Livernois Motorsports: Power to the People

Livernois Motorsports & Engineering occupies a rarefied place in the high-performance aftermarket. Rather than offering some parts for a single make and a few models, it designs, develops, and offers a vast range of high-performance parts for the most popular late-model muscle cars, SUVs, and trucks from the Big Three.

In fact, Livernois develops, manufactures, and sells parts for modern muscle cars (Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro, Dodge Challenger), trucks (Ford F-150, Chevy K-1500 Silverado, Dodge Ram), and even SUVs (Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, Ford Explorer, Chevy Tahoe). But, that’s a fraction of the vehicles they make parts for. A complete list of all the models would simply take up too much space. As Livernois Corporate Marketing and Events Coordinator  Kevin Cassar says, “It’s a one-stop shop for literally everything. If we don’t have it, we can get it.”

Livernois has become one of the reigning aftermarket shops because of its deep passion for high-performance and racing. Co-owners Tom and Dan Millen are long-time racers, and Dan has won many drag racing titles, triumphed over Bob Glidden in the Ford Challenge, and took the 2001 NMRA Super Street Outlaw title.

To understand how Livernois came to prominence, we need to step back into the 1980s. Back then, Livernois provided essential race parts for Ford desert racers – that close relationship with Ford blossomed and led to other projects. The next step in the Ford collaboration was providing support for sports car road racers in SCCA competitions in the 1990s. By the mid-90s, Livernois was supporting Ford’s drag racing program. With this experience and involvement, the Millens developed the network and resources to springboard into the high-performance aftermarket.

Today, Livernois has a 36,000-square foot state-of-the-art facility for designing, developing, and manufacturing a myriad of high-performance parts. The company has a full complement of equipment and machinery to make its Livernois-branded performance products.

A large segment of the business is dedicated to installing performance parts and dyno tuning customer vehicles. Cassar puts it into perspective, “We have 16 lifts and 4 dynos. We also just got in a brand-new Mustang dyno and we have a four-post dyno that we use for our all-wheel-drive cars. We also have an engine dyno that we use for the development of our engines.”  The company also offers custom product manufacturing, a cylinder-head development center, CNC machining, and a fabrication shop.

Hot New Products

After establishing the Ford line of high-performance parts, the company added GM LS parts to its offerings. In addition, Livernois made a strategic product decision to offer complete performance packages for vehicles. Some years later, the Dearborn Heights based manufacturer entered the Gen 3 Hemi market. As part of offering a comprehensive performance solution, Livernois needed to develop proprietary tuning software to tie the products together, and the MyCalibratorTouch electronic tuning modules have the flexibility necessary to make that happen.

Livernois-branded parts include Windstorm cold air intakes, Thunderstorm exhaust system parts, EvenFlo Cooling System products, Firestorm fuel system products, and Powerstorm valve spring kits, rocker arm braces, cam phasers, and so much more. A line-up of long-block and short-block engines are also offered for a variety of applications. Currently, the 6.2 Hemi Hellcat short blocks are very popular and offered in three stages — street, pro, and race.

In addition to stand-alone performance parts, Livernois offers a high volume of performance packages from Stage 1 through 3 are available for a variety of vehicles. Stage 1 Performance Packages are offered for most late-model muscle cars – including the Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger. Cassar provides an example, “We just had a 2017 Mustang GT in here. We had a cold air intake installed on it and then did a dyno tune. We did the exhaust on the car, and the car picked up roughly 50 horsepower. It’s budget-friendly and it won’t void your warranty.”

A Level 1 performance package is also available for the 2016 Camaro SS. The package features fuel map adjustment for improved air/fuel ratios in prevailing conditions, and boost mapping (if applicable) for improved air/fuel delivery. The transmission rev, top-speed limiters, and shift points are optimized as well. The package also provides adjusted timing that delivers spark at the optimal time for effective and efficient combustion. According to Livernois, this upgrade produces 41 hp and a 45 lb-ft torque increase.

The company prides itself on producing the fastest particular vehicle in a category whether it is Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, Ford Taurus SHO, Mustang with the EcoBoost engine, or other makes and models. For example, Livernois is making serious performance gains with the Dodge Demon. Cassar stated, “We had a [Dodge] Demon in here with a few slight modifications, a flex-fuel E85 tune and upgraded injectors. Stock it made 700 [horsepower] at the tire, but with those modifications, it made 846 horsepower at the tire, and we were just getting started. We are going to be launching Demon packages shortly.”

Social Media Blitz

Over the last decade, Livernois has built and managed a social media program to directly engage its customers and attract potential new customers. The high-performance company has attracted more than 12,000 Facebook followers, about 11,000 YouTube subscribers, and has a sizable presence on Instagram, and other major social media platforms. In many dyno-testing videos, Livernois profiles its latest performance packages and puts them to the test on a chassis dyno to post real-world performance numbers.

In a recently posted video, the company installed its S1025 kit on a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. Stock, the SUV churned out a baseline 590 rwhp and 583 lb-of torque. To give the Trackhawk an infusion of performance, the Livernois team performed a flex-fuel calibration upgrade and custom tuning. They added a billet 2.85-inch diameter supercharger pulley, and an EvenFlo thermostat, tuned the transmission, installed Injector Dynamics ID13000X2 injectors, and high-flow air intake. To transmit all the power to the ground, the Trackhawk received a full-suspension upgrade as well.

With the S1025 kit installed and calibration made, it pumped out 785 rewhip and 755 lb-ft of torque on 93-octane fuel. According to Cassar, “We have the fastest Trackhawk in the country. Nobody comes near us.” The Trackhawk posted a 9.962 second quarter-mile at 137 mph at Milan Dragway a few months ago.

Giving Back to the Community

Livernois Motorsports hosted its Customer Appreciation Track Day at Milan Dragway in Milan, Michigan, on September 28th for customers who have had their vehicles modified or tuned by Livernois Motorsports. Fans and customers tested their car’s performance capability on the quarter-mile and built camaraderie with other Livernois customers and staff. Novice participants got brief instructions on staging, burnouts, and launch techniques. And then car owners got to have some fun.

Weighing Your Options 

Many companies offer performance parts for various cars and applications, but only a few offer complete performance packages and solutions for Ford, Chrysler, and GM muscle cars, trucks, and SUVs. If you own American iron and you’re looking for an injection of performance, or need to reach a specific target, Livernois likely has parts and packages to make it a reality.

About the author

Paul Johnson

From a young age, Paul Johnson has been captivated by cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles, and almost anything with a motor and built with passion. He has contracted, project managed, and edited many award-winning titles for Motorbooks and CarTech Books.
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