Well, SEMA 2006 is over, and I am finally back! I got off to a rough start, as my Monday flight was delayed a total of 10 hours, and American Airlines lost my bag for 2 days. Nothing is worse than being in Vegas without a suitcase!!!

Anyways, I want to post a few pics, and some commentary on what I saw.

My first stop was the Volk display, where they had almost every Volk wheel on display. I have always been impressed with the quality of Volk wheels, and their reasonable prices for what you get. Check out the sample cut TE37, and you can see how thin, yet strong, these one-piece monoblock wheels really are.






I also stopped by the Eagle Rod booth and spoke with my sales rep over there. Tables and tables of Eagle rods everywhere...yummie:


I also had the pleasure of speaking with Vinny and Andrew of Performance Motorsports...home of the faster Z in the world...6 seconds and around 1700whp. Nothing on the car is stock but it looks incredible in person. I was in awe with the size of the twin turbos, and the custom intake manifold.





Of course, the trip would not be complete without a stop at TurboXS, and a little chat with Jermaine and Russell. I had in my hands, the final physical production version of the 350Z UTEC...complete with USB port now, for easy hookup to standard laptops. I believe its the only one in existance. The beta testers that some shops have dont have the USB port, or the neat graphics and finish.


Another new product that is nearly available, is the Tanabe Sustec Pro Seven. This is the most exciting new suspension product since the introduction of the Tein Flex Coilovers with EDFC. According to Tanabe, the range of compression/dampening adjustment is several times greater than Tein's, and the in-cabin controller also offers auto speed suspension adjustment. IE...the suspension can automatically be setup to become stiffer as speeds increase. Pretty neat stuff. Tentative, price is about $600 more than the Tein Flex with EDFC controller.




This is the in cabin suspension controller:


I also stopped by and spoke with Cosworth. Cosworth is world known for building race engines for Formula 1, IRL, WRC, etc. They are starting to produce parts for the general population. I saw some complete Cosworth heads, with oversized valves, inconel exhuast valves, 5 axis CNC porting, combustion chamber shaping, springs, and Ti retainers.

Look for FI.com to begin carrying all of these products shortly.

 

Very cool stuff! I wish i could have gone. No more pics/reviews of other products?

 

These were just the highlights. For Z related product, there was nothing really breakthrough, aside from UTEC and Cosworth...so I just posted some quick highlights

If you have any questions about certain vendors, lemme know. Nothing new at Greddy or HKS...I can tell you that.

 

Nice pics!!! Wish I had been there
Cheers,
Lou

 

Sweet heres my pics if anyone wants to see more.
http://photobucket.com/albums/c250/n...?sc=1&multi=19

 

thats awesome? so will we be able to just purchase an already assembled head package from cosworth?

also that tanabe set up looks sick! i was already excited about the utec..hehe wish i could have gone nice pics

 

Sharif -- lmk when you need a guinnea pig for the tanabe coilovers... i think i need a bit of suspension work (the back set creaks a little) before i move across the pond

 

Great info Sharif!!!! Great pics

 

anything on the new injen exhaust?

 

Great thread, and very nice stylish shirt

 

Sharif -- one further question about the tanabe suspension system... it can change dampening strength under different speeds... can it change ride height based upon speed parameters as well? that would exactly fit the bill for what i'm looking for

thanks again!
-nick

 

That is correct. When I establish the selling price, you will find that the heads are ready to install, minus cams and lifters (buckets)...and these heads will be a BARGAIN compared to a Ferrea valve train with installation and porting work. They use brand new OEM heads to start with.

You got it Nick... Selling price will be roughly $2600-$2700 with the in-cabin controller. I will have competive pricing on them...no question...just not sure pricesly what the final retail price on these will be, but this will give you a rough estimate.

Which new Injen exhuast. Tanabe, Greddy, and HKS had nothing new to report).

Thanks...and thanks.

It cannot change ride height...that is done via threaded body, and that is a manual adjustment. Speed sensative dampening/compression adjustment only.

 

Sharif,
How many UTEC's have been sold with your pre-order program to date?

 

awesome -- thanks for the .nfo

 

Honestly I was considering on just doing it simple with the Nismo coils, but from friends who have the Tein Flex with EDFC... I was def. thinking this new Tanabe set-up would be very cool, enough for me to dish out the cash for let us know as soon as you get those prices

 

Sharif, after driving my car this week it has come to my attention that I need wheels/tires, I just can't get traction in second gear at all. Your gonna start carrying the full line of volks? Cause that would be very crucial.

Oh yea almost forgot...nice timepiece in the volk picture

 

I WANT THIS HEAD PACKAGE.................about how much is it gonna cost?

 

5 so far, and honestly...the entire first production batch will definately sell out. If you anyone wants one, please sign up this week. The thread is located in the Vendor Classified section.
Yes, I carry the full line of Volk wheels. They arent the website yet, becuase there are a myriad of offsets, sizes, styles, etc. Just PM me if you need pricing on a set.
And dammit...I tried to keep the timepiece out of the pic.

A little over $4000 complete...just bolt on your cams, and adjust the valve lash, and you are done. If anyone has priced out CNC headwork, and valve train components, you know this is a bargain...and the Cosworth experience and reputation is priceless. No core charge or anything...they start from fresh OEM heads, and then serial number, and stamp the Cosworth name on them.