Whether you have a Hayabusa or a Polaris, King likely has something for you. But they haven’t only been focused on expanding the motors they serve. King has recently released an interesting bearing set for the GM LS engines that works for all variants from the earliest LS to the present generation. While the LS thrust bearing changed in 2014, the original double-flanged bearing can still work with some modifications. By adding additional oil holes, King made the installation non-directional. This is pretty neat! It certainly makes it easier for all you engine builders out there to stock one thing instead of several different kits.
Lastly, King’s new GPC material has extreme load capacity for diesel and other applications that involve extreme cylinder pressures. This material also has additional resistance to flaking.
ARP has had a few new applications here and there since 2019, but the real elephant in the room has been supply chain problems. As a result, ARP has moved to produce larger batch sizes and purchased newer, more efficient equipment, which will help clear some of the product backlogs by Q2 of 2022. While the larger batch sizes may further delay some components, it reduces the accordion effect of getting fewer units out before switching to a different SKU. Hopefully, these changes will get your product in your hands with enough time for race season!
Take this complete accessory drive kit for Hemis as an example. It might not look like much, but it’s a lot of features in a compact package. First, the compact package is impressive, squishing the entirety of the front systems and accessories on a Hemi into a small space. This makes it easy for all you nutcase drift people to slam a giant Hemi engine into your AE86 Corolla or something. Second, it combines timing cover provisions for Hemis with or without variable valve timing and has directionally-configurable water inlets and outlets. Third, it includes a one-wire alternator for a simplified electrical setup. Fourth, it uses a standard C6 Corvette water pump which is nice because it is modular and easily repairable. Fourth, it has a power steering reservoir integrated into the assembly. Lastly, it can be optioned with an SFI-tested crank damper.
The new low- and super-low-ram intakes for the LS add additional options for clearance-constrained swaps. With options for dual-injector fuel rails (if you’re looking to make massive power) as well as both cathedral- and rectangle-port options, these two new intakes round out a large number of LS upgrades. Oh, and the MSRP of just shy of $800 certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
4 comments
Thanks for the summary! I have only been to PRI once sadly, and I think that was back in 2008 when it was still in Orlando. Interesting about the Precision, the end housings look very EFR-like. Well, only so many ways to do the same feature set. I know the owner of Dyme PSI, he’s very active out here in SoCal helping with builds. The rattle snake kit would be awesome for any shop that builds cars. It takes all the guess work out, reduces wasted material, and all the stuff they send is tested for quality to ensure there are no leaks (maybe the most important part). I was wonder how the Miata Cup cars were keeping from grenading the manual transmission… I see they just replaced it completely, ha! I bet Hunter will sell a ton of those tire change machines. The EV conversions are coming… the tricky part right now for the DIY’er is the battery pack and thermal management. AEM was smart and jumped on it early, getting their ECU and BMS stuff going. Now the OEMs are doing crate motor/inverter setups. The last piece really are battery modules/packs.
Khiem, to answer your “question” on the Miata Cup car transmissions: they obviously weren’t doing anything to keep them from grenading- but they were covering them under warranty and contingency. I had a friend go through 2 transmissions- completely covered under warranty. Mazda told him they would not cover the 3d one if it blew as well.
But, isn’t that one of the best benefits of selecting the Mazda as a track toy? Things are covered under warranty just like on the street car, and for things that aren’t- you get a discount on the parts- 2yrs ago replacement crash parts for cup car owners was cost plus 10%! What other auto manufacturer is supporting their grassroots motorsport customers like that?
Part of the reason for the change from the OEM transmission to the SADEV was that the OEM trans were not holding up to the rigors of racing. However, it was usually the front-pack racers who were flat-shifting and driving the cars to 99.99% of their capabilities that were destroying the trans. I don’t think it was 100% of the cars that were grenading transmissions all the time, but rather the most abusive drivers were guaranteed to kill one.
I don’t think your casual weekend warrior or track-day enthusiast is going to kill an OEM trans.
I definitely see the value in the Dyme system for volume. For one-sy two-sy kind of hose work, though, it may not be worth the entry price.
I was definitely at a few of those Orlando-era PRI events!
I believe this is basically the same transmission in the FR-S/86/BRS and if so its is pretty fragile.