SEMA Member News—November/December 2015
Buyers Incentives at 2015 SEMA Show
A wide variety of businesses attend the SEMA Show each year, but companies in the buyer category—identified with a red badge—who are also association members enjoy a few special benefits.
Member Buyer Rewards Program
The Member Buyer Rewards (MBR) program was created specifically for SEMA members attending the Show as buyers. These individuals will receive their MBR cards in mid-October or can pick them up in the Members Lounge during Show hours for access to these perks:
- MBR Lounge (located in the SEMA Members Lounge in the Las Vegas Convention Center North Hall, Room N251) offers member buyers coffee and a place to rest their feet Tuesday through Friday during Show hours.
- Dedicated MBR Taxi Lines from 2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday, and 2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. on Friday.
- Reserved seating for the New Products Breakfast, featuring the SEMA Award press conference (Tuesday) and the NHRA Breakfast (Wednesday). Tickets are required and space is limited. Plan to arrive early!
Take Advantage of the Members Lounge
 Buyers who join SEMA during the Show will gain entry to the Members Lounge during Show hours. | |
Buyers who join SEMA during the Show will gain entry to the Members Lounge during Show hours. This area offers much more than just a place to take a break and network with other SEMA members; it’s also a convenient place to have a meal. Hot lunches will be available for purchase from 11:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m. daily, or pick up a cold Grab ‘N’ Go meal during Show hours.
Other perks of the lounge include access to a computer with Internet service and a printer as well as charging stations for cell phones and other wireless devices. Meeting rooms are also available for groups of 10 or fewer at no extra charge to member exhibitors and buyers. (According to Show rules, non-exhibiting manufacturers and members otherwise eligible to exhibit are not permitted to use the meeting rooms.) Visit www.SEMAShow.com/esm to book a meeting room ahead of time, or visit the Members Lounge to check availability during the Show.
There Is Such a Thing as a Free Lunch!
The way to new members’ hearts may be through their stomachs. An added incentive for companies that become members during Show week is two lunch tickets that can be redeemed in the Members Lounge during Show hours for either a hot lunch or a Grab ‘N’ Go meal. It’s just SEMA’s way of saying “Welcome!”
Becoming a member is a quick and easy application process. Visit SEMA in the Grand Lobby during Show hours to speak with a membership representative and join the association that exists to help your business grow and prosper.
Make Connections With Other Members
One of the most important benefits that association members gain is the opportunity to connect with others in the industry. This is much easier during the SEMA Show, when members from all over the world gather in one place. In actuality, some of the most lasting connections are made off the Show floor at after-hours events.
Joining a council or network guarantees new members a link to a community of like-minded individuals with similar areas of focus and business challenges. Many of the groups hold general membership meetings and networking receptions throughout Show week, which help facilitate introductions that can lead to important professional relationships. Don’t miss the chance to build your network in Vegas.
To learn more about any of the networking events, visit www.SEMAShow.com.
Data Downloads Free Through the SEMA Data Co-op
SEMA understands what a challenge it can be for retailers and distributors to acquire quality product data, including weights and measures, accurate descriptions, current pricing, UPC codes and the like as well as detailed vehicle application data to power year/make/model lookups. The SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) offers a single source for accessing data.
The SDC’s unique approach for data receivers is to provide data exports in exactly the right formats for a variety of systems. Whether receivers need full ACES and PIES XML or a custom spreadsheet format, the SDC can accommodate every company’s individual needs. Data downloads are available to SEMA members at no charge.
Visit the SDC’s representatives in the Grand Lobby of the LVCC for demonstrations, answers to questions and to sign up and start taking advantage of free data exports right away. You can also stop by their booth #20579, just behind the Ford display in the raised meeting room.
Custom Autosound’s USA-630 radio includes a USB input on the back of the radio. The jack is on a 14-in. extension, which allows it to be placed in the glove box or ashtray for easy access without wires or plugs hanging out of the radio. The alphanumeric display shows song, artist and album titles during playback of MP3 and WMA files. Custom Autosound modifies each radio to fit specific vehicles so the radio fits in the dash right out of the box.
Blue Sea Systems bus bars now available at Del City. These engineered products are designed, tested, and built to meet the stringent requirements of the boating, emergency and commercial vehicle industries. Single power inputs can be re-distributed across the entire bar so that multiple output connections can be added. Select from a variety of single- and dual-bus bars, ranging from 100A to 1,000A. Battery terminal-mount bus bars (both positive and negative) can be easily added to a threaded-post battery terminal.
Diode Dynamics releases brand-new LED components, featuring an independent white chip in addition to multi-color functionality. By adding a discreet white chip, the white color is substantially brighter and more balanced by comparison. The company is now utilizing these components in a full line of LED products. By upgrading factory-installed LED lighting with the replacement products, vehicle owners can achieve multicolor functionality along with a crisp and pure white output.
DEI’s reflective fuel-can covers are designed to keep race fuel cooler and denser. The covers are now available in three sizes: 5-gallon round, 5-gallon square jug and 54-gallon drum. Introduced with a new design, these covers can protect expensive race fuel. DEI’s reflective fuel-can covers reflect heat away from the can, keeping temperatures stable and extending the life of the fuel. DEI’s covers are designed with a sewn-in handle for quick removal.
Fidanza Performance releases a new performance flywheel application for the Scion tC. This application covers up to the ’14 Scion tC with the 2.4L engine and the ’15 2.5L engine. With the 2.5L engine making 179 hp and 173 lb.-ft. of torque, a lightened flywheel is a great way to unleash some more excitement from this engine. The Fidanza Performance tC application weighs in at 9.55 lbs., roughly half the weight of the stock flywheel.
Flex-a-lite introduces the LS Conversion performance aluminum radiator, electric fan combination and oil cooler for ’70–’81 Camaros. The new radiators are dual-pass with the inlet and outlet on the passenger-side tank, and they include a 1/4-in. NPT bung to make connecting a steam tube to the LS engine easy. The Flex-a-Fit aluminum radiator and electric fan combination bolts in without any drilling or modifications to the vehicle, and comes with the electric fan pre-mounted to the radiator without going through the radiator core.
Grex Airbrush announces a fan spray cap accessory for its line of tritium and New Genesis airbrushes. It transforms the standard round spray pattern of an airbrush into the elongated fan spray pattern of a spray gun, useful for laying down even coverage with fewer passes. Grex fan spray caps are available for 0.3mm, 0.5mm and 0.7mm nozzle sizes. They are available individually or packaged alongside a full nozzle kit.
Multi Seal has unveils a new retail tire sealant product, Barricade. Sold in one-liter recyclable bottles, non-toxic Barricade is scientifically formulated to seal leaks and punctures up to 1/2-in. instantly. Barricade is easily installed, and one treatment lasts the life of the tire. Affordable and perfect for protecting tires on tractors, RVs, trailers, ATVs, UTVs and golf carts, Barricade is always working and always defending tires from potentially dangerous blowouts and annoying flats.
PML introduces heavy-duty valve covers for Chevrolet 348, 409 W-block engines. These valve covers feature an unadorned look and top-quality, cast-aluminum construction. The thick gasket flange provides a secure seal to the cylinder head. Because these new PML valve covers do not have fins or logos, they provide a backdrop for customization or other engine features the builder may want to show off. The covers are available in a natural sand cast or a polished finish.
Holley Performance Products announces additions to the Hooker Blackheart exhaust line. Hooker Blackheart exhaust components are constructed from lightweight, 18-gauge 304 stainless steel. The components feature quality welds throughout for strength, longevity and good looks. Cat-back and axle-back exhausts are available with either a straight-through or no-muffler design that exits into a variety of dual-wall polished stainless-steel tips laser-etched with the Hooker logo. Applications include Dodge Challenger and Charger and Chrysler 300.
The IQ3RZR Dash from UTV Racepak replaces the factory gauge with a rugged, pre-programmed digital display, which connects seamlessly to the factory ECU, providing engine information, GPS speed, heading and time data. Plus, add additional inputs to monitor belt temperature, oil pressure and more with available Racepak sensor kits. The optional custom dash panel, in black gel coat, can be finished to match the RZR and uses factory mounting locations. Utilizing factory mounting points, the custom dash panel installs in minutes. 
SpeedStrap, a division of Piston Driven Manufacturing, expands its line of limit straps and accessories. Hand made one at a time in Southern California from 7,000-lb. black nylon webbing double-wrapped over each 10,000-lb. buckle, they have an internal deflector and are stitched together with massive 346 thread. The 4130 Chromoly steel buckle—tumbled and finished in corrosion-resistant black—is likewise manufactured in Southern California.
The Quarter Mile Foundation has released its limited-edition “We Are Legend” T-shirt design, honoring the names of legends and pioneers of drag racing and the automotive performance aftermarket. The shirts will be available in three versions, each featuring an entirely different set of names of legendary figures in random order on the back of each shirt. The 100% pre-shrunk cotton short-sleeve shirts are available in black, white and, for women, pink.
The West Coast Winch is a Honda gas-powered capstan pulling winch ideal for vehicle recovery, hunting and forestry to name a few. This portable winch does not require access to electricity or hydraulic power as its energy source, these winches run on four-stroke Honda engines and weigh as few as 20 lbs., allowing as much as 2,200 lbs. of pull in the most remote locations.
Toyo Tire brings year-round versatility and winter-weather safety together with the Celsius tire. Variable-tread technology results in an asymmetric tire that has a visibly different tread from inside to outside. Snow claws are located at the base of the outer circumferential grooves to help improve deep snow traction while providing block rigidity for better ice and wet traction. Deep slush grooves help evacuate heavy slush and snow from the tire for increased traction. Available for passenger cars and crossovers.
MotoCoat sprayers are designed to apply low-flashpoint coatings, such as protective materials for truck beds and undercoating, rubberized peelable coatings and auto finishing paints. No compressor is needed. A spark-contained motor and a 39-ft. hose allow for maneuverability around vehicles. Outfitted with Wagner’s X-Boost turbine, they provide fast and complete coverage with low overspray. In addition to adjusting power and material flow settings, users can adjust the spray pattern to horizontal, vertical, narrow or wide.
Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels recently announced the availability of its next-generation tire from the ET Street Radial line, the ET Street S/S—an impressive performance radial street tire that’s drag-strip ready. According to the company, the ET Street S/S (S/S is for street-to-strip) combines the proven R2 drag tire compound with polyester-ply, steel-belted, tubeless radial construction to deliver an exceptional combination of dry-traction performance, strength and reliability.
Kicker Performance Audio has developed four new Vehicle-Specific Solutions (VSS) for Ford F-150, F-250 and F-350 truck owners. VSS provides a custom Kicker subwoofer, amplifier, wiring harness and bracketing with repeatable performance every time, featuring no-cut metal and leaving factory wiring intact. The systems include a 200-watt powered subwoofer, sans the factory speaker amplifier. The VSS SFSDC08 SubStage system fits under the back bench of all ’08–’15 Super Duty F-250 and F-350 SuperCrews.
Meguiar’s introduces the MT300 dual-action polisher. The polisher is designed with a lightweight, ergonomic form and a billet counterweight with multi-bearing design. Additional features include a wide 3,000- to 7,500-opm speed range for maximum control, soft start function for easy control and an incorporated brush port for quick and easy access to brushes during operation. A multi-position D-handle easily adjusts the tool for added control.
Knipex Tools’ new 10-in. Cobra QuickSet pliers feature a slide and lock system that makes repetitive tasks more convenient. The tool’s speed comes from its easy-to-use sliding handle method. Simply open the jaws, set the top jaw on the work object, slide the lower jaw up to the object and squeeze the handle for a precise fit. The tool locks in that opening position until the user resets the position when needed. The Cobra QuickSet is constructed from high-alloy German chrome vanadium steel, with a stable box-joint design and a pinch guard to protect hands and fingers.