Quote:
Originally Posted by Rybar
Gotta agree with this 100%
Barraza I guess the whole point of this thread is to help people trying to decide on what setup works for thier individual needs. There were none like this as the G-link was fairly new at the time I ordered. There weren't alot of cars running them and Frank had sold/installed most of the ones known.
I understand most of your points for me not being a suspension guy. I've just NEVER seen a thread about issues like this with so many installs in regards to the DSE Quadra-Link. In fact, I don't think I ever recall one complaint to be honest about ride height issues, CRACKED frame rails after some use, having to modify the shock cross members, having to change springs or issues with thier system bottoming out on the floor pan, be it 67, 68 or 69 Camaros or 68-72 Novas. Every car with the DSE Q-link is pretty slammed low and have never heard or read of one complaint.
If the G-link works for you and you need to drive over speedbumps that's great. Just that a thread like this can be very useful for the guy with cash in hand ready to order but not knowing what will work for them for thier needs. I sure as hell would have appreciated it and our members honesty rather than relying on a salesman looking to make better margins on one brand vs another..
Thats why I gotta agree with Todd here.
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And I would disagree. For a thread to really be informative, it needs to be based purely on facts. Todds statement
DSE and Alston products can't even be talked about in the same conversation. while valid as his opinion,is just not a provable or unprovable
fact. The Alston was newer when he installed it, and anything new will obviously require more tuning than a developed system. He has learned a lot tuning his, and may end up with an advantage, who knows? IF he comes across a setup that wipes up the DSE cars will he be glad he stuck it out? I would guess yes. Sometimes being an innovator leads you to the front, sometimes it doesn't, but you'll never know if you don't try.
The internet forum world tends to think we are the be all end all, but the truth is that both companies have sold a
LOT of these suspensions, many to people who have never even heard of Lat G. For us to draw conclusions based on posts on this forum without any volume information is just flat out irresponsible. It is especially unreliable when some of the issues were brought straight to the internet without the manufacturer even having the chance to correct or respond. The DSE product has been around for a long time, the alston not as long. Does anyone know whether alston has even seen a cracked frame? or is it an internet only issue? A quick BBB search shows DSE had a recent complaint, and Alston doesn't show any. Neither are BBB members. Does that prove anything? Not really. A search also shows Alston has been in business over 30 years, does that prove anything? nope. Does vegas69's car getting beat by a DSE suspended car at an autocross prove anything? Not in the least, considering the DSE guys probably autocross 25 plus times a year. These are big damn cars, and it doesn't matter how much tire or what suspension you stuff under them, on a typical autocross a well driven miata will wax us. Does that mean a miata is a better car? not hardly. The key point is that
It all depends
You mention myriad problems, which are real? Cracked frame? yes it exists, apparently on a glink and an earlier version. What caused it? unknown. Speculation centered on welding, but it may just be because the "frame" rail is just weak and not much thicker than the floor pan. I'm not seeing how the DSE design is any better. Anyone with either should probably keep an eye on theirs, especially if you are racing with big HP and tires. Bottoming on the floorpan? I thought the complaint was that it won't go low enough to bottom the floorpan? I don't think this is a problem. Modifying the shock crossmember? This one I don't really understand. The clearance is admittedly tight, but mine was build using the alston jig (I was there and saw it), and mine clears fine with a 12 bolt, a 10 bolt should be smaller, and there is apparently an issue with the fill tube on a fab9. Possibly there are issues when pinion angle is at the extremes, really need more info to pin down. I wouldn't call changing springs a problem, they are meant to be easy to change, and not at all expensive.
You mentioned a vendor, so I'll weigh in. Not because I am trying to defend anyone because I only know the facts of my transactions(which were 100% perfect), but because it is an example of how things get could get blow out of proportion. Probably a year ago, issues of order time come up, business competition is fierce, and a move into bigger facilities is in process, allegations of stealing money are batted around, reputations suffer, business undoubtedly declines(though not admitted to), 6 months go by, more late orders, more allegations, more business evaporates, vendor goes silent. Is it possible the internet allegations helped put the final nails in the coffin? Did the speculation pull the rug out from under a recovery plan? Do you see the similarities? Is the above scenario accurate? I don't know, but I see no reason to do something similar by joining in piling on any vendor because of a few internet posts about ride height. Facts are one thing, speculation is another.
You will notice that many vendors don't have an internet forum presence. Probably because anyone with a beef, can argue forever. There is an old saying about never arguing with someone who buys ink by the barrel, it is in reference to newspapers. The internet has made everyone a newspaper. Air Ride has a sterling reputation, and has people on the forums up to and including the owner. And they occasionally still get hammered about products, even when they do everything possible to help customers. Maybe they just have the profits to absorb more, I don't know. I do know that trying to undercut each other has driven a couple of big wheel sellers under in the past year. And that is just a wheel, imagine how much tougher it would be on a more complex product.
Moral - Don't believe everything you read on the internet or magazines, good or bad.