bjgordon

Does anyone have an opinion which is better for the front plate on the 350Z?
(1) Zee-bracket ($39.95) from www.courtesyparts.com (made by Up Front Enterprises
(2) License plate adapter #16321 ($49.99) from www.stricklyz.com
I plan on buying one of the two so I don't have to mount the front plate on the bumper. Thanks for your thoughts.

rdballer

I have the StrictlyZ adapter. The reason I purchased that one is that is does not directly bolt to the grille. It allows a bit more air to flow into the engine compartment than one mounted directly on the grille. The amount of air flow difference will not be great but I thought it to be enough to make a difference. Others have debated me on this thought, but that's my opinion. The StrictlyZ adapter does stand out a bit from the front of the car as well since it bolts to the tow hook adapter.

Z_Coaster

I have the version from courtesyparts.com, but I sware I bought it from stricklyz.com. Either way, no opinion on the one attached to the tow hook.

The Zee-bracket works great for me. I was worried about the air flow as well, but haven't had any issues with heat. On the other hand, I don't live in a desert or anything like that.

Dr Bonz

iTrader: (1)

GET THE Z-BRACKET!!!

Support our very own AUDIOPAT, the INVENTOR of the ORIGINAL Z-Bracket! Anything else is simply a copy!!!

What Strictly Z did IMO was unethical and I for one will no longer buy from them.

That's all I have to say about that.

bjgordon

Thanks for your opinion. I respect it especially from you since we appear have unbelievably similar heads. Not only do I have an 04 350Z Touring, Chrome Silver, 5spd AT (exactly like you), but would you believe I also have a Toyota Sienna AND a Honda Civic; not same years as yours, but same cars. And we both live in California. If you say you're married with two daughters, I'm going to think I've discovered my double.... rather spooky. Thanks again for your opinion.

rdballer

Married with only one daughter for me. Not exact doubles but close enough.

SHO-TIME

iTrader: (9)

You can see mine here.

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=53502

I have experience with both of the brackets. PM me if you want my opinion.

n8vz

i bought the Zee Bracket back in May2003 before the tow hook screw type was avaliable. No problem at all with my Zee bracket. But IMHO, the type Strickly Z sells seems to be a better design, fewer parts and more easly installed(and uninstalled if you need to attatch a tow hook.

Z-INCOGNITO

iTrader: (9)

OH AND ZAINO IS ORGINAL???....

I have the Strictly Z Bracket and i like it...

yobri

iTrader: (2)

Not quite sure what the controversy was about that Dr Bonz mentioned...

Z-INCOGNITO

iTrader: (9)

All im sayin is... Change is inevitable... as long as it improves...

For someone to make a comment about possibly copying or replicating an idea to be unethical seems OUTDATED...

Who knows who orginally invented the car wax/polish etc... but i do know it wasn't ZAINO... and i think Zaino is an awesome product... its one of the best... so is ZAINO unethical?

RoadRagerInTherapy

Please explain to us, Doc, why creating a technically unique, competitive solution to a specific consumer demand is "unethical".

Recalling a Business Ethics course I took as part of my degree, I see nothing unethical about this... they created a competitive product, simply put, and it in no way copies your design.

RJW0501

Fasten your seatbelts.........Here we go!!!!!

bjgordon

Calm down, my friends. I started this conversation simply to gather opinions from bracket owners as to why they prefer one versus the other; not to start an argument. OK, I agree it is not unethical to develop a competitive product, as long as patents are not infringed upon and certainly that did not occur in this case. It's unnecessary for that part of the forum to continue. I appreciate the constructive comments from all of you who told me why you prefer the one you have. It doesn't matter to me which product was first in the marketplace. Sometimes the first is the best and sometimes follow-on products are superior to the original.... it can work in either direction. Thanks again for the feedback, folks.

ares

iTrader: (2)

so much ethics talk on a forum where dozens of people have direct "replicas" of nismo body kits.

not a hit on anyone. just some news, the industry is competitive, and dont expect to have a good product and never have competition.

Dr Bonz

iTrader: (1)

It has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that a competitive product was produced. As you all said, there's nothing wrong with that. I was referring to how one of our own (charter) members was treated in this matter. Was what was done legal? Absolutely! Was it respectable?........Nope.

I will not expound on this any more than this. It had nothing to do with me directly but it did involve someone whom I consider a good friend and a good person.

And BTW, Zaino may not be "original" in that there have been car "wax" products for decades, but Zaino is much more than that and IMO is unequalled and unique.

AudioPat

Z_Coaster, you are correct. My 'Zee-Bracket' was originally sold through StrictlyZ.com. They were kind enough to be one of my first retailers. I even linked their website to mine to steer business their way. I have no problem at all with StrictlyZ developing a similar product of their own design and selling it instead of mine. My issue was that they never told me that they were selling their own product and so for quite a while I was promoting a competative product on my website. Some folks may have thought they were purchasing a 'Zee-Bracket' when in fact they were not. Another lesson learned I guess.

As to the question at hand, I am obviously biased toward my 'Zee-Bracket'. We currently have over 30 dealers across the country and add a few more each month. As for the differences in design, I originally considered the idea of using the tow hook recepticle but abandoned that idea. My reasoning was that in the event of a front end collision, anything in the tow hook recepticle might get jammed in making the tow hook itself unusable. Attempting to tow the car by any other means could cause additional damage to the front suspension.

I hope this clears up several issues that have been discussed here.

Bottom line..It's your car and your money..spend it wisely

Dr Bonz

iTrader: (1)

Well, now that Pat has become a part of this I can add this. StrictlyZ stopped selling the Zee-Bracket without even telling Pat they were going to do so. They did this all the while knowing that Pat was directing folks who had inquired about his product to their (StrictlyZ) web site. For awhile, they even had a customer testimonial that was copied from a Zee-Bracket customer and used it as though it was for their product!

StrictlyZ even "warned" Pat about Courtesy Parts when he went to sell his product through them stating that "they might try to steal your idea"

All it would have taken was a simple, "Dear Pat, we are going to go in another direction on the front plate bracket, we are going to market our own design, No offense, just business. Thanks for your business in the past. No hard feelings, StrictlyZ"

But they didn't even do that. This is what I was referring to and this IMO is WRONG.

jesseenglish

That seems like a pretty slimy thing to do, it's not illegal or anything like that, but still a pretty messed up thing to do to someone.

bjgordon

Since I was the one who started this particular conversation, I wanted to close it by saying I finally did decide to purchase AUDIOPAT's Zee-Bracket. I purchased it from a local Nissan dealer in San Jose, CA and installed it this weekend. True, the installation is more involved than simply screwing into the tow hook, but it was not at all difficult. The instruction sheet was simple and straightforward and it took me about 20 minutes, but that's only because I was nervous and wanted to be absolutely sure I didn't screw up. If I were to do it again, I bet it would take 10 minutes.

Although you do have to drill two holes in the grill, it's almost impossible to screw that up because of the excellent design of the Zee-Bracket. So, add one more very happy Zee-Bracket customer to the list.

And if anyone's interested in knowing what made me select this over the stricklyz adapter, it was primarily because I wasn't too thrilled over the idea of the license plate sticking out in front of the front bumper. Everyone has to make their own decision, but I'm very happy with the results using the Zee-Bracket.

Thanks to everyone for their thoughtful input and help.