Finish Line

SVTP combs the aisles of the PRI Show uncovering the hottest Ford parts

By Steve Turner

Each year the racing world travels to Indianapolis, Indiana, for the Performance Racing Industry trade show, which is SEMA’s event for the racing world. Not only does this event serve as the locale for various award programs from the likes of the NMRA and NMCA, but it is also the place for manufacturers and retailers to show their wares to racers.

This sets the stage for us to get a preview of the hardware those racers might be using next season, so we hopped a flight to Indy and traversed every aisle in the convention center so we could share a sampling of the standout gear from this year’s show.

Since racing is all about getting there in a hurry, let’s get right into the Ford performance hardware we spied at this year’s show…

Advanced Composite Products

Those looking to construct an all-out S550 road racer might have an interest in Advanced Composite Products news 2016 Mustang bodies. Designed to fit a tube-frame TransAm chassis with a 102-inch wheelbase, the seven-piece bodies latch together for a simple install. They are available in fiberglass and composite version with the former weighing 210 pounds and 115 pounds respectively.

AFCO

Mustangs and drag racing go together like peanut butter and jelly, and Afco is working to make that combination even tastier with its new drag-racing coilovers for ’79-04 and ’05-’14 Mustangs. These units feature Big Gun valving for better front-end control, BNV compression valving to smooth out wheelies, and fully independent compression and rebound adjustments. Custom valving is available and Afco offers a bolt-in spacer for easy fitment on Fox or SN-95 spindles.

Airaid

If your F-150 tow rig needs a bit more oomph to pull your race trailer, Airaid now offers its top-shelf cold-air intake for 2.7 and 3.5 EcoBoost trucks. The company also offers a similar kit for Coyote-powered trucks. These kits mate with the factory fresh air ducts and accept all the stock connections. 

Anderson Composites

If you want this scribe to stop dead in his tracks at a trade show, just put the words Mustang and carbon fiber on the same sign. That’s just what Anderson Composites did. The company offers a whole host of carbon fiber body parts for S197 and S550 Mustangs. It was the S550 door and trunk lid that immediately grabbed our attention, but the company also had fender flares in its PRI display. Looking deeper at its modern Mustang product line, Anderson also offers beautiful carbon splitters, mirror housings, rear diffusers and grilles. The want is real.

Auto Meter

Adding gauges to modern cars can be a challenge, but gauge giant Auto Meter is making it easier with its AirDrive System which channels OBD-II Data to traditional-looking gauges over Wi-Fi.

BMR Suspension

Regular SVTP Front Page readers should be all too familiar with BMR Suspension’s complete lineup of suspension upgrades for the 2015+ Mustang. For the uninitiated show-goers, BMR displayed its wares (left) next to the stock gear for comparison.

Borla

Borla isn’t just exhausts anymore. The company expanded with Borla Induction, and now the pipemasters offer a three-stage upgrade path for 2011-2014 F-150 pickups. Obviously the first step in this path is a Borla Cat-Back system. From there step B adds a high-flow air filter and a tune via an SCT X4 device. Step C tacks on two new turbos, a Y-pipe and an SCT calibration, which is said to take power over 480 ponies.

Brisk USA

Already firing the cylinders in some of the quickest Coyotes around, Brisk USA showed off its complete coverage of plugs for everything from 1.6-liter EcoBoost engines to 6.2-liter modular V-8s. The company even has a trick new multi-spark plug that runs the spark across several sequential gaps up the center of the plug.

Bullydog

Bullydog showed off a sleek new tuner at the show. It will be available branded under both Bullydog and sister company SCT branding.

Chassis Engineering

If you are in need of a robust 9-inch setup for your drag Fox or SN-95, Chassis Engineering has you covered. The company’s Mustang XBR bolt-in 9-inch housing features multiple mounting locations for the upper and lower control arms as well as lightweight aluminum mounts for the shocks.

DEI

If you need to shield your Raptor or other Ford off-road machine from exhaust heat, but you need easy post-mud cleanup, Design Engineering Inc. offers a new EXO Series exhaust wrap technology designed for both easy cleanup an easy removal.

DiabloSport

DiabloSport added some computing horsepower to its new inTune i2 to improve its usability. The latest version carries make specific part numbers, with the Ford version carrying the i2020 number and a $399 price tag. Likewise, you can now purchase licenses which allow you to tune multiple vehicles with the same i2 unit.

DSC Sport

We touched on this gear in our first-day highlights coverage from the PRI show, but DSC Sport’s programmable controllers and active damper upgrades are currently available for a number of vehicles, including Dodge Viper, Nissan GT-R and numerous Porsche vehicles. However, the DSC engineers will soon turn their attention to the Shelby GT350 and GT350R with a programmable upgrade for the factory Magneride suspension.

Edelbrock

At SEMA the new Victor II 5.0 manifold was bolted to the display, but at PRI we got a hands-on look at this new cast manifold for the big-power pack. With an operating range of 1,500 to 7,500 rpm, the Victor II is said to fit 2011-2015 Mustangs; even those equipped with factory strut-tower braces. Edelbrock says this unit picked up 27 lb-ft of torque over a Boss manifold and 16 horsepower over a stock manifold. It also features nitrous bosses on the under side of the runners so you can add a stealthy direct-port nitrous system.

Five Star RaceCar Bodies

Whether you want a TransAm racer or a Pro Mod dragster, Five Star Race Car Bodies is ready with composite bodies for both endeavors. The bodies are available as complete kits and complete kits with windows, and Five Star also offers all the necessary replacement panels in case you have a mishap. The crew at Modular Motorsports Racing will be campaigning the ProMod body, and if you want an idea of the cost, the TransAm kit will run you $5,913 without windows and $6,797 with windows.

Ford Performance Parts

If you caught our first day highlights coverage, you already know about Ford Performance Parts’ line of GT350 engine parts and more. Likewise, if you saw our coverage from The SEMA Show, you know about its Coyote Power Modules. However, FPP added an automatic version of the CPM kits at the PRI Show. It allows you to swap in a Coyote backed by the popular 6R80 six-speed automatic and controlled by the Control Pack PCM.

G-Force Engineering

The robust halfshafts from G-Force Engineering have become popular upgrades for high-output 2015+ Mustangs. If you need more durability, the company showed off its 9-inch IRS kit ($4,999) wearing the optional ($1,699) Strange Pro Iron case with a 35-spline S-Trac differential.

HMS Motorsport

We introduced you to Schroth’s QuickFit belts available via HMS Motorsport at last year’s SEMA Show, but they are available for sale now. In case you missed it, these harnessbelts for the latest Fiesta, Focus and Mustang use the factory attachment belts to add track safety in a plug and play package. And, because they use the factory attachment points, they take advantage of the factory pretensioner.

Holley Performance Products

Coming from Holley’s Sniper division is an extremely affordable intake manifold for high winding, 2011-2014 Coyote engines. The Sniper EFI Fabricated Intake Manifold (PN 829032) retails for $589.95, but is available for preorder as part of the Holleydays promotion for only $529.95. It features a 90mm inlet and a matching Sniper fuel rail kit is optional.

JMS

The crew at JMS Chip & Performance has been busy crafting new products. The company showed off its LaunchMax (PN LM1115SPM; $209) at The SEMA Show, and at this point the DIY kit must be spliced into the factory harness to add a transbrake to your 6R80 six-speed automatic. However, JMS is developing a plug and play harness that will ease the installation of this unit in the future. Another new option for racers from JMS is an optional Griptech micro-machining process that can be added to the company’s own wheels or to your wheels if you send them in. They say this process provides enough tire to rim grip to supplant rim screws for all but the most extreme racing applications. Can you say grudge sleeper?

Kooks Custom Exhaust

We can’t wait to see what these Tri-Y works of art will do for a Voodoo engine. That’s right. Kooks had its new Shelby GT350 long-tube headers on a rotating display at the show. We hope to cover the installation and testing of these headers (PN 11542300; $982.05) in the near future, so stay tuned.

Livernois Motorsports

We touched base with Livernois Motorsports on its new EcoBoost Mustang turbo kit, which debuted at The SEMA Show. They are currently in the process of constructing a robust 2.3-liter engine to fully support the capabilities of this turbo upgrade, so it should be interesting to see what a built EcoBoost engine with a bigger turbo can do.

Mahle Motorsports

Already a supplier of pistons for a lot of Ford Performance engine applications—including the latest Cobra Jet—Mahle Motorsports is still working on slugs for other Blue Oval engines. The company already has 2.0-liter EcoBoost pistons, but pistons for the 2.3-liter engine in the Mustang and Focus RS are in the works.

MBRP

MBRP is now offering its 2011-2014 Coyote long-tube headers with midpipe adapters, and the whole package is quite affordable even if you add the company’s cat-back exhaust to round out the package.

McLeod Racing

Racers seeking a light, affordable SFI 6.1 bellhousing for their small-block-powered Fords needn’t look any further than McLeod Racing’s new Spun Aluminum bellhousing. Weighing in at only 14 pounds, the McLeod unit protects you from clutch destruction with a steel liner. If you need more, a TMS Titanium liner is optional. Also, backing plates are available for T-5 and Tremec TKO five-speed manuals.

Modular Motorsports Racing

One of the coolest things we saw at the show was the new billet Coyote block form Modular Motorsports Racing. The display unit shows the early results of putting a huge block of aluminum in a CNC machine. After about eight more hours, this one will be come one of MMR’s rugged, tall-deck Coyote blocks, good for up to 400 cubes. A short-deck version will also be available for those that simply need a more durable foundation for a Coyote engine build.

Mountune

While they have offerings for EcoBoost engines, UK Ford tuner Mountune’s PRI display concentrated on beefed up versions of Ford’s Duratec four-banger, which was found in the last-generation Focus. You too can have a 650-horsepower RallyCross engine for a cool $99,000.

Race Star Industries

It was hard to miss the Race Star Industries booth thanks to Brad Gusler’s record-setting, BG Racing EcoBoost Mustang. However, it was these four-lug drag wheels for the Fox Mustangs that got our cameras snapping. They are available in black chrome and this tasty gray finish.

Ridetech

We recently covered the installation of Ridetech’s coilover suspension system for the 2015+ Mustang and the company showed that kit off at PRI. The real news, however, is that Ridetech recently added an airbag suspension to it repertoire. We hope to document the install of that system soon as well.

SCT Performance

Another new tuner from SCT Performance and its’ sister company Bullydog is the GTX. This tuner looks like a GPS unit, but it packs a user-friendly interface that let users access its datalogging, diagnostics, tuning, and more. It also supports custom tuning.

Strange Engineering

Strange Engineering showed off this 35-spline differential for power, but streetable vehicles with 8.8-inch differentials. Base on a case forged from an 8620 alloy and it is filled with helical gears made from a 9310 alloy. This diff is at home on the drag strip, road course, or street, but to install it you will need to run C-clip eliminators for a drag car or 9-inch bearing ends for an all-purpose machine.

Team Beefcake Racing

Team Beefcake Racing’s NMRA Renegade 2015 Mustang wasn’t a new product at the PRI Show, but it did a fine job serving as booth candy for Exedy Clutch in Indy.

VMP Performance

Our friends at VMP Performance obviously showed off their robust line of TVS Superchargers and case upgrades. However, this year they also displayed EcoBoost intercoolers, the HP Tuners nGauge tuning device, and the company’s new billet blower belt tensioners for Coyotes and GT500s.

Watson Racing

Loyal readers of the Front Page no doubt saw our coverage of the prototype version of Watson Racing’s 2015+ Mustang Drag Race IRS Kit. Well, this is the first such unit built off the production tooling. This bolt in system allows for the installation of a rugged 9-inch housing and G-force halfshafts good for 2,000 horsepower. It not only shaves 170 pounds off the rear of the car, but its inboard brakes allow for the use of 15-inch drag wheels.

Whiteline

Whiteline is promising to ramp up its S550 product line soon, but for now they company added a new S197 Panhard bar to its repertoire. 

Zeitronix

With the nGauge gaining steam as a tuning device and datalogger, you might want to add some analog sensors enhance its logging capabilities. If so, Zeitronix has the gear you need. The company offers EGT sensors, MAP sensors, temp sensors and more.

PRI Show 2015 Gallery

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