Mikelly Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 So I just got home, time is all out of wack, and I'm not tired... I should be sleeping, but I can't... So SEMA... Why Did I go? I was already there babysitting my wife, who did not want to be in Vegas alone... I lucked out and pulled the whole "own a business" gig and paid the $50 for the three days... Day one I'm about an hour into the gig when the camera starts acting hinky... By about 1230-1245PM it dies... I'm pissed... Wife calls and informs me she's done with class, so I bolt with MAYBE 45 pics... I pick her up, run to the outlet mall and buy a MINOLTA DiMage Z6 camera on sale for $279. It was probably more than I should have paid, but the camera seemed like it did every thing my 3 megapixel camera didn't, so I jumped on it... We run out to RedRocks Canyon State park and play with the camera to get a bit more familiar with it... Day two, I got there before 0900 and started... And I walked... And Walked... And walked... Did I mention I walked about 15 miles? Anyway, I took so may pics that when you go to the link below, you'll notice THREE SEMA 2006 folders PLUS the GIRLS of SEMA folder (Which is NOT work or family safe!). Two major observations... And I had to be there to see both... The Nissan 350Z was one of the major "cars" to mod this year... That car is a HUGE HIT in the aftermarket world. Though many of us feel it doesn't truly represent the heritage of the original S30 chassis, I can tell you that the rest of planet earth in 2006 LOVE IT and are MODDING it BIG-TIME... Not being a huge fan, I had to ask the hard question of many of the vendors there... WHY THE 350z? All of them said that it represented the best value in a sportscar and the sales justified the interest from their companies... This was very much the talk of the show.. There were vendors who were discussing doing parts for the 350Z for next year, based solely on the turnout of the competition this year. If you own one, this is a very good time to modify a Nissan 350Z... Second significant note... The Chevy Camaro Concept looks FAR better in person than in print. I about fell out while looking at it... The car is better looking than the new Z06 Corvette. I'm told the roofline will be raised to the minimum Federal DOT rollover standards, but otherwise it will have the same lines for production... I also saw the new Dodge Charger/ Cuda and that car is absolutely amazing... It is complete and ready for production, so the SRT boys have a leg up on the Bowtie crowd... I got to look at some of the highest end cars from Konigsegg, Saleen, Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborgini, Astin Martin, and of course, the Bugati supercar... And I spoke with folks from spring manufacturers, brake component makers, tire producers, and many many asian wheel makers... I also spoke with a company rep who makes PVC encased mirrors that either glue to the lexan/windshield or mount to a pillar cages.. These mirrors were simply amazing in that they had a wide range viewing for the driver and eliminated the need for the five panel mirrors found in most race cars.... The mirrors were simply amazing, and better still... CHEAP.... $30 each with mounting hardware and these have been used in a number of professional racing efforts already. When I get the info from them, I'll be sure and post it... If you go Here: http://photos.yahoo.com/dat74z I'll be posting pics in the following folders... SEMA SHOW 2006 SEMA SHOW 2006 #2 SEMA SHOW 2006 #3 Girls of SEMA SHOW... This last one is NOT work safe by some standards, so view at your own risk... It was a great show and I'm thinking I may well go again next year... There was way to much to see and do, and this show saved what would have been a miserable time for me in Vegas. I'm in the process of posting pics, so give me a few days... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 3, 2006 Author Share Posted November 3, 2006 Just created another folder for the ExoticCars - Caesars Palace... Did the tour and took some pics on Monday... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 3, 2006 Author Share Posted November 3, 2006 Also failed to mention that I met 2003Z (Mike Golden) and his wife while I was out there. Ran into them on Tuesday and chatted a bit before I ran to find a restroom to evacuate the morning coffee... Before I could hook back up with them, the camera died and I called to let him know I was out for the rest of the day... Didn't get to hook up with 280Zone... He called me Tuesday night while the wife and I were stroling around looking at the sites and sidewalk shows. As much as I dislike Las Vegas, I'd go back next year for this show... Three day trip, maybe four... Pete Paraska YOU OUT THERE? How about you Doug? This would be a good guys "Man-Cation". Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 so what was the coolest thing you saw that you could implement on your Z? Not that you could afford the new stuff but if you could (and YOU probably can) what would it be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete280z Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 3, 2006 Author Share Posted November 3, 2006 Wheels were out... I spoke with a number of wheel makers who simply will not make a US safety certified wheel in a 4 bolt Nissan pattern in anything over 7 inches. This didn't really apply to my application anyway, as I have 5 lug hubs/axles, but I asked a number of custom makers and they said the same thing. Brakes... Wilwood had an impressive display of their products there and I was very impressed with the new line of billet pedal assemblies. I suspect a new pedal setup will end up on my car in the future. Those mirrors I mentioned before were nice AND CHEAP and I'll be getting four of them... Two as primaries and a set to put in the trailer for track mishapps... There are some interesting Chevy bits soon to be released. FAST is making a new LS1 truck intake that will increase volume and runner length by a fair amount. Expect it to hit the market in summer 2007. Fuel Injection Standalone management systems are getting more and more sophisticated. There were a few demonstrations going on, but I was moving so fast and did the whole show in just a tad over 9 hours total that I couldn't attend any of their demos or workshops. Safety gear and seats... There is a LOT of stuff coming out of Japan that is NOT SFI certified. When I asked about the products and their rating, the reps told me it was up to the buyer to get them certified by the appropriate organizations... A LOT of this stuff will end up on ebay, so BUYER BEWARE!!! It was simply to overwhelming to catch everything in nine hours and I'll be planning to do this one again next year, and hopefully with a bigger contingent of HybridZcar guys... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jap tin Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 I just got back last night about 11:30. Feet hurt, knees hurt, walk walk walk. Went through all the SEMA stuff Tues. and Wed. hit the APEX show Thurs.Used the monorail system which beat the heck out of the shuttle busses.Lots of fun, lots of goodies on desplay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2003z Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 It was definitely fun, sorry we didn't get to hang out more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S30TRBO Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 Nice pics Mike especially Girls of SEMA folder... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280Zone Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 Just got back home a couple of hours ago and am I sore. Sorry I couldn't get back in touch, I was limited to shuttle services for my transportation. Vegas is as fun as ever and SEMA goes on for miles. 2 solid days of walking and then off to APEX. I'll probably be there again next year, so we should try to get lodging to gether to take advantage of the down time, to compare notes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritech-z Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 What type of credentials does it take to get in to SEMA, anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280Zone Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 A business license, and I think it needs to be automotive related. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 4, 2006 Author Share Posted November 4, 2006 I had to produce a tax ID number, and business cards, as well as picture IDs to match everything. I did not go to Vegas knowing that SEMA was there... It was by chance for me... When I registered I simply said I owned a consulting firm and we consulted to the Federal Government... That was it. It's $50 for the show, and it was crowded. We'd already booked our room and gotten our car rental months ahead of time, and it was a good thing. The Hertz counter guy told my wife that the rental cars at most places were rented out for the week. If I go next year, I'll be taking a group of guys, and Ill just pre-register and get business cards made up for them to display when getting our badges. Between SEMA, NHRA being in town for the race, and the other conventions going on, it was PACKED all week on the strip. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringIt Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 Glad to see my company's Car/Booth were in your first few pics! The Red Twin Turbo Ford GT. You should of seen the engine in that Blue Mustang that is up on the Mustang Dyno in your First few pictures. It has a AstonMartin V12 in it. Amazing Car!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moridin Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Did you happen to browse by Stoptech's area? I've heard rumors that they were supposed to be showing a new metal matrix composite rotor at SEMA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 7, 2006 Author Share Posted November 7, 2006 I did, And they did... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moridin Posted November 9, 2006 Share Posted November 9, 2006 Any info on the specifics? I could not find anything on the internet. Thanks for letting me know they had them there though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 9, 2006 Author Share Posted November 9, 2006 They commented that the Design was still in work and they were not releasing it for a while, if memory serves me... I took pics of it, but they were very blurred, so I deleted them! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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