Sam Strano

Do you gain more information by having a conversation with someone or by reading the web? Can a person speak faster and cover more ground by voice of typing? I'm not at all saying that you can't pick up useful information on the web, you can. You can also get bad and misleading information as well. Frankly anyone with a internet connection can post what they think and if they do it well, it can read very well.... might not be accurate, but can seem that way.

Further, how many times have you read a post from someone saying "I did this, it's great" with no further detail? Or "you should do this" with no further detail? Is that good information? Might be, but without background who knows.

If you were design a house, would you do it online or prefer to speak to a builder? Doctors want to see you to diagnose an illness. It's hard for me to do those things being it's a big country, but what I can do is have a conversation with you that's more detailed than any e-mail can be, and that comes from actual experience with cars and setups (and more than one or two). Forums are references, like encyclopedia's... but they aren't fact checked. And we all know that the amount of information about anything far exceeds what's in print in any one place.

It seems to me that you think I'm saying you must call me, and must listen to me exactly, and that you have no other options. I'm not. You can call who you like (or not), but that when I discuss parts, I want to know things, and I want to explain things and I do that better and therefore a better job for the customer by speaking to them. I think it's called customer service. And if you think I'm full of crap, that's fine and you gave me my chance to best serve you.If younot want to call, that's fine and I'll be posting. But I cannot possible get into print and explain every option(s) that exist. Nobody can, and what's more most won't.

I'm not a volume company. I'm a service company. My name on the door, my reputation, myway of life. I tell you what I think, and more to the point--why and explain myself. You don't often find that, andI never tell someone they need a partjust because.

08Steeda

I have all Steeda suspension parts on my 2008 GT. It is so much more than just about the springs.

Steeda has some great packages that have seen a ton of positive press.
http://www.steeda.com/products/suspension_paks.php

I have the G-Trac Suspension Kit - Stage 3. It is amazing how it has improved not just the stance but the over-all handling, eliminated almost all wheel hop and hook's like nothing I have driven before!

There are a ton of great options and packages by different suppliers, but you need to do more than just springs. Speaking to someone like Sam would be an education so you could make a more informed decision.

Sam Strano

Agree completely. Suspension are systems and there are a lot of parts that must work in harmony if you want a specific result... no different than any other system with multiple parts involved.

You can buy a package if you like. Doesn't change the fact there are so many, and all are different. You still need to the need and the want if you pick a package based on anything more than it sounding good. EVERYTHING is supposed to sound like a winner, that's called advertising.

I'm a Steeda dealer. I have no reason to not recommend a Steeda kit if I think it's best. I just believe I can do just as well or better with the variety of other parts we have. And maybe with fewer parts and at a better price to you. However, if a Steeda part is what I think would be best, that's what I'll recommend. Unlike a lot of vendors I do carry more than one line of part, so I can pick and choose what's most suitable for the need. There are some parts we make or have made, and some that I prefer because I was involved in the building of. I'll also tell you why something is better if I think it is. I'll tell you why it's not if I think it's not. I'll tell you if it's the same if I think it's the same (whether I sell that brand or not).

Mustang world is tough, it's much rougher than GM world because you have a lot more competition in the market. And bluntly speaking it's not rocket science to build say... a PHB. It comes to quality and value. We have PHB's that other don't, that doesn't mean the rest suck (so do, most don't). Simply that I use what I'm comfortable with and a reason why. However, suspension stuff like shocks and springs and bars, and the combinations of them are much more dynamic, and aren't so simple.... and that's what I do best.

UrS4

Well put.

Forums are good for some things, but can be very bad at times. There is a disconnection that one feels when typing on a keyboard regarding someone else's opinions. Things get misinterpreted, tempers can fly. There is also no real protection from slander on forums, except a modorator's quick action to pull damaging posts, or other members coming to the rescue.

Forums are a double edged sword when it comes to sponsors. They pay an advertising fee to have their busines's sites listed and can promote their products and expertise freely. On the other hand, and back to the disconnection point, a forum member can post complaints whether true or unfounded for everyone else to see, which can be nerve racking for the sponsors, as they are putting some part of their businesses' future in the "hands" of perfect strangers who they arenot be able to personally talk with to clarify or rectify a problem BEFORE it is broadcasted over the internet on possibly numerous mustang sites. Accindents happen and not every part or product or service sold will be perfect, and yet most people remember the one time something bad happened. If you think I'm an a**hole and instead of talking to me directly and waiting for a resolution, you go on every mustang site you can think of and tell everyone there I;m an a**hole, those people that may have been considering buying a product from me will remember that and now I have lost a future customer by probably no fault of my own. It is rare that someone with a problem that is rectified comes back onto the sites and tells everyone the good news.

I can understand the frustration sponsors feel when they measure the benefit of giving out their expertise for free hoping for a sale to come their way vs educating the general public about your livelyhood and not seeing a return in the bottom line.

Finally, forums can be a pain in the a** in regards to learning accurate and pertinent information. How many times have you made a post and waited days hoping for what appears to be an educated soul on the subject to share their knowledge with you. You could have solved it in two minutes over the phone, but apprently the internet is more 'convienent'.

I commend Sam Strano and all the sponsors here at MF for taking all our crap and still trying to help us out everyday with our superfluous posts looking for the quick fix.