Performance Parts Zone

Thats right, we sent the owner of Injected Performance and 350Zforums.com to Tokyo with a few cameras to capture what is truly one of the most innovative shows held each year.  The stuff that comes from this show is absolutely insane.  The best of the Japanese manufacturers get together to display what they have in the works, what is about to be released and what is just plain cool. 

Ill post a few of the pics here, but for the rest of them, youll have to sign up at 350zforums to view the 100+ pics we took.  You can find all the pics here- 350Z Forums Picture Gallery

 Armed with nothing more than a memory stick and a healthy appetite for Sushi, heres what we got….

Id like to hear your automotive predictions for 2007.

Whats gonna happen? Whats going to be hot? Will Toyota become the #2 automaker in the US? Make predictions on what the race cars will do, one what the next trend for show cars will be.  Anything you can think of, leave us a comment and let us know.

So, lets take a look back on what happened this year. 

We started this blog back in May and have seen a sharp increase in daily readers ever since then, for those reading, thank you so much.  I started posting and wondering if anyone would read my ramblings and if you look around, theres some good stuff if i do say so myself.  We’ve got some comprehensive detailing guides, sponsorship advice, off the wall auto news, bad ass cars, and the occasional “Look what were up to at Injected Performance” post.  Anyways, i can’t thank you enough for reading.

2006 was an interesting year in both show cars and race cars, and quality of both increased dramatically this year.  Show cars got cleaner and race cars got faster.  8 sec turbo cars were the norm and 10 sec NA cars were common as well. On the show side of things, carbon fiber was king.  Audio/visual was a close second, but i see the crazy systems and 53243430498 screens in one cars going away in 07.  There was a lot more focus on JDM this year than i had seen before and i think that is going to be king of 07.  Less bling, more clean.  So many manufacturers came out with so much good stuff this year it was tough to decide what parts to get. Specialty companies were also a lot more prevelant this year than in years past with the trend towards niche markets taking a firm grasp on the industry. 

Thats my condensed version of what went on this year, and ill probably write more later, but for now, lets hear your thoughts on 06.

I came across this site today- www.Jetpackinternational.com.   Seriously, i want one of these.  How much fun would that be to fly around your neighborhood or local park?  I can’t even imagine the looks these guys get when they fly around while doing their testing and such.  Their site doesnt have a lot of information about their jet packs, but it does include some cool videos and pictures, be sure to check those out.

Of course, you know the problem with any powered device, someone is gonna get one of these and decide its not fast enough, then it wont go high enough, or it doesnt look as good as it should.  Oh man, we could be in for a whole new segment of the aftermarket parts industry.  

If any of you guys from JPI read this, id love some more info to post up, these things are cool.

 Justin

First of all, thanks to those of you that have emailed me pictures and spec sheets of your cars.  Ive got lots of responses so far, but theres still a lot more needed to carry this on for a year or more.  Send your cars to me at Justin@injectedperformance.com and include a spec sheet and anything ineresting or unique to the car.  If the car has a story or any history, include that too.  PerformancePartsZone.com is now getting 2500+ readers a day and that number is going up quickly.  If you’d like to get your car noticed, just send me the info.

Also keep in mind that if your car makes it, you are eligible for our ride of the month.  All you have to do is get more people to leave comments about your car than anyone elses for the month and you win.  Ride of the Month Winners will recieve a spot on the Injected Performance Gallery page (recieving half million veiws a month), and Injected Performance Tshirt, and discount off the website.  Your car will also be considered for out new sponsorship program we are starting. 

Start sending me your vehicles and if you have been chosen for ROTD, tell your friends to leave a comment for you.

Thanks.

We have finished our BMW M3 project and it is now ready for the SEMA show in November.  This was a tough build because we had to go a step further than just adding a body kit, we cut the roof off of the car.  Never fear though, we successfully installed the carbon fiber roof, hood, and trunk lid with minimal fitment issues that were easily resolved.  The 19″ wheels, the sparcos, the black grill, and some of the paint work all added up to a wild, yet very clean show car. The Supercharger, exhaust, and big brake kit make it possible for the performance to match the looks.  The car posed a whole new set of challenges than the Japanese cars we have spent the mojority of our time building, but all in all, it was a great learning experience and we look fwd to building another European car in the near future.  Heres a few pictures of the car and more will be posted when we get our photographer in town to shoot the professional shots.

Alright, well, it’s not a complete build of the 04 Subaru WRX STi, its more of a lets add higer quality parts, tune the car properly, and put a nice body-kit on the car.  The car was originally built in eastern KY for Fuzion Tire to make their debut at SEMA in 04.  Now, they want to re-vamp some stuff to modernize the car with up to date parts, and they have charged us with the task.  Its going to be a fairly simple build and as much as we’d like to, we are not allowed to change the paint scheme. 

Right now the car features a Turbo XS FMIC and Turbo-Back Exhaust system, Chargespeed Lip Kit, and Gauges and seats from Ractive.  One feature about the car we would really like to see function properly is the Praxis Suspension system.  Unfortuneately, the system was never made for this car but was modified (read- “hacked”) to work on the STi.  The System has so many gremlins and fitment issues we have chosen to replace the entire air system with a set of coilovers. By doing this the car will not only have the proper suspension under the car, it will clear up some room in the trunk for a mild stereo and some other goodies we are going to be installing. 

Other aspects of the build include a new Chargespeed Body Kit, not the lip kit, Sparco Racing Seats, Sparco Harness’, Tein Coilovers, HPD wheels, Stoptech Brake Upgrade, and a good dyno tune. We are also removing the Ractive gauges and replacing them with Defi Gauges to properly monitor the cars performance.  Basically, we are taking out all of the out-dated, dare i say, lower quality parts, and replacing them with good stuff.  This isn’t a huge project, but it’s big enough that with the short amount of time we have to do it, it will keep us busy. 

Here are a few pictures of the car before we got it and ill post pics of the car after were are done with it and all the changes.  I think you will be pleasantly suprised.

Mitsubishi has stared delivery of its newest performance car, the EVO9.  While we have not had a chance to play with or even look at one of these new cars, we have been told that 90% of the parts off of the EVO8 will work on the new 9.  We know that the front bumpers are different and that the cams are probalby different as well.  Other than that, from what we are hearing, everything else is inter-changeable.  If you have a EVO IX or have any information about what fits and what doesnt fit from the EVO VIII, please leave me a comment or send me an email to Justin@injectedperformance.com

Valvoline has asked us to asist in the build up of an 03 BMW M3 and we were happy to help.  The car will be displayed in Valvolines Booth at the SEMA show in Las Vegas this fall. 

Heres a list of what we did and are in the process of finishing up.

Sparco Milano Seats

14″ Big Brake Kit

Carbon Fiber Replacement Roof

Carbon Fiber Hood and Trunk lid

Carbon Fiber/Fiberglass Front Bumper

Fresh Paint.

The car also has the Activeautowerks supercharger and alcohol injection system on it.

We’ve got plenty of small details left  to attend to, but the roof is on.  Talk about a scary project, we had to take a cutting wheel to a M3 and cut the old roof out of the car.  Thankfully, we have two body men with nerves of steel that  were unfazed by the carnage they were about to put the car through.  The roof is on and looks great and ill have some pics up in the near future.

Looking back at the last 10 years or the Sport Compact industry has truly excited me.  In the beginning, performance and exterior enhancements were equals and there was no real dividing line between show cars and race cars.  There wasn’t enough aftermarket support to have the luxury of choosing which direction your car was going.  There were now show cars, there were no race cars.  There was, however, a few guys with clean rides that happened to get down the 1320 a little bit faster than the other guys.  That was it, that was all they had and the best part of it all, they were built for the pure enjoyment of building something to drive everyday. 

Fast forward to today, the scene is completely different.  It went from a small underground movement among some innovative enthusiasts, to a 2 billion dollar a year industry.  10 years ago, i could have counted all the manufacturers of tuner parts on one hand, today, there are hundreds.  This has given enthusiasts the opportunity to build a race car, a show car, a drift car, or just a clean car to drive everyday.  The industry has created a lifestyle, reaching far beyond car parts and extending into what we watch, what we wear, and even how we talk.  It really is amazing to see how far we’ve come.   

Im excited to see what the next ten years bring us.  Auto manufacturers are continiously giving us new platforms to play with and parts manufacturers are trying like hell to keep up.  I dont see this as a “trend” or a “phase”, but as a part of life for anyone who has any interest in cars.  I don’t see this train slowing down anytime soon. 

So, for all you everyday, hardworking, sport compact enthusiasts, my hat’s off to you.  Your car is an ever evolving piece of art that you are proud to show off.  You drive your car, you stay up late working on your car, you spend every penny you have on your car, and you always are thinking of ways to set your car apart from the rest.  You guys drive the industry by demanding innovative parts, high quality parts, and better performing parts.  Thanks.