AAmerican Racing Wheel manufactured in China!

[Ridge K.]

Re: AAmerican Racing Wheel manufactured in China!

I don't know what this China 'bashing' is all about and frankly I don't care. Seems to me we've forgotten that during WW2, China was our friend and Japan was our foe...

I had an employee whose father flew with Jimmy Doolittle and ditched his plane in China after his 60 Seconds Over Toyko. A decent number of Chineese patriots who covered for him while they transported him inland and south out of China were executed by the Japanesse. While he was alive, he had no hesitation about buying products made in China IF they were of QUALITY construction.

My point: quality products can come from any source on earth. Why disciminate on source/country of origin vs. the product itself?

Just as David Banwarth stated, I agree with Jack 100%.
The proven facts about World War II speak for themselves. Young folks today seem to overlook these facts.

As far as labor conditions, that's an issue for the Chinese people to rectify. Just as Americans have done.
History shows that was the reason for the birth & growth of labor unions. To improve atrocious labor condtions in the early days of railroading, and mining.

.....Now back to corvettes.

[Joe L.]

Re: AAmerican Racing Wheel manufactured in China!

One thing they can't make in China and Japan is food. We lead everyone and you can't live without it..

Tim------


You'd be surprised just how many food products are now imported from China. It usually does not say that on the label, though.

[Chris E.]

Re: AAmerican Racing Wheel manufactured in China!

If you go out and buy Sony, Mitsubishi, etc. "consumer" electronic gear for your house, the chances are it will be made in China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, etc. But, if you buy the real HIGH END Sony, Onkyo, etc. gear----the kind of stuff where you pay 2000 bucks for a receiver, that stuff will usually be made in Japan.

I'll try to keep this brief since this isn't an audio discussion board.

The real high end audio stuff is almost all made here in the U.S.A. Brands like:

Mark Levinson (Elkhart, IN)
Krell (Orange, CT)
Magnapan (White Bear Lake, MN)
Wilson Audio (Provo, UT)
Transparent Audio (Saco, ME)
Audio Research (Plymouth, MN)
Wadia (Saline, MI)

This is where you're spending $2000 for a PREAMP (just the volume control and source switching part of a receiver you'd find at Best Buy, the amps are separate).

Unfortunately for the car industry, almost all of the manufacturing has left these shores.

[Dick W.]

Re: AAmerican Racing Wheel manufactured in China!

I'll try to keep this brief since this isn't an audio discussion board.

The real high end audio stuff is almost all made here in the U.S.A. Brands like:

Mark Levinson (Elkhart, IN)
Krell (Orange, CT)
Magnapan (White Bear Lake, MN)
Wilson Audio (Provo, UT)
Transparent Audio (Saco, ME)
Audio Research (Plymouth, MN)
Wadia (Saline, MI)

This is where you're spending $2000 for a PREAMP (just the volume control and source switching part of a receiver you'd find at Best Buy, the amps are separate).

Unfortunately for the car industry, almost all of the manufacturing has left these shores.

But look at the circuit boards and see where most of the components come from.

[Chris E.]

Re: AAmerican Racing Wheel manufactured in China!

Sure, probably overseas, but the manufacturing ideas, talent and capability are within the USA.

Materials sourcing is one thing, manufacturing capability and expertise is another.

[Joe L.]

Re: AAmerican Racing Wheel manufactured in China!

All------


I should have mentioned in my previous post, just because the American Racing wheels are made in China, that, by itself, does not make them bad. They might be very good. In fact, they might even be better than the originals. I've mentioned this same sort of thing on numerous previous occasions. However, I understand and appreciate the emotional and philosophical issues involved here.

As I have also mentioned before, I have noted that there has been a dramatic increase in the quality of Chinese-manufactured goods over the years, just like there was years ago with respect to the quality of manufactured goods from Japan. Japan went from being a laughing stock to being virtually the world standard. China is on the same path. We don't have to like that, but that's the fact of the matter.

Also, as I have said previously, if one is rigidly adverse to foreign manufactured components, don't even think about buying a new car, including a new Corvette. The foreign parts content of new cars, including and especially Corvette, is HUGE.

[Clem Z.]

Re: AAmerican Racing Wheel manufactured in China!

I agree with Jack 100%.

If it's about preserving US jobs, that's one issue.
If it's about buying a quality product at a reasonable price, that's another.
The marketplace decides the rest. There's good and bad, no matter where it is made.

the US govt,EPA, chased most of the smoke and fire manufacturing out of the country. the cost to meet the rules was too high and it was much cheaper to move off shore and with cap and trade coming you better start looking for those old farm windmills to generate you own power as it is going to get very expensive. remember they said they were going to make it so expensive that no one will build a coal fired power plant and i can't believe the miners union campaigned for this

[Paul B.]

Re: AAmerican Racing Wheel manufactured in China!

the US govt,EPA, chased most of the smoke and fire manufacturing out of the country.

....and now I find it IRONIC the American Gov't is going to go broke(as if it isn't already)paying out billion$ of dollars of unemployment insurance.

[Clem Z.]

Re: AAmerican Racing Wheel manufactured in China!

....and now I find it IRONIC the American Gov't is going to go broke(as if it isn't already)paying out billion$ of dollars of unemployment insurance.

don't worry we are going to put everybody back to work building windmills.

[Ridge K.]

Re: AAmerican Racing Wheel manufactured in China!

don't worry we are going to put everybody back to work building windmills.

Clem, you haven't heard the latest. Windmills are out.
The generators get hot, and this heat contributes to global warming.
They're out.....

[Jim B.]

Re: AAmerican Racing Wheel manufactured in China!

All------


I should have mentioned in my previous post, just because the American Racing wheels are made in China, that, by itself, does not make them bad. They might be very good. In fact, they might even be better than the originals. I've mentioned this same sort of thing on numerous previous occasions. However, I understand and appreciate the emotional and philosophical issues involved here.

As I have also mentioned before, I have noted that there has been a dramatic increase in the quality of Chinese-manufactured goods over the years, just like there was years ago with respect to the quality of manufactured goods from Japan. Japan went from being a laughing stock to being virtually the world standard. China is on the same path. We don't have to like that, but that's the fact of the matter.

Also, as I have said previously, if one is rigidly adverse to foreign manufactured components, don't even think about buying a new car, including a new Corvette. The foreign parts content of new cars, including and especially Corvette, is HUGE.

An incredibly interesting thread. As an engineer growing up in heavy manufacturing and design throughout the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and into Y2K+ I can state that unequivicably the death of heavy manufacturing in the US is being planned right now. And it is not by folks offshore. They are just exploiting what we are doing to ourselves. Its not always the chase for cheaper labor or environmental/labor issues but mostly it is the chase for higher short term profit. Remember, we elected the folks who gave us the EPA and all the rest.
Back to corvettes. I agree with Joe. The original torque thrust wheels were often failure prone on the drag strips I frequented in my youth. The Mag Wheels were even worse. Most serious reacers treated them as bling and not racetrack material. Myself, I always loved the street look of the torque thrusts and the ones built by (sic) "American Racing" are at least true to the original design and from what I have seen are far more rugged and could be used on a track.

The ony way we can fix this assault on American manufacturers is in the voting booth as the founders of our nation envisioned.

[Clem Z.]

Re: AAmerican Racing Wheel manufactured in China!

An incredibly interesting thread. As an engineer growing up in heavy manufacturing and design throughout the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and into Y2K+ I can state that unequivicably the death of heavy manufacturing in the US is being planned right now. And it is not by folks offshore. They are just exploiting what we are doing to ourselves. Its not always the chase for cheaper labor or environmental/labor issues but mostly it is the chase for higher short term profit. Remember, we elected the folks who gave us the EPA and all the rest.
Back to corvettes. I agree with Joe. The original torque thrust wheels were often failure prone on the drag strips I frequented in my youth. The Mag Wheels were even worse. Most serious reacers treated them as bling and not racetrack material. Myself, I always loved the street look of the torque thrusts and the ones built by (sic) "American Racing" are at least true to the original design and from what I have seen are far more rugged and could be used on a track.

The ony way we can fix this assault on American manufacturers is in the voting booth as the founders of our nation envisioned.

i ran a set of american real mag wheels on several of my mid years and my Z28s and i used them for track days and auto crossing with no problems

[Michael F.]

Re: AAmerican Racing Wheel manufactured in China!

the reason US outsources is simple, $$$$, people in china etc. work for diddly and don't have epa to protect them, no real labor laws etc. true the quality is coming up, fault is ours, we priced ourselfs out of market with unions, high cost, tough rules to protect us and look where we are now. we still prodluce the most engineers of any country, just can't compete with foreign low cost. the world is about money and money runs the world, way of life.

[George J.]

Re: AAmerican Racing Wheel manufactured in China!

The US is still a leader at developing technolgy, but it often goes into production overseas, and often in new plants under close supervision of US managers/engineers, so quality is usually as good as it would be in a US plant once the labor force is trained, and the Chinese are good workers - maybe better than many US workers who expect cradle to grave benefits for as little effort as possible. That's what killed Detroit!


Duke,
I think we sell our workers a little short, sometimes. I have never seen a Chinese product that matches the quality of an American made one. Never. And still being in the heavy manufacturing business, I hear all sorts of stories about people having to replace cheap Chinese junk, after it breaks, with what they previously used.
I also have less anger towards the unions than I used to and more towards management and Boards of Directors that gave in to union bargaining. They are the owners and owner's representatives of these companies and have not run them in sustainable fashions. Their pay is too high for them to need to make sure the company survives for the long term. That said, there seems to be a change in the atmosphere in Detroit. I think they have had the "you know what" scared out of them.

George

[Dick W.]

Re: AAmerican Racing Wheel manufactured in China!

Tim------


You'd be surprised just how many food products are now imported from China. It usually does not say that on the label, though.

They just announced that the last sardine factory in Maine, and in the US, is closing down partially due to the harvest limits placed on the herring. The majority of the sardines sold in the US today come from China and Thailand.

We have done to ourselves by electing politicians that are utterly clueless, by the laziness of the American worker, demanding more rewards for less work, I could just go on and on.