To break this thread down. OP is blasting on just this one company. Its obvious that he want to put down ARK no matter how they respond to him. I think ARK made the right choice not to deal with him.

HECK THEY WERE ONLY TRYING TO RELEASE A HFC that does not hiss or rasp. NO wrong in that right? That should be merit in itself.

 

My 750 dollar invidia (of original design ) has better welds than the 1k+ ark on my friend's car. Hell, his tips are brown no matter how much he cleans them.

 

Sorry to say but Ark had it coming to them. I remember specifically about an unhappy customer complaining about the exhaust he received from Ark that had damage to it (scratches). He tried to communicate with them but they stalled and stalled. I remember feeling sorry for the guy. From the time he received the exhaust to the time he posted a thread to complain, 3-4 months had already past! I don't recall if it was ever resolved! At that point, I knew they were not the type of company I wanted to deal with. I don't care how good their exhaust sounds. So whether OP was really inquiring or had it out for them, either way Ark had it coming....

 

Let me get this straight.

True dual Y pipe -- Dual resonators -- Cross X pipe (where two Pipes merge together) -- Center dual canisters -- Adjustable clamp on tips..

Original Design??
MXP
BERK
Invidia
Megan

All of these exhaust have to follow OEM exhaust lines. Utilize the same OEM hangers and work with the limited space they have.

If your going to arge on cost of item, this is subjective as well.

I had the HKS and then i bought the ARK exhaust. I switched becuase it sounds better and I had some money left over.

If the FI exhaust had dual resonators on it would you go after them as well or does their quaility and price justify for their originality?

I think if you guys want to attack a specific vendor, why not go for CNT, Motordyne, and X02? They are copies as well or does their low pricing justify for their originality?

Lastly, ARK's customer service was outstanding on this forum. I remember neverbonestock's thread. They took care of him like a champ. Even though Neverbonestock went with another exhaust, he still stated that the customer service was great.

 

highwind, you're confusing knockoffs/derivatives and originals.

Do some more research, and break it down into two lists.

The fact still remains: my original question was never answered.


When the exhaust doesn't make power, ARK says it's designed to be quiet.

Yet, when people say its too loud, they say it's made to make power.

 

I would. Actually, I do go after them. I hate Rota, Vargaysten, and AIT, too. Like Mike said, True dual design with X pipe configuration are derivatives of each other.....they don't call them "signature" designs as the aforementioned ark does of their dual canisters.

That being said, I'm switching over to HKS soon. I'm willing to spend my money on a nice, high quality JDM part.

 

Lol, Im beside you in every post you did in this thread except this one.

When did ARK said its loud due power its delivering while they said its quite exhaust when they first released it?? I never heard they said that..

 

Read here...
It's hard to determine if they were actually stating they made a better exhaust than HKS, but you get the idea.
It's nice to have products created, yes, but not to claim they are better than a company which paved a way for them to create their products.
It's not just this company that he's called out. He's questioned a few and invited them to some inciteful debates. Most have been entertaining...

He ended up getting a sponsorship deal through ARK....
Basically ARK admitted their mistake and gave him a low cost exhaust to keep him quiet.

 

HKS makes 1-2WHP. Yet you guys boast about how great it is.

Mike's argument might have been constructive until he added a pinch of bias towards it.


--------------------------------------------------------------
That being said, I'm switching over to HKS soon. I'm willing to spend my money on a nice, high quality JDM part.

All HKS parts are not made is Japan. You can have a nice JDM packaging materials and boxes. But more power to you.

----------------------------------------------
Neverbonestock never took the sponsorship deal. Yet he still praised ARK for their Customer Service

He ended up getting a sponsorship deal through ARK....
Basically ARK admitted their mistake and gave him a low cost exhaust to keep him quiet.

 

For those asking where Ark themselves said they were better. If you compare their first post in their closed thread and their posts in this thread, you'll see inconsistencies. I'd pull up the quotes for you, but I'm on my phone. Perhaps I've read them out of context, but it certainly seemed like they were backtracking to me.

 

Whoops, looks like Bref took care of the quoting for me, sorry for not seeing it before I posted.

 

I will personally put getting a dyno done with our exhaust with a baseline to the top of my things to do. The dyno will be done with our ARK GRIP exhaust only. It will be done at SP engineering in the City of Industry. Once that is up regardless of gains, we will provide videos and dyno sheets.

I do agree with some of the points that OP has made and take in the criticism that some may have. We will continue to bring higher quality and more innovative products to the G community.

Until then, please direct all your questions to me. I will try and answer them to the best of my abilities. We want to continue in becoming an active Vendor, Manufacturer, and enthusiast in this community. In doing so, eventually gaining more respect for our company and the products we produce.

Thank you.
Alex

 

Yes sorry, they offered, but he declined... How much frustration did he have to go through before being buttered up and becoming satisfied though? I remember reading a long thread with nothing, but complaints going on at first.

I'm just pointing out what I have read... A good friend of mine has been working with ARK on getting a product created for the AWD, and he has nothing but good things to say about them. But then again, does anyone ever complain when a company is doing something special for them?

 

Alex, would you mind putting the car on a dyno that eliminates wheels, tires, and tire pressures as a variable?

I will pay for the additional gas it takes for you guys to drive out to Church. PM me a paypal address and I will gift the funds.

Alternatively, how about EAS's dynojet? Again, I will pay for any additional driving that needs to be done.


Just trying to eliminate as many variables as possible, and going to a shop unfamiliar with ARK.

 

Alex I applaud the support you have been giving in the forum and definitely will consider ARK as an exhaust system (im still in the break-in period of the car)... Please keep in mind actions speak louder than words. Please pass this on to your customer service. It is fairly disturbing when I hear from other forum members that they were not taken care of when an issue arrised and did not come to an agreeable solution. Its all hearsay which I will admit but nonetheless distrubing. I also believe that your forwardness to address these concerns publicly at least shows that you and your management (allowing this communication) are class acts and should be taken seriously when considering a substantial purchase. Bravo...