AutoX on Xida/225 rs3
#41
Tour de Franzia
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Republic of Dallas
Posts: 29,085
Total Cats: 375
Free thoughts, talking out of my ***:
judging from the garbage on the market in terms of off-the-shelf cartridge shocks, I don't think AST was making a ton of cash on consumer-line shocks like what we buy because their quality level is so high and hand assembly (if competitors could, they would). I have a vision of Tein, Bilstein, Tokico, and other mass-produced shocks at a factory where machines handle the assembly and those fancy height/pre-load perches sold as a feature are actually a crutch for universal cartridge fitment. I know the guys at AST-USA build and assemble shocks by hand and all that labor has to cut into profit margin.
My guess, if I were running this company which I'm not, is that AST quality and hand craftsmanship will remain the same, but take a larger market share of the low-budget consumer line pockets and hire more employees to churn out more shocks while the shocks will remain unchanged (hire me, please). I would then combine any superior technology in the $$$blangblang$$$ racecar shocks including that fancy digressive high-speed rebound valve for the motorsports shocks, keep the prices the same while increasing quality, and take a huge chunk out of the market share in racing and call it "Moton, by AST".
The coolest part of this whole deal is watching a small business that provides awesome quality shocks, substantially cheaper than Motor/JRZ/Penske/Aragosta for club racers like ourselves, grow up into a big company.
Last edited by hustler; 05-24-2011 at 12:28 PM.
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Pitlab77
Insert BS here
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07-02-2007 02:37 PM