They have recently released an LT-series harmonic balancer that is compatible with the new LT4 Camaro, supercharged CTS-V, and the various GM v8 trucks with LT motors. In addition, there is a new L5P Duramax damper on the diesel side that features a bolt-on accessory drive with a small-block Chevrolet bolt pattern, which provides flexibility for swaps and other purposes.
Fluidampr also told me that they are starting to move some of the aluminum technology they used in their OEM applications into their motorsports lineup. These aluminum dampers would provide lower inertial mass but feature the same overall damping capability. So that should be an exciting development to look forward to.
It’s pretty crazy how many options are available these days for sequential gearboxes. Sure, we have the S1 Sequential adapter on our T56 on Project SC300, but you now have myriad choices for ground-up sequential transmissions for your car. Here’s just a few companies that were displaying at PRI:
- HGT Precision
- SADEV
- Drenth
- EXD
- XTrac
- Holinger
- Albins
There were probably others I didn’t notice, and there are likely others on the market. Don’t forget that things like BMW dual-clutch transmission (DCT) swaps are starting to become common, too. It’s pretty nuts.
This Eluminator from Ford is one of the first OEM electric kits out there. Combine it with some additional electronics from AEM and a battery, and off you go. 281 horsepower is nothing to shake a stick at. And, given that the motor is only 205lbs, why not use two?
Pictured here is their new 6262 turbocharger, which features an integrated bypass valve, integrated wastegate, and v-bands on the turbine side. The combination of the bypass and wastegate into the turbocharger looks to make for an extremely compact unit. A new generation center section also features improved cooling and lubrication. There is also a slew of aerodynamic improvements being phased into all products.
Precision also has some new bolt-on replacement options for VW Golf/A3 and the WRX/STI. The Subaru unit comes in 55mm and 58mm sizes with multiple wastegate options. The updated design includes a 3″ inlet which is the standard size for aftermarket intakes, and this means no adapters are required. In addition, it features a stainless steel exhaust housing and a water-cooled bearing cartridge.
In addition to several new wastegates, there is also a WRC-spec turbocharger made of exotic materials that weighs 6lbs in total, and a 143mm 5,000HP-capable diesel turbocharger, to mark opposite ends of the extreme scale.
With all of these cool parts at the show, I bet that your mind is spinning on all of the possibilities. But what if you just want to stroke a big check and get a nice, sorted race car? Well, you can do that, too.
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.