Seems like they both do the same thing, can't find a pic of just the smart strut bracket part to compare.

I know the smart strut has adj rods, but you could use the DRM bracket with adj rods too.


The DRM bracket is also out of stock. I emailed and pm on here DRM awhile ago with no response.

 

They are not one and the same...

The Smart Strut just bolts in place of the rear camber rod, taking the eccentric adjustment out of the picture and allowing you to really dial in the camber, but it doesn't change the geometry of the stock suspension.

The DRM brackets change the geometry of the rear, keeping the camber constant throughout the arc of movement. The OEM brackets dial in more camber as the suspension gets more compressed. In a street car this might be OK, but when you push it hard at the track or an autocross it makes it hard to feel where your grip will suddenly disappear.

In other words, the DRM brackets make the suspension CONSISTENT, and easier to deal with.

They do a few runs of them every year...and I'd guess they are on vacation. Don't be a pansy...pick up the phone and CALL them. Talk to a warm body. They can give you some idea about when they will have the next run done.

 

^^^

 

VBP's smart strut does change the geometry some. The bracket that attaches to the differential lowers the attach point so that the camber rod is closer to parallel with the ground. VBP's adjustable camber rod does not change the attach point.

 

Really?

And just where exactly does it say that? There is absolutely zero description about it on their web site...but Rippie lets you know EXACTLY what their brackets do.

Add to that Rippie's product is TRACK tested and proven while they were racing C4's...and my money went to them. I've had them on my C4 since 1996, and they work.

I'm not knocking Vette Brakes & Products...they make good stuff and without them as a vendor the Corvette community would be worse off, but putting a part on their web site and in their catalog and having NOTHING about it in a description tells me it works, but is only OK at what it does. If it was GREAT, they'd be shouting it from the mountain tops!

 

I kinda agree, I'd rather have DRM brackets and wil give them a call nextweek.


Still............."Give your Corvette's rear suspension, the competitive edge. Smart Struts increased adjustability and rigidity improves suspension geometry, eliminating camber change during suspension travel. This keeps more of the tire's contact patch on the ground at all times. The result is improved traction and stability during hard cornering, as well as more off the line traction. Its heavy duty construction will also maintain alignment settings better than the factory components under aggressive driving maneuvers. Kit comes complete with: Heavy Duty Upper Strut Rod Mounting Bracket, Custom Poly-Adjustable Struts and All Hardware/Instructions."
http://www.ecklerscorvette.com/corve...1984-1996.html

 

Yes really. When I purchased adjustable camber rods from VBP I inquired about the smart rods. Here's the response I got.

Hi Craig,
Thanks for your interest in our products. Any adjustable strut rod set that we sell , that has our special drop bracket are referred to as Smart Struts. The bracket drops the inboard mounting of the strut rods down about 1 1/4” in an effort to correct the factory geometry between the half shaft up above and the strut rod down below. You are trying to create a parallelogram so that as the wheel assembly goes throughout the suspension travel, the foot print if the tire stays more flat on the ground. The factory mounting bracket is up pretty high and causes a big curve in the assembly when operating. You see this whenever you put the car on a lift and the suspension foes into a “full droop”.
We have 3 types of ends to choose from. The most popular is the forged end with poly bushings. Then there are 2 types of Heim joints; gold (HD) and Silver (racing). The racing ones are just a little beefier than the Gold ones. Heim Joints are not real forgiving for street use, but some customers use them any way. Sometimes Heim joints transmit a little road noise and vibration into the chassis. They are more susceptible to road dirt and dust. Heim joints are fine on a race (or show) car.
Give this some thought and let us know if you may be interested. all of these parts are on our internet Forum member sale. Give us a call or email if you have further technical questions or wold like to order.

Sincerely,

Gary G.
VBandP
Tech Dept

 

While that might be so...they have NOTHING on their web page here...

Don't you think they'd want EVERYONE to know WTF they are spending the money for?

Pretty strange that you need to go to a retailers web site (like Ecklers) to find a description of how they work and what they do, don't you think?

 

I think you're unfairly correlating marketing style to product quality. The other way to look at this is if they needed to shout from the mountain tops that their product is great, maybe it's because it wasn't great enough to sell itself. Kind of like Obamacare.

Their Tech Support was pretty fast at getting the information I requested. And the strut rods I purchased were of high quality. I don't really care about their marketing approach if the product, price and service meet my expectations. As a note, VBP typically offers a 10% discount to Corvette Forum members.

 

I feel that you are angry because a vendor is not adequately describing their product to your satisfaction. If that really bothers you, just order from DRM instead of Vette Brakes. You do have a choice. Maybe you could apply for a marketing position at Vette Brakes. I have run the DRM brackets on my C4 along with Vette Brakes camber adjusting rods with great success.

 

I know they make good stuff...

It's why I've had their heim struts for the entire rear end (including the trailing links) since 1996.

And just as an FYI...having your camber rods parallel to the ground won't necessarily give you anything. It is how the mounting points shift to maintain your camber throughout the entire arc of movement that counts.

Rippie did this years before VBP ever thought of doing it. They did it for RACE cars they campaigned in SCCA. Their trailing link and camber brackets work...that's a fact.

I have no personal experience with VB&P's brackets...don't know if they mimicked Rippie's to sell more hardware or not, but I DO know who did it first.

They actually have the description in their catalog...but it does nobody any good if you don't have one in front of you.

 

VBP probably did copy the DRM bracket with the exception that VBP has combined it with an adjustable rod. I like the adjustable rod. I can change camber accurately within a few minutes in my garage. 1 turn of the rod = .5 deg camber. I find it an attractive feature for guys who like to auto x once in a while.

But I fail to see the point if DRM no longer sells the bracket.

 

DRM DO still sell it, or it would no longer be on their web site.

Problem is...space for inventory. And since the C4 is getting fairly long in the tooth...they have limited storage space and use it for C5/C6 & now C7 parts. I'll bet the C5 guys will be saying this same thing in a few years.

What they do is make a limited production run of something like 20 sets, and (usually) most of them are already spoken for by people who have already ordered them and are waiting. The remainder go in inventory and they sell them. Then...they wait for enough "interest/orders" to do another production run, all over again. They usually advertise it here when they do another run...

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-t...-shipping.html