SEMA 2008 Thursday Coverage

[mark@stangtv]

It's the next to last day at SEMA and we are still there to bring you coverage. Check out some of the new products that we found today:

You can fast forward to coverage of the show each day here:

• Tuesday New Products & SEMA Cars - Click here
• Wednesday New Products & SEMA Cars - Click Here
• Thursday New Products & SEMA Cars - Click Here
• Friday New Products & SEMA Cars - Click Here

We also shot over 30 videos during the SEMA show below is the list of videos shot today:

• Granatelli's New Direct Port Nitrous & S197 Cold Air - Click Here
• TCI releases Cutting Edge new 6-speed Transmission - Click Here
• ZEX's New Black Out Nitrous Kits - Click Here
• Afco Racing's New Suspension Systems at SEMA 08 - Click Here
• Afco's Newest Headers & Radiators at SEMA - Click Here

In a sea of purple, one stands alone. It’s bad. It’s powerful. It’s Black. Standing out from the normal ZEX purple branded Nitrous Kits comes a new visual treatment to the line up; ZEX Black Out.

Now we have nothing against Purple, in fact, many powerful icons are represented by the color purple; the Minnesota Vikings, The Incredible Hulks pants, and ZEX Nitrous kits, just to name a few. But ZEX has gone off it’s purple path to produce an entire line of black themed nitrous kits to accommodate those looking for a more moderate look.

***** VIDEO: ZEX Black Out Nitrous Kits & Challenger System ***



The ZEX Black Out kits are fundamentally the same as the regular ZEX kits but feature a few characteristics beyond it’s color that stand out. Each Black Out kit comes with carbon fiber themed nitrous lines with chrome accented nuts, black anodized nitrous plates, and black nitrous nozzles.

The new look does not only make it dark and mysterious. The coating used on the kit to “black-it-out” adds a scratch resistant property to keep from rubbing against other components. The Nitrous bottle also has a nice shinny black finish with a chrome valve. Expect the Black Out nitrous plates to start shipping in about 2-3 weeks and EFI Black Out kits to begin shipping in January.

Visit www.zexnitrous.com for more information

[Chris DeMorro]

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

[Chris DeMorro]

Upgrading the suspension on your classic car is a great way to get more out of your ride, and it’s no secret that forty year old technology doesn’t exactly match up with today’s standards. If you have been considering upgrading that archaic suspension of yours, take a look at the line up from Global West Suspension, which offers parts for most popular Ford and GM products that can drastically improve how well your car performs.

One of their newest products are performance rear leaf springs, which lowers your ride height for a more aggressive look while reducing if not completely eliminating wheel hop. Using special spherical bearings installed in the front and rear eyelets rather than bushings, the leaf springs are given enough leeway to feel almost just like an independent rear suspension. This is a cheaper way to reduce wheel hop without buying an actual independent suspension or welding on traction bars.

Visit www.globalwest.com for more info

[Chris DeMorro]

Air filters are an integral part of any car, and much has been done to improve the airflow on just about every car on the market. Air intake systems are often the first upgrade done to just about any car, but as far as the systems have come they can still become clogged with dirt and road debris and eventually will require replacement.

That is unless you put on an Outwears Pre-filter. Using a terraflow process, these pre-filters keep out most dirt and debris while promoting maximum air flow, extending the life of your filter and keeping down maintainence costs. These are especially useful for off-road or desert applications where dirt can quickly choke your engine and limit your performance. Outerwears currently makes pre-filters for just about any cone-shaped air filter application, and they are currently working on a flat filter system. They even make pre-filters for shop-vacs, which we checked at SEMA. If you want to save your Shop-vac's long life, check them out!

Visit www.outerwears.com for more information

[Chris DeMorro]

Innovate Motorsports has come up with a unique and handy way to link up your car to your iPhone or iPod touch. The Logworks Mobile software provides a performance calculator, efficiency meter, and advanced diagnostics right in the palm of your hand.

When combined with the OT-2 Opentune Interface, the Logworks Mobile software can provide horsepower and ¼ mile calculatoions, MPG efficiency, and allows you to read and clear diagnostic trouble codes on your ’96 and up OBDII equipped vehicle. The Opentune Interface is designed to directly connect with your iPod Touch or iPhone and the Logworks Mobile software can be downloaded from the Apple online store.



Additionally Innovate brought to SEMA this year their all new Auto Timer. The Timer allows the engine to idle after the ignition key is removed, allowing the engine oil and turbo center on turbocharged cars to cool down and prolong the life of the engine. Additionally when the Auto Timer is paired with one of Innovate’s wideband controllers it can even display your air/fuel ratio while on the road, very useful for anyone with a modified car pushing the limits of power.



For more information, visit www.tuneyourengine.com

[Tom@StangTV]

DynoJet was on hand showcasing their new Linx system for the 424x and 424xLC2 dyno. With the new system you can now dyno modern AWD cars without fear of damaging the center differentials or avoid ‘reduced power mode’ on newer cars because the front wheels aren’t spinning. You already know what the 424x Dyno looks like, (it’s the one you’ve seen in all of our videos) here is the Linx System.



The nest product available from DynoJet was their CMD, which stands for Combustion Management Device. With this small tool you can plug it into the computer on your OEM forced induction vehicle to optimize the power from your engine. The plug and play tool is contested right into the wiring harness so there are not wires to splice or lengthy installs. DynoJet claims that vehicles with the CMD installed typically gained 12-36 wheel horsepower. While right now the device is offered for the Cobalt SS, Neon SRT-4, ION RedLine as well as the Lancer Evo and WRX/STI you can also get a tuner version to be used on any forced induction vehicle.



Visit www.dynojet.com for more information

[Tom@StangTV]

Lucas Oil is a name that many of us know and love. New this year is their new Engine Break-In Oil Additive, Power Steering Fluid with Conditioner, and Automatic Transmission Conditioner. These products as well as many others were on display at this year’s SEMA show.

The Lucas Oil Power Steering Fluid with Conditioner is useful in that it helps to protect the power steering system from high heat conditions. This makes it an extremely useful tool in the building of not only a race car, but a performance street car as well. By keeping heat out of the system you can make it last longer and perform better.

Also new is their Automatic Transmission Fluid Conditioner. This is to keep everything in your transmission well lubricated under extreme conditions. Compatible with Dextron 6 this fluid is a must if you plan to work your automatic transmission to the limits or daily driving or the race track.

Visit www.lucasoil.com for more information

[Tom@StangTV]

HP Tuners is well known for top-flight GM tuning. This year at SEMA their were showing off their new Fuel Injection Tuning Software and Handheld Device for both race and street applications for Mustang & Dodge as well.

HP Tuners software let you take full control over your Late Model Mustang or Ford F150 engine with their VCM Suite and a little help for a laptop. The interface can be used to tune any of these cars or tucks for everything from full race applications to your street performance vehicle. The software lets you tune the entire fuel map not just a few key points. This lets you have total control over the engine.

Another new thing: Transmission tuning. Now you can bring your LS engine closer to crazy by tuning not only the engine, but the transmission as well. For use with the E38 and E67 computers you are able to tune the with the actual VE Table so that you aren’t left guessing. With support for 1, 2, 3, and 2.5 Bar maps this tuner can be use to tune a wide variety of vehicles. With the option of Real Time Tuning (RTT) you can adjust select parameters in your Gen3 V8 in real time.

Visit www.hptuners.com for more information

[poweradmin]

The Mustang II was known for many things, among them being a terrible low-performance car with a legendary name that ended up in junkyards rather than collector’s garages. But the one silver lining that came from these cars was there cheap and plentiful rank and pinion steering system, which many car guys cut out of the Mustang II and retro-fitted their hot rods with a cheap independent front suspension.

Using the Mustang II suspension, Flaming River has developed a decidedly improved version that provides greater strength and rack stability. With 6 inches of travel this new power rack provides the maximum turning radius while simultaneously shedding 12lbs of weight over the stock unit. It is also easier to install thanks to a low-profile pressure hose.



Flaming River is also now offering their keyless entry system integrated into one of their tilt column steering wheels. Using their existing keyless entry and start system, Flaming River has integrated much of the circuitry directly into the steering column, eliminating dangling keys and awkwardly placed push-button starters. It is a clean look that takes new technology and applies it to older cars for a more modern feel.



Visit www.flamingriver.com for more information

[poweradmin]

Wiring a car can be a daunting task for even the most seasoned auto enthusiast. Thankfully there are companies like American Autowire which have taken a lot of the guess work out of rewiring your classic car. Their car-specific kits improve upon the OEM design by providing connections for classic parts or contemporary upgrades like halogen lamps and third brake lights. The kits come with all the stock connections and mostly fit in the stock locations and come with parts like the stock ignition and dimmer switch.

New for this year is a 61-64 Impala Classic Update Kit which comes with a cluster harness disconnect for easy service and assembly. The can be fitted to the original dash or any of a number of aftermarket gauge cluster packages from many major name brands. Additionally the harness can be connected to an engine harness from any number of modern GM engines, making swaps much easier. The harness comes extra long so it can be run in the original location or routed in a custom location. American Autowire also offers kits for ’67-68 Mustangs.

Visit www.americanautowire.com for more information