Header idea?

[Camarojt]

I have a great idea. Everybody on this forum has seen or heard the debate on Kooks headers being copied by OBX and made overseas at a MUCH cheaper price......So now Stainless Works kinda took a page out of their own book and came out with an overseas option and calls it Stainless Power!!
I assume that they only difference is that they didnt take another persons design and copy it, they took their own design and outsourced the labor in producing it? Am i correct??

If so then why dont Kooks do this same thing. Kooks sells a great header that alot of guys love and are loyal to. So why not combat the OBX header and do what Stainless Works did and come up with their own overseas version of THEIR OWN design and then reap the benefits of both their original Kooks header and their own knock off!!

Maybe they can call the overseas one KROOKS! haha

[Ice Demon]

Because Kooks is known for making high quality headers not over sea cheap copies. Some people like me do not care if they cost a little more because they are better quality headers that make more HP/TQ.

[Camarojt]

Why would they be better quality?? If they are the exact design and same material, the only difference would be the cost in making them overseas. That is why i dont get this reasoning when people say things like Kooks only produces high quality, not cheap overseas crap? That would only be true if in fact the overseas design was being duplicated with substandard materials with a questionable design!!
This would be their OWN design. Not a copy. A response to your statement could be that Kooks enjoys overcharging for their headers Not bc they our perform their exact duplicate of their own. The only logical arguement here that makes sense would be pride in US only. At least that would be a ground to stand on for the company. Which for an average consumer in todays globa market is ridiculous bc as many have said, do you realize how many times in your life you have bought overseas stuff when you clearly had options of buying US?
I think its a great Idea for Kooks to expand their market share and also show people that they could care less what OBX has done with their design. Watch their sales skyrocket!!!

[MarylandSpeed]

The problem is (and I saw this happen with Stainless Works), the second one thing you sell is made overseas, people question if everything else is also and use it to question the brand.

Also, if you are doing business the right way, you never get as cheap the ebay knock offs. Take Stainless Power. They are only really $300 or so less than what you could get American made Stainless Works for. Not the $600-$700 less the ebay copies are. Most of the ebay stuff is coming out of China, and the quality is simply not something Kooks would put their name on. If you have a clue what you are looking at, the quality is not there. This means that you go with a higher wage country like Taiwan where the header costs more because people have a bit better standard of living.

In terms of quality, you always lose something when you off shore. Other countries do not have the same standards as America. That means your header gets made with stainless of a quality that would never be acceptable in the US. Ever wonder why the overseas stuff is so thick? It is because the chinese stainless tears in the bender if you try and use the thinner gauge stainless US manufacturers nornally use. You also get products made by people who work too many hours, and have no clue what they are making. Craftsmanship goes way down. Will you get an acceptable product..maybe, but it's never the same as made in the USA.

Additionally, the business models are very different. Running a real business like Kooks does, has vastly more expense than dumping runs of knock off headers on ebay so cheap there is little expectation of real support.. A business like Kooks still would have US based support along with the expense of R&D and the equipment needed to do it. The CMM arm they use to digitally design headers alone costs tens of thousands. They also have to still pay their American workers for the premium product a living wage. There is a dealer network who stocks, promotes and installs their product..they obviously want to make money. Advertising and sponsorship requests. No one likes all this stuff when it is in the cost of the product, but they like it when they are on the recieving end of the benefits from it. All of this cost gets baked into every header made.

Another issue is that Kooks just recently expanded, and built a new 40K sq/ft facility in North Carolina. They have a lot of money in that plant, and I suspect they would rather use it to make quality products than undercut theselves, and hurt employee moral by offshoring production.

Just thought I would throw a few things out. While I know Stainlessworks is doing it, I don't feel Kooks is at that point yet.

[grocerygetter]

I just want to interject that freaking long tubes are over priced. I think tx speed has it nailed.

[2SS45th]

I just want to say that you suggested outsourcing American jobs to China, parts that are made for domestic vehicles. I personally will happily pay for the work of an American, not some Chinese crap, same quality or not.

[camaro actual]

Originally Posted by grocerygetter

I just want to interject that freaking long tubes are over priced. I think tx speed has it nailed.

[rberns]

Really? Are you seriously supporting outsourcing American jobs?

[rberns]

Originally Posted by 2SS45th

I just want to say that you suggested outsourcing American jobs to China, parts that are made for domestic vehicles. I personally will happily pay for the work of an American, not some Chinese crap, same quality or not.

Didn't see your post until after mine.

I bought ARH LT headers. Where they expensive? hell yeah, but they are AMERICAN made!

[litle88]

Your a Texan with a 2011 SS and want to cheap out on Headers and are in favor of buying Chinese over American and are for companies outsourcing American jobs away?

Frickin Liberals I swear!

Oh sorry welcome to the site? Gtfoh

[ginsberg2@hotmail.com]

Originally Posted by 2SS45th

I just want to say that you suggested outsourcing American jobs to China, parts that are made for domestic vehicles. I personally will happily pay for the work of an American, not some Chinese crap, same quality or not.

[BlaqWhole]

Originally Posted by Camarojt

Why would they be better quality?? If they are the exact design and same material, the only difference would be the cost in making them overseas. That is why i dont get this reasoning when people say things like Kooks only produces high quality, not cheap overseas crap? That would only be true if in fact the overseas design was being duplicated with substandard materials with a questionable design!!
This would be their OWN design. Not a copy. A response to your statement could be that Kooks enjoys overcharging for their headers Not bc they our perform their exact duplicate of their own. The only logical arguement here that makes sense would be pride in US only. At least that would be a ground to stand on for the company. Which for an average consumer in todays globa market is ridiculous bc as many have said, do you realize how many times in your life you have bought overseas stuff when you clearly had options of buying US?
I think its a great Idea for Kooks to expand their market share and also show people that they could care less what OBX has done with their design. Watch their sales skyrocket!!!

I think it is true that a lot of companies do enjoy overcharging. At least they enjoy the benefits. Kooks has been making headers for quite a while now. And they make headers for Mustangs and other vehicles as well as the 5th Generation Camaro. The 2010 and up Camaro is NOT by any means a difficult car to make a header for. First thing I thought when I first opened the hood was "Damn, headers are gonna be easypeasy". All that considered and there is no reason to charge over a thousand dollars for a set of headers. Maybe for the Mustang considering the engine bay. But definitely not the Camaro.

Another thing...people are soo quick to compare OBX to Kooks and talk price and quality. Well there are other companies that do not have as many resources as Kooks. And these other companies did not allegedly "borrow" another company's design. They designed a header and did their own costly R&D just like Kooks and ARH. Yet they charge nowhere near the exorbitant prices that Kooks and ARH charge. So what does that tell you? It tells me that someone is taking advantage of the American consumer. I might catch flak for saying these things...but I feel that I have every right to express myself.

[IndeedSS1]

Originally Posted by BlaqWhole

I think it is true that a lot of companies do enjoy overcharging. At least they enjoy the benefits. Kooks has been making headers for quite a while now. And they make headers for Mustangs and other vehicles as well as the 5th Generation Camaro. The 2010 and up Camaro is NOT by any means a difficult car to make a header for. First thing I thought when I first opened the hood was "Damn, headers are gonna be easypeasy". All that considered and there is no reason to charge over a thousand dollars for a set of headers. Maybe for the Mustang considering the engine bay. But definitely not the Camaro.

Another thing...people are soo quick to compare OBX to Kooks and talk price and quality. Well there are other companies that do not have as many resources as Kooks. And these other companies did not allegedly "borrow" another company's design. They designed a header and did their own costly R&D just like Kooks and ARH. Yet they charge nowhere near the exorbitant prices that Kooks and ARH charge. So what does that tell you? It tells me that someone is taking advantage of the American consumer. I might catch flak for saying these things...but I feel that I have every right to express myself.

You really need to put your hands on each set and pay close attention to the details. Some of those details take more time and material to provide. I've had my hands on them and I would rather go without than to settle.

[BlaqWhole]

Originally Posted by IndeedSS1

You really need to put your hands on each set and pay close attention to the details. Some of those details take more time and material to provide. I've had my hands on them and I would rather go without than to settle.

Regardless of settling...why support a company that unnecessarily overcharges for their products? Especially when other companies that are smaller and have less resources are making quality original headers and charging a LOT less. There is no excuse...