VMP Tuning [(321) 206-9369,...
VMP Tuning [(321) 206-9369, www.vmptuning.com] is not very far from Orlando, Florida's Orange County Convention center, so main man Justin Starkey brought over a portable Dynojet. Since VMP's specialty is Mustangs it brought over the company Shelby GT500 to display and beat on for entertainment and tuning purposes. Witnessing a Shelby GT500 at full song in the Florida sun qualifies as a good day for us.
These days, the Mustang racing season officially comes to a close in early October, but for racers, it never really ends. As soon as the burnout smoke clears, it's time to start working on new combos and new sponsors for the next season. This activity hits a fever pitch at the Performance Racing Industry trade show held during early December in Orlando, Florida. There, an entire building of the massive Orlando convention center is overrun with hardcore high-performance gear for all styles of racing.
Horsepower--the desire to make more and run faster that the rest--drives our egos and our industry. If we used '50s products to go fast, we wouldn't improve. Therefore, we rely on technology, and the latest racing tech is seen first at PRI. Smart people take this technology and apply it to cylinder heads, intake manifolds, engine-management systems, tires, wheels, camshafts, and more, so we can buy them and make our Mustangs quicker.
Which products make it into or onto your Mustang? Which parts will give racers a championship edge in 2009? Only time will tell. For now, however, here's a look at the PRI gear that revved up our speed lust.
American Racing Headers ...
American Racing Headers
Its headers are OE on the super-famous '08 Cobra Jet, but how many of you own one of those? We'll bet American Racing Headers' [(631) 608-1986; www.americanracingheaders.com] redesigned Fox 351 Windsor swap headers excite more Mustang owners than those lucky few. These long-tube headers are designed to sit up higher under the car to keep them from scraping on every speed bump, and they feature 1 7/8-inch primaries with 3-inch collectors.
Anderson Ford Motorsport ...
Anderson Ford Motorsport
Displaying new and improved versions of existing performance components, Anderson Ford Motorsport [(217) 935-2384; www.andersonfordmotorsport.com] had its new Hi-Intensity and Hi-Rev Two- and Three-Valve modular camshafts, and a mandrel-bent, polished-aluminum version of its world famous Power Pipe for '86-'93 Mustangs. AFM also has a new laptop-free data-aquistion system for its PMS piggyback tuner. The unit is called the FlashAcq and allows you to safe your data to a simple flash drive.
BBK Performance The big newsfrom...
BBK Performance
The big newsfrom BBK Performance [(951) 296-1771; www.bbkperformance.com] is its affordable, new mass-air meters for not only '86-'93 Mustangs, but also '94-'95 models. We iconoclastic '94-'95 owners appreciate BBK remembering us. These new mass-air meters are designed to increase the volume of air going to the engine, for a more favorable air/fuel mixture.
Chris Alston ChassisWorks...
Chris Alston ChassisWorks
An extension of the Chris Alston Chassisworks [(888) 388-0297; www.cachassisworks.com] Varishock name, the company now has a Varistrut for our Mustang's front end, and it's available in OEM replacement specs or as a coilover setup. The chrome-moly struts feature double-adjustable valving with an independent 16-position compression and rebound adjustment.
Dart Machinery As performance...
Dart Machinery
As performance enthusiasts, we love the idea of getting our performance fix in one stop. Dart Machinery [(248) 362-1188; www.dartheads.com] is that much closer to being a one-stop performance source with its Top-End kits. These kits include either Dart's Iron Eagle or Pro1 heads, and include a carbureted intake, valve covers, gaskets, and more. Hopefully, it's just a matter of time before Dart manufacturers an EFI intake and valvetrain components to round out the package.
DiabloSport Presenting yet...
DiabloSport
Presenting yet another way to tune and track your OBD-II vehicle, DiabloSport [(877) 396-6614; www.diablosport.com] had its new Trinity performance programmer at PRI. The Trinity is equal parts flash programmer, advanced diagnostic tool, and high-resolution dashboard monitor. You can choose from multiple power or octane calibrations using a USB port or an SD card. The Trinity will also read and erase vehicle fault codes and datalog mechanical functions to your PC or SD card.
Edelbrock A little crate-engine...
Edelbrock
A little crate-engine fun came in the form of Edelbrock's [(310) 781-2222; www.edelbrock.com] new line of 347 crate engines. Available in both carbureted and EFI versions, these crate engines are built right using Dart Iron Eagle 8.2-inch engine blocks, Scat cranks, forged-steel connecting rods, and Keith Black pistons. A couple different top-end combinations are availablem, using either Edelbrock's Performer heads and RPM II intake,or RPM XT heads and intake.
Exedy An emerging player...
Exedy
An emerging player in the Mustang clutch game, Exedy [(800) 346-6091; www.exedyusa.com] has clutches available for Fox Mustangs all the way up to the '09 models. Available in both 10- and 26-spline arrangements and with different horsepower and torque ranges, we had the chance to sample one of Exedy's clutches thanks to Chuck Hamstra's '98 Cobra competing in the '08 King of the Street competition, and we were pleased with the feel and ease of use.
Fore Precision Works By now,...
Fore Precision Works
By now, you have most likely heard about Fore Precision Works' [(919) 550-0700; www.foreprecisionworks.com] fuel hats capable of carrying three fuel pumps to feed hungry Mustangs. However, like a supermodel with a brain, Fore Precision is so much more than that. Fore has a new billet-aluminum 8.8 differential cover and fuel rails for pretty much every modular Mustang built to date.