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Here's something brand new. You've seen our quarterly
newsletters, but from time-to-time we've got individual articles that
we like to share. The Speed Read is just that--a short article
that might have a few tips -or- information on a new product or service
we're offering.
A Few Inexpensive, Easy-to-Install
Performance Boosters
Around this time of year we often get
questions from our customers who are looking for inexpensive,
easy-to-install opportunities to boost the performance of their racing
car. If you're like me, easy-to-install means that you're not
going to have to crack the cases on your engine or remove the head.
Inexpensive is a relative term. I can tell you that inexpensive
for me is less than a couple hundred dollars. So we've done our
best to create a decent list. We know this stuff has made a
difference on both our cars and our customer's cars. Here goes!
Kinser Air Filter
It’s no secret that the better an engine breathes the better it
performs. Just think about your body—at rest you require little air,
however go run a mile or two and you are sucking in all of the air
available. Now to make matters even tougher go run a mile while
breathing through a straw. This is the same condition your motorcycle
powered racing engine is placed in when its air is limited by a
insufficient or partially clogged filtering system. The Kinser Air
Filter is designed to increase the flow of good clean air to your
engine. The benefit is both increased horse-power and improved
throttle response. The Kinser Filter also goes one step further in
that it is very easy to maintain. The Kinser Air Filter consists of
separate components so that it is much easier to wash than the
competition. Comprised of a fiberglass base plate, mesh basket, open
cell foam filter, qualifying filter and outerwear, any piece of the
system can be easily washed in soap and warm water. This is not
possible with traditional paper and gauze filters. Other foam filters
like the ITG can’t be cleaned as easily as the Kinser because of their
one piece design. Ease of cleaning is important because it allows all
of the dust and dirt particles to be released so the filter is in
like-new condition for your next event. For complete information on
all of the Kinser Filter Systems read the complete story in the
Product Review section of our website . Pricing on
Kinser Air Filter
Systems start at $149.
FOZ Chain Tensioner
If you are running a chain drive car here is one that you don’t want
to overlook. At $49.95 the FOZ Chain Tensioner might be one of the
least expensive performance improvements you make, but one that pays
definite dividends. One track champion called us back to tell us that
he believed out of all the changes he made, the FOZ Chain Tensioner
might have helped the most. The principal behind the tensioner is
simple—by allowing the chain to be run with 3 to 4 inches of slack it
allows the car to roll more freely throughout the range of suspension
travel. “We learned the lesson from Gary Doemelt who designed the
tensioner. Doemelt visited a track we were competing at. After
examining our chain he asked why we would run it so tight. He
explained how the chain tensioner was intended to work and how running
the chain with more slack would allow the car to roll significantly
more free. He was right, it made a huge difference for us and has
quickly become one of our hottest selling items”, commented Speed
Partz Larry Fasse. The
FOZ Chain Tensioner is easy to install.
At $49.95 The FOZ Chain Tensioner is a good value.
Odyssey Deep Cycle Battery
The importance of the battery to a motorcycle-powered racing car is
paramount. Unlike traditional automotive applications where the
battery is only used as a source of power to start the car,
motorcycle-powered racing cars usually draw current from the battery
the entire time they are running. The reason is that in order to
achieve less rotating weight on the crankshaft, the heavy charging
unit is removed from most motorcycle-powered race car applications.
In these instances the battery is the sole provider of electricity to
the engine. As it discharges the spark used to fire the engine is
weakened and performance is adversely affected. Dyno tests have
proven that only small drops in the voltage of a battery result in
significant decreases in performance. The use of a deep cycle battery
like the Odyssey is the answer. Deep cycle batteries are designed to
supply a continuous current for a sustained period of time. Simple
testing throughout an evening of racing proved the point. The Odyssey
deep cycle battery maintained a voltage well above 12 volts during an
entire evening of racing. This didn’t require any additional
charging. Conversely a traditional battery registered below the
required 12 volts after completing a session and required constant
recharging throughout the evening. Speed Partz Larry Fasse commented,
“I’ve had several customers who were sure they had an ignition
problem. In most cases, we have been able to help them quickly cure
the problem by using an Odyssey battery. Most commonly having a
battery that is not supplying adequate voltage results in a high speed
miss." The Odyssey battery is available for $129 through Speed Partz.
Dyno-Jet Power Commander
Air/fuel mixture requirements are altered by the addition of
aftermarket performance products like exhaust systems and air
filters. While the addition of an exhaust system or advancing the
timing can deliver performance gains, maximizing the potential of
these additions often also requires changing the air/fuel mixture.
However, this is much easier said than done with today’s complex fuel
injected motors that carry on-board computers. The Power Pak is a
unit that plugs in-line with the bikes existing ECU that allows fuel
injection and ignition timing to be changed to maximize performance.
The Power Pak is easy to install and does not permanently alter the
engines fuel and ignition timing—when removed from the system fuel and
ignition timing return to original values. A trip to your local dyno
might be a good idea so that you can optimize the Power Commander's
settings for your specific set-up. The
Power Pak is available
for most engines and starts at $299.
Performance Aluminum Racing Radiator
The more
horsepower an engine creates the more heat it creates. Once an engine
reaches a high enough temperature, it begins to loose power and
ultimately risks the threat of serious damage. Early on we
attempted to use radiators off of the bikes we robbed the motors from
and even tried using a radiator from a Geo Sprint. While our
attempt to save money was admirable, we continually ran into overheating
issues. After finally switching to a high quality aluminum
racing radiator our problem was solved. Today we manufacture our
own radiators that are purposely built for use in motorcycle powered
racing cars, like mini-sprints, modified midgets, dwarf cars and
modified lites. Several of our models are configured specially
for today's fuel-injected motors. Our
FOZ Aluminum Racing
Radiators are priced at $259 and can be built in any configuration.
For more information on several of the products listed above, be sure
to read our more in-depth technical articles:
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