SS-III splitters - comparison of replicas and originals, DCW, Chrisc and Genuine products ;) NOW COMPLETE STORY see first post. Options

[malpaso]

First of all:
This is not promotion!!!
I don't want to harm or magnify anyone. This is my post and my opinion according to personal experience...

Many of you know I have fallen in love with SS-III look and decided make my own exterior-replica. One of mandatory parts are splitters, so I have bought:

1. one set from Chrisc about year ago (both, front and rear)
2. heavily used original ones about 6 months ago (both, front an rear)
3. one set from Romas last month (just front... why explain later)...

so I'm the one who can compare fitments and quality of both products against original. So first of all I want to know your opinion:

Do you thing it is misbehavior, rude and low to do that?

According to your comments I will continue or will not continue with this topic...

Martin

edit:
OK, lets go... :
Have bought one complete set from chrisc.
- perfect service, quick response, delivery about three week (included manufacturing)
- not painted parts
- first matching below...





- impossible fit just by screws and double side tape
- a lot customization of part needed (sometimes more, sometimes less)
- some curves of some splitters not match body of car
- for perfect match foam, cement and painting on car was necessary



results:





note one: because of too thin fiberglass one part of splitter bugled out (because of foam expansion).



note two: was impossible remove front bumper w/o cutting them out of fenders (see line below).



...so after headlight swap and turbo installation I have decided for change.


Have bought one complete used set of original splitters.
- set is original, but heavily used
- original splitters can not be weld together again
- original splitters must be paint with "flexible" paint (don't know right word for that)
- condition is shown below...







results:

I need to say now... if fiberglass is broken you should easy repair it. If original part is cracked, it can not be fixed easily at all... also re-paint is not that easy like with fiberglass is . Rear pair has perfect condition, but front... So I gave a chance to DCW product first... (before pay for repairing of original front pair)


Have bought front set from doGGy.
- perfect service, delivery about 7 weeks
- painted parts
- first fit just by screws and double side tape
- no customization











- possible fit just by screws and double side tape (however match is limited)
- all curves of both splitters match body of car
- for perfect match a few of foam and one screw used





results:





note one: place for double side tape is missing... with that would be fitting much easier



note two:
passenger's side was perfect, driver's with small problems (IMHO passenger's one was more bend than driver's that's why better match only one side)


conclusion (and my own opinion !!!):
- nothing is perfect (even genuine part)
- I have spend about $900 for splitters so far (parts, paint, body shop work). And If I had one more chance to choose (with $900 in my pocket) I would buy original parts...
- best "function/price rate" for me according to parts I have bought has DCW product (it's about 1/3 price of genuine ones)

So that's why I will use original splitters for rear and DCW splitters for front (DCW's are cheaper than repair original and better quality than my old chris's pair)...

end of story


edit II: story continues . See this post.

This post has been edited by malpaso: Jun 30, 2009 - 7:17 PM

[devilsden97]

I think its fair to continue, as long as its kept in check.

edit: there producing a product...if fitment is poor, then people should be told.

(i highly doubt fitment from any of the guys that make the replicas [on this site] would be poor...all their work has been top notce from what ive seen)

This post has been edited by devilsden97: Apr 29, 2007 - 1:35 PM

[dustin15brown]

not rude at ALL.... we, as customers and consumers, deserve honest feedback and comparissons when available. As long as the reports are UN-biased there's nothing wrong with it at all. Because, personally, I want to know where I can get the best product

[2003cbgts]

yea, actualy thats an awesome idea..

[DSRT-FX]

i say go for it malpaso

we buyers would liek to know anways -R

[doGGy]

Just to make one thing clear - Marting - your celica had a damage on the front before, right? So if the fender line was even slightly pushed / moved - you minght have some fitting issues. But just go for it and we will see

[malpaso]

Just to make one thing clear - Marting - your celica had a damage on the front before, right? So if the fender line was even slightly pushed / moved - you minght have some fitting issues. But just go for it and we will see

You are right Romas, I got a hit... but not that serious to move with shape of body . You should know it, you saw that "live" . However for everyone else:

- hit was in the middle of the bumper
- I still have been using the same bumper cover on my car
- everything absorbed by reinforcement

Here photo from my headlight swap...



...so you can see nothing what should affect matching of splitters . So... nice try mate

[presure2]

i think its a good thing.
fit the oem ones first, they for obvious reasons "should" fit the best.
even after my skirts were cut, they still fit just about perfectly, so you should have no problem with those. then do the others.
looking forward to the results.

[doGGy]

Martin - its not a "nice try" like i would trying to somehow avoind test fitment - im 100% sure about my products. its just that i KNOW how dificult is to get REAL info to the people - and i know that im talking about then im telling you that your front was damaged and etc. Where does the bumper bolts to? Fenders. Once you get into such accident like you had - then bumper is deformed - it pulls the fenders out of the place. In your case - even the bumper is REPAIRED - so this means it IS NOT in its original shape. You should keep one thing in mind - Fiberglass IS not like a poliuretanium - it wount bend SO easy, and it wount hold his shape as poliuretanium products do then bolted.

ONE thing always needs to be remebered - then fitting FG products - YOU have to be ready for some fitting issues - just that some manufactures make these fitting issues to as low level as posible, some manufactures just sell products STRAIGHT out of the mold - witch means lots of headake for non prepared / not right knoligible person. So its hard to compare original parts to Copys.

and another simpe note - one and the same product MIGHT fit / not fit in different person hands - if you know what i mean i saw SO damn manny products that lots of people told me THEY WILL not fit at all - but some how i managed to fit them right Same was with the Tompoz C-one replica from Fensport - if you had it, and wanted to test fit it - you would say - piece of crap - but once i took it in my hands - after 2 hours it fitted.

[j0e_p3t]

looks like no one has a problem, except for the only guy that clicked yes on the poll. i wonder who that was. anywho... go for it.

This post has been edited by j0e_p3t: Apr 30, 2007 - 8:35 PM

[vincent_doggy]

Oops, that was me, I click the wrong one, I saw YES... then just click!

In Fact, YES, I wanna KNOW!

This post has been edited by vincent_doggy: Apr 30, 2007 - 8:17 PM

[2003cbgts]

so whens this little comparison goin down?

[G3D45]

If a car was in accident, this comparison wouldn’t be very precise. Otherwise it would be interesting to see what news malpaso is going to bring us

[malpaso]

That time is now . I'll do my best and will just describe how it was with my parts. Opinion is on you... See my first post.

And last important note about that "huge" car accident I had . I hit coupling device like this:



no airbag deploy, nothing serous with bumper (repeat, I still have been using same one now), only folded bumper reinforcement as shown before... just consequence after late braking, wet road and old tires. That's all.



This post has been edited by malpaso: May 1, 2007 - 5:36 AM

[presure2]

nice work.
only thing i can add is that the OEM extensions are VERY easily repairable, if you have the right materials to do so.
i repaired my OEM skirts, which were cut in half, and and multiple cracks ect along the sides ect.
looking at them now, you would never know they were repaired looking at them on the car.

[j0e_p3t]

nice report. i give you an A+. i wish i can get my hands on oem splitters at a decent price. i just bought some dcw front splitters cuz they look like they fit a lot better than my current splitters from chris c.

This post has been edited by j0e_p3t: May 1, 2007 - 12:18 PM

[tin_foil]

Great thread. Thanks malpaso! Props to DCW! I'll be buying a set from doggy before the summers over!

This post has been edited by tin_foil: May 1, 2007 - 11:37 AM

[doGGy]

Martin - the easy fix for your gap at front is just to slightly loose all the bolts on the splitters - then press the front of the splitter that it would sit on your bumper just as it has to sit - and then start bolting your splitters from the front insteat of bolting them fromt the back.

Another "manufacture" note is - its posible to build the place for the double side - but if i would DO this - splitters would lose all the flexibility - and IF the shape of them would change after molding process - it woyuld be basicly IMPOSIBLE to fit them on the car - cuz this place for the double side tape would give so much strenght to the splitter that it would be imposible to flex them.

[malpaso]

Martin - the easy fix for your gap at front is just to slightly loose all the bolts on the splitters - then press the front of the splitter that it would sit on your bumper just as it has to sit - and then start bolting your splitters from the front insteat of bolting them fromt the back.

Thanks for advice, I'll try that...

Another "manufacture" note is - its posible to build the place for the double side - but if i would DO this - splitters would lose all the flexibility - and IF the shape of them would change after molding process - it woyuld be basicly IMPOSIBLE to fit them on the car - cuz this place for the double side tape would give so much strenght to the splitter that it would be imposible to flex them.

That makes sense... pity it should not be done. There is not much place for tape now -> if shape is not match (like someone who had an car accident ) has no chance to fit splitter to body of car tight w/o glue (or foam)... any advice for that?

[malpaso]

Sorry bringing this topic back from death but story continues and It's fair post results here:

Those damaged genuine ones I have mentioned in first post are repaired and painted now!

- splitters were only repaired and painted... (no other modifications)
- only double side tape and screws are used to fit (no foam as before for replicas!!!)

See how they look on the car:









After all I have proved that even higher quality DCW replicas are not perfect . This is the same lower part of bumper as before... but genuine splitters fits much better

So result after all would be like this: NOTHING IS BETTER THAN ORIGINAL (if we talking about fitment), only what can talk against genuine splitters is price .

Since doGGy doesn't producing anymore it's easy now to decide... you have only two ways to go. Genuine or Chrisc. It's up to you what is more important. Price (difference is double or even triple) or plug and play solution (effort to fit them well is "zero" or "x"... x depends on each piece but never can be zero).

real end of story