Hundreds of new product announcements cross the desks of PRI editors each month. Following are our top picks for April.

 

Ndurance Expanded Performance Oil Rings

Total Seal
totalseal.com

Designed specifically for turbocharged and high-boost engines, the new Ndurance expanded performance oil rings from Total Seal offer not only higher tension for better oil control but will also retain that tension for a longer time.

The key is a special process that incorporates a gas-nitriding heat-treatment of the steel expander. This changes the metallurgy, grain structure, and color of the steel.

“An expander ring can lose spring rate over time,” said Lake Speed Jr. “By nitriding, it doesn’t lose that rate.”

The nitride hardening process integrates onto the surface of the expander to form the nitride layer.

“We’re already using nitriding in other parts of the engine, including the valve springs to keep them from losing spring rate,” noted Speed. “By applying that same technology to the expander, we can build an oil ring with higher tension, and it won’t lose that tension over time. The result is better oil control.”

Another benefit is reducing mass. A 2-mm oil ring may normally offer 10 pounds of tension. With nitriding, that rate will increase 3 or 4 pounds and equal a normal 3-mm ring.

“Now it has the same tension as a 3-mm but the same weight and size as a 2-mm,” added Speed. —Mike Magda

 

Eliminator Spec Motors

Lingenfelter Performance Engineering
lingenfelter.com

Different power levels are being offered in the Eliminator Spec engine program at Lingenfelter Performance Engineering.

“The Eliminator Spec motor package works three ways,” explained Mark Rapson. “The S Spec is designed to run on pump gas and is street oriented. The R Spec is designed for higher compression and for race fuel or E85. The X Spec is more of an R&D program; that is, anything we’re working on that can’t be put in a category.”

Lingenfelter has already scored a major success with an Eliminator R Spec engine built for Jake Rozelle’s C5 Z06 Corvette that won the 2021 Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational. The 454-ci LS7 makes more than 800 horsepower.

“That was a 13.5:1 compression engine with one of our Eliminator cams that is not sold separately,” noted Rapson.

An example of an X Spec engine is a 1,200-horsepower supercharged LS engine built for a ZL1 Camaro test bed at Lingenfelter. It measures 866 lb./ft. of peak torque.

“We did that program to see how far we could take the engine without modifying anything on the car,” said Rapson.

The core of the program is the Lingenfelter blueprinted and CNC-machined block. Internal components from the aftermarket are subsequently manufactured to a Lingenfelter specification. —Mike Magda

 

Fabricated Race Car Center Console

Speedway Motors
speedwaymotors.com

Speedway Motors makes building a race car a little easier with a fabricated center console.

“It can secure critical switches, toggles, push buttons, and brake-bias knobs within easy reach,” said Kelsey Bugjo.

Constructed from dimple-die-punched 14-gauge aluminum, the piece is lightweight, yet strong enough to support race gear needed by the driver. Angled flanges allow mounting directly onto transmission tunnels inside the driver’s cabin. The kit includes 10-32 button-head screws and nylon lock-nut fasteners, and it’s available in a bare finish or with a black powder-coat finish.

“This unit is designed to keep all wiring neatly tucked away under the console,” added Bugjo.

The overall height is just over 5 inches. The surface plate is 10.25 x 5.64 inches. Switches, lights, etc. can be mounted directly on the top surface by drilling the appropriate size hole. For an even cleaner install, premade switch panels that are available from Speedway Motors can be mounted by cutting a clearance hole and screwing or riveting it in place.

Car builders can also make the console easy to remove by using quarter-turn fasteners and springs to mount the console to the tunnel. —Mike Magda

 

LS3 Flat-top Trans-Am TA2 PowerPak Plus Piston Set

MAHLE Motorsport
us.mahle.com/en/motorsports/

The PowerPak Plus piston line from MAHLE Motorsport now includes the LS3 flat-top pistons homologated for TA2 Trans-Am applications.

The pistons are available in three bore sizes: 4.065-, 4.070-, and 4.075-inch diameter. Incremental bore sizes are available by special order.

“These pistons come from the same motorsports facility that produces parts for all the high-end race teams,” said Joe Maylish. “Engine builders like these kits because they come with everything: pistons, rings, wrist pins, and clips. And they’re all designed to work with each other.”

The PowerPak Plus pistons are forged from 2618 aluminum alloy and feature a hard-anodized top ring groove, should the engine builder add nitrous or boost to a particular application. Other advanced features include slipper-skirt style design, phosphate crown and ring groove coating, horizontal gas ports, and Grafal anti-friction skirt coating.

These pistons come with a .945-inch diameter wrist pin and a 1.0-, 1.0-, 2.0-mm file-fit performance ring set. The compression height is 1.330 inch. Weight ranges from 513 up to 517 grams, depending on the bore size.

With a 70cc combustion chamber and .051-inch gasket, these pistons provide a 10.7:1 compression ratio. The sets are designed for Trans-Am racing applications and meet the requirements and specs of sanctioning bodies in which it will compete. —Mike Magda

 

Sensor Covers

Design Engineering, Inc.
designengineering.com

Excessive heat is a demon that can reduce the performance of, if not damage, numerous parts in a race car. Delicate sensors and wire connections are often at risk due to their locations near turbo and exhaust heat. Protecting these sensors from heat will help ensure more accurate readings.

A new protective cover from Design Engineering, Inc. (DEI) helps provide double protection with an innovative overlaying combination arrangement.

“This cover works with any type of sensor on the engine,” said Mike Buca. “We have two sizes that will nest together. It was something that we first saw on a production application. There was a sensor close to the turbo that had a cover shield.”

Constructed from an aluminized insulation, the covers come in 25- and 32-mm sizes that have slit openings on one end. The larger end slips over the sensor, or the 32-mm cover can double over the 25-mm cover.

These thermal covers are also effective at protecting sensitive parts from moisture and dirt. They’re lightweight and easy to install. There’s also a large 62-mm version for bigger components.

“It’s not a high-dollar piece,” noted Buca. “But if you melt a connector, that can end your day racing.” —Mike Magda

 

 

Four-Stage Dry-Sump System for SBC

Aviaid
aviaid.com

Aviaid offers different small block Chevrolet four-stage dry-sump oil systems that give car builders the option of mounting the kit on either the left or right side of the engine. This option allows more flexibility in packaging the engine with regards to steering gear or other tight-fitting equipment.

“We don’t just build the pump, we build a package around the pump that will bolt on an engine for particular applications,” said John Schwarz. “Remember, everything we’re putting on is actually foreign to the engine compartment—the pump, the drive, the tank. So we can build for passenger- or driver-side mount.”

The kit includes a three-pickup, 5-inch-deep oil pan with windage screen, a four-stage pump with AN-12 fittings, 1-inch wide belt drive, and remote filter with billet adapter. The oil reservoir size is determined by the application.

“We want engine builders to know that we can sell them everything they need when a customer said he wants a dry sump on his engine and they’ve never done one,” explained Schwarz. “The engine builder doesn’t have to pick the parts. We do that.”

Alternative pumps and pans are available; plus, the tanks and breathers are sold separately. —Mike Magda