You do know that widening your tyres and/or track directly affects the turning of your vehicle and increases the loads on your suspension?
Yes. It also provides the suspension with a more solid base in emergency situations. If the impact was significantly greater, manufacturers wouldn't offer you larger wheels on the same vehicle that is placed at a higher spec level (and price, of course).
Purchase a new car and do a non-factory ''upgrade'', then take it back for a service. See how they react. A mate of mine had to remove his 70k worth of shocks, mags and tyres (not cheap, no name stuff either) from his Beemer as it was still under warranty. They argued that the vehicle was not designed to run with the sizes he installed and thus his warranty would be voided if something related to them failed, ie a suspension component.
You would also find another anecdotal example of dealers having no issue with performing the services and upholding the warranty despite modifications.
Mods done by the local hot shop do not equate to factory-fitted options, which have likely passed necessary tests and will not affect the safety and handling of the vehicle.
No, they do not, but as I said, a few manufacturers offer aftermarket parts as factory-fitted options (Kia, Hyundai and Toyota as examples). The only difference between these "factory-fitted" options and you buying it from another seller, is that the manufacturer charges you to fit them.
Thing is, I doubt Audi Sport purchases a set of Bilstein shocks off the shelf. Those are more than likely designed and manufactured to the specs of their LMPs cars and that is all carried out by qualified engineers. Obviously Bilstein don't make nonsense off the shelf products, but, a quality, reputable product does not mean quality workmanship nor does it guarantee that the correct components in relation to the vehicle were used.
So, you think that a reputable aftermarket suspension company, who supplies parts for Audi's Le Mans cars, does a hack job on the rest of their equipment? Yeah, I don't think so.
My argument is this; Audi Sport employs qualified people to carry out engineering work and has things specially made for their racing cars. There is no guarantee that a mod shop is run by qualified guys. They could be guys that have ''taught themselves'' and they are using universal products for a wide range of vehicles with differing baseline performance capabilities.
By that logic, you should only take your car to the manufacturer to have the wheels aligned, because the likes of Supaquick do not have the engineering know how or the specific products on hand, to make the adjustments on vital components of the vehicle.
And let us not kid ourselves, the majority of mods are to do with looks and speed, not safety.
Looks, mostly. But if you really believe that someone who has simply added larger rims and tyres, lowered his suspension and tinted his windows should be tarred with the same brush as someone who has done a backyard turbo job on his car to win a street race, then that is silly.
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