The Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show happens not long after the gigantic SEMA Show every year. While SEMA focuses on the entirety of the automotive aftermarket, the PRI show, in contrast, is exclusively focused on motorsports and racing. With global performance-focused manufacturers covering the entire motorsports spectrum from fabrication to set up and performance, the show has grown consistently over the years to become the best places for racers to come to see what they need to go faster in the coming season.
Here are some selections from our partners and others that we found interesting at this year’s 2018 PRI show. Starting with the cover photo – the Toyota GT 86 of Boosted 86 Racing and piloted by Nikki Hepburn.
This rocketship is powered by an uncommon (for racing) 4.5 liter 1FZ-FE inline-6 engine out of a late-model Land Cruiser. This engine is not available in the US market but can be had in Austrailia or the Middle East. With a massive Garrett snail on it, the 86 puts 2400HP through its powerglide transmission and is capable of a world record 6.55 at 219.8MPH ON DOT RADIALS.
2018 seems to be the year of the bespoke billet engine. Advances in CNC machining is making the development of engines not dependent on any old OEM architecture to be produced. The billet Visner engine shown here was one of several of these engines. The 4.6″ bore space motor is offered in several configurations supporting both NA and power-added builds. This drag-focused dry block and head motor features 541 cubic inches of displacement and includes the gamut of Visner-developed billet components. The billet Visner Engine Development (VED) intake manifold features a dual injector design on a -12 fuel rail atop a VED billet cylinder head and a billet block with a 4.375″ bore and 4.500″ stroke. But Visner offers quite a few customization options if you’re in the mood to part with piles of cash in exchange for huge power, high trap speeds, and low ETs. Look for a future feature on this engine.
For more information, see https://www.visnerengine.com/
No stranger to engine internals, Supertech has recently introduced several new lines of hard parts. The R56 Mini Cooper features an interesting tapered design on the rod and piston, and the aftermarket had only responded with extremely expensive (but very good) Carillo rod replacements. Supertech saw an opportunity to produce a replacement rod that could work with the OE piston, but then backed it up with a piston that could work with the OE tapered rod design, too!
The Supertech H-beam rods are equipped with ARP 2000 bolts and, sometime in 2019, I-beams with ARP 625 studs will accompany them. All available rod applications have matching piston designs, and Supertech has focused on their core competency of “import” motors to start. However, in 1H2019 Supertech is looking to expand into the domestic market with new valve applications for the Ford Coyote (Gen 1 and Gen 2) engines, leveraging their long-term experience with overhead cam motors.
For more information, see https://www.supertechperformance.com/
3 comments
Actually if You have access to Peugeot Sport 208 R2 cars, rods and pistons for the Mini R56 were kind of available before Supertech.
The best thing you can do to minimize wear on your solitary thrust bearing is to disable your clutch switch. This also reduced wear and tear on your starter, as the engine is no longer coupled loaded by the clutch on start up.
Also, consider the fact that your solitary thrust bearing is totally dry on engine start.
Of course, don’t disable your clutch switch unless you are a meticulous driver. I rock my shifter a few times before starting, to make certain it is not in gear.
The 1FZ-FE was standard on US-spec Land Cruisers from 1993 – 1997. Titan Motorsports did some crazy drag racing development on that platform in the early 2000s as well.