Introduction
In November 2022, Equilibrium Tuning (EQT) launched the Blaze ATOM Race intake in North America—claiming ‘significant gains’—while quietly omitting that an appropriately sized turbo inlet elbow (TIP) alone can boost airflow by nearly 20%.
For over two years, EQT ignored addressing this fact—even defaming those who pointed it out. Now, EQT’s owner, Ed Susman, is coming clean about the importance of the inlet elbow.
Background: How the Blaze ATOM Hit the Market
October 2022 – Technical Analysis
When I made my first post about testing the Blaze Intake on October 10th, 2022, it was clear that size matching the turbocharger compressor inlet and the turbo inlet elbow, aka TIP, was a significant factor affecting airflow.
The hybrid TIP outlet is a 30% increase in the outlet cross-sectional area.
Shown below is the table of flow test results published in October 2022. Changing from a stock-size IHI adapter (red arrows) to a Silicone hybrid-size (blue arrows) correlated with a roughly 100 Cubic Feet Per Minute (CFM) increase in airflow (22% – 26%) for the same intake at the same test depression.
This performance advantage stemming from proper parts matching catalyzed misunderstanding and controversy once EQT launched its advertising campaign.
November 2022 – Market Introduction
Equilibrium Tuning began selling the Blaze ATOM intake to the North American market approximately one month later.
EQT’s advertising contained several misleading claims, such as the following:
Significant gains have been shown on Vortex powered vehicles when compared to a competitor’s intake system.
Equilibrium Tuning claim for the Blaze Performance ATOM Race intake
This advertising language employs a type of Cherry-Picking known as Occam’s Broom.
Occam’s Broom – The Art of Omission
Occam’s Broom refers to selectively ignoring inconvenient facts to support a theory. Inconvenient facts that do not fit someone’s hypothesis or serve their agenda are swept aside or hidden.
The fact that the inlet elbow is key to performance was swept under the rug, leading consumers to incorrectly conclude the Blaze ATOM Race intake was the source of differences with other intakes.
Misinformation Campaign
October 2022 – Mason
EQT customer Mason Tibljas was an early product adopter. He mistakenly thought the Blaze ATOM intake had improved his car’s performance, unaware that the 034 inlet elbow was undersized for his hybrid turbocharger.
Mason went about promoting the Blaze intake and misleading other enthusiasts.
EQT cited Mason’s results but failed to disclose that the inlet elbow was made for a stock-size turbocharger when Mason had a hybrid turbo.
December 2022 – Gaslighting
When I alerted consumers that important information was being withheld, Ed Susman and other EQT employees responded with defamatory remarks.
This inflammatory remark exemplifies the aggressive language EQT’s owner uses to dismiss valid criticism. It highlights a broader pattern of ad hominem attacks, which, rather than advancing a technical debate, serve to undermine the credibility of independent data sources. This reflects a broader pattern of deflection seen throughout EQT’s communications.
In addition, Ed Susman would gaslight consumers by telling them that my testing was flawed and “doesn’t agree with” other results despite the EQT customer’s experience and the flow tests pointing to the importance of the inlet elbow.
Here, Ed Susman uses dismissive language to question the validity of different testing methods. These comments not only shift focus away from the flow bench data but also attempt to establish a narrative in which only EQT’s in-house results are trustworthy.
January 2023 – Major Mfg.
In January 2023, EQT posted a comparison of a Blaze intake system with a Racingline R600 intake using what EQT vaguely described as a “major mfg” inlet elbow. They failed to disclose this comparison was to a stock-size APR TIP.
The results seen when switching from the stock-sized TIP to the hybrid-size adapter validated the findings from the flow tests and Mason’s experience: the inlet elbow caused a significant airflow change.
In addition to withholding the details about the inlet elbow, EQT would continue to gaslight consumers by disparaging the flow test measurements.
April 2024 – Joseph
EQT’s deception continued another year into April 2024 when Joseph Galloway went on the EQT Facebook Group telling others that on EQT’s advice, he purchased the Blaze intake, which had led to gains on his car compared to an APR open intake.
As with the other comparisons, Joseph used a stock-sized elbow (APR) with a hybrid turbo and saw significant improvement once he changed it to the appropriate size. This further validated the flow tests and other owners’ experiences when matching the inlet elbow to the turbocharger.
Joseph made three posts on the subject to the EQT Facebook Group, but Equilibrium Tuning did not bring up the impact of the stock-sized inlet elbow.
The gaslighting of consumers about the flow bench test results continued, with EQT employee Aaron Zambrano adding:
Real-World Transparency
September 2024 – Blaze ATOM Street Testing
I acquired a Blaze Performance ATOM Race Intake to demonstrate that the inlet elbow was the source of the performance difference using a familiar test method: comparing street logs.
In September 2024, I began a series of street comparisons of the Blaze ATOM with the Racingline and APR ‘competitor‘ intakes featured in the EQT customer comparisons, swapping between stock-sized and hybrid-sized inlet elbows.
The 15% change in turbocharger wastegate duty cycle (WGDC) produced by the elbow swap was consistent with the results EQT’s customers had logged.
These results continued to validate that the inlet elbow caused the performance difference and that the flow testing was accurate.
Blaze ATOM Intake Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| October 2022 | Flow Test results showing TIP effect published (MyGolfMk7) |
| October 2022 | EQT Customer Mason describes Blaze gain – No recognition of TIP effect. |
| November 2022 | EQT is selling Blaze Intake without disclosing the TIP effect. |
| November 2022 | EQT spotlights Mason’s results but does not mention the TIP effect. Disparage Flow Test data. |
| January 2023 | EQT spotlights customer Tyree’s results but does not mention the TIP effect. Disparage Flow Test data. |
| April 2024 | EQT spotlights customer Joseph’s results but does not mention the TIP effect. Disparage Flow Test data. |
| September 2024 | Street Test of Blaze ATOM validates the TIP effect recorded in Flow Test and EQT customer results. (MyGolfMk7) |
| March 2025 | EQT acknowledges the TIP effect in a Facebook post. |
2025 U-Turn: Framing Old Information as New
EQT’s efforts to keep the truth from consumers now faced significant challenges.
In March 2025, Ed Susman posted the truth about the cause of the Blaze ATOM intake difference on his business’s Facebook page. He advised consumers to use an appropriately sized inlet elbow with a hybrid turbocharger.
Most aftermarket TIP’s (turbo inlet pipes) are sized for the stock IS38 turbo and are too small for these upgraded bolt-on turbos.
The smaller inlet diameter and restrictive intake setups cause a major issue when we try to turn up the boost.
Ed Susman – Owner of Equilibrium Tuning (March 2025)
This admission marks a turning point in the narrative, where previously dismissed facts about the turbo inlet elbow become recognized.
Consequences for Consumers and the Market
EQT omitted key information about a product it sells, which for over two years caused some consumers to misattribute gains to the Blaze ATOM intake rather than the appropriately sized inlet pipe.
The company also publicly challenged my credibility to dissuade consumers from believing facts that would have helped them to make better-informed purchase decisions.
Competing businesses also faced possible lost sales when consumers lacked the information to select products that meet their needs.
Regulatory Considerations
Under FTC law, omissions of material facts can render a claim misleading.
The FTC Act prohibits unfair or deceptive advertising in any medium. That is, advertising must tell the truth and not mislead consumers. A claim can be misleading if relevant information is left out or if the claim implies something that’s not true.
EQT’s omission of relevant information highlights the need for consumers to maintain a “buyer beware” approach when interacting with companies that stand to profit from them.
Conclusions
Equilibrium Tuning omits critical information about a 20% or more change in airflow from using an appropriately sized turbo inlet elbow in its Blaze ATOM Race intake marketing.
Since the product’s introduction, EQT has engaged in a character assassination campaign, trying to discredit information about the nature of performance differences caused by mismatched intake parts.
In a March 2025 revelation post, Ed Susman spun this history of the inlet elbow affecting results as a ‘recent‘ finding.
EQT should be transparent about describing the intake components compared with the Blaze ATOM Race. This relevant information is not disclosed on the business’s website page for the product.
Please share this information with your fellow enthusiasts on Facebook, Reddit, or other forums. Insist on transparency from every aftermarket tuner and parts seller.
EQT / Ed Susman – Original Post
