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Fortyone Automotive Blog
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Top 10 Products of 2009 - 2009-12-14 - Mac
As the year draws to a close, we thought we'd celebrate what has been a tumultuous year by honouring the products which have stood out despite all that 2009 could through at them. The following products make our 2009 Top 10 list because their sales volumes, quality and benefits to our buyers have seen them stand out during the recession.
10 -  Zerosports Sequential Controller
There seems to be a disproportionate number of Subaru Legacy's in New Zealand - either that or the controller speaks volumes as to how well it performs! It is quite uncommon for an expensive electronic item to make the top 10 list because buyers generally orientate around interior tweaks, wheels and intake kits. But because it creates such a difference to the performance of the Subaru Legacy Twin Turbo people have flocked to buying it like it's going out of style. For this reason it makes our top 10.
9 - 
J's Racing Wheel Nuts
It is quite a sight when boxes of wheel nuts arrive in shop here and we have to shelve them for storage. The J's Racing wheel nuts make the top 10 list because of the volumes they sell in. Priced nicely between the expensive Japanese options and the no name alternatives, they are so prolific that people often buy one or two extra sets just in case they lose one. They are light and strong, which enables you to shed unsprung weight without the risk of the nut cracking. Because of the volume sold, they easily make our Top 10 list of 2009.
8 - 
Skunk2 Pro Series Intake Manifold
The Skunk2 Pro Series intake manifold makes the list for a number of reasons - sales volumes, benefits, quality, simplicity. They are a particular favourite of our customers because they are proven to give you bolt in power and torque gains. Secondly, they are able to be bored out to a maximum of 75mm, making it possible for your manifold to be coupled with an aftermarket throttle body (see Blox, below) creating a powerful air flow combination. Lastly, they are designed to slot straight in with the minimum of hassle making them easy to work with and cost efficient to install. For these reasons the Skunk2 Pro Series manifold makes number 8 on our list.
7 - 
HKS SSQV Blow Off Valve
When something isn't broke, you don't fix it. Quite clearly HKS have listened. In 2009 the HKS unit was by far the most popular blow off valve sold especially when compared against the Trust Type RS option (which is cheaper) and the Blitz / ARC equivalents. Despite being the most expensive on the list it's simple design, great sound and bullet-proof functionality means that customers keep buying the HKS SSQV Blow Off Valve over the alternatives. As we said.. if it isn't broke...
6 - 
Sparco 345 Steering Wheel
It's not a surprise to see an interior item slip on to the Top 10 list because everyone loves to visually upgrade the 'office'. And it's not surprising to see a Sparco item on the list either because Sparco, Quality and Volume go hand in hand. The Sparco 345 wheel is the Richie McCaw of Steering wheels - always a solid performer, simple but aggressive in its approach, proven results. In particular, customers love the feel of the wheel - the width is aimed at quick lock-to-lock movement, the grip thickness suits most race drivers by default, and the grip levels are about the best around. We could have listed many other Sparco wheels, but the 345 wins because it was the most popular of the Sparco range this year.
5 - 
J's Racing Titanium FX Exhaust
The J's Racing Titanium exhaust is what we call an Apex product here at Fortyone Automotive. By this we mean that there is essentially nothing compromised about its offerings and it fulfils many different needs all in the one product. It is, without spending $10,000 per meter more with Inconel, the lightest yet strongest material you can use for exhausts whilst also being highly anti-corrosive. It is also a powerful system - the straight through larger-diameter design frees up power trapped by restrictive systems. Lastly, it looks great - titanium always does by default! It's certainly not hard to convince customers that it's the best exhaust option available - primarily because of the weight loss (sometimes up to 30kg / system) - and the quantity sold this year easily nudges it into the 5th spot on our Top 10 list. Customers love them!
4 - 
APR GT3 Race Mirrors
Carbon Fibre to enthusiasts represents the end-game when it comes to material fabrication. What we mean is, when a product uses carbon fibre in its design, you can be assured that it will get no lighter or no stronger in any other form - game over. Any product (unless it's purely cosmetic) made in carbon always gets the thumbs up at the office here which is why the APR Carbon Fibre GT3 mirrors makes the list. Because they look great, have been installed on cars from Hondas to Sabre's to Holdens, and because customers love the looks they make the list at number 4. Light, strong, stylish and especially cheap when compared to other alternatives, the APR Mirrors exceed in terms of quality and quantity sold. They also offer aerodynamic benefits whilst minimising the exterior 'impact' of your car. Definitely recommended for low sports cars.
3 - 
HKS EVC S
HKS released their new HKS EVC-S in 2009 and we thought it would be a smart idea to get in 10 of them to see if the market liked the new boost-controller / valve controller unit. We sold out in 3 weeks. Customers loved the step up from the older EVC units - the new design sits perfectly in newer generation cars with modern interiors. Customers used them in standard road cars right through to custom built track weapons and all were overly happy with the results. Simple to use and most performance sparkys already know how to install them! A great new offering at a solid price!
2 - 
Blox Throttle Body
It was never going to be hard to find a spot on the list for the Blox Throttle Body. It was always going to be hard to choose where in the top 3 it would end up. The Blox Throttle body has earnt a reputation amongst Honda owners as being a simple, cheap, bolt-in, never-stick aftermarket unit which creates power and torque - especially when bolted to the side of the Skunk2 Pro Series manifold (see above). But this year, Blox took the offering a step further and released it for the K-Series engine - Hondas current generation of desirable N/A performance engines. Again we thought it would be smart to bring a box-full over, and again they sold out within 2 weeks. Customers informed us the Blox Throttle Body it was simple to install on either B or K-Series engines, that they had no issues with the butterfly sticking (a common issue on poorly designed alternatives) and that the additional noise created (a deep throttle tone) was a nice perk when using the unit. And of course, peak dyno numbers helped cement the Blox Throttle Body in a Top-3 spot on our list. A great addition to any N/A Honda engine (where applicable) for those looking to gain extra inhalation flow and velocity.
1 - 
JUN Cam Shafts
It was a tough decision between the HKS EVC-S, the Blox Throttle Body and the JUN Cam Shafts as to which one would end up in the top spot. HKS lost out because (and not to its detriment) it was only released after mid-year, meaning customers have only had access to it for under 6 months and therefore the sheer volume was not as high as the JUN Cam Shafts, and the Blox Throttle body lost out because it's range was limited to only Honda Engines (we pray for Mitsubishi and Subaru options to be released, they would be easily 1/2 the price of current offerings and would be one of very few genuine options for Subaru and Mitsubishi owners). Which brings us to the JUN Cam Shafts.
People in the industry (those in the know..) know that on price and performance alone, JUN rank as high as any other. They also know that JUN makes cams for many other brands (which we won't be getting in to here) and can therefore appreciate the amount of work JUN does for the industry. What we know is that our customers love them - powerful, reliable (0 failures or issues in 5 years of retail!) and one of the cheapest options out. Few people know that when HKS, Blitz or Trust work on new Turbo kit options, JUN is always at hand to develop cams along side. This is why JUN Cam Shafts operate so well with other brand's turbo kits! Based on customer feedback alone (everyone loves more power) the JUN Cam Shafts would win outright, but we believe that reliability, price, quality and the ethics of the brand behind the name also factor in to the equation. For these reasons the JUN Cam Shafts take number 1 spot on our Top 10 list for 2009.
Japan Sleeps, America Stalls - 2009-11-30 - Mac
The end of November has seen some interesting developments out of Japan with regards to their economic recovery. We've known for some time now that the Japanese economy has been in a rut, confirmed by the slow climb of the YEN (which still remains low, thanks to the state of Dubai!) but now some tangible effects are being passed on to consumers.
This week our friends at J's Racing, who are already the most cost efficient premium option when it comes to Honda racing products, announced that they could no longer shield customers from the raw material price hikes and low demand as a result of the YEN. But they're not the first.
Toda Racing for example have lifted the price on their manifolds by over 10% in the past year. Trust and HKS have both increased the prices on their engine components as well as, in some instances, their exhaust options. Coilover kits are now 5-10% more expensive in both the USA and Japan because of Aluminum costs. Skunk2 have increased their prices twice in 6 months. Voltex are investigating if a price increase on the carbon products needs to be applied, and most other companies who work with carbon (APR, Wald, Nismo, most of the drift brands) are removing bulk-order discounts. The larger brands like Nismo, STI, Mugen are tightening their belts as well, with fewer event attendances, less sponsorship and scaled back racing programs.
Behind the scenes discounts have become thinner for world wide dealers. Advertising is down and media out of Japan and America is becoming thinner. I can count 3 top American magazines that have pulled the plug over the last year!
But the news is not all bad. The traditional business approach of many Japanese companies has been shaken to our benefit. I believe we are seeing an end to the days where the brands rule supreme. Typically people waited as long as it took for the brands in Japan to make and send products. People seldom complained and customers remained loyal. When applied to a Western consumer model, the Japanese system has many flaws - most notable the time frame within which they expect people to wait. With the addition of a plethora of new Western-orientated boutique brands as well as the economic crunch, the main players in both the Japanese and American markets have had to embrace new challenges when it comes to performing in today's marketplace. Nearly every brand has a Blog now - an informal way of portraying the inner workings of a company to the webs masses. This would never have been on any Japanese Directors cards 2 years ago - they wouldn't 'stoop' to that level. Now, blogs are a valued business tool where people can become more connected to a business through up-front and up-to-date information reporting. Businesses recognise that Blogs are a cheap way to retain the interest in the company's brand. Which also illustrates a shift in the mentality of the brand (especially the Japanese mentality!) - they now have to work to retain their customers - nothing can be taken for granted. If JUN can't make the flywheel, Toda can. If HKS can't supply the turbo kit this week, Trust can. You can see how things have become more efficient.
Another benefit is that bulk-order discounts are being offered from brands not traditionally associated with such offerings. Further, now that the brands respect the fact that their dealers have the buying power (because their customers make the buying decisions), they are more willing to offer better discounts to retain the business.
Whilst it is not a dog-eat-dog world, it is certainly but slowly starting to work in the consumers advantage. The shift in mentality is one positive outcome of the recession as is the way the companies are now willing to share information rather than only passing it on when requested. The last part of the equation that we would like to see is a return to stable and moderately high exchange rates, coupled with the benefits listed above!
Also some new updates from Japan
Mugen Staff Blog - Here
Sard Blog - Here
HKS Blog - Here
New Parts From Japan - 2009-10-11 - Mac
As the Japanese economy slowly recovers from both the World Recession and the elections in Japan the Yen slowly betters against the rest of the world, resulting in stronger sales to the Land of the Rising Sun. As such various brands are now starting to expand their product line up.
5Zigen is working on new parts for the 370Z Nissan including exhaust applications, while Trust continues to bring out new electronic items. Carbing is dabbling in new radiator applications (some of the most expensive we've seen to be honest, pictures below!) and with the release of the FN2 Civic in Japan, as well as the upcoming CR-X 'replacement' most brands are gearing up to kick start 2010 with more and more new parts.
As mentioned above not only are buyers getting new parts to oogle over, but the YEN is gaining strength for us resulting in lower part prices. It's now been 22 months (nearly 2 years) since the exchange rates were at least comfortable so we welcome the increasing rates with open arms
New Race Prep from Japan - 2009-09-21 - Mac
Over the last couple of weeks we've seen a few teasers as to what the next time attack season will hold in Japan. J's Racing have finally 'tracked' their new wide-body monster, and 5Zigen are building up their turbo-charged Accord chassis - following in the footsteps of the success they've had in the US with their N/A Accord track car.
C-West and ARC will produce some new parts for the R35 in the coming months to help boost the new accessories now available from HKS and JUN Auto. Also, Toda is now focusing more effort on the Mitsubishi Evolution 10 as they feel it is one of the best track platforms available presently.
Also, keep an eye out in the Option / BMI videos this year for more Spoon Turbo options. We were at Spoon in Japan when their US Spec, turbo-charged NSX was being prepared (it was actually being stripped when we were there, ready for the build) and we were quietly told that more forced induction options were on the cards.
As more and more secret builds come to light over the winter months (in the Northern Hemisphere) we will bring more images and video for your viewing pleasure.
New Business Structure in Japan - 2009-08-26 - Mac
It's been interesting to see how the business model in Japan has been affected with some big names filing for restructuring and the recession hitting - not to mention the lowly state of Japan's export market (because of the super expensive Yen).
Given that we've had a year of this, we've noticed some common trends as a result which can help you make better buying choices. For example, most, if not all brands that outsource their steel manufacturing (think exhausts, bars, etc) produce once monthly. Carbon work is now harder to get a hold of - not necessarily because of cost or rareness - but because it's far cheaper to lump orders together and produce in one lot.
As a side to this, it's now pretty easy to see who the few brands are that still make their own parts. We won't give too much away, but in this class are JUN, Toda, Tomei and select HKS products. Many of the brands now outsource to shed costs (more so than in previous years).
Fortunately now that the world economy is straightening out (but for how long?) and as a result of the brands using outsourcing and order consolidation part prices are beginning to come down again. For example, on some products a the start of 2009, Apexi, Trust and Toda upped their prices between 5-10%. Now with the YEN staying low (for the Japanese) the prices for the export market have come down in line with late 2008 prices.
There's still a good year or so to go, especially in Japan, for things to get back to normal. We still get the odd odd-ball with the orders, where a seemingly simple-to-make item is quoted as taking 2 months (or more!). But for now it's looking as though the ship is righting itself - great news for those with desperately needed parts coming in to the Summer Racing season.
Oh, and here's a new piece from Toda!
Toda Steps Up The Game - 2009-05-20 - Mac
Like any good manufacturer (of which there are few left in Japan who genuinly make their own products) Toda is coming out to tackle the market head on with custom services for parts people may want to us - given the cash! On show recently are their carbon fiber (yes, you read that correct) dampers. Better still, they're taking orders of interest to produce these, and any other custom manufactured part you may desire, as part of their push into new markets.
Also on show was a one piece racing-series head cover / structural member to be used in Toda's race cars. Lightweight yet strong - the way of the future perhaps?
Where Have All The 'Cars' Gone? - 2009-01-31 - Mac
So I was sitting here over the weekend pondering just what the shape of the automotive future will be like - aside from the current credit crunch. There's rules and regulations for nearly everything these days - from the rake angle of windscreens to what material rear bumpers should be made of. Everything it seems is being decided for us by the bureaucrats. Which really inhibits innovation and design. This is why so few concept cars make it to the real world - they're just impractical with current laws - which have shaped consumer demand.
I then started thinking back to when they hay-day of cars was. It's pretty safe to say with the current crop of cars that we're pretty well over the hump - so to speak. Surely the best years for the automobile was through the 80's and 90's as far as we're concerned. Remember the various flavours of Subaru Impreza's, Mazda GTX's, Toyota Supra's, Nissan Skyline's, VW Golf's, Evo's, Lancia's, Hondas' Type R's and Toyota 4AG equipped cars? There was such a choice between so many capable cars that we always felt sad when we bought one because we couldn't buy another 'opponent'.
Currently the vast range of cars are just pretenders. Nissan Skylines still come in various flavours, but lets face reality - they're all trying to look like their bigger brother now, with no where near half the performance. Evo's are still on the shopping list, but the new versions come only once in a blue moon (fortunately in terms of car values this only helps - nothing like seeing a cars price plummet when the next iteration of the car comes out every year!). The lesson to be learned from yester-year is that the companies were aggressively pursuing the best formula to get customers 'excited'. And that's certainly what is missing these days - 'excitement' with cars.
Whilst we're all for green and economical cars around here, we still have to remember that there needs to be a spice in life. The market is open for the large manufacturers to grab, if only they would refine what they did so well in the 80's and 90's, without adding the bits the cars don't need. I never heard anyone complain about not having a flower pot holder in the 91 GTX...
Fortyone Japan Sailing Smooth - 2008-11-29 - Mac
With the weight of the worlds economic problems draining exchange rates and upping the price of shipping there is a silver lining to come from all this chaos. Our Japan 'consolidation' site is now operating as we would have expected all our brands to operate - that is - (for the majority of orders) 1 week shipping and EMS updates with each shipment. As a result the more timely delivery (and status updates of out-of-stock parts) and EMS updates have seen an increase in customer satisfaction and an increase in shipping volumes out of Japan. It's nice to know that when you can get to the point to make a choice to expand in a certain direction - and you do - that it was well worth while.
Also our International sales are growing as the real value of our stock decreases with the sliding exchange rates. As a result our overseas customers keep returning to stock up on goodies - even ordering pallets of oversized items.
However we do not have unlimited stocks and even though we have hundreds of thousands of stock on hand, we'd expect this to sell out in months. So, get in now while you can and be sure to ask us for sharper prices for in stock items!
Economics 101 - 2008-10-21 - Mac
With the current banking crisis in full swing it's no wonder that we're noticing a change in trends when it comes to part purchases. Our stock prices especially are relatively cheap - around 30% cheaper than prices you could buy the same part for now for small items and up to 50% cheaper than you could buy parts for now for larger items.
As a result our stock is selling far quicker than before as sale prices represent massive savings. Furthermore as a result of the weak NZ Dollar (or strong US / Euro if you are outside of New Zealand) we have noticed a large trend in sales to countries that use these currencies. The clubs we support overseas as well as the tuning shops who order through us are appreciating the perks of having such a strong local currency.
But whilst it's good news for Fortyone Automotive, it's tough for the brands themselves. Raw part costs go up at the same time as sales volumes going down - a deadly combination. Stock rich brands will come out the clear winner over the next few months as will service focused brands - like JUN and Amuse - but brands that rely heavily on making products to order will struggle to maintain their pricing / quality advantages.
We've already seen Apexi restructure, and Greddy announced it's plans recently to stay afloat, so only time will tell before we see other brands start to struggle with the books.
Exchange Rates - 2008-09-15 - Mac
September 2008 so far is the worst month ever for the US Dollar and Japanese Yen with regards to exchange rates. As they both plummet products from the US and Japan go up in price. Compounding this problem are the high fuel prices pushing up the cost of transporting products. And because fees such as GST and Duty are percentages rather than flat fees the price of parts grows steadily even with just small decreases in exchange rate and fuel costs.
Regardless of whether or not you are a self-importer of food products, a dealer of car parts or a consumer of shopping-mall goods it hits everyone in the pocket. It's just one of those ebbs and flows that comes round every odd year which hurts one part of the economy and props another part up.
Or is it?
One of the oldest but least well-known secrets leaked its way out of Japan this last week that Trust / Greddy has successfully filed for a protective state in Japan to enable it to keep trading and hold of the people they owe money to. It had been known since March that behind the scenes a fair amount of scrambling had been going on to push sales and restructure expenditure. But what it truly represents is the state of the World Economy where the dollar rules and consumers dictate who lives and who dies – literally. (I should add, that as exchange rates weaken, buying power lessens and sales for the big brands shrink - it's a downward spiral!)
With a mass of counterfeit products and replica parts swelling from South East Asian countries (not to mention the intentional reproduction or illegal re-branding of parts by local suppliers / manufacturers) it's small wonder that companies like Trust, Apexi et al are struggling these days. The ironic thing is that if such illegal parts did not exist the price of the parts from the big brands would only come down, as their market size would increase and through sheer sales volumes pricing would need to be more competitive.
So who is to blame? For the most part companies are providing the back door in to the country for fake, replica or counterfeit goods (it doesn't matter what they're called, 'styled' or otherwise, they're illegal if they are an obvious copy of another company's parts). The IRD knows the 'black market' is worth billions of dollars so it's certainly not a small problem at all. And the consumer must foot some of the blame - companies cannot exist if there is no market to sell to. In a perfect world Governments and patent / copyright Departments would be able to shut down such operations as soon as they became known but that's never going to happen so you just have to focus on the up and work with those that want the real McCoy.
It's certainly going to be an interesting year, as we will no doubt see more and more brands sweat under the heat of the current market situation. In particular stock-rich brands we begin to dump stock at cheap prices to 'cash up' and, as we have seen, brands will openly scout new dealers around the world to diversify their network and increase sales.
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