SEMA 2008 Friday Coverage

[poweradmin]

SEMA attracts auto enthusiasts and parts manufacturers from all over the world, bringing together an international collection of car parts and knowledge. Disc Brakes Australia, as the name implies, came all the way to Las Vegas from the Land Down Under to bring their patented “Kangaroo Paw” rotor design, which allows for improved cooling and greater strength.

Featuring 144 precisely placed pillars, this unique design increases heat dissipation while also strengthening the rotor while also lightening them by a substantial amount. DBA also employs their special Thermo-Graphic heat paint, which changes color at specific temperature levels so racers can monitor brakes more effectively. DBA is currently producing rotors for a number of applications including the Corvette Z06.

Visit DBA at www.dba.com.au

[poweradmin]

Superchargers are a great way to add horsepower to any car, and when your top off an LS-series engine with forced induction the results are always spectacular. Magnuson has just introduced a new line of blowers for LS engines which utilize new Eaton technology to increase power anywhere for 60-100%, depending on supporting mods.

Eaton’s new Twin Vortices Series of High Helix Rotors propel more air into the engine through a new and unique rotor design. Where as the old systems used a 3-lobe rotor with a 60 degree twist, the new Magnacharger 6th generation blowers use a 4-lobe rotor with a 160 degree twist, cramming more air more efficiently into the engine. The blowers are so efficient in fact that on certain applications the exhaust emissions are actually less than when the engine is naturally aspirated. All Magnuson blowers also incorporate an internal bypass valve to increase fuel economy and reduce parasitic power loss.

For more information visit www.magnusonproducts.com/

[poweradmin]

Swapping the heads on your engine is a common way of cranking up the horsepower on any project car, and the guys over at Air Flow Research know their way around heads. Longtime builders of aluminum heads, AFR offers a wide range of products from mild to wild for just about any engine. Currently, AFR is currently developing a set of serious race heads for the small-block Ford.. Instead of the standard 20 degree angle to the head, AFR is making one with a 12.5 degree angle which offers much improved low-end air flow and “explosive power” according to sales representative Jerami Patrick.



But AFR isn’t just developing heads, and of more interest is their Pro Flow Lite Manifold for the Small Block Chevrolet, a fiberglass plastic composite intake manifold which they claim outshines the competition. In addition to being 7 lbs lighter, the Lite also provides more horsepower and torque along the entire power curve and produced a maximum gain of 12 horsepower over the leading competitor.

For more information, check out www.airflowresearch.com.

[poweradmin]

Baer Brakes is a well known name when it comes to stopping power, and their booth at the SEMA show had on display all methods of coming to a quick and controlled stop. Not only are their brakes the best at bringing you to a stop but they are also a stylish addition to any classic or contemporary car and Baer is constantly expanding their braking line. Their most recent addition is a 6-piston two-piece caliper designated “6P” for classic Mustangs and Cougars.

These calipers were designed to be track friendly as well as aesthetically pleasing, and the two-piece design eliminates a crossover tube and employs only a single bleeder thanks to internal fluid crossovers on the top and bottom. Stainless steel pistons are standard and reduce thermal transfer to the brake fluid, and 6-crossbolts that plug in from behind keep the look clean. But as complicated as this all sounds, the 6P calipers employ the OE brake pads from C5 and C6 Corvettes, which means pads are readily available in nearly any kind of race compound. To truly complete the feel Baer even offers the brake pads stamped with the iconic “Shelby” brand.

For more information check out www.baer.com

[poweradmin]

Global warming and high gas prices have forced manufacturers to reach out beyond their traditional petroleum based fuels in search of cleaner and cheap alternatives. This is happening both in the mainstream public use and the racing world as well, and Rockett Brand Racing Fuels is at the forefront of alternative fuel technology.

Their unique blend of E-85 racing fuel is both environmentally friendly and incredibly powerful, producing a consistent 112 octane rating. Unlike a lot of other E-85 blends which in actuality may use as little as 60% ethanol in their mix, Rockett is a true 85% blend of ethanol using their unique blending technology to provide a powerful racing fuel.

Visit http://www.rockettbrand.com/ for more information



The fuel is so powerful in fact, that Danny Thompson, son of famed racing pioneer Mickey Thompson, used the fuel to achieve a land speed record in his 5.4 liter supercharged Ford Mustang. Thomspon went 252 miles per hour this year at the Bonneville Salt Flats, shattering other flex fuel records and securing a place for E-85 in the hearts of horsepower enthusiasts.

[poweradmin]

Keeping your engine cool is key to producing horsepower and increasing the longevity of your engine. Classic cars commonly employed mechanical fans that while simple, stole parasitic amounts of horsepower from the engine while inefficiently cooling the engine at lower RPMs since they were driven off the crankshaft. A common solution has been to upgrade to electric fans, but these can be bulky and difficult to hook up in a classic Mustang where clearance can become an issue with bigger engines.

Flex-a-lite, who specializes in radiators and fans, has developed a fully integrated radiator and electric fan kit which increases the cooling efficiency while also delivering improved fuel mileage of up to 2 MPG. These cooling systems come with an aluminum dual core radiator that provides a 300 percent increase in the cooling area over a stock Ford radiator, dissipating heat better and providing signifigent horsepower increases. These kits are direct bolt in replacements and also comes with an electronic temperature control unit which allows the S-blade fan to operate anywhere between 20-100 percent power, depending on the water temperature. The radiator is available separately or as a complete bolt-in kit.

For more info visit www.flex-a-lite.com

[poweradmin]

Computronix is a New Ignition company at SEMA with some very innovative products. At SEMA 2008 we checked out their new Chevrolet DIS8, Ford Small Block DIS8, and Ford 2.0/ 2.3 DIS4 systems.

The Ford 2.3 engine is the redheaded stepchild of turbocharged 4 bangers. Even though the mid-eighties Mustang SVO was nearly as fast as its V8 brother, the car went unloved and discontinued after a few years. With the recent surge in gas prices howevear eyes have turned back to the 2.3 turbo and a slew of new products has emerged, among them Comp-tronix’s Distributorless Ignition System, or DIS.

The DIS replaces the distributor with a self-contained triggering system that achieves spark through multiple processor controlled coils. The DIS replaces the cap and rotor and instead all of the electronics are contained in a dust and moisture resistant chamber. The DIS offers improved fuel economy and high RPM reliability while providing a maintenance free ignition system and a cleaner look inside your engine bay. Compu-tronix also makes DIS systems for a number of other engines.

Check out their web site at www.compu-tronix.com

[mark@streetlegaltv]

NX InstaBoost Turbo Lag Controller

If you have ever owned a big turbo on a smaller displacement motor, then turbo lag is nothing new to you. Nitrous Express now has a kit called InstaBoost that will turn off your nitrous after your desired boost level is met.

Their first controller is an economical version that looks like a typical fuel pressure safety switch that turns into a pressure switch for your airflow. You can adjust the nitrous to turn off between 1-8 PSI on this kit with a mechanical adjuster on the sensor.



Their second version is a full digital system. This kit uses an internal map sensor that is good for 80 PSI. The unit will also control two stages of nitrous that uses RPM or boost for dialing in your ramp. The remaining is a simple wiring harness that connects through the corresponding sensors.



NX Traction Control Progressive Controller

Tire spin can be one of the biggest enemies on nitrous fed vehicles. Nitrous Express Traction Progressive Controller can help dial in your nitrous when you experience tire spin. The kit uses a driveshaft speed sensor in relation to your engine RPM to detect the wheel spin. Once wheel spin is detected, the kit will limit the amount of nitrous flow, depending on your internal adjustment. There are two different ramps, depending of harshness of wheel spin. Adjust on the fly as well as on your computer using a USB hookup. The NX Traction Control Progressive Controller also has the ability of standard nitrous controller for ramping.



Maximizer III Progressive Controller

The Maximizer II has all the functions of a progressive controller that one could desire for their racecar. The problem is, it isn’t cheap enough for the street/strip racer. Nitrous Express realized this and came out with a progressive controller, the Maximizer III, that uses all the most important adjustments that a weekend racer needs, in an affordable package. You can even ramp the nitrous depending on how much you apply the throttle! Adjustments include:

• % TPS trigger point 25-99%
• Ramp Start Percent
• RPM Trigger
• RPM Cut Off
• TPS idle voltage
• TPS WOT Voltage
• Number of Cylinders
• 12 volt Trans-brake input to disengage nitrous while on the brake



New Lightweight 10 pound composite bottle

Nitrous Express has had a composite bottle out for a number of years, but now they introduce one that is lighter then the first. These bottles are based off the same technology that firemen use for their oxygen bottles. The new weight drops 2.5 pounds over the first generation, ending at 7 pounds. This is half the weight of a traditional 10 pound bottle. The bottle is also coated with phosphorescent that will glow after subjected to a light source.



Check out more NX products at: http://www.nitrousexpress.com

[Chris DeMorro]

Water-methanol injection provides a number of benefits to any kind of engine by reducing detonation and allowing for a higher octane tune on pump gas. The problem has always been that once the methanol runs out, your engine could start detonating depending on how extreme your tune is. Snow Performance has developed a solution called Safe Injection, which automatically regulates your tune and monitors your methanol levels.

The system uses alarm set points to adjust the engine tune depending the presence of methanol. Optional solenoids can be used to reduce boost and open waste gates on turbocharged cars, so this system takes a lot of the guesswork and worry out of methanol injection. It can also be integrated with many popular ignition systems like MSD.

For more information check out www.snowperformance.net

[mark@streetlegaltv]

Red Line Synthetic Oil is releasing a whole slew of zero weight oils.

Zero weights became popular by the OEM's as a substitute oil for colder climates. The false perception is that 0W30 is thinner than 5W30 at normal operating temperatures. “0W30 will offer a broader temperature coverage, as most modern-day vehicles don’t operate at optimum oil operating temperature anyway”, explained Cameron Evans, Red Line's Director of Marketing. Their offering's in zero weight range from 0W20 to 0W40.

Another new addition to Red Line's line up is engine oil break-in additive. “Good oil is too slick, and petroleum based oils don’t have enough anti-wear additives that enthusiasts need," said Cameron. Red Line suggests to use their break-in additive with petroleum based oils for the correct amount of break in wear. This is especially important for engines equipped with flat tappet camshafts and lifters, but really important for all engines. One bottle treats 12 quarts of oil.

For more information on these new oils from Red Line, check out: RedlineOil.com