Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

You know, it's a big world and someone is never happy. In the end the product is what it is, and developed how it was developed, and that's what makes it what they are. You said yourself you loved them, if you would like to change because I'm irritated that what has happened has happened then I suggest you change. I'm trying to make folks aware that springs aren't just springs, and the way they were developed has a lot to do with how the package works.

cranny

I'm sure Stranos are fine springs but I would never put white springs or suspesnsion parts on my car. That just looks tacky.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Uh-huh.... There are plenty of pictures of cars with my springs and you know, I can't think of a time that you could tell the springs were white. It only looks tacky if you can see them and for what it's worth there is a reason they aren't red, or blue, or black... that's so folks could tell them from something else when buying used, or a used car that had them, whatever.

SparkyJJO

iTrader: (11)

Function > Form.

Besides, drive it for a bit and they'll no longer be white once the dirt settles in

libertyforall1776

iTrader: (2)

Emphasis mine below, and that's what I like about your approach, and wish it was being applied to the next Gen Camaros as well, as an upgrade is coming in my near future... I love a vendor that pushes cars to their limits for performance applications and finds how to make them the best they can be. I guess it's sad that you don't find the desire to do the same for 5th Gens -- despite their "inherent shortcomings".

Regardless of the debate about 5th Gens being good for autocross, the lessons learned in that process often translate to other used cases including daily driving with great handling, etc. Not always, but often do.


All that said, I have learned a ton from your insights on this board and others, and love the information you are always sharing, which is another reason I've bought from you multiple times.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

I get it, but you have to understand something that's critical to what I do and how I work. I'm a competitor first, and I want to be competitive (I want to win, but I can't always do it, though I do a lot). Hooking myself to an uncompetitive car is not good for my mental well-being or my business. Would I learn something about how to make it better? Probably, but improving a pig and making it a dog doesn't much interest me for competition, and I personally don't want to own one.

That said, it's a car. I've driven them, I know how they work, I have ideas on what I'd do and why to make it better. Even not owning one or racing one, my experience if far greater than many other's, even others that make parts for car. See, as much as folks like to think that guys who sell parts do it for fun, it is a job. It is a business, and it is how many of make a living. I'm not out to make everything for every car. Notice I only make a few things for a few cars, I usually use another vendor's something else. If it works, why make it myself, unless all I care about is profit???????

I didn't own a Corvette before last October, but setup 5 National Championship ones. I've never owned an MR2, but a customer won in one back in '02. I didn't have Mustang before 2007, and until I left FS, I was never beaten in one for a National Championship (and only 3 times over 4 years total at any event). I am pretty good at understanding cars, despite owning them or not. I need only drive them some to identify what I would change.

vigil

Sam actually stole them over on FRRAX.... trackbird there (and others) years ago discussed having a custom set produced identical to what he sells now. Sam of course said it was a bad idea and everyone should stick with ground control spring jacks. Shortly thereafter Sam started selling his own springs.

fbodlovr

Hey Sam, I'm not trying to add ANY fuel to any fire here, but I'm curious to know. I talked to you a few weeks back about your springs, and I have been doing what you said, pay attention to how my car acts, and think about how it rides. What I like/what I don't like, etc. Well, I've still been researching your springs like a mother, lol. I came across a post, I believe it might have been on ls1lt1.com, and someone said they had a set of your first gen springs for our cars. Haven't you made the springs the EXACT same way the WHOLE time? Spring rate, white, etc? I'm just curious to get the answer from the source.


Thanks!

fbodlovr

And what's up with this comment? What the heck is ground control spring jacks?

SparkyJJO

iTrader: (11)

Did a quick search of his posts, looks like he has a bone to pick with Sam or something

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Oh my f*cking god.

Let me be clear, VERY CLEAR on a few things.

1. A set of springs is 4 springs, not 2. A few of us use a 550 front rate. Mine are linear, so were LG's fronts. BUT my rear rates were HUGELY different from his. And the old BMR springs "the best springs" were a claimed 550 working rate (maybe they were) but were a progressive design. I'm ok with believing they were roughly what the claimed, but the winding was completely different as was the rear rate.

2. If all 550's are the same, then why did BMR change the front spring design and keep the same rate?

3. Why the rear rate change?

4. Why, when you compare their old springs to "their" new springs are the new ones a whole lot more like mine in both design and rate?

5. Why change their old springs at all?

6. Not everyone want's to change to coil-over conversions, and they void the warranty on a Koni since you have to modify the front shock to install.

7. GC is a pain in the *** and I dropped them as a vendor even before I started with my springs.

8. My rates are directly derived from what I ran on my car (both in height and rate)

9. What the hell are you talking about I "stole" anything from FRRAX????? Are you insane? Nobody there even makes springs, and many of those guys think my rears are too soft anyway.

10. It was publicly admitted that someone had my springs, and shortly after that a new design debuted. I get wanting to check out the competition, especially when they are clearly onto something. I might not like it, but I get it. However, what frosts my ***** is that so many folks don't seem to care that what "the best" before suddenly needed redesigned. Why? Ask yourself why.

11. The company who makes the other springs came to me to make mine and told me, flat out they make the competition's product. AND one of the big sales pitches was price. We can do it cheaper than anyone I was told. Well, that's nice if you care about being the cheapest. I don't. In fact I know what the pricing was at the time, and it's WAY less than I pay for a set of the springs to be made my way with the materials and quality I want. Case in point: Lots of folks make 2.5" coil-over springs. Name brands in those racing springs are guaranteed to be only within 5% of their nominal rate. Others, like the brand I use, are guaranteed to be within 2% of their nominal rate. That's big companies, with reputations you know. I've rated cheaper springs, and had them all over the map. I'm not ok with that.

The Batman

iTrader: (4)

Just got my stranos yesterday, thanks Sam!

BMR Suspension

iTrader: (6)

Sorry Sam....like I said before, you're not going to draw me into another pissing match about springs. Did you steal BMR's design 7 years ago? Did BMR steal your design 3 years ago? Who really cares at this point?!?!

BMR makes the best, most consistent springs available in this price range. They are American-made by American workers using brand new CNC equipment. Great design. Great workers. Great equipment. That sounds like a great combination to me.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

You really do live in your own word don't you. How do you think I swiped your springs 7 years ago? My fronts are linear, yours were NOT. My rears are 150, yours were 170. Fast forward to now where yours are suddenly linear 550's and you drop the rears and change the winding on those.

Let me make this more clear. My springs came out when your old spring were out, which shared but one thing. The quoted working rate of the fronts. The windings front and rear were different the rear rates were different, and because of the front windings the way they work is different (why else change from one to the other if the rate was truly the same????).

I'd love to hear just what prompted the change. Why don't you tell us instead of waving the flag, because that's about as stupid as the guy who's been running around saying Monroe's are great because they are made in the USA.

As for the last paragraph, thanks for proving my point. Big soundbyte waving the flag. Nothing specific, you won't admit who makes the springs, it's all about "great equipment, great workers"... and they aren't even your workers. Sheeh.

You did an about face on the springs, you did on bars (remember when a solid 32 was the cat's *** from you? I do). You pulled the stunt with a web address that was similar to UMI that directed folks to your site until you were shamed out of that one. And let's not forget your little offer to me about buying your stuff at a maximum discount *IF* I agreed to stop selling UMI product. That told me what kind of company you run so I wasn't surprised when you did all this crap, or when you told another vendor that it was you goal to drive me out of business.

To be honest, I'm sure that is the motivation for the spring change, the bar change and even picking up various product lines I had and you didn't. So sorry if I take it personally. You picked how you wanted to play this little game, and I don't take it lightly when you think it's ok to treat a small business like that. What really upsets me, is in the past before you were around, I would from time to time recommend BMR for things that I could not do even though I didn't deal with you. I even defended your company once on some web-attack that really wasn't deserved. I've kicked myself for that since you started this crap and I probably always will.

SparkyJJO

iTrader: (11)

BMR Suspension

iTrader: (6)

For the third time, I am not getting into a pissing match about springs....have fun bloviating!!

kammi10

iTrader: (5)

wow.. someone needs to step away from the keyboard.

nascarnate326

iTrader: (1)

We need to get you guys together for dinner and drinks one night. Work some stuff out so we can go back to making ten threads a day about what spring should I buy for my 4th gen.

aQuickLS1

iTrader: (7)

Geeze. If BMR and Strano are the best springs, then wouldnt you think they would be similar? After testing and trying to better a product things change. Just because you were the first doesn't mean someone with a similar design copied you. Maybe that's what happend... who knows.

I'm with nascarnate326, except a strip club sounds better.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

If you can't figure out what springs to buy based on how parts were developed and proven, let alone the fact you can see me driving on them in video, then I can't do much more.

You know how I came up with my stuff, I've not hidden who makes its, or even hidden my spring rates (to my detriment) in the hope that folks would appreciate that. Many do, some don't. Those that don't care about anything but price should, by all means, buy BMR units.