First before this thread gets any more carried away, I’d like to clarify my frustration:

Rodends and turn buckles are not “rocket science” nor patentable and I feel RSS has done anything wrong as far as that concept.

My frustration is the “detailed copy” of our exact design we use. Now that I’ve drug you all into this, let me explain the reason we (ERP) started using certain radius’s years ago. The radiuses on our parts have no effect on performance or strength but, we (ERP) started this for the sole purpose of part recognition. The reason we wanted easier identification was because we’d had some parts returned when an end user had a problem and claimed it was our part. It was just before a race and we replaced the part immediately then, later after closer examination found it wasn’t our (ERP’s) part. This is one good reason we’ve gone to the trouble to keep the parts looking different to make it much faster to identify and I would think RSS would want theirs to look different for that same reason.

RSS said they’ve been making these parts for 2 years we (ERP) have been making 996 dog bones since 1999 … about 9 years … Again, all I really care is that I can continue to identify my own parts from our (ERP) “signature” design.

Sorry to make this sound like such a mud bath because I really didn’t mean for it to come off like that. I have no other bones with RSS and as I said earlier competition is a good thing and as far as these parts go, if we all keep our thinking caps on, there’s plenty parts to make for all of us.

 

I don't know Cary personally and I am not living in the US so don't care who sells what, but it does not take a rocket scientist to see that the RSS parts are a copycat of the ERP parts. I cannot tell from a picture if they are good or bad quality, but per RSS, having a few customers test them on the street and track days is certainly not something that would make me comfortable buying these parts to race in an enduro or use them on my track or race car.

I am lucky to own Cary's suspension parts through one of his vendors rather than having gone with the Porsche Motorsports parts, it is a pain to get him to answer emails that's for sure, but his products are of outstanding quality, and this is not a comment only coming from me as an amateur driver and customer, but the assessment made from a close friend, who is the team engineer for the Porsche Supercup winning team in 2008 if that means anything to anyone here.

 

Looks like Greg just got his out, and a bit early at that. GMG has them on their site www.gmgracing.com which apparently is in some way ERP stuff.

 

It looks like RSS has been busted for copying ERP's design a little too closely. If 6Speed's past behaviour is any indication, expect a thread lock down soon.

 

I don't have a dog in this fight and both Cary and Greg have very good reputations. That being said, these are my observations:

1. The ERP/GMG version of the dog bones look pretty much like the version that RSS is getting ready to release.

2. Meanwhile, the CPP version pictured has its own unique look.


I don't know if it is a common and acceptable practice in the suspension parts industry to make products that look so similar. If it is acceptable, then one company should just come out and admit that they copied another company's design.

If it is NOT an accepted practice, then the question comes down to who designed and invented the part first. There are probably several ways to determine this, but an easy indicator would be which company actually manufactured and sold the part first.



.

 

As far as I know, ERP has been selling these links and other suspension components longer than anyone I can recall. Look at the Smart Racing products catalogue, he's been making proprietary high end parts for early 911's for years.

As for these particular toe links and upper/lower dog bones, it's been almost 10 years since Cary started selling them. Has RSS been around for 10 years?

Assuming RSS' claims are correct in that they've been selling these parts for 2 years, it's 2006 vs. 1999. I can personally vouch for at least 5 years ago, when I first met Cary, and he showed me his ERP 996 links, control arms, bushings, etc.

I hope RSS will consider changing the aesthetics of their parts at the least. Better yet, they should just get stuff from ERP. ERP have so many trick parts it's not even funny, not to mention Cary could write a book on shocks and springs.

 

If it's just aesthetics, and since RSS has all those machines, this could be remedied shortly I'd assume (assuming there's something to remedy).

 

It's not related "in some way." ERP manufactures the parts for GMG and he engraves their name on it and are colored in blue. Plain and simple.

 

Well, that's some BIG way.

 

" I can personally vouch for at least 5 years ago, when I first met Cary, and he showed me his ERP 996 links, control arms, bushings, etc."...

Well I got you beat! I've known Cary for almost 20 years now and in all those year, he has always been a stand up guy. Oh yes, I too call to say hello once in a while - but he seldom answers.. because he' busy at the track with actual race teams and or at POC running and or assisting other drivers.

Oh yea I don't post much but when I can chime in for a friend- why not.
All the best

 

RSS good people there

 

It's hard to find anyone on the track without ERP parts on their cars. ERP is a savior especially to old air-cooled car suspensions.

 

with all this talk of carry not picking up the phone i feel privalaged that he takes my calls, icluding but not limited to aug 08 when i was on the gumball. he was at a race no dought, not sure which one or where, but he first helped me get my trannie fixed (needed a shop that could drop what they were doing to change my bell housing in 24hrs or miss gumball), then two days later at 6 am on a sunday while he was trying to fit in an hr of sleep between races he picked up when the epoxy gave way on the alluminum coolent crossover tube under the intake and my car was blowing antifreeze going thru beverly hills!!! he called me back 5 mins later with a shop to fix it so i could finish the gumball!

hell the first time i met carry i just dropped by his shop and he showed me around all afternoon and took me to lunch at his fav chinese buffet.

he has got to be the luckiest guy in the world as he does not work for a living, he lives his dream for a living. every part he makes he is passionate about, deff has some race story of why he made it, why he has changed it 10x's, and how he is going to make it better the next time!

if dealing with the best of the best means i have to wait a week or two i will get over it...try and get brian copans on the phone; but if you need tranny work you pay the price, and that price usually is waiting on the guys that are at every single race on this planet and have access to what works and why! (i learned that from kevin at UMW) when it is all done and done right, it is worth the wait.

my .02.

p.s. oh yeah, i have every single piece carry at ERP makes and it is all top notch!!!

 

It's not surprising that people have come out to show their support for ERP. Cary designs and makes INNOVATIVE products that are track proven. He may not have the glossy pictures or the flashy websites to promote his products, but those that know go with ERP.

 

Sales 101

Bashing competition directly to the consumer usually has a negative effect as it clearly shows you jumping to conclusions. Not a good move IMHO.