Over the course of the weeklong convention the officials at SEMA take their time and select a several new products as this year's 'Best of'. To pick the best new products, the thousands of new releases displayed at SEMA are organized into several different categories. These categories include: the best new interior, best exterior product, performance products, 4X4 & off-road products, trailers and towing, marine products, etc. All in all there are fifteen different SEMA product categories. After digging up the SEMA picks, we took to the convention floor to personally take a look at these products and offer a little bit more information about our favorites.
Out of the hundred or so new products selected by SEMA as 'Best New Performance Products of 2004' we found and selected our own Top 10. By taking an up close look at each of the different featured items, we chose our own Top 10 list based on the originality of the product, its potential influence in the tuner market, and most importantly the kick-ass factor. Without further ado, we present:
AutomotiveArticles.com Presents the Best of SEMA! At the convention the SEMA officials present dozens of Best New Product Awards to manufacturers in several different catagories. While the SEMA awards list contains hundreds of products, we went the extra mile and sifted through all the material to make our own Best Of list. >>>Check out the official SEMA list<<<
The AutomotiveArticles.com 10 Best New Performance Products for 2004
Rotora Big Brake Kit www.rotora.com Catered for the performance enthusiasts. Rotora introduces its premier big front brake upgrade. Fully cast and CNC machined to ensure the highest quality; Rotora's 4-piston caliper brake kit system improves the pedal feel by increasing the clamping force while utilizing the stock master cylinder to ensure stock brake balance. Using this kit, end users receive a race-setup performance solutions combined with an appealing aesthetic application.
The Rotora kit is a very nice looking piece, the 4-piston fixed caliper not only looks gorgeous but offers a significant increase in brake feel. With most kits falling in the price ranges of $1300, the Rotora big brake kit offers all the benefits of a two piece rotor and 4-piston caliper without the hefty price tag of other kits. A definite plus in bang for the buck performance upgrades.
Note: Larger wheels may benecessary to accommodate space for the larger caliper and rotor. Call Rotora for wheel sizing information.
Dual Port BOV www.turbosmart.com.au Due to the ever-increasing demand, we now have a BOV that will vent to atmosphere and back into the air intake. Dual ports with sequential timing allow quieter operation during normal driving loads with the benefit of a Supersonic during race conditions.
Supplied with a universal blanking flange to reconfigure to Plumb back or atmospheric dump only
Adjustment via the unique Quick Wrist action (no spanners required)
Supplied with a 38mm weld-on adapter to suit stainless or steel piping
Supported by our Multi-Fit adapters
This BOV looked great! However the real beauty of this valve lies not in its appearance or distinctive sound, but in its ability to be both vented to the atmoshpere and plumbed back into the intake. Anyone who owns a turbo car knows the driveability problems that come with having a vented BOV. The Turbo Smart valve lets you enjoy all the sounds of an open BOV when you want and with a quick flick of the wrist, recirculate the air and drive all the way home without stalling.
PowerForce Harmonic Damper www.professional-products.com The Professional Products dampers were also very nice pieces. In the day and age of the E-Bay performance specials, its nice to be able to find a company that actually builds a products that is both functional and safe. Most people would by a cheap underdrive pulley without ever realizing the importance that the damper pulley plays in keeping the entire rotating assembly in one piece. After glancing through the information in the PP booth, we compiled a list of things that impressed us about this new release.
Competitive Advantages Over Other Harmonic Damper:
Price - Yes, there are less expensive street and SFI specification dampers, but not at this quality level, nor can they match the other features that the Professional Products line of premium dampers offers.
Applications - The SFI-Spec Powerforce+Plus as well as the Powerforce lines of dampers provide more applications for a wider range of engines than any other harmonic damper manufacturer in our price range.
Universality - We are able to fit more applications with fewer part numbers than any other damper line. That's because we have engineered our dampers to be more universal allowing one damper to fit a wide range of engines where other companies either have more part numbers or don't even address the additional applications. We fit engines that no one else does.
Quality - Despite our extremely attractive prices, the quality of our dampers is equal to, or, in most cases exceeds that of, any other harmonic damper. You won't find any damper that is more accurately balanced or more closely machined for the correct fit than the Powerforce or Powerforce+Plus line of high performance street or SFI-spec racing harmonic dampers.
Features - Our line of dampers offer features not found with any other damper. For example, our small block Ford dampers are made to the early short length so that '87 and later engines (with the 50 in. oz. damper) can be used in early chassis or street rods. We offer a line of very inexpensive spacers to adapt the short damper to later vehicles and provide the correct accessory belt alignment. Additionally our small block Ford dampers have both the three and four bolt pulley patterns on them as well as three sets of clear, easy to read white timing marks. Our small block and big block Chrysler dampers both come with extra bolt-in counterweights that provide fitment to limited production vehicles that other damper manufacturers have chosen to completely ignore.
Easy to Read Timing Marks - Our dampers all feature clear, white easy to read timing marks against a painted black background. In addition, we engrave a mark every 90° which is also painted white. (90° marks not on small block Ford dampers)
Warranty - With all of our products, we offer a one year limited warranty, including dampers used in racing applications. Compare that to many damper companies who offer no warranty whatsoever. We manufacture a high quality product and we stand behind it.
Bonded Construction - All of our dampers feature a bonding process which adheres the elastomer to the I.D. of the inertia ring and the O.D. of the hub. Through subsequent research and development we have perfected a new process that utilizes a stronger adhesive along with an improved elastomer that creates a much stronger bond. It now takes twice the force to separate the hub from the ring as it did with our previous bonding system. Our current design is practically indestructible.
Baer 6s Monoblock Caliper www.baer.com The EXTREME+ calipers are derived from those currently used in the Trans Am race series. These 6-piston, staggered bore, radial mount calipers are cast as a solid unit providing unparalleled stability. When coupled with two-piece rotors, this system provides absolutely the shortest stopping distances and best repeatability currently available. Although they may have been derived from race calipers, they have full dust and weather seals as do all proper road-going calipers. 18" wheels or larger are usually required.
The calipers and rotors that Baer had on display looked unbelievably. The contruction and finish of the components was pristine. The Baer kits all come standard with AP calipers which are the same calipers used in all serious forms of automotive competition. If you've got big money to spend on making your vehicle stop, Baer has all the equipment you need.
Ultra Gate Wastegate www.turbosmart.com.au The most compact 35mm wastegate on the market, featuring the common two bolt flange design used by many turbo kit manufacturers. The Ultra-Gate’s design incorporates a unique temperature isolation zone to reduce heat transfer, a true 35mm inlet port for maximum flow, an investment cast Stainless Steel body and one-piece valve for strength and reliability. We have successfully used one Ultra-Gate on engines producing up to 600HP, however in applications where the turbo is not suitably matched to the engine, this figure may not be achievable.
Ultra compact 112mm overall height (4 ˝ inch) and 100mm across (4 inch)
17-7 PH spring and Silicone Nomex diaphragm - durability under extreme temperatures and stress
Optimum actuator to valve ratio for precise boost control
Superior body design and huge valve lift ensure unrivalled flow
Supplied with weld on steel manifold flanges and gaskets
Fully compatible with all Turbosmart Boost Controllers
If anyone is looking for an alternative wastegate to the popular Tial 35mm gate, this is it! While time will tell how well this new product will do, from the looks of it and from the information available on its performance, we can say that we expect these little jems to really sell big.
GReddy 350Z Twin Turbo Kit www.greddy.com It takes a tremendous amount of money and time to successfully increase the power of a naturally aspirated engine. With a GReddy bolt-on turbocharger kit you can obtain instant horsepower gains with less time and money while still having the potential for upgrading. Unlike most turbo kits on the market today, GReddy kits are designed specifically for driveability and reliability, as well as performance. Since they are based completely on stock engines, these kits come with all the necessary basics, including fuel enrichment. Many of the kits are covered under CARB E.O. numbers which make them 50-state street legal. If competition use is your goal, there are many GReddy upgrades (intercoolers, blow-off valves, fuel management and boost controllers) to boost the power output even further.
The TT kit for the 350Z looks awesome. Priced to be extremely competitive, the GReddy kit seems to be on all the featured G35's and Z's lately. GReddy claims big power gains and a relatively flat torque curve, just the type of performance you want out of any bolt on modification. When the kit is intstalled you really can't see much of it, however after taking a look at the display installation, it becomes vary apparant how much work was put into creating this $6000 kick in the pants.
Afco Racing Custom Coilovers www.afcoracing.com When we first stopped by the Afco Racing booth to check out their coilovers, we though we were going to find another off the shelf pre-built coilover kit. Not so! Unlike coilovers from Tein, Tanabe, Apex, or JIC, the Afco Racing units are built to your specifications. After browsing through their catalogues, it becomes apparant how many options you have when designing your own racing suspension. Afco offers a huge assortment of shock sizes, damping rates, and spring rates, making it a very appealing setup to a serious car builder.
While you will have to do your homework in order to correctly piece together your own suspension system, in the end, the ability to create a custom coilover to fit your car will provide you with an undeniable edge in performance over a stander OTS system.
Green Filters www.greenfilterusa.com Before attending SEMA, I had never heard of Grenn Filters. However, they had a very large display at the convention and it caught my attention. After wondering around the booth, I picked up one of the pamphlets and began to thumb through the information. I was surprised to found the high class racing pedigree that had spawned the development of these filters for everyday vehicle use.
Green has filters for nearly every applicaton that K&N does, both air and oil filters. With such a wide variety of applications and some legitimate science to back it up, I may be "going Green" myself next air filter change.
For those of you who are curious about Green Filters, we snagged a broschure here.
BCU+ Boost Controller www.performance-trends.com The all new BCU+ (boost controller unit) is the first boost controller to feature multiple stages of boost, a built-in turbo timer, boost guage, voltmeter, and two 12 Volt outputs. P.I.T. uses the latest technology to give the user multiple ways of controlling and monitoring boost levels. With High and Low stages of boost and adjustable gain, you can tune the boost to switch depending on track or road conditions. The BCU+ also incorporates an Automatic and Manual Turbo Timer to let your engine cool down after a run. By using the electrical Outputs you can use the BCU+ to control any 12V DC source, like a nitrous kit and/or intercooler spray. Know exactly what's going on with your engine by using the Last Boost and Voltmeter settings on the easy to read LCD screen. In a word, this thing is flat out awesome.
Procharger Superchargers www.procharger.com ProCharger® supercharger systems are absolutely the most powerful and reliable supercharger systems available for your vehicle. Nothing else even comes close! This is possible only because the quality and design of ProCharger systems are simply second to none. Of course the most important component is the supercharger itself, and ProCharger superchargers are absolutely the most powerful and durable superchargers available - for any airflow requirement. And for customers who want additional power and reliability beyond that possible from a supercharger alone, ATI is the only company which offers an integrated air-to-air intercooler system, the same type of intercooler system that is standard on millions of OEM forced induction applications worldwide. Others may imitate, but ProCharger technology is the best you can buy.
From talking to several different people at the show included other members of the media, we have pretty much concluded that Prochargers are the best avaialable. If you want even more proof, just look at the Outlaw Mustang drag class, the top 20 guys are all running Prochargers. That's got to mean something.
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