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Agreed on all fronts. Any manufacturing wither auto or home ends up getting copied anyway mostly offshore and you simply can't compete with it at the end of the day. I really like what we're doing here and keeping it close because once you try to brand and sell it elsewhere you end up spending more then you make it seems...unless it's really out there and groundbreaking. Take the racefab pan I added - another fellow track member figured out how to do it cheaper by a bit because he didn't want to deal with xyz. If you want something bad enough you find a way of getting it done yourself usually.
Whats really dangerous is most of us are engineering geeks and have a geeky platform to work on so someday ya'll will be making a whole chassis
If you're referring to Chad McCurdy on the oil pan, I got a pan from him. Helping him test it.
If you're referring to Chad McCurdy on the oil pan, I got a pan from him. Helping him test it.
Ya pretty much. It'd be like you copying Dallas's arms then I buy yours because you (for example) lived closer or were cheaper or any number of reasons. Dallas is left holding his junk and all that RnD wasted in one swoop. Yes on one hand Rob's market is different from Chad's geographically but still. I can't help but feel for Rob in the moment. But then I remember that's exactly how all parts in aftermarket came to be which, in our favor, drove the price down but quality and reward went poof.
It also kills innovation since why would someone put all that effort into figuring out something only to be ripped off. Might as well just make one and never tell anyone else. Unless you're like me and don't need to make a living off this, it really hurts the platform buying copies.
I tried to contact Rob three times in January, was not able to reach him. When I spoke to him back in may last year, he needed me to send him a pan and pickup tube. Just shipping those things to NZ was going to be $150, on top of $750ish to Rob for mods and return shipping. Just didn't work out with the logistics and extra costs involved. And I didn't hear back from him in January, so I wasn't going to spend close to $400 on a new pan and pick up, and then send it to NZ with some kind work order or RMA number from Rob. There are other companies in NZ that also make pans for our cars also.
Now, as far as quality going down, that is only the fault of the consumer. It's easy to pick out, and not purchase, junk parts (XSpower O2 dumps come to mind lol). I don't feel I've taken a huge step down in quality by going with Chad. I did have to make some adjustments for fitment to the sump to clear the DP, which he will apply to his 2nd version of the pan. Otherwise, it's a nice piece. Powder coated on the outside too.
Take the racefab pan I added - another fellow track member figured out how to do it cheaper by a bit because he didn't want to deal with xyz. If you want something bad enough you find a way of getting it done yourself usually.
Agreed. That's we made the one I posted earlier. I didn't want to deal with shipping, the wait, and the pricing.
mine was done in three days, including test fitting, and he hooked me up on the cost.
DIY FTW
Careful with making it Alum because most of us have had all sorts of leak issues with the unlike material mating surface which is why you see the other options coming out using the stock pan. Couple that with Alum being a heat transfer agent with the downpipe and it sitting that low - it's not a part to save weight on.
To the previous post yes I agree with that also, availability is everything, cause we want what we want when we want it . My quality copy comment was more towards your XS example as a whole in the industry. It's nice that we've been at it long enough to find these faults in the platform and finally have the communication and skilled mindsets to address the issues.
Dallas, if you dont mind me asking... how much did you drop the outer lower ball joint in comparison to stock.. I am hanging between 20 or 30 mm lower..
My uprights are two inches and this ball joint is around 5mm I think (will have to double check what I did). But it's really close to RPF1s and maybe 3/4" to the pfo1
Mar 30, 2017, 10:47 AM
