Hummer H2 Performance Products

The Hummer H2 is an SUV and SUT sold by General Motors under the Hummer brand. It is a large truck (lighter and slightly slimmer than the Hummer H1), while slightly longer and slightly taller) with room for six passengers (including driver). The rearmost part of the H2 SUV was modified to a pickup truck bed for the 2005 H2 SUT (“Sport Utility Truck”).

The H2 is built under contract by AM General at a specially constructed plant in Mishawaka, Indiana, USA. GM’s GMT820 truck shares platforms with the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon, those vehicles differ in many ways and are constructed in three other GM plants. The H2’s final frame assembly is made up of 3 sections: The front uses a modified GM 2500-Series utility frame, the mid-section is all new and is completely boxed, and the rear section uses a modified GM 1500-Series frame which is upgraded for the 8,600 pounds (3,900 kg) gross vehicle weight.

The H2 was nominated for the North American Truck of the Year award for 2003. Hummer launched a special 2009 Black Chrome Limited Edition version of the truck. H2 production at the Mishawaka plant was suspended in January 2009.

In January 2009, a study by ISO Quality Planning revealed the H2 and H3 Hummers to be the most ticketed vehicles in the United States.

Harley Davidson V-Rod Performance Products

The Harley-Davidson VRSC (V-Twin Racing Street Custom) family of cruiser motorcycles was introduced in 2001 in a single model called the V-Rod. The V-Rod was developed by Harley-Davidson to compete against Japanese and American muscle bikes. The “V-Rod” made use of the Revolution engine, developed jointly with Porsche that, for the first time in Harley history, incorporates fuel injection, overhead cams, and liquid cooling. The V-Rod is visually distinct from other Harley-Davidson motorcycles. It can be easily identified by the 60-degree V-twin engine, the radiator and the hydroformed frame members that support the round-topped air cleaner cover. A distinct difference between the V-Rod and all other Harley production motorcycles, is the location of the fuel tank. The fuel tank on the V-Rod is located underneath the seat, placing the driver on top of it, rather than the usual frontal placement, the “tank” in this place is simple dressing, hiding the frame. Loosely based on the VR-1000 superbike, it continues to be a platform around which Harley-Davidson builds drag-racing competition machines

Smart Car Performance Products

In the late 1980s SMH (makers of the Swatch brand of watches) CEO Nicolas Hayek began developing an idea for a new car using the same type of manufacturing strategies and personalization features used to popularize Swatch watches. He believed that the automotive industry had ignored a sector of potential customers who wanted a small and stylish city car. This idea soon became known as the “Swatchmobile”. Hayek’s private company Hayek Engineering AG began designing the new car for SMH, with seating for two and a hybrid drivetrain.

While design of the car was proceeding Hayek feared existing manufacturers would feel threatened by the Swatchmobile, thus rather than directly competing he preferred to cooperate with another company in the automotive industry. This would also relieve SMH of the cost burden in setting up a distribution network. Hayek approached several automotive manufacturers and on July 3, 1991 he reached an agreement with Volkswagen to share development of the new project.

By 1993 Ferdinand Piëch had become CEO of Volkswagen and he immediately sought to terminate the project with SMH. Volkswagen had already been working on their own “three-litre car”: a car which would consume three litres of fuel per 100 km of driving (the eventual Volkswagen Lupo 3L). Volkswagen’s own concept was believed to be a better business proposition, featuring four seats and more cargo room.

Hayek had suspected that Piëch would seek to end the agreement with SMH upon his ascendancy to the CEO position, therefore he discreetly began approaching other car companies with the Swatchmobile project. Rebuffed by BMW, Fiat, General Motors and Renault, he finally reached an informal agreement with Daimler-Benz AG, maker of Mercedes-Benz cars.

A deal was announced on March 4, 1994, at a press conference at Mercedes-Benz headquarters in Stuttgart that the companies would join forces in founding Micro Compact Car AG (MCC). 49% of the initial capital of 50 million Swiss francs were provided by SMH and the remaining 51% by Daimler-Benz. The company consisted of two subsidiaries: MCC GmbH based in Renningen (a suburb of Stuttgart) which would design the car, and the then-unnamed manufacturing plant. SMH Auto SA, owned by Hayek, would design a hybrid electric drive system for the car, while Hayek Engineering would audit the design and manufacturing.

The press conference also featured the debut of two concept cars: the eco-sprinter and eco-speedster, styled by Mercedes-Benz’s design studio in California. The cars were reminiscent of the eventual Smart City-Coupé. No mention was made of the fact that SMH had no input in the design of these concepts, and they were badged as Mercedes-Benzes.

By the end of April 1994 MCC had set up a head office in Biel, Switzerland.

GM F Body Performance Parts

The fourth generation of F-body was released in 1993. It was an extensive revision to the third generation car, instead of a clean-sheet design. It was produced until the platform was canceled at the end of the 2002 model year. Unlike most of the years past, the engine choices were simplified considerably; each year, on both the Camaro and the Firebird, there was only one V6 and one V8 available. For 1993 to 1995, the V6 was the 3.4 L (208 cu in) 60°; 1996–2002 cars received the 3.8L (231 cu in) 3800 Series II V6. 1993–1997 V8 cars shipped with the 5.7L (350 cu in) LT1, while 1998–2002 cars received the 5.7L (346 cu in) LS1. Both engines were available with the 4L60E four-speed automatic transmission. V6 engines with a manual transmission had a five-speed unit; the manual for V8 cars was the T-56 six-speed, manufactured by either Borg-Warner or Tremec. An optional Hurst-supplied shifter was also available on V8 models.

Chevrolet Camaro 5th Generation Performance Parts

Based on the 2006 Camaro Concept and 2007 Camaro Convertible Concept, production of the fifth-generation Camaro was approved on 10 August 2006. Oshawa Car Assembly produces the new Camaro which went on sale in spring of 2009 as a 2010 model year vehicle.

Production began on March 16, 2009. The 2010 Camaro is offered as a coupe only in LS, LT, and SS trim levels. LS and LT models are powered by a 3.6 L (220 cu in) V6 producing 304 hp (227 kW) mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic with manual shift. The SS is powered by the 6.2 L (380 cu in) LS3 V8 producing 426 hp (318 kW) and is paired with a 6-speed manual. The automatic SS gets the L99 V8 with 400 hp (300 kW). The RS appearance package is available on both the LT and SS and features 20-inch rims with a darker gray tone, halo rings around xenon headlamps, and red RS or SS badges.

On April 1, 2010, the Camaro was named the World Car Design of the Year at the World Car of the Year Awards.

Corvette C4 Performance Parts

The C4 Corvette was known for its evolved, sleek and modern look. In a departure from the fiberglass builds of its forebearers, it was made from reaction injected molding plastics, a sheet molding compound. The C4 coupe was the first general production Corvette to have a glass hatchback (the limited edition 1982 Collector Edition being the first Corvette equipped with this feature) for better storage access. It also had all new brakes with aluminum calipers. The Corvette C4 came standard with an electronic dashboard with a digital liquid crystal display dash, with graphics for speed and RPM and digital displays for other important engine functions.

The C4 represented a clean break with the previous generation of Corvette. Since emissions regulations were still changing and electronic engine management was in its infancy, horsepower was, compared to earlier generations, comparatively low. Therefore the primary design emphasis, at least for the launch, was on handling. The price of this no-holds-barred emphasis on handling was ride comfort, especially with the Z51 performance handling package. The unit-body frame used in the C4 was prone to rattles and squeaks due to minimal sound deadening. Also due to the external unit-body frame, the door sills were quite deep, with and entry and exit likened by contemporary auto journals to a “fall in and climb out” experience. The emergency brake, located between the door sill and the drivers seat, was moved lower and toward the rear of the car in 1988 for easier entry and exit.

From 1984 through 1988, the Corvette was available with a Doug Nash “4+3” transmission – a 4-speed manual coupled to an automatic overdrive on the top three gears. This unusual transmission was a synergy that allowed Corvette to keep a stout 4 speed, but add an overdrive. As technology progressed, it was replaced by a modern ZF 6-speed manual. However, the C4 performance was hampered by its L98 250 hp (186 kW) engine until 1992, when the second-generation LT1 was installed, markedly improving the C4s performance. 1996 was a high point of small block Chevrolet development and the 330 hp (246 kW) LT4 was installed in all manual transmission cars.

The 1986 Corvette was notable for being the first car with an electronic anti-theft system. GM had created the Pass Key I, wherein each key contained a special pellet that could be detected and identified by the car’s computer system by detecting electrical resistance. Being early in the rollout of this new technology, there were only 15 different resistance values available, which, once thieves discovered this weakness, markedly reduced the value of this early system.

Corvette C5 Performance Parts

The C5 was a major change from the previous generation. Designed from the outset as a sturdy convertible (as opposed to a coupé that was subsequently weakened by the removal of the roof structure in order to accommodate demand for a convertible model), the car now had a hydroformed box frame. The transmission was moved to the rear of the car to form an integrated, rear-mounted transaxle assembly which was connected to the all-new LS1 engine via a torque tube; this engine/transmission arrangement helped facilitate a desirable 50-50 (percentage, front-rear) weight distribution for the vehicle. The LS1 engine initially produced 345 hp (257 kW), but that was increased slightly in 2001 to 350 hp (261 kW). The 4L60-E automatic transmission carried on from previous models, but the manual was replaced by a Borg-Warner T-56 6-speed that is capable of propelling the C5 to a top speed of 186 mph (299 km/h). Gone were the squeaks and rattles of the C4,[2] replaced by a stronger frame that would last for at least two more generations.[citation needed] By all measures, the new C5 was better in every aspect than the C4 it replaced.

The styling of the C5 was also a departure from the trend set by the previous-generation Corvette. Whereas the styling of the C4 had largely been a simplification of the C3 hatchback design, straightening out the complex curves of the car to give it sleeker lines, the C5 reversed that somewhat. The vehicle now had a more rounded and graceful appearance that helped to recapture some of the aggressive looks of the C3 without compromising aerodynamics.

In the inaugural model year (1997), only the hatchback coupé was offered, with the convertible — the first to offer a trunk since 1962 — following in 1998. 1998 also saw the C5 convertible pacing the Indianapolis 500, and a replica pace car edition was sold; C5 Corvettes subsequently paced the 2002 and 2004 Indianapolis 500 races, but no replica pace car versions were offered during those model years. In 1999, a third body style, the hardtop (also referred to as the “fixed-roof coupé” or “FRC”), was added to the lineup. This body style, as its name suggests, featured a fixed top (no removable targa top panel as with the hatchback coupé) with a roofline shape and trunk space similar to that of the convertible. The hardtop became the top-performance Z06 in 2001, but for two model years was offered as a variant of the base-model Corvette.

Aside from cosmetic differences (new wheel styles, paint colors, pace car/commemorative editions in 1998, 2003, and 2004, etc.), horsepower boosts, and new offerings for optional equipment, there were few fundamental changes from one model year to the next within the production run of the C5. One of the more popular “high-tech” options introduced to the Corvette line was a head-up display or HUD, while another innovation was the Active Handling System (first available as an option in 1998, then standard on all models in 2001). The C5 was also the first Corvette to incorporate a drive-by-wire throttle; and variable-effort steering, whereby the assist level of the power steering is varied according to vehicle speed (more at lower speeds, less at higher speeds).

In contrast to the reputation of high-performance vehicles for poor fuel economy, the C5 achieves comparatively high EPA ratings of 18/25 mpg (city/highway) with the automatic transmission[3] and 19/28 with the manual transmission,[4][5] allowing it to avoid the “gas guzzler” tax that is levied against most other vehicles in the Corvette’s class. A number of factors are responsible for this: the relatively light weight of the C5 (a curb weight under 3,300 lb (1,500 kg); Chevrolet went so far as to omit the spare tire as a weight-saving measure, relying upon run-flat tires instead); the C5’s low drag coefficient; and the vehicle’s tendency to upshift into the higher gears as soon as possible. The manual transmission’s Computer-Aided Gear Shifting results in an obligatory shift from 1st gear directly into 4th gear under certain driving conditions; the system can be inhibited through the use of an aftermarket device.

Suspension choices for the base model C5 were limited to the standard suspension (RPO FE1), with options for either the autocross-inspired FE3 Sport Suspension (included with the Z51 Performance & Handling Package and standard on the 1999-2000 FRC); or the F45 Selective Ride Control Suspension, which permitted “on-the-fly” driver selection of different ride characteristics (sport or touring). Late in the production run (starting with the 2003 model year), the F55 Magnetic Selective Ride Control Suspension replaced the F45 as the third suspension choice. The racing-inspired FE4 suspension used for the Z06 is stiffer again than any offered on the base model C5, and is unique to that model with no optional suspensions offered.

A composite of published performance numbers for the base-model coupé and convertible gives a 0-60 mph time of around 4.7 seconds, and a standing quarter-mile time of around 13.2 seconds at 109 mph (both times for a vehicle equipped with the 6-speed manual transmission).

Although sometimes criticized for its arguably liberal use of light-weight materials (e.g., plastics, plywood, etc. in areas such as interior trim components and floor pans), overhead valve engine, and leaf springs, all of which were often (and perhaps unfairly) interpreted as “cheap-and-easy” substitutes for higher-quality materials or more sophisticated designs, the C5 quickly became regarded as the best performance vehicle available for the price. In some cases, the C5 provided performance equal to, or better than, vehicles approaching 2-3 times its sticker price, which buyers of the C5 viewed as an acceptable trade-off for these “lower-cost” compromises.

C6, Z06 and ZR1 Performance Parts

The Z06 arrived as a 2006 model in the third quarter of 2005. It had a new 7.0 L (7,010 cc/426.6 cu in) version of the Small-Block engine codenamed LS7, which produced 505 hp (376 kW). In addition to the larger engine, the Corvette Z06 has a dry sump oiling system, and connecting rods made out of titanium alloy. The frame of the Z06 is constructed from aluminum, saving 136 pounds over the standard steel frame. Other weight saving measures such as balsa wood/carbon fiber composite floors and a magnesium alloy engine cradle were used. The Z06 officially weighed 3180 lb (1421 kg), giving it a weight to power ratio of 6.3 lb/hp (3.8 kg/kW), allowing it to achieve a fuel economy of 15 mpg-US (16 L/100 km; 18 mpg-imp) in the city and 24 mpg-US (9.8 L/100 km; 29 mpg-imp) on the highway.

Compared to the fifth generation, the “C6” gets an overhaul of the suspension geometry, all new bodywork with exposed headlamps (for the first time since 1962), a larger passenger compartment, a larger 6.0 L (364 cu in; 5967 cc) engine, and a much higher level of refinement. Overall, it is 5.1 inches (13 cm) shorter than the C5, but its wheelbase has increased by 1.2 inches (3 cm). It is also one inch (2.5 cm) narrower. The 6.0 L LS2 V8 produces 400 hp (298 kW) at 6000 rpm and 400 lb·ft (542 N·m) of torque at 4400 rpm.

With an automatic transmission, the Corvette achieves 15/25 mpg (city/highway); the manual-transmission model gets 16/26 mpg. The Corvette’s manual transmission is fitted with Computer Aided Gear Shifting (CAGS), obligating the driver to shift from 1st directly to 4th when operating at lower RPMs. This boosts the EPA’s derived fuel economy thus allowing the buyer to avoid paying the “gas guzzler” tax.

For the 2006 model year, the GM badges were added to the car.

For the 2008 model, the Corvette received a new engine, the LS3. With displacement increased to 6.2 liters (376 cu in; 6162 cc), power was increased to 430 hp (321 kW) at 5900 rpm and 424 lb·ft (575 N·m) of torque at 4600 rpm, or 436 hp (325 kW) and 428 lb·ft (580 N·m) with the optional vacuum actuated valve exhaust. The previous Tremec T56 transmission on manual Corvettes was replaced with a new version, the TR6060, in model year 2008. Manual Corvettes have improved shift linkage; the automatic model is set up for quicker shifts, and (according to Chevrolet) goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, faster than any other production automatic Corvette. According to automotive review website New Car Test Drive, the Corvette’s 0 to 60 time is actually 4.2 seconds, faster than both the Porsche 911 Carrera and the Jaguar XK8. From 2008 onward, steering was revised for improved feel and the wheels were updated to a new five-spoke design.