Supporting mods with coilovers

Smokey Nagata

Smokey Nagata

Almost all products are mirrored or produced off of something that already exist. Why spend 1,000+ $$ on something you or no one else will ever see, especially since there is now a comparable option for sale at a much more competitive price. If I can have a product that offers the same features, warranty and design appeal for half of what everyone else has paid for an similar part, why wouldn't I. I'm just trying to save others diving into their suspension some $$. If you want to hold fast on that $$ that was spent on the SPL part and make yourself believe it was worth it that's fine too.

DaveZ03

SPL is proven, time and time again! There is no disputing this and no arguing this. Until any other manufacturer proves to be as effective and durable as SPL, I and others on this site will continue to point towards them as the standard. It's not wasting money, it's investing wisely.

Spooler

Stop throwing good air away by breathing. LOL

cv129

Hi Smokey, your car, your choice. I have no issue with you promoting the Z1 arms. However, relating to suspension matters, the above sentence is very wrong.

TLDR: people buy SPL for the highest assurance of A) arm not snapping in high loads and B) alignment remains during high loads. There’s no guarantee, but some rather pays extra for a higher assurance. It’s like buying a car with best safety rating.

Long version: quantitatively / objectively speaking, there’s no evidence that GK Tech or Z1 FUCA are inferior. After all, the designs are the same. Spherical bearings likely wouldn’t cause any catastrophe.

So what else? That would be the welds and the metallurgy. Those are the spots where if fail, aka if arm snaps, car instantly becomes completely uncontrollable since we can’t control the wheel’s direction any more (two cases in this forum, one on track, one during a mountain drive). Does anybody have any real evidence Z1 or GK Tech employ inferior source of metal, or inferior manufacturing process? No.

But, this is where the SPL history comes in. In the lack of quantitative evidence, we look to the history of quality production and motorsports. SPL specialises in suspension parts, and their parts have longer proven history than others, and this is unquestionable.

For that higher assurance, some of us chose to pay the higher price. Few hundred bucks more is well worth it if you know how bad things get when a suspension arm breaks.

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Setrab | RE-71 | SPL | JRZ | Nismo | ARK | Whiteline | RacingBrake | CJM Oil Pan | Ti shield

Smokey Nagata

I appreciate your well thought out response and understand the acceptance of SPL and their parts on this forum and in the Z community as a whole ! Again I was very simply posting to inform others of another option that many may not know has become available. Even if one decides on the SPL parts(which is fine) I believe Z1's offerings deserve a look, that is all. I am not even a big Z1 fan as I have and am running parts from other manufactures on my car !!

If I have an issue with these FUCA's whether through operation or some type of failure, I will be sure to update this forum with those results.

Spooler

It's simple. Because those companies are the ones that innovate and create new products unlike Z1 who copies companies' stuff. When it is time to innovate again, I highly doubt it is Z1 who does. They will just copy somebody else again.

OptionZero

People value different things.

and people have had different experiences with Z1, who often does not even make their own stuff.

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Spooler

I buy from them. I just don't buy their copies. I refuse.

Rusty

Z1 will not post any negative views of their products that they carry. I've tried posting a couple of reviews on their website with no luck.

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cv129

Yep. I would go outta my way to buy from ConceptZ, Corner3 and ZSpeed. I rather pay more to get ZSpeed engine tray than the Z1 copy. The Z1 coilovers was the last draw for me. It’s like walking thru SEMA (and to some extent the PRI), anybody can order as little as a few sets of BBK from the same manufacturer, then just slap their own name and color on, and voila a new BBK setup that has no motorsport affiliation and history.

Was it the first gen diff brace? I think I remember that one.

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Rusty

Yeah.....it was the Bell diff brace. There were a few more after that.

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浪人 - 殺し屋
"The Difficult Anytime, The Impossible By Appointment Only"
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OptionZero

They also don't seem to make it readily available where they're sourcing their stuff from, even when there's an official partnership (i.e. with Brembo or Akebono or something)

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