I wanted to start a new thread about headers because the old one was closeddue to some folks trying to "promote" knock off auctions...I am trying to discuss possible options and possibility of forum vendors decreasing prices to a more reasonable level. As I said in the last thread, I am extremely PRO AMERICAN and am all for supporting the forum vendors but would also expect those vendors to be concerned with providing a fair price..

I am in business for myself and do know what it takes..There is R&D, etc. that goes into products, but the profit margin on these products is much more than people realize. I am NOT vendor bashing here, just protecting my own rights as a consumer, looking for validation as to why we cannot be offered an afordable price on a great product. Not all people that buy corvettes are rich..

 

Good luck with that

 

Thats an unfortunate attitude you have...Everyone wants to stimulate the economy and help our country right now, and there are manufacturers that make this difficult becasue they price products to high...As I said, I am VERY PRO AMERICAN, but these are the reasons that so many go with non USA made products

 

Interesting enough that the said cheaper product had nothing but positive reviews by those that used it, yet, most of the negative came from vendors and other people that never used it. Can we say Bias? absolutly. Maybe you should start there: stop the bias BS and lets focus on the real issue at hand: you have an over sea's product that fits, well done and cost less and last as long (thus far) for 1/3 of the cost.
Then, when the vendors and others are done griping about it, I will introduce the world wide economy that this nation has embarrassed for years and made profit on, and tell you, looks like the tables are turning.
Then, when we are all done discussing Global economy and manufacturing, we can all go on and start making factual based opinions on those over sea's product, and maybe then, vendors will carry both: the cheap and the expensive brand, so that they can make a buck or three too.

 

I just want everyone to think about this and vendors to offer reasonable prices...Hey, this is America, you can charge what you want, I just don't think its fair to tell people that won't settle for being overcharged that they aren't allowed to express their opinion. I hear nothing but good things about the quality of product produced by ARH, KOOKS, etc...I just want them all to realize that we deserve a fair price...not $400 for a set of headers, but not $1600 either

 

Some things to think about...

-I find this whole argument funny in a forum dedicatated to a $40-$100K two seat roadster. While I can understand wanting to save a buck...but in terms if making your dollars go far and being value oriented...buying a Corvette is not a way to do that. I mean what I don't get is people here spend god awful amounts of money on dress up stuff likely being sold at the same relative markup...yet people always complain about headers?

- Kooks headers are expensive no matter what you buy. G8 and Charger/Challenger systems cost just as much as Corvette systems. The whole idea is Kooks for instance takes a low volume, custom header no one else would make in volume (like Hooker, Pacesetter, whatever), and makes it on a production level. I know when Kooks does a run of headers, it takes a fabricator up to a week to weld 30 headers. I am not against low cost options. However I do not consider a knockoff made by a company who cannot be named a "low cost option".

- There are plenty of companies that make headers for the Corvette that are very competitive like LG, ARH, and Kooks. If there were a way for one to undercut the other by a few hundred, one would do it.

- Many, many times there is more to a product than materials cost. Your Corvette likely had less than $10K in actual material cost. The rest of the cost is in R&D, warranties, benifits, advertising, marketing, business insurance, fixed costs and so forth. Nike's...you probaly pay 10x the materials cost for.

- Lastly..I cannot stress..it costs a lot to do business the right way in the US. I mean you would have to simply be blind to see that there is not a huge cost difference between having your own US based production, R&D, and support..plus a dealer network.

 

Unfortunate attitude? I wished you luck with your endevor. But since you brought it up you sound a little naive. If you are truly Pro American you would realize that Americans work for higher wages than do slave labor workers in China, India, Indonesia( name any third world country). There arent to many U.S. citizens working for a day getting $4 dollars a day and a bowl of rice. Not to even mention the cost of top quality Stainless Steel used in the best headers is more expensive and harder to work with that the thin gauge mild steel of very questionable quality used by no name foreign headers. My LG Pro headers cost a premium but Im confident that they will last for the life of the car and do what Lou says they will, and most American companys will stand behind his product if there is a problem. Try that with a Chinese header.

 

^ please, can you prove your claim of the the thin gauge stainless used by the cheaper company? have you cut both headers and measure ID and OD to determine thickness?
Also, have you done testing, or do you have some information in regards to the grade of stainless used by both from an independent lab or from your own testing?.
Have you tested the two headers at the track and on the dyno and recorded the performance of both? Have you installed LG and the other non name brand on your car, and can you attest of the fitment of both in a mean to compare them on a factual basis?

If you have answered mostly no to all my question than you have no facts and only assumptions. If you do answer yes to some or all, please, provide the information.

We are trying to avoid Bias and assumption on a product. This is what it comes down too fellas.

 

Well first off, everyone throws around that $1600 number..which is about MAP (minimum advertised price) on a set of Kooks with cats. The knockoff's which run $400 or whatever do not have cats. MAP on a set of Kooks with Off Road X-pipe is 1,421.46. That being said, if you call around, you can get an even better deal on a set of Kooks than that. For instance if you pay the $1421.46, we do a $200 coating for free. If you want uncoated headers, and call us, we can give you a better price. They still cost money...but not as much as people make them out. You also will have a part made by a trusted name on your car with a warranty and support.

 

^ Let me translate your post into facts:
name brands have a warranty and are manufactured by a known company in the business that you can call in case of a problem.
The Chinese made header does not have such warranty or even a phone number to call in case of issues.

next?

 

As I stated in the previous thread that was closed down, I understand all of these things..I am a business owner and deal with it in my business as well. I think your comment about the cost of our cars is out of line...Just because I can pay for the Vette, doesn't suggest that I be subject to unfair pricing on aftermarket.....and to your other point, I would love to put the zr1 front and rear WB on my car, and I have the money, but again feel like $6k for raw parts is out of this world, so noone producing these products will get my business either.

 

Thats the kind of reasoning that I would respond to...I appreciate your time and response, this is why I started this thread...I will be calling you this afternoon to talk about a possible order...Thanks again

 

I appologize...I took the tone of your response as one of sarcasim and I was wrong..thank you for responding, and please don't take my initial response personally.

Now, I am not niave, I understand all of these things and as I said originally, I am not looking for a $400 header, that would be unfair to the vendor, I am looking for a fair comprimise, which it looks like Maryland Speed is willing to make, so they will have the chance to earn my business.

 

Do a Google search for names like XS Power, SSAutochrome and so forth. These companies are the bigger distributors of "import" stuff..and they have gotten a pretty bad rep. That's why they operate under so many names..and now seem to be setting individual people up to sell them.

 

Actually..if you read my post..I stated..the price of Kooks for a C6 is not out of line with pricing for like a G8 or Charger. In this case complaining about a Corvette tax is not relevent.

 

I did read that, but your post also says you don't understand people with 40-100k cars that complain about price....If you read my other post you would have seen that I was about to call you for a set of headers

 

Nobody has anything else to say???

 

Yes I have heard of them as well.
I'm really trying to have people state factual information. If those headers are build by these companies, and it is a 100% fact (not an assumption), than so be it. Now we'll have to establish the quality of these said headers with FACTs and not assumption.
I mean, we did have 7 pages of it going on and there wasn't but 2 actual facts:
1) they fit fine
2) they seems to hold up based on the fact that a member had them on his C5 (and now his C6) and has no issues

I'm waiting for the rest of the facts, such as:
1) quality of the stainless grade used (via actual testing)
2) thickness used
3) performance comparison (or even a dyno pull post using those headers)

those last 3 have not yet been established, and anyone talking about "quality" and "performance" is talking out of their behind, unless they can post/prove those 3 facts

 

I called Maryland Speed on the phone and we talked about what I wanted, and I got a great set of coated Kooks headers, at an agreeable final price, and made some new friends in the process.

 

i,m in enuf trouble over z06 section about a vendor that doesnt know a bolt from a nut but i,m still reading this one.I think all the header makers should discount them 50 % in order to help us poor corvette owners. just for a month.