An epic thread...from a Corvette forum

[fecurtis]

If there was such a thing as the epitomy of vendor dedication to his product...this would be it.

Thread located at:
http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/s...d.php?t=133153

Since the thread is so long, I'll give you the details on it that I got from someone else at the Grand Prix forum I go to (I owned one from HS through college):

" It all started... when a user on Corvette Forum called "Just J" posted up that his coil-over system had failed. Basically, something happened and he ran over a 6X6 piece of wood in the road. Someone happened to take a pic of the corvettes as they cruised past the wood, you can see his orange Z06 coming around the turn, not knowing what is about to hit his front right tire at 30+mph...


The colossal crash caused the shock mount to break, and the coil-over to be pushed up through the fender, and nearly through the hood!



Lou Gigliotti, who has raced for 35 years and is currently the only non factory funded GM driver in the American LeMans series was quick to point out, that although the circumstances were extrordinary, if the same car ran over the same log with LG's coil-overs installed, the mount would NOT have failed, the wheel would have simply been damaged and the car would have continued...

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...3&postcount=33

This is precisely why we build shorter shock bodies in our Coil over Pacakge. We never want the shock to bottom and become a solid connection.

The manufacturer of the coil-overs that failed was quick to respond.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...6&postcount=42

This is an interesting thread because it is the first time I have ever seen an actual shock tower failure. It will only ever be speculation about whether this same failure would have occurred without coilovers being on the car. My personal feeling is the same as several of the other vendors on this thread in that probably the same thing would have occurred even with stock shocks.

The limiter of the suspension travel in all of the C5 and C6 Corvettes is the shock absorber . Clearly the impact of the wheel with whatever J hit caused an extreme wheel movement. The stock shock would have bottomed out and then likely pushed up through the frame.

The battle began. The resulting 20 page thread would get over 10,000 views on the Corvette Forum, before finally, Lou made a challenge no-one thought even a mad-man would say...

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...&postcount=348

Ignorance of the details of my Coil Over package does not mean that it is the same as the "other guys" product. Because it is not the same. And since it is NOT the same, it will NOT react the same under the same circumstances. And if we believe that over the same log, our coil over would not have done the same thing then So be it. Because it would not have punched through the top mount.

So I apologize for nothing.

And bring the log to me and we can video tape my car running over it 10 times, then we can look at the mount.

I never make claims without offering to back the claims up.

I am serious. Bring the log!

Thanks

Lou Gigliotti

Of course, the people called him crazy. People said he was drinking. This one claim alone stirred up a frenzy and people began to realize... he was serious.

The great risk here is that you would bend or total the frame, which on a Z06, would TOTAL the car. A $80,000 car. So, fundamentally, you have a guy willing to risk a $80,000 car to prove a point on the internet. Sure, sounds crazy, but give Lou the credit, he would have NEVER made the offer if he was not 110% sure of his science, design and product.

So Lou approached me to film the video.

We decided as a team based on the one photo that the "log" was 6X6 and 24" long, so we went to Home Depot and purchased the log. It was cut to spec, and then lag bolted into the cement in our parking lot.



The front end of the car was removed and the fender. Cameras were mounted inside the fender to watch the shock. There was no doubt "something" would get damaged, most likely the wheel, but the point of the experiment was to prove that the LG COIL OVER would NOT go through the fender under the same impact.



With the massive amount of footage, a small, 60 second trailer was produced to give a preview into what was to come next week..."

They ran over that thing 6 times too...car remained drivable.

http://videos.streetfire.net/video/L...ver_164939.htm

[naughty240]

Wow I was thinking totaled frame all the way. They make G35 stuff?lol

[MikeYo]

wow, talk about standing behind your product!!

[Skaterbasist]

Wow, kudos to that guy for going that far to protect his product. Best of all, it was successful.

.

[mIKE]

+1000 to that guy for standing behind his product.

Epic.

[Corvettekid]

And even got a punch in at the end with, " i am sure the competitor will change his product now, after badmouthing me on the internet, but hey, thats what were here for." Good for him! I would make him an exclusive vendor, after willing to risk a Z06!

[MIA BlazinVQ]

Originally Posted by Mike@RiversideInfiniti

+1000 to that guy for standing behind his product.

Epic.

+100000000000000zero000000zero000000000000zerozero 000

EPIC.

[mIKE]

no way in hell my s2k could run over that =O

I bet my STI could have though

[Skaterbasist]

Originally Posted by Mike@RiversideInfiniti

no way in hell my s2k could run over that =O

I bet my STI could have though

Post up a video

[JOKER]

awesome

[WaLLy]

wow! freaking insane!

[Garnet Canuck]

Originally Posted by 07SilverG

wow, talk about standing behind your product!!

+10000, good for him!

[r0csfinest]

too bad all companies arent like this

[w0ady]

haha thats just nuts. props to lou for being such a bad azz.

[GeeWillikers]

That guy has a sack made of titanium.

I love this thread.