FT-86 SpeedFactory LCA by Verus - Lightest LCA for the Twins - Development Thread

[zc06_kisstherain]

If i didnt have my Cusco LCA, i would've ordered this one

[VerusEric]

I've received a few PM's on Facebook and on the forum now and figured I would address a situation we've encountered as of late.

It appears a company has copied our LCA design and has knocked it off, with materials of lesser quality.

Currently what we know:

• The LCA is *not* being produced by the same manufacturers we use, who is a United States based machinist.
• The LCA is *not* being produced using the same aluminum we specify, which is purchased from a United States material provider with proper certification.
• The adjuster is *not* being produced from the same material as we specify, which was spec'd out based on the loads we expect our LCA to see.
• The threaded rod end is *not* of the same strength as we use, which was spec'd out based on the loads we expect our LCA to see.

How do I know if I am looking at a genuine Velox LCA?

• Velox Motorsports laser engraving on the LCA is the easiest proof. Only our LCAs have our name laser engraved on the side of it as of this date. We will be doing more on future orders to further differentiate genuine Velox Motorsports products vs. the knock off units.
• Velox Motorsports LCAs come with all hardware and bolts necessary for a seamless install.
• Velox Motorsports "genuine product" card in hardware bag.
• Contact Velox Motorsports via e-mail (sales@velox-motorsports.com) with photos and we'll help confirm or deny origin.
• If the deal is too good to be true, it likely is.

We highly suggest avoiding these LCAs. We designed our LCAs with very specific materials for each component, and using lesser materials will result in premature failure. The manufacturer is not the same as who we use, you are not purchasing the same product.

Thanks for all the support, we truly appreciate it .

Eric

[Summerwolf]

Originally Posted by VeloxEric

I've received a few PM's on Facebook and on the forum now and figured I would address a situation we've encountered as of late.

It appears a company has copied our LCA design and has knocked it off, with materials of lesser quality.

Currently what we know:

• The LCA is *not* being produced by the same manufacturers we use, who is a United States based machinist.
• The LCA is *not* being produced using the same aluminum we specify, which is purchased from a United States material provider with proper certification.
• The adjuster is *not* being produced from the same material as we specify, which was spec'd out based on the loads we expect our LCA to see.
• The threaded rod end is *not* of the same strength as we use, which was spec'd out based on the loads we expect our LCA to see.

How do I know if I am looking at a genuine Velox LCA?

• Velox Motorsports laser engraving on the LCA is the easiest proof. Only our LCAs have our name laser engraved on the side of it as of this date. We will be doing more on future orders to further differentiate genuine Velox Motorsports products vs. the knock off units.
• Velox Motorsports LCAs come with all hardware and bolts necessary for a seamless install.
• Velox Motorsports "genuine product" card in hardware bag.
• Contact Velox Motorsports via e-mail (sales@velox-motorsports.com) with photos and we'll help confirm or deny origin.
• If the deal is too good to be true, it likely is.

We highly suggest avoiding these LCAs. We designed our LCAs with very specific materials for each component, and using lesser materials will result in premature failure. The manufacturer is not the same as who we use, you are not purchasing the same product.

Thanks for all the support, we truly appreciate it .

Eric

The ones on FT86speedfactory are and will always be the Velox ones correct?


Are the knockoffs being called Velox or are they going by another name and just similar in looks?

[Captain Snooze]

@VeloxEric
I've seen 2 sellers of the knock-offs that are located in the US. Do you have any recourse against them?

[VerusEric]

Originally Posted by Summerwolf

The ones on FT86speedfactory are and will always be the Velox ones correct?


Are the knockoffs being called Velox or are they going by another name and just similar in looks?

That's correct, the ones on FT86 SpeedFactory units are produced by us.

They are not being referred to as Velox units as of yet, but I wouldn't rule anything out at this point. Currently ensuring the LCAs have Velox Motorsports engraved on them is a sure-fire way of ensuring they are genuine Velox products.

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

@VeloxEric
I've seen 2 sellers of the knock-offs that are located in the US. Do you have any recourse against them?

There is nothing we can do. Patents for automotive parts do not make sense most times. On top of that, the knock off units are likely produced in China and then shipped stateside for sales, it's the only way they can get the prices down that low even while using sub-par material. We would have no jurisdiction in China even if we had a patent. Companies much larger than Velox have fought and lost with teams of lawyers fighting the battle.

It's a crappy situation; however, there is no point in complaining about it. I'm here to inform people as best I can that the units are not the same, even though they look roughly the same.

Thanks,
Eric

[Cole]

Originally Posted by VeloxEric

That's correct, the ones on FT86 SpeedFactory units are produced by us.

They are not being referred to as Velox units as of yet, but I wouldn't rule anything out at this point. Currently ensuring the LCAs have Velox Motorsports engraved on them is a sure-fire way of ensuring they are genuine Velox products.



There is nothing we can do. Patents for automotive parts do not make sense most times. On top of that, the knock off units are likely produced in China and then shipped stateside for sales, it's the only way they can get the prices down that low even while using sub-par material. We would have no jurisdiction in China even if we had a patent. Companies much larger than Velox have fought and lost with teams of lawyers fighting the battle.

It's a crappy situation; however, there is no point in complaining about it. I'm here to inform people as best I can that the units are not the same, even though they look roughly the same.

Thanks,
Eric

Sucks to hear that Eric. Especially since you guys are super active on here and actually go through the effort to hear us out, get opinions and explain why you do things the way you do.

[Bramick]

People vote by how they spend. Velox puts in the R&D and stands by their products. That's why they get my business.

[VerusEric]

Originally Posted by Cole

Sucks to hear that Eric. Especially since you guys are super active on here and actually go through the effort to hear us out, get opinions and explain why you do things the way you do.

This happens all the time in our industry, we're not the rarity or exception. This is a daily/weekly occurrence in this market. We're not upset about being knocked off. It is more sad than anything, to me at least. Ultimately if consumers did not allow it to happen it wouldn't but it is near impossible to inform everyone that the knock-offs are not genuine. And even if people know they are knock-offs, they think that we're just charging a premium for the "Velox" name and the parts are coming from the same vendor, which couldn't be further from the truth.

It is what it is, we'll keep on grinding . I just wanted to publicly put it out there that they are not the same, they are not produced by the same vendors, they are not using the same materials. When you don't care about the customer, you can list whatever you want and they copied the construction list word for word directly from our website. We've since changed it to differentiate ourselves.

Thanks,
Eric

[Cole]

Originally Posted by VeloxEric

This happens all the time in our industry, we're not the rarity or exception. This is a daily/weekly occurrence in this market. We're not upset about being knocked off. It is more sad than anything, to me at least. Ultimately if consumers did not allow it to happen it wouldn't but it is near impossible to inform everyone that the knock-offs are not genuine. And even if people know they are knock-offs, they think that we're just charging a premium for the "Velox" name and the parts are coming from the same vendor, which couldn't be further from the truth.

It is what it is, we'll keep on grinding . I just wanted to publicly put it out there that they are not the same, they are not produced by the same vendors, they are not using the same materials. When you don't care about the customer, you can list whatever you want and they copied the construction list word for word directly from our website. We've since changed it to differentiate ourselves.

Thanks,
Eric

You guys are the best. Any chance you can help get the USD closer to the CAD so that we don't take such a beating on the exchange and I can justify getting some parts?

[FrostedFlakes]

Originally Posted by VeloxEric

This happens all the time in our industry, we're not the rarity or exception. This is a daily/weekly occurrence in this market. We're not upset about being knocked off. It is more sad than anything, to me at least. Ultimately if consumers did not allow it to happen it wouldn't but it is near impossible to inform everyone that the knock-offs are not genuine. And even if people know they are knock-offs, they think that we're just charging a premium for the "Velox" name and the parts are coming from the same vendor, which couldn't be further from the truth.

It is what it is, we'll keep on grinding . I just wanted to publicly put it out there that they are not the same, they are not produced by the same vendors, they are not using the same materials. When you don't care about the customer, you can list whatever you want and they copied the construction list word for word directly from our website. We've since changed it to differentiate ourselves.

Thanks,
Eric

Sorry to hear Eric. This sucks. I am a supporter of quality made products. Folks... you pay for what you get. The extra money you spend on authentic parts goes into proper research and development, proper stress and safety testing and QA manufacturing process.

I can't stress this enough especially on certain car parts which could possibly mean life and death situations if it fails. At least buy from a company that stands by their design and testing results.

[VerusEric]

Originally Posted by FrostedFlakes

Sorry to hear Eric. This sucks. I am a supporter of quality made products. Folks... you pay for what you get. The extra money you spend on authentic parts goes into proper research and development, proper stress and safety testing and QA manufacturing process.

I can't stress this enough especially on certain car parts which could possibly mean life and death situations if it fails. At least buy from a company that stands by their design and testing results.

Don't feel sorry for me, feel sorry for the people who purchase that LCA. I honestly don't care that it is a blatant copy, the false advertisement is what scares and upsets me the most. It is a blatant lie.

It is what it is. It hurts the community as a whole but we'll try to shrug it off and move forward with more R&D.

Thanks,
Eric

[VerusEric]

For those curious, we found out definitively that the LCA portion itself is indeed produced from 6000 series aluminum. They will ultimately fail when driven hard enough. It is unlikely they spec'd out the correct adjuster and rod end materials as well, further reducing safety and longevity.

This is a perfect example of what you get when you purchase a knock-off product. It may look externally similar or even the same, but it is not.

Thanks,
Eric

[VerusEric]

We have received a handful of questions through PM, e-mail, and Facebook over the past week regarding both stock and auto-level bracketry.

Stock
We are looking at an early April restock. We have ordered the material and machining will being early March. Ano and laser will follow.

Auto Level Headlight
We are looking into a way to add on a bracket of some sort to install this OEM device which will be optional to keep weight at an absolute minimum for the track/race guys. Hoping to roll that out in April as well.

Thanks,
Eric

[VerusEric]

I finalized a design we liked last night for the LCA Auto Level headlight sensor. Below are CAD renderings. Off to the 3D printer.









Thanks,
Eric