ABOUT

MEET MIKE JUNIOR

I have been a boost enthusiast since birth, growing up in the shop and under the hood with Joe Sitar and Mike Sitar Sr. solidified this passion for me. It is what inspired me to study mechanical engineering at Cal Poly and establish an education “on the road”. I started with the 1973 Maverick, it began as a simple 302 EFI conversion but quickly became a 600whp supercharged 363ci campaign which lasted over 4 years and 3 garages. Along the way I hit many speed bumps, but learned they were all opportunities to go faster. That is what sparks the inception of TooHighPsi Performance. I believe in a balance of precision and performance, and we hold these values at the core of the products we design and manufacture.

MEET MIKE SENIOR

While most of my friends will refer to me as a car guy, that’s not entirely true - I’m really an engine guy. I can still remember the first experience that caught my interest in engines, I was about 10 years old and I had received an engine-less go cart from my Uncle. I remember working with my Dad to install a 3.5 HP Tecumseh engine; creating the drivetrain, exhaust system, and throttle. We finally got the kart running and I was hooked, I knew I loved the process of converting gasoline into motion!

As a Machinist Mate in the Navy aboard the USS Abe Lincoln (CVN-72) I turned my attention to learning the ins and outs of this Aircraft Carrier’s propulsion system, with 65,000HP and per shaft (260,000 combined), it is still the highest HP drive system that I have had the pleasure to wrench on! In the early 90s my Navy days were done, and I moved back to PA to attend Penn State University for Mechanical Engineering.

In 1997 I took my first engineering job with Eaton Corporation and moved to Michigan. I was hired as an Engineering into the Advanced Valve train Group and worked on strategies to implement cylinder deactivation for fuel economy, improve cylinder head valve airflow, and develop heavy duty diesel EGR valves.

Around this time period, Eaton sponsored a fantastic customer event - the “Eaton Drag Outing”. This event was open to all Eaton OEM customers like Ford, GM, Chrysler, etc… I attended the event with the Twin Supercharged Turbo Coupe and low and behold who is at the event? None other than Jerry Magnuson from Magnuson Superchargers and John Lingenfelter from Lingenfelter Performance. They were at the event with their new LS1 truck Supercharger Systems (I made passes in both trucks) and both were instant fans of my Twin Supercharged Bird. We spent quite a few hours chatting about engine combinations and just developing friendships. Unfortunately, John Lingenfelter left this world way too soon in 2003… Jerry Magnuson and I remained friends until his passing in 2015. Two hot rodders that certainty shaped the direction of my future and I’m honored to have even the smallest of relations with them.

In early 2000, looking to be closer to family I accepted a position with Textron Lycoming in Williamsport, PA for Engine Development. My primary focus was developing electronic engine management for horizontally opposed air-cooled aircraft engines, but I was also involved in cylinder head, camshaft, and combustion chamber redesign.

In 2003 new job opportunity presented itself and while I really enjoyed working at Textron Lycoming I was offered a position with Delphi that I really couldn’t refuse. When discussing this offer with my wife, she reminded that I always wanted to work for the Eaton Supercharger Group. She asked “Why don’t you give them a call to see if they have any positions available before we move to upstate New York?” (that’s my wife – always thinking). After a quick phone call to one of my contacts in the SC group, I was on a flight the next morning for an interview. All went well and I took a position with the Eaton Supercharger group in early 2003 as a Senior Engineer in the Advanced Supercharger Development team

I was having a fantastic time working at Eaton Supercharger, not only was I travelling the world to places that I had never imagined visiting, I was working with a great group of friends that had equally strong interests in boosting and working on a product that I truly love! Audi, Jaguar, Volvo, GM, Ford, Nissan, and Chery (China) are just a few of the many OEMs that I had the pleasure of developing friendships and working with over the years. (Hi everyone!)

In late 2000s I had moved to the position of Engineering Manager - SC Development and my team and I were busy developing the next generation of Roots SC – the 6th generation or TVS series supercharger. It consisted of completely new rotors, new ports and a whole new level of performance from a roots type supercharger. My team was responsible for continual development of the supercharger product, providing OEM customer technical support for new installations, and aftermarket supercharger support for Eaton based supercharger companies like Magnuson, Edelbrock and Roush.

In 2010 the traveling demands of my position at Eaton Supercharger continually created scheduling conflicts so at the end of 2010  I resigned from my position at Eaton Corporation to take a position in my wife's business. 

In 2015 my son was at age 15 and showing a strong interest in learning about cars, it seems it was finally time for me to get back into working on cars! I was offered a position at Magnuson Superchargers as Vice President of Engineering/Calibration, my wife approved, I accepted, and we packed our belonging in Michigan and made the long trek to our current home in Southern California. Within a few months my position evolved to President of Magnuson Superchargers and I was right back in the environment that I love. Solving problems and just finding better ways to make stuff FAST!

In 2019 I left Magnuson Superchargers as it was time to do something different again, and that brings us to where we are now - TooHighPsi Performance, my son and I have decided to make products that we can't wait to share them with you!

Looking forward to new adventures and it’s great to have you along!