating assemblies with systematic precision, and we recently walked through their manufacturing facility to observe their operational flow firsthand. Walking past organized machining stations, we immediately noticed how the company treats engine component production like an efficient assembly line rather than a typical, disorganized machine shop. Technicians move raw materials through dedicated stations with careful repeatability.