One of the best spots to find new gizmos and gadgets is at SEMA. SEMA stands for Specialty Equipment Market Association, and many of the biggest names in the automobile industry come to this yearly trade show located in Las Vegas, nevada, to show off the newest products. the four-wheel drive, diesel, and aftermarket performance crowd are all well represented, and that's mainly what we were after. While we were there, we also ran into plenty of cool extras-like towing and camping accessories, so we'll include them, too. Save yourself about five miles of walking, and let us show you what we found.
One of the most awesome diesels in the world, audi's LeMans-winning R10, was on display at the Michelin tires booth. It looked kind of out of place, having two gas R8 street cars on display with a diesel sitting in between. Maybe the R8s will follow suit and have a diesel too? We can only hope.www.audiusa.com
Volkswagen is also serious about diesel, unveiling a hot-rodded diesel wagon and this cool-looking Jetta as part of its new line. the carmaker's 170hp tDI engine should propel these light cars quite well, and its 50 mpg highway (claimed) will just be the icing on the cake.www.vw.com
Thinking Big
Toyota is thinking about diesel in a huge way, as evidenced by its 1-ton tundra Concept. As if the truck itself weren't large enough, we found that an enormous 300hp, 600-lb-ft 8.0L hino inline six-cylinder diesel from a medium-duty application was jammed in the engine bay.
Filtermag has its patented oil filter magnets at sema, in sizes ranging from "light-duty diesel" to "big rig." these magnets attach to your oil filter and trap any nasty metal particles against the side of the filter, preventing them from going through your engine.www.filtermag.com * (800) 345-8376
Darton sleeves was on hand with a bunch of cylinder sleeves for any and all applications. the company reported that some sleeves had already been shipped for tractor-pulling applications, but couldn't tell us what they were for, as it was sworn to secrecy.www.darton-international.com * (800) 713-2786
Socal Diesel Was There With Its New stroker kit that takes a Duramax from a 6.6L to a 7.1L. You can bet a few top pullers and racers may already be running this setup.www.socaldiesel.com * (661) 775-5620
Howards Cams Has Been Working With Some Duramax guys that are running an offshore boat to develop super-strong rods for the Duramax. If they can survive hundreds of engine hours in a boat, you can be sure they'll survive in a street truck.www.howardscams.com * (920) 233-5228
ATS Was There Showing Off Its Multi-Stage Turbo (MSt for short), which promises to have the spool-up characteristics of a smaller setup, with the maximum horsepower potential of a big turbo.www.atsdiesel.com * (866) 209-3695
Need To Get Out Of A Jam?this combination air-compressor/winch was on display at the Warn booth and can be used to air tires up or down, power air tools, and more.www.warn.com * (800) 543-9276