Kenwood USA
Kenwood[(800) KENWOOD; www.kenwoodusa.com] iscelebrating its 25th Anniversary with a big push dubbed "Listen to theFuture." This slogan is the harbinger of some exciting new technologiesthat should help you more easily integrate all the entertainmentpossibilities in your home, computer, and portable devices into yourmobile entertainment systems. The company displayed a number of cool newproducts, including some limited edition, 25th Anniversary gear such asthe XXV-05V in-dash entertainment center, with a TV, aDVD-Video/DVD-Audio player, and WMA and MP3 music file playbackcapability. The all-in-one video unit includes a 5.1 channel DSPprocessor, a TV tuner, and amplifier. The XXV-05V will be available inMay with a suggested retail price of $2,600.
Koul Tools
How many times have you tried to assemble AN fittings andstainless-steel braided hose, and were damn-near brought to tears fromthe pain and frustration of enduring hundreds of tiny cuts in yourfingers and hands, the result of trying to muscle a fitting onto thefrayed end of the hose? Well, Dick Raczuk's brainchild--Koul Tools--putsan end to your pain and suffering. Koul Tools [(928) 854-6706; www.koultools.com] areglass-filled, nylon funnel-like devices that can compress slightly, oreven wildly frayed braided line, and make installing AN fittings on anysize hose (from -4 to -16) literally a piece of cake. When it comes toa "why didn't I think of that?" tool, Koul Tools are it.
KONI Shock Absorbers
Suspension science goes to the next level with KONI's [(800) 922-2616;www.koni-na.com] DragRacing Shock Controller and Data Acquisition System. This device, whichhigher-end NMRA or Fun Ford Weekend (Pro or Outlaw) racers wouldprobably benefit more from than Factory Stock competitors or bracketwarriors, allows for independent mapping of time-based shock adjustmentsfor optimum traction (based on track conditions). The programming isdone via a laptop computer, and shock data can be downloaded after a runfor analysis of suspension motion and speed.
Kurgo
We think this is a neat way to store and protect your winter,spring/summer, or even racing tires. It's the Tire Garage offered byKurgo Products [(877) 847-3868; www.kurgo.com]. This"garage" allows you to keep tires outside and frees up extra space inthe garage, basement, or other storage area. The cover is made from thesame weatherproof, durable material used for making boat covers andawnings, and resists mildew throughout years of exposure to theelements. The standard model covers tires up to 27 inches in diameter.An XL Tire Garage is also available, and will protect tires that are upto 32 inches in diameter.
KW
Now available are KW's [(559) 875-0222; www.kwsuspensions.com] '05 Mustang offerings, which span their sport shock and coiloverlines. The Variant 1 dampers are pre-set and yield a daily driver ride.The racy Variant 3 is for weekend track action and featuredouble-adjustability using variable low- and mid-speed damping alongwith stock high-speed damping and stiff low-speed action to combatsquat. Expect a $1,300 price tag for the coilovers.
LSD Doors
Not our normal thing, but LSD Doors [(559) 875-0222; www.lsd-doors.com] wasone of many offering "Lambo" style up-and-out door hinges at SEMA. ItsMustang offering seems well engineered from massive laser-cut steelplates and high-quality hardware. A gas damper aids opening; safetieshelp in side impacts.
Magnuson
Welcome Magnuson to the 2005 blower market. At SEMA, Magnuson [805)642-8833; www.magnusonproducts.com] showed its upgraded Three-Valve Mustang kit, which is builtaround an Eaton MP112 (112 cubic inches) blower. The interestingjackshaft ("auxiliary drive," in Magnuson parlance) was made from steelat SEMA, but will be carbon fiber in production. And the eight-rib driveshown will likely be upgraded to 10-rib specification. The system isavailable intercooled (about $4,500) and non-intercooled (about $3,500),includes a bypass, and uses the stock throttle body. Polished orpowdercoated finish is available.
March Performance
Long known for its clean, widely popular alternator bracket for 5.0Mustangs that eliminates the god-awful hunk of cast aluminum the factoryused, March Performance [(734) 729-9070; www.marchperformance.com] introduced its Mid-Mount A/C Serpentine Kit at the SEMA show.The new, one-piece bracket setup is compact, and mounts the A/Ccompressor below the alternator on carbureted or EFI 302s withreverse-rotation water pumps. Each kit comes complete with stainlesssteel tensioning rods, chrome-moly rod ends, and all of the necessaryhardware for easy, bolt-on installation.
Manley
Manley [(732) 905-3366; www.manleyperformance.com] hasn't lost any time tooling up for theThree-Valve Mustang and 5.4 engines, and had pistons, valvesprings, andvalves at the SEMA show. These included some of its severe-duty Iconeland more typical stainless steel valves, plus a Three-Valve-specificforged piston and a Pro Series I-beam con rod for 4.6 engines. Using300M aircraft-grade material, Manley says it is exceptionally light andstrong. All of these rods are shot-peened and Magnafluxed, and they'refitted with 7/16-inch ARP capscrews. They carry a 900hp/8,500-rpm ratingand a retail price of $2,000 or more per set.
Maxan
Ever wish you had a computer right in your car so you could tune it,slam this magazine on some message board, or even download an MP3? Wellwhat if you had a PC right in your dash? British tech firm Maxan [+82 53588 4100; www.infill.co.kr] isready to help with its in-dash Infill multimedia PC. Not only does thissystem run Windows XP, it also offers navigation, plays movies, storesand plays up to 10,000 digital songs on its 40-gig hard drive, playstelevision, and even has provisions for satellite radio! And--yes--itcan access the Internet wirelessly.
Maximum Motorsports
Maximum Motorsports [(805) 544-8748; www.maximummotorsports.com] took us by surprise with its full, newindependent suspension for the S197 Mustang from. The company has hadgood luck with its IRS race cars and obviously decided to port some ofthat technology to the latest Mustang. We'll bring you the full scoop onthis system as soon as development is wrapped up.
Moroso
Moroso [(203) 453-6571; www.moroso.com] had oilpans, and this year the company was showing a modular V-8 positivelydripping with its parts. These included billet fuel rails, an electricwater-pump drive kit, fabbed valve covers, clear jacketed plug wires, a-16 AN water neck, an oil-filter adapter, an oil-pump mounting kit (forexternal oil pumps), a vacuum-pump mounting kit, and one of Moroso'suniversal drive mandrels that projects off the front of the harmonicdamper. The oil-filter adapter seems a significant part to us; itfacilitates remote oil filters, coolers, and plumbing external pumps.
Moser Engineering
S197 Mustang madness continues! Moser [(260) 726-6689; www.moserengineering.com] showed us its beefy new, direct-fit axles for the latest'Stangs. Made from the same custom alloy that Moser uses for its raceaxles, these new C-clip pegs are almost 30 percent stronger than the OEMpieces and are ready to take on generous amounts of street/strip furywithout failing. Blessed by both NHRA and IHRA for competition use,installing these babies is a wise choice if your Mustang sees a fairshare of dragstrip action.
Mr. Gasket
Mr. Gasket, another aftermarket powerhouse, acts as the umbrella forsuch prestigious brands as ACCEL, Hurst, and Lakewood. Each company hadsomething new to offer for the Mustang crowd, including coil-on-plugcoils from ACCEL, a full line of S197 shifters from Hurst (V-8, V-6, andTremec swap), as well as a bolt-on Lakewood Watts Link for the S197 rearsuspension.
MSD Ignition
The guys with the red boxes have been working. We liked the new GMRpickup shift light, which uses an inductive pickup to signal astate-of-the-art LED shift light; it's the easy way with coil-on-plugmodulars, modern diesels, and other tough tach-signal customers. Thosewho put Holleys on their modulars, MSD [(915) 857-5200; www.msdignition.com]will have a $399 red box this spring or early summer to control thedistributorless ignition. It plugs into the stock wiring, pumps a littlemore spark energy, allows custom spark tuning, step retards, andadvances, along with vacuum advance. For NASCAR and other big-moneyracers, a new HVC Pro Racing distributor is available with dual Hallpickups and other goodies to go 9,000 rpm all day long. More down toearth is the Digital E-Curve Pro-Billet distributor, a stand-alone unitwith screwdriver-controlled pots for rev-limiting and timing-curvedials. A drop-in and three-wire installation make it a neat and cleanunit (no external red box is required). The 302 version is availablenow, and the 351W is due mid-year. A new gray box--the Smart Switch--islike the old window switches, but now it's for anything with a five-voltsignal, such as the TPS and MAF. It will apply either a ground or 12volts to control the system you wire into it. MSD now has a line ofgauges called Lazer Gauges. They are real Doc Raynoid stuff, have noneedles, are accurate to 2 rpm out of 10,000 rpm, are fast acting, anduse a spinning LED to provide arc sweeps as visual indicators. The lineincludes tachs, boost, oil pressure, water temp, volts, air/fuelmonitor, fuel level, and are best previewed on the Web site. Look for aGen II fuel-management system, which is a collaboration between MSD andBig Stuff 3.
Nitrous Express
Control of your nitrous system is practically unlimited with NitrousExpress' [(888) GO-FAST-1; www.nitrousexpress.com] new Maximizer 2, a progressive controller that delivers theperformance of a nitrous user's dreams. Some of the cool features ofthis wonder box include: Dual-stage independent output channels(independent profiles for each channel), time-based ramped delivery ofnitrous and fuel (unique programmable delay and ramp times for up toeight gears), a throttle-based modifier of nitrous and fuel (reducesnitrous delivery by up to 35 percent based on throttle position), geardetection for manual and automatic transmissions, inputs for the armingswitch, bottle-heater enable switch, trigger switches, throttleposition, tach signal, nitrous pressure, and air/fuel ratio (narrow orwideband). If you're gonna spray, do it the right way! The company alsohas a direct-fit plate system for the '05-'06 GT.
Painless Wiring
New for 2005 from Painless Wiring [(817) 244-6212; www.painlessperformance.com] is the PERFECT (Painless ElectronicReprogrammable Fuel and Engine Control Technology) wiring system for'86-'95 5.0 'Stangs. In a move that directly addresses Mustangenthusiasts' calls for a simple, plug-and-play wiring and processorsystem that's designed specifically for an EFI 5.0 transplantapplication (into a stripped 'Stang with no wiring or enginemanagement), Painless has eliminated the need for using costly andcomplicated aftermarket systems that require elaborate programming justto get the engine to run. In testing, PERFECT scored well when comparedwith the tried-and-true EEC IV system, producing 15 additionalhorsepower and a total of 305 lb-ft of torque from a stone stocker thatmustered only 293 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm with the factory equipment.
Paxton Superchargers
Paxton[(888) 9-PAXTON; www.paxtonautomotive.com] already had the '05 V-8 Mustang market covered with its1200-series standard supercharger ($3,890) and 2200 charge-cooledinstallations ($5,260), so the big news at SEMA was the Shelby CS6 inthe Paxton booth. A joint venture with Carroll Shelby, the CS6 is an'06 V-6 Mustang fitted with a Paxton intercooled package (theintercooling is a CS6 exclusive) rated at 350 hp. All the usual Shelbylogos, restyling, and certifications are present, along with Baerbrakes, Borla exhaust, and an upgraded suspension. It's a great-lookingcar that should perform vigorously, and having Carroll Shelby in thePaxton booth didn't hurt. Paxton is offering the V-6 Mustang kit--sansintercooler--outside of the Shelby agreement. It continues to offer allprevious Mustang kits, back to modernized carburetor blow-throughsystems for '60s Mustangs and its 351W engine-swap cousins. If you haveCS6 questions, give Shelby a buzz at (702) 932-6272 or www.shelbyautos.com.
Pennzoil
Now the factory fill lubricant on all new Roush Mustangs PennzoilPlatinum synthetic oil [www.pennzoilplatinum.com] is trying to demystify synthetic oils for the mainstream,while letting us serious performance people know Pennzoil is using anexclusive, higher-quality base stock in its Platinum product. This basestock is set to better reject contaminants, which should better protectyour engine.
PerTronix
Talk about range, PerTronix [(909) 599-5955; www.pertronix.com]makes solid-state ignitions for just about everything (the back cover ofits catalog shows a drag car, a '65 Mustang, a mega-motor drag boat, afork lift, and a restored Farmall tractor). Now the company makes adrop-in 351W distributor, CNC-hewn from billet and filled withPerTronix's bulletproof Ignitor II module, which offers adaptive dwelland energetic coil energy. With no ignition box required, this is anaffordable way to update worn-out distributors with updated spark andzero maintenance.
Pioneer Electronics
The new AVIC-Z1 is as exciting a mobile audio/video/navigation productas we've seen since Pioneer [www.pioneerelectronics.com] debuted its AVIC line. The big news with theZ1 is an included 30-gig hard drive, which holds all the navigationmaps. This means your DVD/CD is free to play whatever you want. Andwhatever you want is just what the AVIC-Z1 will do. It plays movies,MP3s, connects to your iPod, offers XM or Sirius compatibility, has theaforementioned navigation, and is capable of utilizing XM's helpfulNavTraffic service, which tells you the quickest ways around trafficjams. We can't come close to listing all its capabilities, which is whatmakes the AVIC-Z1 so cool.
Professional Products
Professional Products' [(323) 779-2020; www.professional-products.com] Typhoon intake manifold for 4.6-litermodulars was another teaser. The intake, developed in conjunction withRick Anderson of Anderson Ford Motorsport, makes a reported 23additional horsepower over a stock piece at 6,300 rpm. A bolt-inperformance intake manifold is something the Two-Valve masses have beendemanding for a long time, and this one might be close. Stay tuned, aswe're sure we'll have more information on the Typhoon or any other newintakes in the near future.
Progress Group
Another suspension company with a full line of Mustang springs, shocks,and sway bars, Progress Group [(714) 575-1193; www.progressauto.com] had already debuted its '05 Mustang offerings when the SEMA show camearound. First seen on the Crazy Horse II show car, Progress Group hascoilovers or simple lowering springs and shocks, sway bars, frontsway-bar links, and an adjustable tubular Panhard bar for the latestMustang.
ProParts
Should any proof the new Mustang is a hot item be required, considerthat ProParts [(301) 595-5767; www.propods.com] showedall sorts of A-pillar and dash gauge pods for the newest Mustang atSEMA. Furthermore, its line of SPEK instruments are designed to matchthe stock '05 Mustang's instruments in all respects (including sevenlighting colors). This is a full line of instruments (all the way out toEGT, transmission-oil temperature, and other esoterica), and featuresprogrammable shift-point lights, a 52mm tach that can beA-pillar-mounted to avoid drilling the dash, plug-and-play installation,chrome, aluminum or black bezels, clear or smoke lenses, and so on.