Cheap Egay camber plates... good or instant death?

[Def]

Originally Posted by racepar1

The tein camber plates, and all tein products, use NWB bearings. NWB is pretty much the top manufacturer of spherical bearings in the world. For sure 3-piece, and for sure either a teflon or PTFE liner. That is why I reccomend their camber plates, because I KNOW what bearings they come with and I have PERSONALLY punished the fuck out of their camber plates and have had absolutely NO problems. I had a set of their camber plated when I crashed in the canyons. The impact sheared the strut shaft off, broke my TEIN tension rod, and absolutely crushed my FLCA (not to mention bent the fuck outta the chasis). My buddy is STILL using the same camber plates the I bought like 3 years ago, and crashed with, and I am STILL using the rod end from my broken tension rod on my e-gay trac arms (that happen to look EXACTLY like the early SPL arms). I have battle tested their products, the bearings in particular, and the bearings are the last thing to go. The MOST important part of any suspension item (other than the shocks themselves) is the bearings used in them and a lot of people don't seem to understand that. The e-gay camber plates asked about in this thread will most likely not break and cause you to die, but they WILL require replacement MUCH sooner than the ones that I reccomend. Most people simply do not have the knowledge and resourcefulness to source bearings and figure out how to replace them so a worn out bearing generally means a whole new part. You will save money in the long run by buying a quality part the first time rather than buying something cheap that will have to be replaced every year or so.

If anybody thinks it's that hard to whip out some $15 digital calipers and find a standard off the shelf bearing of the same dimensions - then they shouldn't be modifying cars in the first place.

Tein camber plates have a crap design that eats up shock travel. I'm not impressed in the least by them. I'd also hardly call NWB bearings the best in the world... but I guess that's more of a personal opinion.



There's nothing magical about a camber plate being able to take high loads compared to a strut rod in bending - basic machine design makes that pretty obvious. I guarantee my Koni 8611s would snap before my eBay camber plates ripped in half.


I guess I just realize where most of the "JDM tyte" stuff is manufactured, and if you have some basic knowhow, it's not that hard to get a very nice bearing in the plate and have a fairly cheap solution overall. Plus they don't eat up anywhere near as much travel as Tein plates.

[spool_sample]

Originally Posted by Def

I love all the people who've never seen them talking about how crappy they are. They're no different than the run of the mill $200ish of "name brand" camber plates.

Do you think those Tein camber plates are made from any special materials? Hardly. The only thing those do well is eat up shock travel with a stupid design - but hey, they're Teins, so they must be good right?


This thread is full of people talking out of their ass who have never even seen the product in question.

Quoted because this is completely true and everyone needs to read it again.

I got a set of lightly-used Tein plates for the Konis I built, and after putting them on, I can honestly say that I would have never paid full price for them. It's not a huge issue at the moment, but once I get some adjustable arms and drop the car more, shock travel is going to be pretty limited.

A set of eBay plates with a different bearing would probably be better than Tein or Cusco plates for much less money. Hell, if the OP doesn't buy them, there's a pretty good chance I will.

So people can see what Def is talking about:


The snout on the bottom is completely unnecessary and wastes travel. The front of the car would drop an inch if I got plates without the stupid snouts on them.

[racepar1]

Originally Posted by Def

If anybody thinks it's that hard to whip out some $15 digital calipers and find a standard off the shelf bearing of the same dimensions - then they shouldn't be modifying cars in the first place.

I TOTALLY agree with you here, but the fact is that most people wouldn't know the difference between a digital caliper and a fucking tape measure.

Tein camber plates have a crap design that eats up shock travel. I'm not impressed in the least by them. I'd also hardly call NWB bearings the best in the world... but I guess that's more of a personal opinion.

The design of the tein's does leave a bit to be desired, but it is a better bolt-in long term solution than the e-gay crap. The real truth about bearings is that the brand generally doesn't matter. Pretty much every bearing company makes some very good bearings and every company makes shitty ones. You just have to be aware of the design of the bearings you are buying.

There's nothing magical about a camber plate being able to take high loads compared to a strut rod in bending - basic machine design makes that pretty obvious. I guarantee my Koni 8611s would snap before my eBay camber plates ripped in half.

I'm not trying to say that the tein parts have magical durability powers or anything like that, but it is totally possible (and more than likely) that a lesser bearing would have been permanently damaged by the shock load that it takes to shear a strut rod or a tension rod.

I guess I just realize where most of the "JDM tyte" stuff is manufactured, and if you have some basic knowhow, it's not that hard to get a very nice bearing in the plate and have a fairly cheap solution overall. Plus they don't eat up anywhere near as much travel as Tein plates.

Ya "JDM tyte yo" can blow me. In the last year or so I have learned how to actually do research rather than just believe the hype. For you and me sourcing and installing a bearing to make these plates something worth using is not a problem. I personally use rear suspension arms that were e-bay specials that I bought off another board member. I just upgraded the e-bay quality rod ends to something worth using. The arms themselves are the exact same thing as the early model SPL arms that SPL was re-selling with different bearings. You are right that the tein plates eat up I would say about 3/4" of travel, but for the average joe it is a much better solution than these e-bay specials. TEIN is not the only option either. There are a multitude of options in the price range that I originally described that would be good, long term, bolt in solutions. That is exactly what the OP is looking for, bolt-in, not something that you have to modify.

[babowc]

lol, you can never win arguing with this guy.
he's always right, you know

[Def]

I'm using the "egay" plates on my car right now with 8611's up front and they work ABSOLUTELY FINE. The bearings were tight, but most cheaper bearings are. Just worked them in a bit and sprayed some dry film PTFE lubricant on them and they are doing fine.

I'll replace the bearing, but they work just fine as they are.

Like I said, the hardware is of comparable quality/materials to what you'd see on other "name brand plates."

[usajdm]

Some very-well made points here.
+1 to Def for sure.

Just something to think about as far as pricing, quality and a brand name is concerned.

After reading through this thread, I asked my eldest brother to give me a ballpark on the cost for materials to dublicate a set of CUSCO camber-plates that I had handy.
Approximately $20 and some basic tools that should be in any serious automotive enthusiasts arsenal.

Sorry for veering of topic, but my point being.... at what point do R&R, "top quality materials" and "in-house", stop justifying the price that the "name brands" offer their products at.

Quality is a must, especially when safety is at hand.
But I still cant justify something like a $100 shift knob.

Hopefully this will give you something to think about during your next purchase.

[mademedoit]

Originally Posted by spool_sample

Quoted because this is completely true and everyone needs to read it again.

I got a set of lightly-used Tein plates for the Konis I built, and after putting them on, I can honestly say that I would have never paid full price for them. It's not a huge issue at the moment, but once I get some adjustable arms and drop the car more, shock travel is going to be pretty limited.

A set of eBay plates with a different bearing would probably be better than Tein or Cusco plates for much less money. Hell, if the OP doesn't buy them, there's a pretty good chance I will.

So people can see what Def is talking about:


The snout on the bottom is completely unnecessary and wastes travel. The front of the car would drop an inch if I got plates without the stupid snouts on them.

That's a very good point, most Nissan's are limited in shock travel anyways so plates like Teins will only amplify the problem . Thanks guys I appreciate all the good arguments on this thread. If I do have to replace the bearings a year from now its no big deal, good bearings don't cost that much nor are they hard to replace.

[Def]

The ebay plates are designed with the bearings being user replaceable. There's a retaining nut holding it in, so after removing it you just press it out and press a new one in and reinstall the retaining nut.

[racepar1]

Originally Posted by w00tang

lol, you can never win arguing with this guy.
he's always right, you know

Who is arguing? This is a discussion. My opinions differ from DEF's and we had a conversation without getting butthurt and insulting eachother, or making sarcastic posts. I have a good deal of respect for DEF's opinions as he has earned it with his posts, both on zilvia and another forum. You on the other hand have done nothing to earn my respect, made a sarcastic post in response to my post, and got all butthurt by my response to your post. I still do not think that these are the solution that would suit the OP best. The tein's are probably not the right solution either, they are just what I have experience with. The OP needs to do his own research and determine what is right for HIM.

EDIT: I take it back wOOtang HAS earned my respect, via PM.

[babowc]

lol.
i'm the one butthurt and left a neg rep.
i'll end it at that.
takes two to make a clap, right?lol

[DJ_Sunrise]

What Racer said.. Solid bearings are prone to more vibration, and therefore more abuse...I'm sure the physical flat portion of the plate and hardware may be the same as cheaper brands, but what about the bearing? It simply won't last as long... And remember... YOU CAN ONLY HANDLE WELL IF YOUR ALIGNMENTS RIGHT!!! So make sure you get taken care of. Ahhh credit.. No, I don't mean to brag about the exhaust. I was more or less letting those interested know what I am doing with my soon to come tax returns. My bank accounts empty, and I need to save up for school.. Long live the 240 dream though..

-Bart

[gprb25]

Originally Posted by Def

I'm using the "egay" plates on my car right now with 8611's up front and they work ABSOLUTELY FINE. The bearings were tight, but most cheaper bearings are. Just worked them in a bit and sprayed some dry film PTFE lubricant on them and they are doing fine.

I'll replace the bearing, but they work just fine as they are.

Like I said, the hardware is of comparable quality/materials to what you'd see on other "name brand plates."

Def and Racepar have made some sood points. +1 to both of you.

The company selling the camber plates are a local company to me and I have great personal experience with them. I am using their RUCA's and toe rods, as well as stabilizer links.

I know a few people running these plates with no problem as well. And you said it Def; If you wish, you can just change out the bearing. My stance's pillowballs aren't all that great, which reminds me I need to hit them up and see about some replacements. I guess my point is, for the price the quality isn't as bad as some in here make it out to be.

[racepar1]

I had a bit of an epiphany last night. The TEIN upper mount design does not necessarily mean less useable travel. With full length adjustable coils, like my flexes, the upper mount has nothing to do with shock travel as I have separate adjustments for pre-load and ride heighth. On a coilover that only has adjustment at the spring perch it could mean less useable travel, but it could not also. The REAL question is: What runs out of travel first, the shock or the tire? If the tire hits metal before the shock bottoms then the extra travel gained by using a shorter upper mount is un-useable and dangerous. It is much better for the suspension to bottom than for the tire to bottom as it can damage the tire or jerk the wheel in a direction that you don't want to go. My guess is that that is the reason why the TEIN's eat up some travel, to make sure that the tire does not bottom in the wheel well. Of course this depends on the wheel/tire combo that the user has. If the user is running 15's or 16's then bottoming is probably not an issue. If the user is running 17's or 18's on the other hand it may be an issue. What do the tanabe upper mounts look like? If the tanabe's are spaced down similarly to the tein's then you may not want a shorter mount as the suspension is designed for either a stock (which eats up some travel too) or an upper mount similarly designed as the tanabe one. This might be an issue and it might not, but it is something to consider.

[just1pepsi]

yer car will blow up if you dont drop hundreds on the plate. end of story.

[backroadtouge]

moral of this story, spend as much money as you can justify on the things that keep you on the road. like suspension parts. otherwise spend your money how you feel on exhausts or shiftknobs or whatever else you feel you want.