See What Everyone Else MissedEvery fall the automotive aftermarket, retailers, and OEMs converge on Las Vegas for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show. It's an incredible experience with $100,000 vehicles, scantily clad models signing posters, and every cool component you could imagine-and even some you couldn't. For five days the 4-Wheel & Off-Road staff scours the convention center, dodging booths filled with 28-inch wheels and rice-burner exhaust tips to search out the best new products and the latest technology for the off-road market.
It's a lot of work and since most of you can't get into SEMA we do our best to find all the things we know you'd want to see if you could go. This year we found a ton of great stuff, but since we can't sneak all of you in with us, here is your backstage pass to the best from the '02 SEMA show.
Double JointedOf all the new technology we expected to see at the SEMA show this year, we never anticipated finding something that could replace the 100-year-old cardan style U-joint. But we think we have. What you see here is an entirely new universal joint designed by Paul Cornay to handle high-angle and high-torque loads simultaneously. This new Cornay joint can replace conventional U-joints, ball type CV-joints, and even double-cardan joints as shown on this driveshaft. Initial reports suggest operating angles in the neighborhood of 90 degrees with longer life, higher torque capabilities, better lubrication, and less vibration. We'll find out everything there is to know about this new joint and tell all in next month's issue. In the meantime you can contact Mark Byford at Universal Technical Services (864/421-0900), or visit www.drivetechnologies.com for more information.
720 Horsepower!We don't know how much it will cost, what the part number is, or when exactly in 2003 it will be available, but come on, the new ZZ572 has got 720 hp and 685 lb-ft of torque. That's enough power to make a Cummins owner not want to play tug-of-war with you! What more do you need to know? Here's what we do know: The 572ci engine uses a Gen 6 Bow Tie block with a taller deck height (10.2 vs. 9.8 inches), a 0.714-inch lift, a solid roller cam, aluminum heads, and 12:1 compression. A milder (if you can call it that) 620hp version with 9:1 compression is also in the GM Performance Parts (800/GM-USE-US, www.goodwrench.com) playbook. We even got word that GMPP will offer short- and long-block versions of this engine.
The Rock SpiderThis one caught us off guard. We had heard rumors for months now that Goodyear was working on a larger MT/R, but we didn't expect to see it at SEMA. This new 40x13.50R17 light truck tire nicknamed the Rock Spider will no doubt overshadow the 37-inch size MT/R in competitive rockcrawling. But it may also be the hot setup for someone who wants to run 40-inch tires on the street, thanks to its radial construction and 3,195-pound load capacity. No word yet what the retail price will be, but we expect it to be more than $400 a tire until manufacturing meets the demand. But don't let that stop you from contacting your local Goodyear tire distributor, or bookmarking www.goodyeartires.com.
Hate Stopping for Fuel?Do you like driving far away from civilization? Is your favorite fuel stop 500 miles from your house? Would your life be easier if you could triple your vehicle's range before refueling? If you own a '90-'03 Dodge, Ford, or GM diesel truck then Transfer Flow (800/442-0065, www.transferflow.com) has a 70-gallon auxiliary fuel tank for you. This new-for-2003 Express-UFS auxiliary tank will automatically fill your main fuel tank whenever it dips below half. At $1,056 for the aluminum diamond-plate tank and $754 for aluminized steel, the Express-UFS system from Transfer Flow represents a significant savings over its Trax-UFS system that comes with all the bells and whistles. Just think of all the extra fuel you can afford with the leftover cash.