Obviously, using good-condition oil is important for any combustion engine-propelled car, but it’s a minimum requirement for a race car. Some racers are so worried about harming their highly-abused motors that they change out their oil at extremely short intervals. Aside from this practice getting expensive, it’s downright wasteful. Others go the other direction and let over-used oil shorten engine life. A company named IntelliStick, has come out with a product (of the same name), that can tell you exactly when your oil is due for a change.  [Read more…]

Three-In-One has developed a boroscope that is capable of supplying video directly to a computer. Dubbed the VIGS-918 (Video Image Guide Scope), this unit connects to a PC/Laptop via a USB cable. The included software allows you to see the video on a computer screen and record it for later playback. An integrated LED light source helps illuminate the area being viewed.  [Read more…]

Nordskog Performance has developed an in-dash gauge for monitoring surface temperatures. The IR9009 kit comes with 2 infra-red temperature sensors and a gauge. The gauge simultaneously shows readings from both of the temperature sources. This makes for a great way to monitor the surface temps of tires at all times. The kit has a $600 price tag.

Having a source of compressed air at the track is important. As you know, it allows you to quickly adjust the pressure in your tires, as needed. Of course, you have various options, including: a compact DC electric tire inflator, a small AC shop compressor (using an inverter along with power from your tow vehicle), or an air tank that you fill at home and bring to the track. World Pro has given us another option, with their Instant Air system. The main benefit with Instant Air is that CO2 tanks are used, which require just 1% of the volume that compressed air uses. Additionally, no power source is required to utilize the air pressure. Therefore, Instant Air can potentially make for a nice and compact primary or backup air system.  [Read more…]

Injectronic has developed a handy looking combination scantool/ oscilloscope. For the price of $499, the CJ4 packs in many features and expandable options. Even though that price might seem steep to some, it does appear to represent a good value for what you are getting, and should be quite helpful with diagnostics. The scanner mode provides features you would expect in such a device, including: DTC (trouble code) retrieval/clearing, live parameter monitoring (graph or numeric), all 1996+ generic OBDII codes plus most manufacturer-specific codes, freeze frame, moveable cursor, OBDII connection location finder, and an acronym database. After the problem area has been determined via the scanner, the CJ4 can be put into labscope mode, so the source of the problem can be diagnosed. The scope features: 2 channels, 400 kilosampling rate, 0-20V vertical scale, and sensor-specific waveform samples.  [Read more…]

Many weekend racers find themselves swapping their street wheels/tires for their race setup on a regular basis. Unfortunately, wear can show around the lugnut holes after time, if extreme care is not taken. A few tool manufacturers have recognized this and have begun producing special “protective sockets” that prevent wheel scratches. Griot’s Garage sells a 9-piece set with common metric and standard sizes for under $60.

For individual sizes at a low price, Harbor Freight Tools sells deep protective sockets for 9 bucks each.

We’ve all been there. After wrenchin’ on your car into the night, tiredness turns to clumsiness and you drop a small bolt somewhere it has no business being. Of course, all methods fail at retrieving it. What to do now? Well, if you had a fiber optic boroscope, things sure would be easier at this moment. These devices consist of a flexible thin cable (of varying lengths) with a lens at one end and an eye piece at the other. The image picked up with the lens in transmitted over fiber optic strands to the eye piece. This allows you to feed the cable into impossible to see places and view what’s hiding. The only problem is that these things can be a tad on the pricey side.

However, ProVision has made this type of scope available to the average Joe. Their entry level line of scopes may not have all the features and quite the same optics of higher end models, but they are a fraction of the price.  [Read more…]

When shopping for a pyrometer, your first decision would normally be whether to get the infrared (IR) or probe type. Now you can get both in one device. The 50620 Dual Function Pyrometer from Longacre Racing looks like a typical IR pyrometer. However, with this one, you can plug in a probe and view readings from either method.  [Read more…]

If you’re swapping wheels trackside, a cordless impact gun is a valuable item to have. Not only is it a timesaver, but it let’s you conserve your own energy for when you’re behind the wheel. A cordless impact can come in handy for purposes other than just removing lug nuts. If you don’t really need an air compressor in your garage, this can be a nice alternative, for jobs that aren’t too big. But, even if you do have a compressor/pneumatic impact, turning to the cordless rather than dealing with the noise and extra time involved with the alternative can be surprisingly convenient.  [Read more…]

Just about anyone who has experience with working on race cars or highly-modified street cars knows what it’s like to cut a finger on steel-braided hoses. And, even with a relatively clean cut on the hose end, it can be a bit of a chore to get things put together just right. This can especially be the case for the inexperienced. A company, called Koul Tools, has recently come out with a product to help address the need for an easier way to accomplish this task. They claim that their product makes installing a standard braided hose into a typical fitting a simple job that can be accomplished in just seconds.  [Read more…]