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Greetings Saturn Enthusiasts!
Please enjoy the latest February SPS Updates…
Best Wishes to Servicemen and Servicewomen
The news reports of the past year have indicated quite clearly that the Bush administration intends to engage in military conflict against Iraq. Already, many SPS customers who serve our country as members of the armed forces have left their families and been deployed overseas. And it appears that many more will follow in the months to come.
The team at SPS wishes to express our sincere best wishes to those involved. Our military customers are some of the best. We will miss you while you are deployed. And your safety and well-being will be on our minds.
We wish you all a safe and short deployment!
Product News
AEM's cold air intake and filter kit really is a true 'cold air' kit. Unlike any other kit, the AEM cold air kit positions the air filter within the fender liner forward of the left front wheel. Not only does this allow a cool air source far from the heat of the engine bay, but it also allows an extra-long piping system with a tuned velocity curve. Dyno testing has yielded power increases of 10HP or more. Kit includes two-section cold air aluminum piping, performance filter, integral mounting bracket, couplers, clamps, hoses, and detailed instructions. Kits are available in anodized blue, anodized red, polished, or silver (clear zirconia-based powdercoat) finish. Choose the AEM630 kit for all 91-99 DOHC and 95-02 SOHC models or choose the AEM631 kit for all 00-02 DOHC models. Both kits are available now for $299.00 each.
SPEC performance clutches offer 5 stages that feature several custom heavy-duty pressure plates with additional clamp load and a variety of clutch discs that are capable of handling as much as 610 ft-lbs of torque! SPEC clutches are available for every Saturn – including the 2000-02 S series, the 2000+ L series, the 2002+ VUE, and the brand new ION. All kits include pressure plate, friction disc, throw-out bearing, and alignment tool. Pricing starts at just $309.00. See complete details in the Online Store.
Thermal Research and Development’s complete-cat-back exhaust system is tuned to provide power gains in the upper mid-range and top end. It also provides a deep throaty sound. All systems are built using mandrel bends and polished stainless steel. Unique features include flanged pipe connections and a dual tip configuration. Choose the TRD801 system for use with the 97-02 coupes or the TRD802 system for use with the 96-02 sedans and wagons. Both systems are available now for $499.00 each.
Clear corner lamps are now available for the 2000-02 L series models. These lamps replace the orange front corner/turn indicator lamps with a clear plastic lens for a more modern and clean appearance. See part number AOCC0L01 for $49.00/set.
Momo has introduced several new manual shift knobs this winter. The latest knob for the S series is the F16 EVO – which has a general shape similar to the F16, but adds a unique gap beneath the grip area to create a visually stunning cantilevered effect. The F16 EVO is available in black leather (MOF16EBK1,) blue leather (MOF16EBLU,) carbon fiber (MOF16ECBN,) red leather (MOF16ERED,) black leather with a flat silver base (MOF16ESIL,) and zebrano wood (MOF16TZBO.) You can see these knobs online at http://www.spswebpage.com/products/momo_shifter.html.
The latest Momo manual knob for the L series is the F16 carbon reverse. The F16 carbon reverse is virtually identical to the normal F16 carbon – except for the fact that it incorporates a special base to accommodate the lift-for-reverse feature of the L series shifter. The F16 carbon reverse is part number MOF16CBN-R for $80.57. It can be seen online at http://www.spswebpage.com/products/l_mid_cars.html.
Many more new products will be introduced very shortly. But although we are excited about the new items, we must use discretion about releasing new product information because sharing any information before solidifying all of the facts can inadvertently mislead customers, employees, and supporters. Please visit our web site often and watch for future updates. Many more exciting items are on the horizon!
February Specials
SPS mufflers are designed to improve exhaust flow for increased power while also delivering a deep, sporty tone. Important features include free-flowing straight through design, thick and durable sound-deadening internal packing, all welded exterior construction, and resonated three-inch oval polished stainless steel exhaust tips that exit straight from the muffler without angling downward. To ensure a perfect fit, they utilize a unique offset outlet and are compatible with our redesigned Saturn-specific mounting strap. Straight-through design ensures maximum performance. Available in your choice of long-lasting T-304 stainless steel or the more affordable aluminized steel material. (Uses offset 2.0-inch inlet. Compatible with all "S" models.) The aluminized steel straight through muffler with tip, part number EXMAZ01, normally $169, is now only $149.00. The stainless steel straight through muffler with tip, part number EXMSS01, normally $189, is now only $169.00. (Don’t forget to get the EXMST01 muffler strap to make installation easy!)
Stillen’s Metal Matrix brake pads use a more aggressive carbon-metallic compound that delivers better initial bite, more predictable modulation, and slightly higher temperature thresholds. Yet they are conservative enough to be kind to rotors, light on dust, and low on noise. These are great pads for the budget-minded enthusiast! The Stillen Metal Matrix front pad set, part number MM503, normally $49, is now only $44.10. The Stillen Metal Matrix rear pad set, part number MM508, normally $39, is now only $35.10.
Please visit the SPS web site (http://www.spswebpage.com) for more details!
SPS Racing
As much of the Midwest suffers a deep freeze, racing season for most of the scR team is still almost five months away. However, James is in the midst of making some big changes – including a full-scale motor rebuild. As this is written, the powerplant of the #34 car is out of the car and bolted to the dyno. James hopes to use this dyno time to test some new SPS products – including the AEM intakes, Accel coils, and Denso spark plugs.
John starts the competitive scR season with a regional race at IRP in April. Mark and James join the action at Grattan over the Memorial Day weekend.
As always, be sure to catch the latest news, schedule changes, race recaps, and photo and video galleries at the new scR website located at http://www.teamscr.com.
Meanwhile, Mike Kramer and the Thundersport Racing team from the Southeast Division (Spring Hill, TN) are preparing for the start of their season – which is just around the corner (thanks to warmer weather in the Southeast.)
The end of 2002 brought a new sponsor on board with the Thundersport team: Panasonic. In fact, Panasonic graphics graced the Thundersport SC2 at the Runoffs in September, making the team’s 97 SC2 look great! Not only did Mike finish 4th at the Runoffs – Saturn’s best ever finish – but he also won the coveted Eagle One Best Appearing Entry Award!
Thundersport’s tentative schedule for the 2003 season has been announced as follows:
February 22-23, 2003 Carolina Motorsports Park Kershaw, SC
March 8-9, 2003 Roebling Road Raceway Savannah, GA
March 15-16, 2003 Memphis Motorsports Park Memphis, TN
March 15-16, 2003 Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, AL
March 29-30, 2003 Road Atlanta Braselton, GA
April 12, 2003 Kumho Tire Test Roebling Road Savannah, GA
April 27, 2003 Kumho Tire Test Mid-Ohio Lexington, OH
May 3-4, 2003 Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, FL
May 24-25, 2003 Memphis Motorsports Park Memphis, TN
June 8-9, 2003 Road Atlanta Braselton, GA
June 20-22, 2003 Road America - June Sprints Elkhart Lake, WI
July 4-6, 2003 Roebling Road Raceway Savannah, GA
July 26-27, 2003 Gateway International Speedway St. Louis, MO
August 9-10, 2003 Virginia International Raceway Danville, VA
August 30-31, 2003 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, OH
September 5, 2003 Kumho Tire Test Mid-Ohio Lexington, OH
September 15 - 21, 2003 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, OH
We wish the best of luck to Mike, Tom, and the entire team as they begin the 2003 season. We’ll see you at the Runoffs, if not sooner!
Tech Tip: Removing Rusted Exhaust Nuts
Recently, John and Bryan installed an SPS exhaust system on Bryan’s 96 SL2. Most of the installation was quick and easy with one big exception: Thanks to 6 years of salty Ohio winters, the nuts at the catalytic converter flange had completely corroded into 3 globs of barely distinguishable metal.
To loosen the corroded nuts, they tried aerosol sprays, impact wrenches, and indiscriminate cursing, but none of these worked. Finally, at the suggestion of a technician friend, they tried a chisel – and it worked beautifully.
The trick is to strike the nut on the first blow so as to create a ledge in which the chisel will rest on the following blows. On the second (and consecutive) blows, strike the chisel so as to turn the nut in a counterclockwise direction. With any luck, 2 or 3 successful blows will break the nut free and turn the nut enough to be removed by hand or with an adjustable wrench. (In some cases, the nut will split in half. That’s OK too as long as the stud is not damaged. New nuts are included in every SPS exhaust piping kit.)
SPS 2003 Event Schedule (tentative)
Mar 28-29: SPS Racing at Putnam Road Course (test day)
Apr 12-13: SPS Racing at IRP
May 24-25: SPS Racing at Grattan
July 4-6: SPS Racing at MidOhio
Aug 2-3: SPS Racing at Beaver Run
Oct 4-5: SPS Racing at MidOhio
If you have any questions about anything in this newsletter, please Contact Us.
To view previous editions of the newsletter, please visit the Newsletter Archive.
If you wish to add an email address to the list, please do so at http://spswebpage.com/email/addemail.html. If you need to remove an address from the list, please do so at http://spswebpage.com/email/del.html. Please do NOT notify us directly with your removal or addition requests!
Until next month, HAVE A GREAT WINTER!
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