Is it worth spending the money on better stuff

[Beetus]

I have a mate that thinks its a waste of money spending the extra dosh to get the good stuff rather than the cheap stuff that will do the job. eg

lukey- diphillipo
ss inductions- home made budjet stuff
kings springs- chopping normal ones
performance shop- ebay
megavox- alpine

Is it worth spending the extra money. will you get extra power and quality?

[coonpanelvan]

you would have to be an idiot to chop ur springs, or a smart person who loves to feel every bump they go over.

[bobski]

Its very rare that I buy something 'cheap' and come away satisfied with the results.

Recent example. I bought a 21 piece screwdriver set a few weeks back for about 8 bucks. Thought - wow - thats cheap - god bless them chinese workers for slaving away so that us first worlders can have cheap screwdriver sets.

The reality is though that the set of screwdrivers I'd been borrowing are far and away better to use, but they are also about $70 for the set. My lesson was learnt and I'm about to spring for a good quality set. Hey - it was an $8 lesson - but reaffirms that if it sounds too cheap to be true, it probably is.

You also find that a lot of people aren't genuine when they go cheap and don't want to look like a tool ;) Especially if people are telling them, yeah - you can SLAM IT by chopping your springs, but it'll feel like you're driving a fat retarded folk singer around - but they still chop the springs. And even though it feels like they ARE driving a fat retard folk singer around, they'll still tell you how sik it is.

[GT-E]

It all depends on the application of rht cheap vs quality.
I needed to plane a timber door. I bought a planner from bunnings for $19 and it did the job. It was the first and last time I will need it, but to rent it would have been more. But if I was a builder I am much better getting the Bosch Planer for $500 if you use it all the time and need it to be reliable and long lasting.
Some Chinease stuff is good. I got a full Pneumatic set of air tools for $99 including 5 different tools and bits. I have used the rattlegun and air rachet heaps and they are very good as long as you oil them regularly.

[Beetus]

yeh for sure, its just my mate thinks im wastin my money buying the top quality stuff for my engine and not the bottom line stuff that "does the job" is it really worth it?

[fiery]

Originally Posted by Beetus

yeh for sure, its just my mate thinks im wastin my money buying the top quality stuff for my engine and not the bottom line stuff that "does the job" is it really worth it?

Another way to look at it though is simply this.. if it is cheap is it going to last? If its not going to last then it really wasn't that cheap after all!!!

Just tell your mate that You want the best out of your car, so you want the best FOR your car...So yes that means spending the money on quality gear.

[EFFalcon]

do your research before spenidng money.
thats all i have to say.
some cheaper options can be as good or better then the expensive stuff.
some expensive stuff can be considerably better then the cheap stuff.
research and find what works and what doesn't, if its cheap *enough* then perhaps its worth a try anyway.

not everyone has big $$ to spend.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by Beetus

yeh for sure, its just my mate thinks im wastin my money buying the top quality stuff for my engine

Like an Air temp Capacitor off Ebay?

[AWD Chaser]

Just depends what you get. Get good extractors and exhaust and you'll be alot more happy that you didn't weld up that old down pipie for an exhaust.

You'll find that alot of the time, the better priced (higher priced) a product is, the better looking it will be also.

For example - some plastic engine part - cheap vs expensive - the cheap one will do the trick, but it might not be that toliberale to high temps, so it may only last 12 months, whereas the higher priced product may be designed for high temps, and thicker plastic, so it may last the lifetime of the car, and may also have a better finish to it.

I think, let common sense prevail. "You get what you pay for", but don't buy a $1500 fuel pump off Ford because it's Ford. There are other options that are cheaper without sacrificing quality.

I think I have repeated myself about 5 times so that's it for me...

[/crap]

[Dazza XLT]

If i pay $25 for a drill/grinder/jigsaw from Bunnings, i am happy if it lasts 1 month and i throw it away! I expect that, because i paid $25 for it, when good quality will cost over $100 and last years.
Thats my experience in buying cheap products, they don't last, or don't do the proper job. And when it comes to something worth as much money as your car, I personally would not be skimping to save, as it could cost you a lot more in the long run.
Would you run re-treads on the family car, instead of new tyres????? :

[Charliewool]

Originally Posted by Darran

If i pay $25 for a drill/grinder/jigsaw from Bunnings, i am happy if it lasts 1 month and i throw it away! I expect that, because i paid $25 for it, when good quality will cost over $100 and last years.
Thats my experience in buying cheap products, they don't last, or don't do the proper job. And when it comes to something worth as much money as your car, I personally would not be skimping to save, as it could cost you a lot more in the long run.
Would you run re-treads on the family car, instead of new tyres????? :

Funny you mention grinders!... We probably go through one 115mm angle grinder a fortnite (between 10 guys). Either burnt out, lost, run over, stolen, or left behind onsite. We predominately buy Metabo or Bosche (Or DID!) at $200 a pop!
Well, NO more!
I've found it much more economical to buy either a Bunnings or Aldi "no name" $30 job.
And you know what?... Not ONE of the cheapies has been stolen so far! (or burnt out)

[all4ford]

A good example is a i bought a cheap $20 1/2 inch ratchet and it broke trying to undo a nut. I then undone the same nut with my snap-on 1/4 inch drive ratchet which cost me about $450, and it done it easily and thats a smaller ratchet. So sometimes price leads to quality.

[DivHunter]

Originally Posted by Beetus

I have a mate that thinks its a waste of money spending the extra dosh to get the good stuff rather than the cheap stuff that will do the job. eg

lukey- diphillipo
ss inductions- home made budjet stuff
kings springs- chopping normal ones
performance shop- ebay
megavox- alpine

Is it worth spending the extra money. will you get extra power and quality?

Something tells me you got the first and lat ones around the other way to the rest. Then again there is nothing wrong with Lukey.

[niko]

just ask yourself, where does it end? what do you want out of it, its your cash at the end of the day.

[merlin]

It just depends on the application but the best bet is to buy the expensive brands at cheap prices by waiting for sales or shopping around on the net.

E.g. socket sets. I bought a Sidchrome set off ebay for $150, my mate went to the tool shop and bought the same as mine for the RRP of $500. They are both genuine and I use mine all the time.

[mik]

Originally Posted by charliewool

Funny you mention grinders!... We probably go through one 115mm angle grinder a fortnite (between 10 guys). Either burnt out, lost, run over, stolen, or left behind onsite. We predominately buy Metabo or Bosche (Or DID!) at $200 a pop!
Well, NO more!
I've found it much more economical to buy either a Bunnings or Aldi "no name" $30 job.
And you know what?... Not ONE of the cheapies has been stolen so far! (or burnt out)

you can almost garantee that in 10 or 20 years the aldi grinder if you still have it wont be still in your shed ready to do another job, there are execeptions to the rule, but my experiance has been you get what you pay for, its finding the exeptions thats hard

[joshf2]

Originally Posted by ZapXR6T

It all depends on the application of rht cheap vs quality.
I needed to plane a timber door. I bought a planner from bunnings for $19 and it did the job. It was the first and last time I will need it, but to rent it would have been more. But if I was a builder I am much better getting the Bosch Planer for $500 if you use it all the time and need it to be reliable and long lasting.

maybe he's not planning on keeping the car for very long?

[Dazza XLT]

Originally Posted by charliewool

Funny you mention grinders!... We probably go through one 115mm angle grinder a fortnite (between 10 guys). Either burnt out, lost, run over, stolen, or left behind onsite. We predominately buy Metabo or Bosche (Or DID!) at $200 a pop!
Well, NO more!
I've found it much more economical to buy either a Bunnings or Aldi "no name" $30 job.
And you know what?... Not ONE of the cheapies has been stolen so far! (or burnt out)

Touch Wood NOW!!! :

[Charliewool]

Originally Posted by mik

you can almost garantee that in 10 or 20 years the aldi grinder if you still have it wont be still in your shed ready to do another job, there are execeptions to the rule, but my experiance has been you get what you pay for, its finding the exeptions thats hard

We ARE talking 8 to 10 angle grinders here!... And I am sick to death of forking out 200+ bucks a grinder when the guys treat a Bosche with the same lack of respect as a $30 Aldi job.
Another classic example is "shifters"... No more $30 Sidchromes from us... They now get chinese ones to lose or leave lying around.

[lukey]

I always buy cheaper branded stuff if theres no obvious difference in benefit, if theyre both the same design of product then I'm happy with it. I got a nice big TV in my room just because I went a cheaper brand over a more expensive, brand TV. With one exception - as long as the cheap stuff comes with a warranty, I don't see why not.

If it was because the more expensive one had a benefit, say it was a flat screen or came with more features, then I'd consider the better quality ones.

As far as suspension and engine items in your car, they are critical to the reliabilty and safety of your car - go for the better brands in that case.

[FPV329]

Originally Posted by Beetus

I have a mate that thinks its a waste of money spending the extra dosh to get the good stuff rather than the cheap stuff that will do the job. eg

lukey- diphillipo
ss inductions- home made budjet stuff
kings springs- chopping normal ones
performance shop- ebay
megavox- alpine

Is it worth spending the extra money. will you get extra power and quality?

Nothing wrong with eBay, I buy quality stuff from them, look at my sig-most of it is from eBay and it's all the best gear!

[loxxr6]

lukey- diphillipo - in this case I'd spend bigger if the company had the runs on the board performance wise.

ss inductions- home made budjet stuff : SS = overpriced. In some cases you can do better with factory parts eg tickford snorkel.

kings springs- chopping normal ones : chopped is illegal. no go zone

performance shop- ebay : either is good. There's stacks of good deals to be found on ebay that are brand name goods too.

megavox- alpine : I suck with audio equipment but I do tend to go for big brand names.

In saying all this, the best thing to do is research before hand. No use spending big bucks if you won't have your car long (eg selling it). Look at the whole picture beforehand.

[xbgs351]

Originally Posted by coonpanelvan

you would have to be an idiot to chop ur springs, or a smart person who loves to feel every bump they go over.

Good to see that you think Ford are idiots.


Here is my standard reply to your statement:

Cutting springs can be bad if you don't know what you are doing. This applies to everything you ever do on a car. Remember your life and others depends on your work.

Putting excessive heat into the springs when cutting is bad as it can create a Heat Affected Zone. This may result in possible failure near the cut. There are ways of avoiding excessive heat.

Cutting variable rate springs is stupid. Only ever cut a linear spring. I'm not a fan of variable rate springs in a performance situation, so replacing these springs with lowered linear rate springs would kill two birds with one stone.

Don't cut springs that have been finished to sit flat (ie hq kingswood style). Only cut springs such those found on X series falcons. ie constant outer diameter and no special end finish.

As for spring captivity, this issue remains the same regardless of the method of lowering. Just because you have purchased brand name springs doesn't mean you don't have to check for captivity. I have pulled brand new King Springs from an XF Falcon that were not captive. The most common captivity solution is the use of short bodied shocks. I have seen race cars use a cable to stop the suspension drooping too far when the car is lifted.

Anybody who doesn't believe that cutting coil springs is a legitimate method of lowering a car should read: "How to Make Your Car Handle" by Author: Fred Puhn and "Boss 302 Chassis Modification" by Autolite (A Ford Company).

Personally I prefer to custom order my springs. It is the only way I can get an adequate spring rate. I have found that lowered cars typically have a smoother ride when using stiffer springs than usually supplied by the spring companies. This is because the stiffer springs reduce suspension travel over bumps, which prevents or reduces contact with the bump stop. The bump stop is order of magnitudes stiffer than even the springs.

They also handle better on rough surfaces. The reason for this is that the stiffer springs don't waste valuable suspension travel due to body roll. This supension travel should be used to soak up bumps.

Remember having adequate suspension travel will give greater handling gains then those achieved by excessively lowering your car. LOWER is often SLOWER.