UPR product failures after 500 miles

[strtrcr50]

The problem I have with UPR, professional products, patriot performance, etc is this.. When you put the innovators out of business by continually undercutting their products that they put the r&d time into, then what will all of us do? No new innovation because there is no profit in it. No new innovation = no cheap knockoffs. To JeremyUPR, I'm not familiar with your product line. Could you please show me a performance part you sell that UPR holds a patent for? One that was designed by a UPR engineer? By that, I mean something you had out first. Not something that had just enough changed to sneak past and avoid a lawsuit. I'm thinking something like an intake maybe? Although Professional Products is happily screwing over Edelbrock, pp's intake isn't anywhere near the quality. Oh wait, you guys are more into suspension, right? Surely with all the products you sell, you are the innovators on one or more of them?

 

[90lxcoupe]

Also are you saying that your suspension components will outperform MM components for drag racing?

A drag suspension is only as good as its setup and if you listened to MM about setting up a drag suspension i dont think it would get you very far. First off, they tell you that a non adjustable ford replacement UCA is the way to go... well anyone that knows anything about setting up a drag car would know that you need the pinion angle right, and also that the rear end needs to be square in the chassis, and if you used MM parts non of this is possible. For a 12 or 13 second car MM stuff is adequate at best. With rubber bushings in a upper control arm and anything over 350 hp you can get the rear end to rotate enough to dent a shock. Yes, UPR stuff will outperform MM at the dragstrip because you could not properly setup a drag car with only maximum motorsports products.

 

[1990_GT]

A drag suspension is only as good as its setup and if you listened to MM about setting up a drag suspension i dont think it would get you very far. First off, they tell you that a non adjustable ford replacement UCA is the way to go... well anyone that knows anything about setting up a drag car would know that you need the pinion angle right, and also that the rear end needs to be square in the chassis, and if you used MM parts non of this is possible. For a 12 or 13 second car MM stuff is adequate at best. With rubber bushings in a upper control arm and anything over 350 hp you can get the rear end to rotate enough to dent a shock. Yes, UPR stuff will outperform MM at the dragstrip because you could not properly setup a drag car with only maximum motorsports products.

MM sells a thing called a PANHARD BAR what that does is give you the ability square the rearend in the chassis. UPR stuff cant hold a candle to MM, Griggs, or Agent 47, they quality is chit.

 

[cenok is family]

i have UPR upper and lower control arms on my car and they are built very well. Same with their full length sub-frame connectors. I've never had an issue with any of them since i installed them on my car, which was about 3 years ago. I have a shift knob from them as well, which i had an issue with a few months after i purchased it. called them up and let them know of the problem, they sent me a new one, no questions asked.

The whole "ripping other people's ideas" thing is kind of iffy. There are only so many ways certain things can be designed, such as control arms, subframe connectors, billet dress pieces, etc. sure, maybe the billet vacuum manifold issue i read in the link wythors posted seems pretty low, but welcome to the world of business. UPR makes TONS of billet items, they see a new one, they capitalize on it. I mean really, what parts have UPR so blatantly ripped off? Control arms? it's a piece of chrome-moly tubing with bushings on the end of it. they must be a certain length, and obviously, a safe gauge of tubing must be used as well. How can you make that and NOT "copy" another company? use triangular tubing? yyyeaaahhh...no. their coil-over kit? it's a threaded sleeve with a spring perch on either end. One of their MANY billet knobs or other dress-up pieces? IT'S A COSMETIC ITEM, get over it.

If you're going to point fingers for "copying", I'm willing to bet you MM and Griggs weren't the first people to make suspension parts for mustangs...

MM sells a thing called a PANHARD BAR what that does is give you the ability square the rearend in the chassis. UPR stuff cant hold a candle to MM, Griggs, or Agent 47, they quality is chit.

So I assume you've owned things from every company you just listed off?

 

[Shaolin Crane]

A drag suspension is only as good as its setup and if you listened to MM about setting up a drag suspension i dont think it would get you very far. First off, they tell you that a non adjustable ford replacement UCA is the way to go... well anyone that knows anything about setting up a drag car would know that you need the pinion angle right, and also that the rear end needs to be square in the chassis, and if you used MM parts non of this is possible. For a 12 or 13 second car MM stuff is adequate at best. With rubber bushings in a upper control arm and anything over 350 hp you can get the rear end to rotate enough to dent a shock. Yes, UPR stuff will outperform MM at the dragstrip because you could not properly setup a drag car with only maximum motorsports products.

???
MM has a nifty little part called a torque arm. Converts the rear end from a 4 link to a 3 link. And dont tell me thats not good for drag racing either, if it was crap it wouldnt be standard on the f-bodies, or the s197 chassis. There is a thread on one of the forums I am on that has a list of people with full road race suspension, same parts and general setup as my car, all in the 10's with less than 500hp.

So tell me how MM's anti-squat bar, 3 link, etc etc wont work for drag racing? And that it wont out perform UPR with the ability to go handling oriented with some spring and swaybar changes?

 

[Shaolin Crane]

MM sells a thing called a PANHARD BAR what that does is give you the ability square the rearend in the chassis. UPR stuff cant hold a candle to MM, Griggs, or Agent 47, they quality is chit.

A panhard bar does little for drag racing

 

[1990_GT]

A panhard bar does little for drag racing

Never said it did, he said MM didnt have anything to keep the rearend from moving side to side, is that not what a Panhard bar does?

@ Cenok I have owned all those brand but Agent 47, but my buddy has there stuff on his car and I put it on.

 

[90lxcoupe]

So tell me how MM's anti-squat bar, 3 link, etc etc wont work for drag racing? And that it wont out perform UPR with the ability to go handling oriented with some spring and swaybar changes?

You just keep tyring to twist it to say that MM is better that UPR. If the 3 link with the torquewas the hot setup then why isnt everyone using them? Why would people invest thousands into 4 link stock suspension setups? If they were that great everone would be using them.... I get it, your never wrong. You asked is UPR could outperform MM on a dragstrip, and now the question has changed to what i quoted above.

Can you adjust the pinion angle with the MM 3 link stuff? Can you adjust the front to back position of the wheel in the wheel well with MM parts without converting to coilovers?

The question you asked first was about a DRAG car. Not a car that can "go handling oriented with some spring and swaybar changes" Who wants to change swaybars and springs everytime they go to the drag strip? Not any dedicated drag racers i know

 

[BK_CAULEY]

NO. I dont want a vague answer for all of there products. Some of there designs are taken from big companies and that doenst piss me off near ass bad as stealing an idea from a single man trying to get ahead in the game. Talk about kicking someone while they are down. I used to defend UPR but that single incident is enough for me to NEVER buy anything from them.

 

[stykthyn]

Not defending anyone or anybody. But most patents are only good for a few years then the product is open to be copied. Wherew do you think generic meds come from? I don't hear anyone complaining about cheaper prescriptions at the pharmacy.

 

[srtthis]

???
MM has a nifty little part called a torque arm. Converts the rear end from a 4 link to a 3 link. And dont tell me thats not good for drag racing either, if it was crap it wouldnt be standard on the f-bodies, or the s197 chassis. There is a thread on one of the forums I am on that has a list of people with full road race suspension, same parts and general setup as my car, all in the 10's with less than 500hp.

So tell me how MM's anti-squat bar, 3 link, etc etc wont work for drag racing? And that it wont out perform UPR with the ability to go handling oriented with some spring and swaybar changes?

heres a question for you... David Wolfe... baddest man on the planet on a drag radial... if that anti squat bar works so well for drag racing, why doesnt he run one?

john kolivius... one bad MOFO on a 275 drag radial running 7.21@194mph at an NMRA event... why doesnt he run one?

BECAUSE THE STOCK SET UP WORKS BEST!

 

[Noobz347]

So...

If I were going to buy a k-member today.... I'd want something that:

is as durable/reliable as the OEM member (primarily street with occational track time)
is lighter than stock
has better geometry than stock
doesn't cause major issues with wheel position or engine set-back

Is the UPR the k-member for my wish list or am I better off with something from a different vendor?

 

[JEREMYUPR]

I think we are taking this from a defective a/c and smog set up off the map to suspension choices????

BK,

I did my best to answer your question. I see that you are not a fan of UPR, all I can do is show you that we try very hard to make our customers happy. I would invite anyone to tour our facility, inspect our products and how they are made. I am not sure if we could ever debate MM vs. UPR, as we understand here at UPR that they are awesome at what they target (handling) and we are awesome in our market (drag racing).

I can tell you that my biggest smile from this debate occurred during dinner last night when I decided to begin a "road racing" line. Like I said these forums only help the customer/industry! I have a meeting with our fabricators tomorrow, to discuss the road race version of our front and rear suspension, and don't worry we will not be producing a panhard bar. Yes GM's have them, but we all know that Mustang's are the car of choice at a drag strip. Probably the reason why so many GM guys are installing chevy engines in our stangs.

All in all I think the guys posting n this forum are a great bunch of guys. Everyone is entitled to their choice--hey some people cheer for the Dolphins here in South Florida--like I said you are entitled to cheer for whoever you choose.

 

[JEREMYUPR]

So...

If I were going to buy a k-member today.... I'd want something that:

is as durable/reliable as the OEM member (primarily street with occational track time)
is lighter than stock
has better geometry than stock
doesn't cause major issues with wheel position or engine set-back

Is the UPR the k-member for my wish list or am I better off with something from a different vendor?

Our k member keeps the stock wheel location. We have seen other companies move their wheel location and cause major issues as to wheel/tire fit.
We do offer the choice on engine set back standard.

We are the lightest kit and offer the most header clearance in the industry.

All chrome moly construction, all tig welded, all made in Florida.

And we are the only manufacturer to give you a "no questions asked" lifetime warranty.

 

[Flavadave4]

There has been a lot of back and forth here with little resolution. It sounds like the original poster has been satisfied with UPR’s customer service after speaking directly with them (although I am sure the public heat on these websites had something to do with it).
As far as them stealing ideas; it’s a slippery slope. I worked in R&D for a company for 6 years and we were constantly watching what the competition was doing and trying to improve, even if that meant buying one of their pieces to see what worked and what we could improve. I don’t own any UPR pieces on my car so I cannot comment on their products, but I assume if there quality was top notch and they were selling these “knock off” parts for less money you would all love them.

To the guy who claims they purchased his vacuum manifold and copied it: I feel your pain, I have stood in your shoes and it doesn’t feel good. Unfortunately, in business it takes money to make money. Had he kept the idea under wraps (not pre-promoting on the internet) and spent some time and money marketing it he would have had a great shot at selling them at a good pace before UPR had a chance to use the design. Advertising is expensive and it is hard for an individual or start up to be seen with out going broke in the process.

Just sharing my thoughts

 

[Noobz347]

Our k member keeps the stock wheel location. We have seen other companies move their wheel location and cause major issues as to wheel/tire fit.
We do offer the choice on engine set back standard.

We are the lightest kit and offer the most header clearance in the industry.

All chrome moly construction, all tig welded, all made in Florida.

And we are the only manufacturer to give you a "no questions asked" lifetime warranty.

Thanks for the response Jeremy. Your presence and responses in this thread have definitely given you a foot-hold with my business that you did not have prior to yesterday.

I hang out (like a lot of folks) with people who like a lot of the same things that I like. Conversations begin and folks chit chat and we talk about our mods and our buddy's mods, and on. Like I mentioned before, UPR rarely came up in a positive light (deserved or not) so it was never a company I went looking for when it came time to buy parts... No internet bookmark in my favorites and hadn't ever really spent much time on your site.

Well, I've got one now. I'll be purchasing in the near future and give UPR a shot. Rest assured, I'll pass along my success or failure and give an honest account of likes and dislikes. My current suspension has some modification but Lord knows, it can use more. lol

Thanks for coming by and answering questions!

I'll hit up your website for specific questions about parts.

 

[JEREMYUPR]

Dave,

You are correct for the most part. We were not put under any pressure by this post. Our customer service is the same all of the time. This post just made us aware of the issue. The customer sent us an email before the post which made its way into a spam folder, therefore we automatically deleted it. Now we will be checking the spam folder as well, lol. Most people view this as a bad post or bad press, we don't. I view this as a way to interact with fellow enthusiasts and learn as we go.

 

[Flavadave4]

Dave,

You are correct for the most part. We were not put under any pressure by this post. Our customer service is the same all of the time. This post just made us aware of the issue. The customer sent us an email before the post which made its way into a spam folder, therefore we automatically deleted it. Now we will be checking the spam folder as well, lol. Most people view this as a bad post or bad press, we don't. I view this as a way to interact with fellow enthusiasts and learn as we go.

"heat" might have been the wrong word choice, "public awareness" would fit my thoughts better. Being in R&D for those years I understand how items such as a bolt can go unnoticed until the customer has failure (its amazing what can change when products go from paper to poduction) I also understand you have taken actions to make it right which is a step in the right direction

 

[Shaolin Crane]

You just keep tyring to twist it to say that MM is better that UPR. If the 3 link with the torquewas the hot setup then why isnt everyone using them? Why would people invest thousands into 4 link stock suspension setups? If they were that great everone would be using them.... I get it, your never wrong. You asked is UPR could outperform MM on a dragstrip, and now the question has changed to what i quoted above.

Can you adjust the pinion angle with the MM 3 link stuff? Can you adjust the front to back position of the wheel in the wheel well with MM parts without converting to coilovers?

The question you asked first was about a DRAG car. Not a car that can "go handling oriented with some spring and swaybar changes" Who wants to change swaybars and springs everytime they go to the drag strip? Not any dedicated drag racers i know

Yup you're right, never wrong
So to answer your question, yes you can adjust pinion angle on a 3 link
I never said that a drag oriented car needed a spring and a swaybar change, just that it is a nice option to have, btw a sway bar on the MM setup is a literal bar, take less than 10min to change

=srtthis]heres a question for you... David Wolfe... baddest man on the planet on a drag radial... if that anti squat bar works so well for drag racing, why doesnt he run one?

john kolivius... one bad MOFO on a 275 drag radial running 7.21@194mph at an NMRA event... why doesnt he run one?

BECAUSE THE STOCK SET UP WORKS BEST!

Please, dont try and tell me drag racers arent running anti squat bars, last psca event i went to 75% of the ca had them. Now we're arguing that anti squat bars arent good for drag racing cause you list 2 people that dont run them come on, john urist, conrad scarry etc All run anti squat bars. MM makes one too that was my only comment and asked how UPR's is better

BTW most s197 cars dont run them, and why? Because they are 3 link, if the 4 link was so superior why arent they stock any more? Why is the factory standard either a 3 link or an IRS?

 

[srtthis]

Please, dont try and tell me drag racers arent running anti squat bars, last psca event i went to 75% of the ca had them. Now we're arguing that anti squat bars arent good for drag racing cause you list 2 people that dont run them come on, john urist, conrad scarry etc All run anti squat bars. MM makes one too that was my only comment and asked how UPR's is better

what in the hell is an anti squat bar first? i can tell you NO ONE runs anything called an anti squat bar... hell MM doesnt even sell anything called an anti squat bar...

are you refering to an Anti roll bar? if thats what your refering to the that does nothing to make it like a 3 link...