10 helpful new products from SEMA 2022

The cars, trucks, and 4x4s tend to draw our immediate attention at the SEMA show each year. With all the amazing vehicles on display (don’t miss our MegaGallery here) it’s easy to forget that the event is really a showcase for the aftermarket manufacturers that make our favorite builds possible. And make no mistake—products can influence a build in big ways. Whether it’s hard parts that add more power for performance, tools essential for fabrication, or gadgets that make the final product that much more customized, there were plenty of great pieces of aftermarket kit on display at SEMA 2022. Here are ten that really caught our eye:

Trac Tire Jack

The Trac Tire Jack is one of those ideas that seems so simple, you wonder why everyone with a shop doesn’t already have one. It’s a simple lever tool made from thick steel with a single, wide roller that allows even heavy tire and wheel assemblies to be lifted onto and off the wheel studs. This looks like a real lifesaver when it comes to tall, heavy off-road tires and wheels on trucks, Jeeps, and other 4x4s that can weigh in at more than 100 pounds. With a retail price of $150, it’s likely going to be very popular.

Speedway’s Chevy LS Dummy-Block Engine Mock-Up

Speedway’s 12-gauge sheet steel LS engine mockup lets you build engine mounts and determine proper engine placement and clearance without having an unwieldy engine block with which to contend. Intake manifolds, valve covers, headers, and accessories can all bolt on, and when you’re done with one project, you can unbolt it and stash it away without taking up too much space. The long block version, shown here, weighs just 35 pounds and has an MSRP of $375.99.

Meguiar’s Ultimate Insane Shine Paint Glosser

Meguiar’s can help your paint look its best using a variety of tailor-made products to get a mirror shine. But it also aware that sometimes you need a little quick magic to make your car’s finish really pop. When there’s no time to break out the buffer, Meguiar’s Ultimate Insane Shine Paint Glosser acts like Photoshop in a bottle to hide swirl marks. It’s applied to a clean microfiber, wiped on, and buffed off in just a few wipes to reveal an amazing shine.

Optima Orangetop Lithium Battery

Optima’s newest product is a line of lithium batteries for powersports applications like motorcycles and side-by-sides. The batteries are sealed against dust and provide four terminals for multiple cable routing options. Most impressively, they automatically disconnect from parasitic loads to reserve enough power to start so that you won’t be stranded.

Hooker Small-Block Chevy Exhaust Manifolds

Hooker already offered compact cast ductile iron exhaust manifolds that make engine swaps on Hemi and LS V-8s much easier. The newcomer in the company’s lineup are modern castings that fit classic small-block Chevy V-8s, using the same quality construction they’ve offered to those newfangled V-8s. These small-block exhaust manifolds offer more flow than the factory pieces, which are getting harder and harder to find in decent condition. And Hooker’s pieces also can be ordered with a heat-insulating ceramic finish to help keep your engine bay cooler.

Limitless Lugz

Limitless Lugz are lug nuts that can be linked to both factory and aftermarket alarm systems, adding a layer of protection against wheel theft thanks to their embedded sensors. Once the vehicle alarm is armed, attempts at removing the Limitless Lugz will trigger the vehicle’s alarm and send an alert to the owner via an app. These new lugs could add some peace of mind when parking your ride in an unfamiliar area. They’ll be available soon, too.

Ridetech Fox-body Coil-Over Suspension

Ridetech’s newest Fox-body suspension replaces the MacPherson strut design with a billet aluminum upper control arm, tubular lower arm, and new spindles that use S550 Mustang hubs. Your favorite Mustang can now use stronger hubs, and you’ll see better grip thanks to improved negative camber gain and overall more refined geometry. Kits are available to use coilovers, as shown here, or Ridetech’s Shockwave airbag system.

Powerbuilt Mechanic’s Seat

This big-wheel mechanic’s seat from Powerbuilt uses six-inch casters to help roll over cracks, seams, or other irregularities while keeping you off the ground in a comfortable position to work on your vehicle. There are several cupholders and storage for small tools and parts to help keep everything you need at the ready. MSRP is $159.99.

Dri-Pod Floor Dryer

The Dri-Pod floor dryer was designed to aid in cleaning up flooded homes. Whether the water came from a storm or from firefighters’ hoses to put out flames, in either scenario a generator to power a big dryer might be hard to track down. Using just 1 amp, each of these $100 Dri-Pod units moves 750CFM to quickly dry floors. Each comes with a 10-foot cord and up to six can be daisy-chained together. A single one can be used in a car interior after a steam cleaning to quickly rid the area of moisture.

Milwaukee M12 FUEL 3/8-inch x 13-inch Band File

Considering how often we use files to deburr metal when fabricating, this M12 FUEL 3/8-inch x 13-inch bandfile from Milwaukee had us thinking about all of the places we’d use it in the shop. It’s narrow and skinny for reaching into tight spots and it uses the same batteries as the rest of Milwaukee’s M12 FUEL line, so you don’t have to worry about cords or air hoses.

Of course, there are plenty of other noteworthy new products from this year’s SEMA show. If you happened to catch one that you hope to add to your next project or toolbox, let us know in the comments.