218 episodes
211. 25 Years Of Tuning, Best Bang For Buck Builds, Who Owns Your Tune? w/ Shawn Church
29/07/2026 | 2h 14 mins.Shawn Church joins the show to talk about how he has been tuning cars in Los Angeles since 2002 and still puts about a thousand through his shop a year. We get into where the real bang for buck is right now, why he thinks locked tune files are nonsense, and what 25 years in California has taught him about getting more out of cars.
Take your build up a whole new level with 6XD Gearbox: https://6xdgearbox.com
Code "Minnoxide5" for 5% off
High Performance Academy: https://hpcdmy.co/Minnoxide
Use code "MINNOX" for 55% off ANY course
Use Code "MINVIP" for $300 of the MINVIP Package
Tuned By Shawn: https://www.tunedbyshawn.com
Code "Minnoxide" for 5% off!
Ship With Sure Thing Logistics: https://www.surethinglogistics.net
MORE BIGGER Turbo T-Shirts: https://www.minnoxide.com/products/more-bigger-t-shirt
0:00 Intro — Church Automotive Testing
1:58 From Intel and an MBA to a dyno in a rented shop
8:28 The World of 1000HP Being THe Norm
12:36 VR30 vs B58, and the cheap way into platforms
15:47 Best bang for buck at 600hp and at 1000hp
20:09 The direct injection cost ceiling
25:30 E85 and States With Bad Fuel
32:24 Flex fuel done right, and the corn math nobody checks
45:07 Discussing Remote Tuning
49:18 $3,000 before you touch the car: C8 TCU unlock
55:45 Cheap software, Big power, Blown motors
1:00:08 Tuning schools, educated customers, and building a tuner shop
1:11:53 Who owns your tune?
1:19:04 Choosing customers, working with shops, and the pre-dyno checklist
1:28:58 What Happens When A Car Blows On A Dyno
1:37:40 Walking away from Tuning Exotics
1:45:33 EPA, CARB, and what it costs to run a shop in LA210. Motorsport Wiring, Honda and Porsche Builds, EV Swaps, and Judging Car Shows w/ Rywire
22/07/2026 | 2hRyan of Rywire joins the show to talk motorsport wiring, building Honda and Porsche EV swaps, and what it's like judging car shows around the world — including SEMA's Battle of the Builders.
Take your build up a whole new level with 6XD Gearbox: https://6xdgearbox.com
Code "Minnoxide5" for 5% off
High Performance Academy: https://hpcdmy.co/Minnoxide
Use code "MINNOX" for 55% off ANY course
Use Code "MINVIP" for $300 of the MINVIP Package
Tuned By Shawn: https://www.tunedbyshawn.com
Code "Minnoxide" for 5% off!
Ship With Sure Thing Logistics: https://www.surethinglogistics.net
MORE BIGGER Turbo T-Shirts: https://www.minnoxide.com/products/more-bigger-t-shirt
0:00 - Intro
0:12 - Ryan of Rywire's Honda Roots & Getting Into Porsche
1:27 - Sourcing a 964 from Japan for the SEMA Build
3:49 - Ryan's EV Swap Journey: Tesla Motors, His Own EV S2000 & the Toyota
14:50 - Ryan's Origin Story: College Dropout to Wiring Harness Hustler 22:33 - Building Rywire: R&D, Platform Coverage & Customer Support 32:53 - Rywire's Customer Base & Ryan's Own Track Days
38:42 - Modernizing Air-Cooled 911s & Inside the 964 Build
46:43 - Tuning Individual Throttle Bodies & Ryan's Early Drive-by-Wire Builds 52:12 - Choosing ECUs & PDM Programming
58:32 - The Type R-Swapped S2000: K20C1, Port Injection & Daily Driving 1:02:49 - Japan Trips, Tokyo Auto Salon & Trip Planning
1:09:23 - Judging Car Shows Worldwide & Inside SEMA's Battle of the Builders
1:17:42 - Ryan's Judging Philosophy & Favorite Builds
1:28:17 - The Indonesia & Guam Judging Backstory
1:33:34 - Why Ryan Builds Old Cars & Rywire's Complementary Parts 1:41:25 - What Makes Tuning an EV So Different
1:45:24 - Career Reflection, the BBI Partnership- Jim Moore, VP of OEM & Product Development at SEMA, joins the show from SEMA Garage in Diamond Bar, CA to break down the EPA's new ruling recognizing SEMA Certified emissions as a legal pathway, how CAD data and Tech Transfer help aftermarket manufacturers build parts, and why the fight over ADAS and the Right to Modify is the next big battle for the industry.
Take your build up a whole new level with 6XD Gearbox: https://6xdgearbox.com
Code "Minnoxide5" for 5% off
High Performance Academy: https://hpcdmy.co/Minnoxide
Use code "MINNOX" for 55% off ANY course
Use Code "MINVIP" for $300 of the MINVIP Package
Tuned By Shawn: https://www.tunedbyshawn.com
Code "Minnoxide" for 5% off! Ship With
Sure Thing Logistics: https://www.surethinglogistics.net
MORE BIGGER Turbo T-Shirts: https://www.minnoxide.com/products/more-bigger-t-shirt
0:00 Visiting SEMA Garage and Meeting Jim Moore
5:14 CAD Data, Reverse Engineering & What Is SEMA Garage
14:21 The June 29 EPA Ruling: History of Emissions Regs & SEMA Certified 20:29 How SEMA Garage Helps Small & Large Manufacturers
26:54 SEMA's Economic Impact & Jim's Automotive Roots
32:06 Software-Defined Vehicles
37:49 Growing SEMA: Goals & Protecting Modification Rights
43:31 ADAS Regulation: Getting Ahead of the Next Fight
49:17 Modern Tech, Classic Cars, Crate Engines & EO Certification
54:43 Decoding the VECI Label & Engine Families
1:00:26 From Aftermarket to Factory, Trends, Trucks & Powersports 1:05:58 The Real Cost of Skipping Compliance: Counterfeits & Consequences
1:11:44 Joining SEMA: Costs, Member Benefits & CAD Data Access
1:17:23 PRI, Small Track Advocacy & Trump's Right-to-Repair Order
1:22:13 How SEMA Got the President's Attention - Tanner and Matt from Smeedia join the show to talk building EJs the right way, why "reliable" high-horsepower Subarus aren't reality, and the black box data that gets people caught trying to hide a tune from the dealership. And of course the EJ33.
Take your build up a whole new level with 6XD Gearbox: https://6xdgearbox.com
Code "Minnoxide5" for 5% off
High Performance Academy: https://hpcdmy.co/Minnoxide
Use code "MINNOX" for 55% off ANY course
Use Code "MINVIP" for $300 of the MINVIP Package
Tuned By Shawn: https://www.tunedbyshawn.com
Code "Minnoxide" for 5% off! Ship With
Sure Thing Logistics: https://www.surethinglogistics.net
MORE BIGGER Turbo T-Shirts:
https://www.minnoxide.com/products/more-bigger-t-shirt
00:00 Intro
00:17 Meet Tanner & Matt of Smeedia
02:19 Quitting the 9-5
06:54 Selling the House, Live Streams & Growing Smeedia
11:40 Building Cars You Love vs. Chasing Views
20:27 Starting the Shop
25:58 Building EJs Right and High-HP Reliability
29:42 Tuning Horror Stories & Customers
33:36 If You Could Only Keep One Car
39:20 The Maserati Story
41:50 Which Subaru To Buy, Black Box Data and Getting Caught
45:16 Warranty Claims, Goodwill & Modifying Before/After Warranty
53:04 Subaru Power Tiers, Oil Intervals & Head Gasket Talk
1:00:50 About the EJ33, swap, and what's next
1:16:22 Donut Media Collab
1:19:36 Full vs. "Poor Man's" Six-Speed Swap 207. Building 1000HP Evos, Engine Programs, Pushing the B58 and GR Corolla Platforms w/ SpeedLab INC
03/07/2026 | 2h 23 mins.The California trip continues with a visit to Speed Lab Inc in California to sit down with Ronnie, and his fiancée Lexi ended up joining too. We get into building one of the most respected Evo shops in the country, engine assembly, the SPL 900/1000 programs, coatings, torque plating, and what actually separates a professional builder from everyone else. Also: the highest horsepower GR Corolla on the planet lives in their shop. And of course we talk about the Mk5 Supra.
Take your build up a whole new level with 6XD Gearbox: https://6xdgearbox.com
Code "Minnoxide5" for 5% off
High Performance Academy: https://hpcdmy.co/Minnoxide
Use code "MINNOX" for 55% off ANY course
Use Code "MINVIP" for $300 of the MINVIP Package
Tuned By Shawn: https://www.tunedbyshawn.com
Code "Minnoxide" for 5% off! Ship With
Sure Thing Logistics: https://www.surethinglogistics.net
MORE BIGGER Turbo T-Shirts: https://www.minnoxide.com/products/more-bigger-t-shirt
0:00 - Intro to Speedlab INC
7:52 - Running the Shop: In-House Philosophy & the Dyno Process
16:44 - Engine Building Fundamentals: Clearances, Pins, Rods & Cranks 28:42 - Reliability at High Horsepower: Cost, Rod Materials & Tune Maps 45:22 - Lexi's Supra Build
52:12 - Developing the SPL Engine Program
1:04:56 - Coatings & Materials: Rings, Pins & Bearings
1:12:24 - Inside the SPL 900 & SPL 1000 Builds
1:22:19 - The Supra Program & How Ronnie and Lexi Met
1:28:40 - Tuning, Influences & Life at the Shop
1:37:10 - Scaling the Business with Shop Monkey & Customer Grind 1:42:06 - Reputation and the viral dyno video
1:47:35 - Customer Cars, Pre-Dyno Inspections & Dyno Safety
1:58:28 - The Car Collection Story: Subaru to Supra to Evo
2:07:51 - Rod Bolts & the World's Fastest GR Corolla
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