Who are these guys?

[Paul Fischer]

Royal Automobile Investors! Man, it's good to be King(man). Actually Steve and WingKing are very creditable guys, and wouldn't endorse or promote anything they don't absolutely believe in. I saw the EBC brakes at Steve's tent at Viper days (we looked like a bunch of homeless huddled around the charcoal fire he had going there one cold Saturday morning, Kingman's pointy knit hat was unforgetably described by Bill Pemberton as "the resevior tip":LOL

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and they will be among the first wave of additions on my next car. And the price of $150 for a four wheel set is refreshing for those of us that shell out $300+ on pads for a little track time.

 

[Michael Martin]

One of the guys is Kingman "Wing King" Hitz out of the Dallas club. The brakes that he is offering are EBC which are manufactured in England... they've been around for years marketing to the biking community. I've used them on my various street and offroad bikes... have a set coming for the Viper to try out. Several folks in the Dallas area are trying them as a cure for squeal and dust problems. I have heard that there has possibly been discussion to use them as OEM on future Vipers!?!

 

[Mike Brunton]

Basil,

I can personally vouch for Kingman - one of the guys involved in "greatbrakes.com". I've heard that these pads are "the ones to have" and I will be putting them on my snake as soon as I can!

 

[Wing King]

Gee guys..... I'm blushing!

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We appreciate all the kind words. However, they should REALLY be directed toward EBC Brakes of the UK. Who are these guys? Well, they're an "overnight success", that's been in business for more than 20 years. As for us at "GreatBrakes".... we're just trying to spread the EBC Gospel and help them build their business in the United States. Fifteen months of talking with them and testing the product was involved at my end, before deciding that they were definitely needed in the Viper Nation.

I expect this is going to be like Zaino started out long ago on the message board. It's going to take a while for the word to spread. Some owner running EBC pads is going to see his buddy on hands and knees, scrubbing and cussing at his dirty wheels covered with brake dust. He'll chuckle, and say "let me do you a favor..... come over and look at MY wheels"! OR, someone will ask him.... "do your brakes squeak like mine?" Again, with a smile, the info will be passed on to someone else.

It's really good to hear the words of faith from other owners I know, but try the product if you have those problems, and give it a chance. From the performance aspect, unlike some others, EBC is VERY upfront and public about the specifications for their pads, disclosing full details about their operating temp ranges and friction coefficients. I really enjoy that extra knowledge versus just "try my pads.... they'll work good on your car".

I'm not knocking other competing pads..... everyone has their place in a free economy. This is somewhat of a "niche" product, overwhelmingly suitable for the average Viper owner who wants to maximize the capability of his stock braking system, while bagging the noise and dust. We're still going to be evaluating the upper heat range pads (red and yellow) over the next year and all the results will be made public. In the meantime, my brakes are silent, and I no longer travel with a "california car duster" to just BEGIN the task of cleaning the wheels. I'm happy, and believe you will be also. Thanks for the opportunity to respond, and I hope you will visit the first crack at our website, www.greatbrakes.com soon. We'll be improving the site as we go along.

 

[dtittle]

Hey King, Steve & Steve,

Congratulations on your new venture and I can't wait to get the pads for Steve's new system. I'm very excited to see how they work.

Best of Luck, Tittle


P.S. Not to mix but good business opportunities don't come along often. You should go to www.corvetteforum.com and check the 1997/2000 C5 Tcch/Performance discussion forum as there is a thread out there regarding your pads and it might be a good opportunity for you. Tell them to call me as I'll vouch for you. Good luck.

 

[Will]

Just curious, but how do they compare to the Porterfield pads.

-W

 

[Wing King]

In response to Warchie, just let me say that I don't think it would be professional, appropriate, or responsible of me to presume to debate the qualities, either good OR bad, of someone else's product. EBC publishes and gaurantees the features of its pads, along with technical specifications on temperature and friction. You should compare them with the published claims and specifications of any other competitor, and then, of course, evaluate any difference in price.

I would refer you to the post I first made in the "suppliers" forum, where these discussions should probably be taking place. It details the reasons why I went looking for a pad like EBC's offering in the first place, in comparison to what was already on the market. Best regards.

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[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

These guys are confirmed Viperholics and the rumors that Kingman Hitz is in treatment for 8 hrs a day, but doesn't know it , are entirely true. Seriously, you can't go wrong with this company, as they extremely dedicated to ViperNation and they are a really great bunch of SnakeNerds. All three are Ex-Green Berets ( part of the special task force Anal Retentive Army) , so you can write it in concrete,they DID the research. I have a set of their pads I plan on trying at the next ViperDays event I attend, and I'm saving up for one of their Scooters. You will enjoy doing business with them, and I seriously doubt you'll ever find anyone who doesn't like them - except maybe Porsche owners.Buy with confidence , and the good thing is they are VERY REASONABLE, price wize!!

 

[Kurt 97 GTS]

I, too, can vouch for King and Steve (It's so nice for someone to make a post asking a question and then have this kind of positive response - definately seeing a pattern here

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). Both are great guys and I am getting the pads on my car ASAP!!! Congrats guys, can't wait to start spending my time on something other than cleaning my wheels!!!

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[Supercharged Vipermad]

Kingman Dude! You've been holding out on ME! Undoubtably so you can pass me at Viper Days! I'll get you for this! Skip, King is cheating!!!!

(Will they fit on my Dilusi brakes?)

 

[Wing King]

Oh dear! Jeff..... um... I guess you've caught me "red handed" keeping this a secret from you. Yea, I have to admit Dilusi and one of their customers already have a set for that application on order.

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I'm humbly embarrassed that we tried to slip this past you. HOWEVER, as one those of your friends who know and love you, and respect your ever increasing driving skills. I can only hope you'll accept my feeble explanation.

Jeff....man.....my bud....... I confess I've been afraid you would get them...... and end up sending them back broken in more places than EBC has ever seen......

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(I know I'm a newbie at talking this "smack" stuff, but I just HAD to!!!!)

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[Double Venom]

Sir Kingman,
My mentor...
Will they work as well on a car that is almost a 1,000 lbs lighter than a GTS?
I may have a whole new market for you.

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DV

<FONT COLOR="#ff0000" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by Double Venom on December 19, 2000 at 22:55</font>

 

[Wing King]

Ed.... yes they work just as well on lighter cars. In fact, EBC's auto pads are all over Europe. They started their automotive applications in that market, beginning with those generally "lighter" vehicles in that part of the world. I'll E-mail to discuss your application. Hope your V-10 powered
"Double Venom" Cobras are doing well!

For everyone else's info, Ed's Viper powered Cobras are AWESOME. Ed came from Ohio to participate in last years Texas Motorsports Triathlon, and we had a great time together. Our match races on the dragstrip versus my GTS were one of the most fun parts of that event for me. What a great sportsman!

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[Double Venom]

That day was a highlight of my racing career. What a privilege just to be invited!

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<FONT COLOR="#ff0000" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by Double Venom on December 20, 2000 at 20:59</font>

 

[Hisser]

I also know him on a personal basis, and I can tell you that this is one guy you will probably not ever find a bad post on. He is sincere, honest, and humble as they come. Dont understand why with a bad asp car like his. Good luck Kingman with your new adventure and can wait till my new pads get here...