We've seen it before. Heck, we have lived it before. A hot-blooded enthusiast takes his car to the extreme limit then buys a "daily driver," promising never to turn a wrench on it. Fast forward a few weeks, or days for some crazies, and that stocker is a shocker pumped to head-lifting boost pressures and slammed to within an inch of its life. This scenario unfolded for Reading, Pennsylvania's Chris Rado. He had an Integra decked out for drag strip competition. As the car was metamorphosising its way to 10-second status, Chris landed a '94 JZA80 Supra for daily commuting.
The combination of having a thrill ride at the strip but a stocker in the parking lot for the drive home coupled with the sheer potential of the Supra proved to be too much temptation. Besides Chris needed something to practice in or his Acura would be driven by a more experienced pilot. The Acura was developed under the guidance of Rob Smith from RPS Automotive who wanted a 10-second driver in the 10-second Integra (10.56 @142 mph).
Cooler air means more power....
Cooler air means more power. This innovative ducting gets the job done and retains the factory headlamp for the drive home.
Chris, who was attending college in Southern California, took a week off from school to do some cramming but it wasn't for finals it was for pumping up his Supra. The instrument of this power infusion was RPS's single-turbo conversion package. The RPS package features a T66 ball-bearing turbo, Godzilla blow-off valve and Racegate from Turbonetics and a custom RPS equal-length turbo header. In this trim the Toyota had severe traction problems on street tires and thanks to this and Chris's active right foot the Supra produced only 12-second e.t.s. The RPS single-turbo kit is available for public consumption and comes in conventional or ball-bearing form. The basic package includes a Turbonetics turbo, a HKS racing bypass valves, Racegate wastegate, I/C plumbing, HKS VPC and all the lines and hardware. The buyer can select any Turbonetics turbo from a T04 to a T66 depending on desired performance. RPS has sold more than 60 kits so watch out there are some mean Supras prowling the street.
On summer vacation, Chris and his Supra went home to the East Coast. While basking in the summer heat, Chris stopped by Supra fastman Vinny Ten's Performance Factory. Vinny added more power to the Supra by upgrading the fuel system with larger injectors, a high-flow Paxton pump and custom fuel rail. Tuning was addressed with a G-Force ECU upgrade with RPS programming specs, the implementation of a HKS Vein Pressure Converter (VPC) and an air-to-liquid intercooler conversion. Also part of the mix are a B&M Power Plus ignition box, a Tanabe 3.5-inch exhaust system, a manual boost controller and HKS turbo timer. Now the muscle-bound engine could reduce the tires to granulated particles at will. Keeping the rear in the rear was becoming a real challenge at the strip, which made for plenty of "practice."
 Taming The Beast As the output...  Taming The Beast
As the output of the 2JZ-GTE increased, so did its "squirreliness factor." Ground Control saved the day by custom machining a set of double-adjustable shocks to work with its coilover kit. The new set-up was a miracle worker as the Supra was breaking off much improved 60-foot times and was a great deal more controllable going down the strip with the trick Ground Control units working at the corners. |  Engine Chris Rado's Supra...  Engine
Chris Rado's Supra is another tire-shredding performer that relies on stock internals. This is a testament to the precise tolerances Toyota used in building the 2JZ-GTE. |  Turbo The RPS single-turbo...  Turbo
The RPS single-turbo conversion package features a Turbonetics T66 ball-bearing turbo, Godzilla blow-off valve and Racegate. The T66 is positioned by a custom RPS equal-length turbo header. |