Tuned In

Simon Longdill wasn’t impressed with the engines available to him in his class of racing, so he built his own. On this episode of Tuned In, we catch up with the man behind Synergy’s small-capacity, ultra-high revving, 400+hp V8s to talk through the ins and outs of these screaming motors and much, much more.

Use “SYNERGY50” to get $50 OFF our HPA Engine Building Starter Package: https://hpcdmy.co/enginepackageb

While “building your own engine” in the literal sense might sound like a more-than-daunting task for most, with a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, this was something that Simon Longdill was more than capable of. Limited to 2.4 litres in his Speedway midget class, Simon hatched an idea that would go on to become a full-time business.

Using two sets of 1200cc Kawasaki ZX12R cylinder heads and barrels, Simon got to work creating a vicious 2.4-litre V8 that would go on to crush the competition on its debut in New Zealand, before doing the same in Australia, then doing so well in the US that the rule book was changed and Simon and his team were never invited again. These days, you can find Synergy V8s of differing capacities and power levels motivating all manner of race (and a few street) cars across the globe.

In this conversation, we get down into the weeds of this fascinating engine’s story, answering all the big questions around the 11,000 RPM screamer’s inner workings and development journey. Simon didn’t just stop at the first iteration either — these motors have been continuously developed over the last decade as the tech has improved, new lessons are learnt, and big improvements are made.

With some fascinating looks into Simon’s side projects that include a 400hp BMW 1000RR two-litre V8 built for Bonneville, an 800hp twin-turbo Synergy V8 for Pikes Peak, hydrogen power systems, and plenty more, this is a tech-heavy episode that’s going to please anyone with an interest in serious automotive engineering.

Follow Simon here: prototipo.co.nz, synergypower.co.nz

Don’t forget, you can use“SYNERGY50” to get $50 OFF our HPA Engine Building Starter Package: https://hpcdmy.co/enginepackageb

Timestamps:
4:27 How did you develop an interest in cars and engineering?
7:24 Where did you see your studies taking you?
8:40 Tertiary education continued
13:20 Does EGT form a big part of two-stroke tuning?
16:39 Is the two-stroke dead?
20:29 How did you go from a two-stroke Ph.D. to owning your own business?
23:05 What does the term BMEP mean?
24:15 How can we make a high performance 2.4L engine
30:54 Is it as simple as a larger bore and shorter stroke equals more efficiency?
32:37 What additional parts were designed to merge the two 1200cc engines?
34:31 What software are you using to model the engine?
35:59 What was the most challenging part of this project?
40:19 How did the engine perform once you got it running?
45:49 Overview of Prototipo
46:16 Working on amphibious vehicles
48:18 Trip to the Chilli Bowl
55:53 Synergy V8 GT86 package
1:02:49 Unequal trumpet lengths
1:08:30 Developments from gen 1 synergy engine?
1:17:08 Direct injection in sports bike engines
1:21:13 Were you tuning the engine differently for land speed records?
1:23:49 2.3L turbocharged V8
1:25:35 Rod to stroke ratio
1:30:24 Hydrogen fuel Pros & Cons
1:37:18 Developing your own dyno