Open discussion about just what type of cars and technology will shape our future

By Cam Benty; Photos from Ford, GM, FCA, & SEMA archives

Like the tides that constantly cycle with time, the performance market has had its great times as well as eras of strife. Today the performance market is red hot. NEVER before in the history of the automobile have we been able to create such massive, usable horsepower and torque from conventional internal combustion engines. Complementing this massive engine power are chassis parts that increase cornering and braking efficiency as well as safety. Today’s muscle cars do everything better than we ever could have envisioned looking back at the classic muscle car era of the 1960’s.

Hand in hand with the conventional components, we have become smarter in our executions working with exotic materials to lighten the load we carry. Improvements in technology have affected every aspect of the driving experience. That is in high contrast to how things used to be, 1960’s era muscle cars forced us to sacrifice everything for our quest for the almighty god of horsepower, damn the creature comforts.

Today climate control systems – air conditioning, heated and cooled seating – are just part of the standard fare required by today’s car buyer. Anti-lock braking, skid control, lane keep assist, and adaptive cruise control protect us from ourselves requiring less driver input to stay in control. Our cars must deliver connected technology so we can integrate with GPS, Apple Car Play, and other smart phone-based amenities . . . and yet still go like stink when we mash the throttle.

Such are the automotive challenges as we enter 2018.

The Platforms

As noted, there are many ways to go fast these days. For performance fans our list of performance vehicles are no longer limited to the usual suspects such as Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger. We now have a host of other vehicle choices with smaller displacement, higher-winding engines that are often boosted by power adders such as turbos and superchargers.

This fact has not been overlooked by the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OE) who offer extensive catalogs of performance parts that carry factory warranties and integrate technology designed at the same location that created the original vehicle. Best of all, they can be ordered through the touch of a few computer keys to arrive on your doorstep ready for installation.

Factory installed power adders allow the owner to change boost pressures – further widening the opportunity for OE and aftermarket manufacturers and tuners. As long as the engine internals, drivetrain, and ancillary components are up to the task, major performance enhancement can be had for a relatively limited cost. For those applications where the “support system” is not up to the task, the aftermarket finds plenty of room to come to the rescue.

Electronic Age

When the first Electronic Control Module (ECM) was introduced into production cars and trucks, a brave new world of performance came with it. Those first ECMs were crude by comparison to today’s electronics, but they offered a new wave of opportunity for enthusiasts. No longer was performance limited to mechanical upgrades, we could now truly tune for drivability. No longer limited to changing jets or metering rods and altering our distributor curves, with the arrival of the ECM everything was different, spawning a new breed of tuner.

While programmers allowed us to do many things to our vehicles that were previously impossible, it removed many of the easy DIY changes that we used to make. In all fairness, that change was necessitated, to a large extent, to meet an intense ramp-up of engine emissions requirements. What started with a PCV valve has begat an increasing number of mysterious modules and tubing enveloping our engine compartment.

So like the tides noted earlier, we are at a transition stage for performance trends within our industry. Things will not and cannot stay the same.

We contacted three industry leaders and asked them some pointed questions about the future of performance from their candid points of view. Clearly, each had views that reflected their unique position within the performance realm. This dialogue is the opening salvo to initiate running discussion on this topic by both industry experts and enthusiasts. Their comments and yours will be posted on our website PowerPerformanceNews.com/futureofperformance in the coming weeks.

As an industry leader, what is your general outlook concerning the future of the Performance Industry both short-term (1-3 years) and Long-Term – beyond that time frame (3 Years +)? Why?

Russ O’Blenes
Director – Performance Parts, Variants and Motorsports Engineering General Motors

Short Term: We see the community strongly embracing online shopping for their parts and accessories.

We just launched a new eCommerce platform, which allows performance enthusiasts to buy lowering suspensions for their Gen Six Camaro, brake upgrades for their Silverado, air intakes for their Colorado ZR2 and more – directly from GM. Orders are fulfilled by a dealership of the buyer’s choice and parts can be shipped to the dealer for installation or straight to the buyer’s house. For an easy shopping experience, we added a feature that allows buyers to enter their VIN number and browse only the performance parts and accessories that are compatible with their vehicle.

Long Term: We will continue to engineer and design industry-leading performance vehicles and variants such as the Camaro ZL1 1LE, Corvette Z06, Colorado ZR2, and V-Series Cadillacs. Taking it a step further, we’re committed to supporting current owners and inspiring new customers to get into our vehicles by building robust portfolios of performance parts and accessories that are designed, validated, and warrantied by GM.

Eric Blakely
Director of Advertising, Edelbrock Corporation

We’re receiving more requests for performance products for current OEM engine platforms like the GM LT1 Gen V, Ford Coyote, and Chrysler Gen 3 HEMI, all of which are in current production vehicles. The aftermarket consumer is looking to replace their old engines with these new modern power plants. We have answered this trend with intake manifolds for each and cylinder heads for the GM and Chrysler applications. As the technology increases from the OEM side, we will continue to listen to the consumer and develop products for new engines as they come to market. A long-term concern to monitor is the ever-changing chemical makeup of the current fuels at the pump and the increasing use of alternative fuels like E85 and diesel.

Chris Douglas
Chief Operation Officer, Comp Performance Group

I think you have to split this question into two separate aspects: street and motorsports. As I believe the future will take those segments down very different paths.

Street Performance: The street performance category will evolve greatly over the next 5-15 years as self-driving and driver assisted technology becomes an even greater part of the modern driving experience. I believe the emphasis of the aftermarket will become less about horsepower and performance, and more about personalization and technology integration. However, I do believe there will be a great mid-term opportunity for our industry to retro-fit some of these modern technologies onto the older vehicles. Of course, there will forever be a classic car niche market that is about the nostalgia and simplicity of a bygone era.

Motorsports: I believe Motorsports as an industry will remain stable and perhaps even experience an uptick as an entertainment medium. As automation continues to play a larger role in everyday life and daily driven vehicles, I feel that people will seek out motorsports as a contrast from their digitally controlled life. Motorsports provides both competitors and spectators with such a unique sensory experience that it stands apart from today’s increasingly virtual world.

What recent innovations will have long-lasting effects on the performance industry down the road?

O’Blenes:
We’ve been following the noticeable cultural shift toward drag racing and we believe it’s here to stay. This inspired the Camaro SS Drag Race Development Program, which explores the quarter-mile capability of the Gen-Six Camaro with concept parts designed to support 10-second elapsed times in a production-based model.

Innovations coming from Multimatic have a great potential to impact the industry. In fact, our new Colorado ZR2 features the first off-road application of Multimatic Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve (DSSVTM) damper technology for extreme road course and off-road applications.

Beyond technology, social media is having lasting impacts. Social influencers on Instagram, Facebook, and the like, give this community a voice in the industry. It’s also brought the community together to share knowledge, passion, and drive enthusiasm. Finally, it allows brands from Chevrolet to have direct dialogues about the industry with people around the U.S. and world.

Blakely:
Recent technological advancements have changed our industry immensely over the past ten years. The introduction of 3D printing has changed the way we develop products. We can now quickly produce a part for test fit, or in some instance, test run on the dyno in a few days. In the past, this process would have taken months, and we would have to produce a small pilot run to test. Now we can quickly see if a product will fit and how it will perform or flow in real-world conditions. This type of technology helps our engineering staff make design changes quickly.

Douglas:
It’s hard to pick one, as the technology is moving at such a rapid pace. Things that come to mind are multi-clutch transmissions, driver assist, displacement on demand, variable/active valve timing and driverless technology (LIDAR/RADAR). Of course, EFI is now fully mainstream but that single technology has probably impacted both the street/motorsports market more than any other single technology.

How much is technology helping/hurting the performance industry today?

O’Blenes:
The level of resources and technology we have as an OEM enables us to develop, test, and validate products with extraordinary precision, durability and performance. Furthermore, the technology is actually leading to diversification. Today, you truly can have it all with vehicles like Camaro, Corvette, and most recently, the Colorado ZR2 – that’s as capable in high-speed desert racing as it is low-speed rock crawling.

Blakely:
We have also utilized current technology to help set up and tune our Pro-Flo 3 EFI system. We developed an Android-based application called E-Tuner, that is used to setup and tune our Pro-Flo EFI systems. The best part is that a consumer can download the app from the Google Play store onto a current device they own and connect to the EFI system. There is no need to have an extra device in the car to monitor their vehicles operating conditions, they can now use a smartphone or tablet they may already have on hand.

Douglas:
The customers today are much better-educated thanks to the advancement of technology. The internet and accessibility to educational tools have allowed customers to become much more knowledgeable and better partners in the parts selection/engine building process. In addition, technology and the related tools allow all manufacturers to run more efficient overall businesses.

Today, it is very possible to build 1000 horsepower vehicles that still retain their street manners and meet emission standards. How high is “up” with regards to attainable high-performance output?

Blakely:
Lately it seems to not matter how high the hp number may be, there is a need for more. Some of the new engines on the market are very efficient and have been designed for maximum output. Every engine has its ideal efficiency operating point and for us at Edelbrock that is always in the back of our minds. We want to make the most power we can, but at the same time we need to make sure our products will not reduce the efficiency and also make sure it will not reduce the lifespan of the engine.

The other consideration is the consumer safety… 300 hp is plenty for the average street car, but as the power increases, the ability of the driver to handle this power comes into question. At what point is the car making more power than the driver’s ability?

Douglas:
In my opinion, we have reached a point where making raw horsepower is no longer the primary goal/challenge. It’s simply easy to make horsepower these days. The goal line now is to make driver-friendly performance that also allows for extreme customization and long-term durability. Can we consistently deliver race car performance with docile street manners that make it something your wife would drive to the hair salon?

Where should the aftermarket be focusing its efforts with regards to vehicle enhancements today?

O’Blenes:
As we continue to see shifts in trends and culture, Chevrolet will be there as well. We’re working to keep the passion of this community going and inspire the next generation of enthusiasts.

Blakely:
We focus on many elements when designing a new product. On the late-model side with our E-Force superchargers we spend a large amount of time on the drivability. We want to make more power, but without sacrificing daily driving characteristics. Next would be product quality and performance. We want to make sure Edelbrock products will last the life of the vehicle, so we spend a lot of time on quality control checks in all of our facilities to ensure that we’re delivering the best part we can to market.

Douglas:
Technology integration should be the number one priority and this is going to be a great challenge for most current aftermarket manufacturers. Our industry is historically not very “technology forward” and that will need to change in short order. I think manufacturers should be looking for partnerships with technology companies and let them help us embrace the change. Our trade organization (SEMA) must facilitate this technology revolution by providing its members with the tools and resources to make this shift. No question about it…. This is going to be a challenge for our industry and many of the current manufacturers/brands will fall by the wayside throughout the decade ahead because they simply won’t be able to make the pivot.