The Latest Products From PRI 2016
Out of all the things we liked about the 2016 Performance Racing Industry Trade Show, it’s getting an exclusive look at the latest go-fast parts that really got our blood pumping. From power-adders like turbochargers and nitrous to hard parts such as rods, cams and heads, there’s a cutting-edge component that will meet your needs.
During our PRI 2016 perusal, we met up with some of the biggest names in the drag racing, circle track and sled pulling segments to see what was new. While we won’t be able to spotlight every new product on hand at the show, you can rest assured that the following (hand-picked) parts will move the racing industry forward in 2017.
Turbo by Garrett
Garrett is as big as it gets in the turbocharger business. Its OEM products can last hundreds of thousands of miles, and its aftermarket turbos are known to produce race-winning results. From what we’ve seen on the motorsports side, Garrett’s GTX line regularly outperforms larger turbochargers from competing brands. And now, Garrett is releasing its second-generation of the GTX line.
What does this mean exactly? Well, for starters, all of Garrett’s Gen II GTX units will come with improved compressor wheel aerodynamics. Instead of an 11-blade compressor being the norm, you’ll find 8-, 9- or 10-blade wheels, depending on which model you’re looking at. The improved compressor wheels are said to allow the Gen II chargers to make as much as 10 percent more horsepower. Gen II Compressor housings will also incorporate a speed sensor port.
Crane Cams
As you can imagine, LS cams are big business these days, and Crane has an entire catalog dedicated to the platform. Now the company is offering tool steel camshafts, which can be made to match any engine configuration. That’s right, Crane’s tool steel cams can be built one-off for any journal size, linear spacing or firing order that the customer needs.
Thanks to the through hardening, heat-treating process its tool steel cams undergo, all units are extremely stable and resistant to surface wear, deflection and twist. Tool steel cams can be built to your specifications and ordered one at a time, or in bulk quantities.
Manley Performance Products
Manley Performance has the capability of manufacturing various hard-parts such as connecting rods, pistons, valves, pushrods and crankshafts in-house, so naturally the company offers a wide array of parts for several segments, including traditional small block and big block V-8’s, Ford modular motors and products for the LS crowd.
The company’s single roller timing kits for LS engines (LS-1, LS-2, LS-3 with single bolt cam, and LS-3 with three bolt cam) feature a heavy-duty roller chain from Rolon, billet-steel cam sprocket (heat treated with thrust bearing) and crank sprocket (heat treated with 9 key way), an oil pump drive socket and install without any modifying or massaging of the timing cover.
Did you know Manley was able to keep up with OEM production demands when it was the sole supplier of connecting rods for the 2003-2004 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra engine? That demand was 2,500 rods per week.
Dart Machinery
Dart introduced its new, high-flow LS cylinder heads at this year’s show. Called its NMCA Pro Stock 10 Degree Head, they’re made from RMR hipped cast-aluminum, feature 368cc CNC oval ports, 10-degree x 4-degree canted valves with reverse intake and exhaust location, and allow you to run a 2.300-inch intake valve with a 1.600-inch exhaust valve.
Wedge style combustion chambers are available in any measurement from 38 to 57cc. Dart’s high performance heads can also be had with a 6-bolt (per cylinder) design.
Ford Performance Parts
In order to showcase all of the FoMoCo-approved performance options available for ’15-’17 Mustang GTs and EcoBoost Coupes, Ford Performance Parts had one of its pony cars laying on its side with the undercarriage exposed for all to see.
Among some of the highlights were the track handling pack (track lowering springs, assembled front struts and rear shock, performance pack upper strut mounts, etc.), a performance pack 6-piston front brake kit with 15-inch vented brake rotors, manual transmission cooler air scoop and high performance clutch fluid line upgrade. A half shaft upgrade kit, complete with severe-duty, serviceable CV joints with CNC billet centers and an improved subframe-to-body bushing kit that incorporates anodized aluminum bushings instead of the factory rubber mounts.
Edelbrock
Edelbrock hit the ground running at the PRI Show by promoting its new casting process and improved intake manifold designs.
Its manifolds now utilize a two-piece core (vs. the previous one-piece core) and feature thinner intake runners for optimized airflow right out of the box. This should lead to much less work for the shop performing the porting on your heads.
Sun Coast Converters
With the addition of a second high-pressure fuel pump, a higher-flowing turbocharger and custom PCM tuning, Ford Super Dutys powered by the 6.7L Power Stroke can send as much as 700 hp (and 1,400 lb-ft) to the wheels. But sending that kind of power through the factory TorqShift transmission won’t do its lifespan any favors.
Seeing a need for a better torque converter in Ford’s six-speed automatic prompted Sun Coast Converters to fill this hole in the marketplace. At the PRI Show the company unveiled its triple disc converter, which features furnace-brazed internals and a billet stator for ultimate strength.
Precision Turbo and Engine
At the forefront of high-end, big horsepower turbocharger technology is none other than Precision Turbo & Engine. The company designs, manufacturers and tests its own compressor wheels (called Competition Engineered Aerodynamics, or CEA) in-house.
For the PRI Show, its GEN3 CEA turbos were on display, including the new NHRA Pro Mod 88 mm unit, along with 94 mm, 98 mm and 102 mm chargers (the 102 mm snail can support 2,300 hp!). For truck pullers competing in the new Limited Pro Stock class, the company’s smooth bore (non map groove) 3.0-inch inducer turbo was also present on the display case.
Derale Performance
No company understands how important it is for racers to keep their powertrain temps in check more than Derale Performance, so naturally the folks there had a multitude of products on hand at the show.
Everything from tube and fin coolers, plate and fin coolers, stacked plate coolers, frame rail coolers, heat sinks, electric cooling fans and belt-driven fans could be perused through. Now carrying its own line of high capacity, stamped steel transmission pans, Derale will also be offering its own patented line of belt tensioners soon.
Crower Cams
In addition to showing off its reknowned connecting rod and camshaft lines, several valvetrain improvements stemmed from the Crower camp this year, including its new roller lifters for high performance Chrysler engines.
Designed to hold up in extreme racing environments, the lifters make use of thicker needle bearings, an axle made from tool steel and a 0.920-inch diameter wheel. The new 1-1/16-inch lifters are also 100-percent rebuildable.
Nitrous Outlet
We’ve spent plenty of time covering turbochargers and superchargers in our PRI 2016 coverage, but now it’s time to give nitrous oxide a little love. With a quick stop at the Nitrous Outlet booth, we were shown its new Promax Nitrous Controller.
The controller allows you to control two separate stages and can be had with an LCD touch screen or be programmed via laptop. High marks include a built-in data logger, a multi-gear lockout function and the Promax can even sense when traction has been lost and regained, adjusting the ramp-up of NO2 accordingly. Finally, the controller can sense when a nitrous flow issue is present and alert you to that fact.
BD Diesel Performance
BD Diesel enjoys a sizeable share of the diesel performance market. Thanks to its broad product catalog, from street to competition and even compound arrangements, the company has been at the forefront of bolt-on turbocharger sales and support for nearly 30 years.
The latest news from the Canadian-based BD is that its entire line of BorgWarner-derived turbochargers will now be be based on SX-E models (vs. the previous generation SX models). With a 360-degree thrust bearing assembly, forged milled compressor wheel, and an aerodynamically improved compressor housing coming as standard equipment on all SX-E turbos, a noticeable improvement in both the performance and durability of these units is virtually guaranteed.
