Using one manufacturers products or mix it up. Which is better if any?

[PT Sportwagon]

I believe this may be of interest to some of the newbies. Should you use one manufacturers products or mix it up. Which would be better?



For example: using all DSE products, springs,shocks, arms, ETC.

or use: DSE front control arms, Eibach springs, UMI rear arms ETC.

I don't want to start a brand X is better war. Just looking for info which may help others as well.

Tim

[TheJDMan]

I never understand why people take a chance mixing and matching parts from different sources. At best mixing parts is a crap shoot which may or may not work together. The biggest problem is tech support when mixed parts don't play well together. Who do you call? I would also caution people against buying cheap parts off ebay or craigslist because you have no idea what you may receive. Most of the cheap parts are made in China and of questionable quality and many are fake copies of name brand parts.

[Rod]

I never understand why people take a chance mixing and matching parts from different sources. At best mixing parts is a crap shoot which may or may not work together. The biggest problem is tech support when mixed parts don't play well together. Who do you call? I would also caution people against buying cheap parts off ebay or craigslist because you have no idea what you may receive. Most of the cheap parts are made in China and of questionable quality and many are fake copies of name brand parts.

great answers from JD there and I will go a step further and say that even mixing front and rear systems can result in an overall car that doesn't preform to the fullest......on a side-note you can mix if you know the end objective and understand the components numbers and how they work together, don't mix because of price

[BMR Sales]

And I will add, if you put together a Hodge-Podge of Parts, it will be near impossible to get Tech advise as how is anyone to know exactly how the parts will work together. Are there compromises that will have to be made to install the parts together?

[Schwartz Performance]

And I will add, if you put together a Hodge-Podge of Parts, it will be near impossible to get Tech advise as how is anyone to know exactly how the parts will work together. Are there compromises that will have to be made to install the parts together?

That's a very good point... Tech support will become a blame/finger-pointing game at the other manufacturers parts that were put on.. but ultimately the finger gets pointed at you

-Dale

[RobNoLimit]

I'll agree with these guys. Even though I mix & match sometimes. - But here's an example. A car is build with a full DSE package, and driving it around it is decided that it needs a front spring that is 50 lbs lighter, and DSE doesn't offer that. But Eibach does. OK, mix it up. On the other hand, today we got in a nice 69 Camaro that was Mix & matched, and "custom built". Our solution on this car is to unbolt 90% of whats there and start over. This sucks, and it's expensive, but whats on there, while it may look the part, is a mess, and dangerous.

BTW, I don't fix my own teeth, and I don't tell my dentist which drill to use.

[BMR Sales]

That's a very good point... Tech support will become a blame/finger-pointing game at the other manufacturers parts that were put on.. but ultimately the finger gets pointed at you

-Dale

I was always told that when Point a Finger at someone, there are 3 of your Fingers pointing back at you!

[Cdog]

We’ve had this same issue come up at Starlite. While we’ve advised against it for the very reasons given in this thread the customer chose to go with two different manufacture’s for front and rear suspension. We will see how this turns out. Hopefully all will be well.

Components like shocks and bushings I don’t think are a big deal. Parts of the car can be stiffened up or softened to make it work better on the track. Manufactures and suspension designs are where engineering and science come into the equation. Companies like Art Morrison and DSE have years of R&D and thousands of dollars in testing to make a repeatable proven package. Break up that package and be prepared to spend thousands of dollars chasing issues.

[David LaBuda]

I went with a mix of suspension parts but I did a lot of research before making any decisions. I wanted the highest amount of versatility I could get for my budget and I chose my components based off of that, not by manufacturer. In the rear, for example, I've got UMI control arms, Global West coilover brackets, ridetech coilovers, and a Hellwig sway bar. I admit got lucky with the sway bar fitment but I ended up with a system that has a ton of fine tuning capability.

[Rod]

OK...I did mix and match on my car early on, but I had a set goal I needed 6+ degrees of upper arm caster and I needed the lower ball joint to be in a certain location in relation to the upper Ball joint, so I had 2 different arm companies

[UMI Tech]

I believe this may be of interest to some of the newbies. Should you use one manufacturers products or mix it up. Which would be better?

For example: using all DSE products, springs,shocks, arms, ETC.

or use: DSE front control arms, Eibach springs, UMI rear arms ETC.

I don't want to start a brand X is better war. Just looking for info which may help others as well.

Tim

I go on a case-by-case basis.

If a customer has another brand lower rear control arm and doesn't mind the color or style being different, and that rear arm is good quality, I'll keep it and they can save a few bucks.

We have tons of calls with mix and match stuff and I'll rely on my skill and experience to guide the customer correctly.

Like Rob mentions above though, sometimes you have to toss everything and start over.

No brand wars here on Pro-Touring. We all help each other for the benefit of the sport.

ramey

[killer69]

OK...I did mix and match on my car early on, but I had a set goal I needed 6+ degrees of upper arm caster and I needed the lower ball joint to be in a certain location in relation to the upper Ball joint, so I had 2 different arm companies

So just to elaborate on that Rod ..... which works / worked BETTER??? and no towing the line answer!! lol

[Rod]

So just to elaborate on that Rod ..... which works / worked BETTER??? and no towing the line answer!! lol

thats funny! I will say that using a single manufacture/builder/line what ever will often work in your favor, 1) they have matched/compatible working components, 2) often they have setups to get you faster...umm faster, 3) most manufactures give you a base on what works with there stuff, for example if they don't make a sway bar, spindle or shocks who's stuff works with there's... what there using on there own cars and why

I don't often "Tow the line" believe me I catch **** for it here often

[Marcus SC&C]

The simple answer is that all of your components should match and function well together. It`s irrelevant if the manufacturer stickers match or not. Don`t assume that just because you buy a "package" from one place that they are optimized for best performance or for your car. In many cases they`re optimized for more profit or manufacturing convenience. Sometimes they may be truly optimized for some purpose but not for YOUR intended purpose. There are certainly some very well sorted packages out there but there are more that have a few good parts and a few not so great ones. The important thing is that someone with the knowhow and expertise to make smart decisions should choose the components. In some cases that may be a manufacturer, it could be a retailer who takes a serious interest in the products they sell, it could be an experienced shop or if you take the time and effort to do your research before you buy, it could be YOU.

[PT Sportwagon]

Well said Marcus. I was thinking the same thing as I am doing an A body wagon. While most R&D for the A body are done on 2 door hardtops, Which are more popular. Few people do the wagon.

Tim

[cornfedbill]

I go on a case-by-case basis.

If a customer has another brand lower rear control arm and doesn't mind the color or style being different, and that rear arm is good quality, I'll keep it and they can save a few bucks.

We have tons of calls with mix and match stuff and I'll rely on my skill and experience to guide the customer correctly.

Like Rob mentions above though, sometimes you have to toss everything and start over.

No brand wars here on Pro-Touring. We all help each other for the benefit of the sport.

ramey

Excellent reply.