Anyone know who makes the summit opti?
03-09-2011, 10:15 PM
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Anyone know who makes the summit opti? Long story short I need to buy another opti after the last one worked for maybe 200 miles. I am going to order it thru summit w/ next day shipping. They have AC Delco's for a decent price...but anyone know who the manufacturer is on their summit brand opti?
03-09-2011, 10:24 PM
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The one I'm replacing is a Chandler unit that literally has 200 miles on it tops. I don't know why I'm even considering buying anything other than a new AC delco unit - this will be my third time installing an opti since the last time I put gas in the car lol.
If no one posts back in the next 15 min saying summit brand = AC delco, I'm ordering the delco part haha.
If no one posts back in the next 15 min saying summit brand = AC delco, I'm ordering the delco part haha.
03-09-2011, 10:28 PM
#4
Summit does not= AC delco. It doesnt have the Mitsubishi sensor that makes the AC's so great. If you order the summit it will be the same thing as a chandler but more expensive.
Almost all aftermarket optis are probably built in the same factory in China with the exeption of the MSD.
Almost all aftermarket optis are probably built in the same factory in China with the exeption of the MSD.
03-09-2011, 11:14 PM
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03-09-2011, 11:18 PM
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IronOutlaw - thanks for the info man. I'm so fed up with the amount of money I've had to dump into this car in the last couple weeks...but I went ahead and ordered the AC delco unit so I can hopefully start enjoying the car again as the weather warms up.
lifeisgood - haha that's pretty awesome that they sent you two..
lifeisgood - haha that's pretty awesome that they sent you two..
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03-09-2011, 11:22 PM
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I bought the cheaper CMS option...the one without the lifetime warranty because it was $45 cheaper or something ($90 vs $135 I believe). Anyway the one I bought may have a warranty but I have no interest in going with another Chandler unit.
Total with next day air shipping from Summit on the AC Delco unit was $417. I just want something that works....and after this week (I'm on spring break), I won't have the time or a place to work on anything.
Total with next day air shipping from Summit on the AC Delco unit was $417. I just want something that works....and after this week (I'm on spring break), I won't have the time or a place to work on anything.
03-10-2011, 12:04 AM
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I was under the understanding that Summit Optis were basicly the ACCEL optis.
I have seen the inside of the ACCELL optis and the pick-up and the disc have GM part numbers on them.
I have seen the inside of the ACCELL optis and the pick-up and the disc have GM part numbers on them.
03-10-2011, 12:28 AM
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That makes sense that the summit opti is the accel opti...I'm sure some people have had better luck with them than other units but it's just not worth it IMO to go with anything other than an actual AC delco opti...I completely regret purchasing the Chandler opti.
03-10-2011, 10:08 AM
#14
What about the opti's on ebay? I see one I havent seen. Dragon Fire I think its called. Anybody use one of these or know anything about them? They claim you can advance the timing. Is that even possible with the opti? I mean the way it functions through the pcm in all.
03-10-2011, 10:30 AM
#15
A new one of these came with the car I'm working on:
http://www.topstreetperformance.com/...optispark.html
The engine I acquired had a 42k mi OEM that's in great shape but a screw broke off in the housing at a feather's touch when I tried to open it. So I threw in the TSP, with the Delco as a backup (figure I'll get around to getting that one screw extracted sooner or later). For grandma's Roadmaster, just about anything's fine. Most of the rest of the LT1 / L99 world doesn't spin these things past 1400RPM (1/2 crank speed, remember...)
http://www.topstreetperformance.com/...optispark.html
The engine I acquired had a 42k mi OEM that's in great shape but a screw broke off in the housing at a feather's touch when I tried to open it. So I threw in the TSP, with the Delco as a backup (figure I'll get around to getting that one screw extracted sooner or later). For grandma's Roadmaster, just about anything's fine. Most of the rest of the LT1 / L99 world doesn't spin these things past 1400RPM (1/2 crank speed, remember...)
03-10-2011, 11:33 PM
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Now, if you have a bad opti, that will be replaced under warranty. Why not exchange it, then sell the new one to offset the price of your precious ACDelco? Seems like common sense. But you're just so disgusted with chandler....
03-11-2011, 03:17 AM
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I understand your situation, I really do. However, you are making that where you hate a cheaper opti option. Its not a cheap opti's fault you have "nowhere and no time." Me personally, I'd take the cheaper opti and have to change it every year or two. It really wouldnt be a big deal. All optis will fail it's just a matter of when. So, the way I see it, if you take it up the *** on an ACDelco unit, then it craps in 2 years you are gonna be sick. Meanwhile, if my Chandler bites the dust in the same amount of time I really wont give a ****. And, an opti change takes about 2 hours for a competent mechanic. You don't exactly need a dedicated place to make the swap.
Now, if you have a bad opti, that will be replaced under warranty. Why not exchange it, then sell the new one to offset the price of your precious ACDelco? Seems like common sense. But you're just so disgusted with chandler....
Now, if you have a bad opti, that will be replaced under warranty. Why not exchange it, then sell the new one to offset the price of your precious ACDelco? Seems like common sense. But you're just so disgusted with chandler....
I fully understand what you're saying and that was my thought process behind purchasing the Chandler Opti. For $90 it's hard to beat...but I was expecting it to work at least a few thousand miles. I'll have to look into exchanging it. Something else I should mention is that Wednesday this week is when I realized the Chandler Opti was not working properly (this was after tightening the rotor screws).
At that point, I needed a new Opti. Here were my options:
a) Autozone/Advance - I believe it was $150ish for Cardone or similar (no cap). Advance had an AC Delco unit for $580ish
b) Order another Chandler Opti or exchange my old one. I would not have received the new one in time. By the way I paid for expedited shipping the first time and if I recall it took 5 days to get to me.
c) Order an AC Delco opti thru summit w/ overnight shipping. This option seemed to make the most sense for me given the situation. Granted, I would have been much happier (as would my bank account) if I could've gone with another Chandler Opti.
As far as the difficulty of swapping them out, that's no problem. It's actually quite easy. The problem I have is I go to school several hours from my parents house and I really don't want to be that guy working on his car in the apartment parking lot - and I'm not willing to pay a shop the amount of money they want to install one.
03-11-2011, 12:33 PM
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At that point, I needed a new Opti. Here were my options:
a) Autozone/Advance - I believe it was $150ish for Cardone or similar (no cap). Advance had an AC Delco unit for $580ish
b) Order another Chandler Opti or exchange my old one. I would not have received the new one in time. By the way I paid for expedited shipping the first time and if I recall it took 5 days to get to me.
c) Order an AC Delco opti thru summit w/ overnight shipping. This option seemed to make the most sense for me given the situation. Granted, I would have been much happier (as would my bank account) if I could've gone with another Chandler Opti.
a) Autozone/Advance - I believe it was $150ish for Cardone or similar (no cap). Advance had an AC Delco unit for $580ish
b) Order another Chandler Opti or exchange my old one. I would not have received the new one in time. By the way I paid for expedited shipping the first time and if I recall it took 5 days to get to me.
c) Order an AC Delco opti thru summit w/ overnight shipping. This option seemed to make the most sense for me given the situation. Granted, I would have been much happier (as would my bank account) if I could've gone with another Chandler Opti.
03-11-2011, 01:44 PM
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I have used 3 different optis over the last 18 years of my LT1s, Autozone on my 93 stock style, worked fine except when you drove through a puddle. Switched to a GM 95 up style (whole conversion) on the 93 and it lasted for 9 years until I sold the car.
I bought my 97 after this and the stock opti was junk, replaced with a GM opti and it lasted 3 years, replaced it with a Autozone opti, lasted until the timing chain upper gear shear off the cam bolts and ruined the opti (2 years) then I took a chance money was low and bought the Accell opti, still have it no problems.
I bought my 97 after this and the stock opti was junk, replaced with a GM opti and it lasted 3 years, replaced it with a Autozone opti, lasted until the timing chain upper gear shear off the cam bolts and ruined the opti (2 years) then I took a chance money was low and bought the Accell opti, still have it no problems.
