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Texan
18-11-2004, 09:26 AM
Hello,
I'm a Honda guy in Texas, and I was thinking about moving to Australia after I graduate college in the summer. I've got some pretty good connections in the aftermarket industry here in the states and I was thinking about starting a bussiness to import some of the aftermarket Honda stuff we have here, but I'm not sure what you guys can get, or what you want.
I figured I'd start here with the all motor guys (I'm one, so I like y'all better already). Can you guys get the aftermarket Dart b-series blocks? HASport swap mounts? What about Eagle rods and cranks? AEM intakes and ECUs? Block gaurds?

I'm looking into Venom nitrous kits and Progress suspension as well, since they don't seem to have Australian distributors yet.

So that's my story, sorry this isn't strictly in keeping with the forum guidlines, but I just wanted to get some real input from people.

Thanks!
-Aaron

N4CER
18-11-2004, 09:50 AM
Hi there, welcome to ozhonda :)

With regards to aftermarket parts...I own a 7th Gen (MY03) Civic, and have alot of trouble finding aftermarket parts for my car (intakes, body kits, etc...), would definately be interested if you were to bring parts for my Civic in :)

WPN.22R
18-11-2004, 10:12 AM
hey dude!

eagle and aem are everywhere here, but all the other parts i havent come across. we need distributors of skunk2 parts!! esp parts for the h22a as its becoming popular to mod here in aus.

ive had a hard time waiting for shipping and actually getting parts in (for my turbo set up) i used to be on h22a.com getting advice from all the guys in the u.s, cos its not popular in japan as it is in the u.s., to work the h22a.

-good luck with it!

Weq
18-11-2004, 11:09 AM
We done get any kind of pre-made blocks around here. ALl custom. conversion mounts are a good start, defaintly will be popular. Nitrous is illegal down here so done bother. AEM EMS is big down here, but intakes - alot of people still grab then from the US.

ProECU
18-11-2004, 11:33 AM
Dart Blocks

Mr. Focus
18-11-2004, 11:38 AM
d series turbo kits!!!! hint hint ;)

Texan
18-11-2004, 01:04 PM
Thanks for the response! I didn't even think about Skunk2, but I'll try and get in touch with them. We have just about every concievable type of swap mounts here in the states, and I'd definately like to bring those. H22 parts are relatively rare here too, but only in comparison to the B-series stuff.
So nitrous isn't that popular? It's illegal here too, but that doesn't really stop anybody from using it. But then again, in America, it's only illegal to *use* the NOS, so you can still technically have it in your car.

I'd like to touch base with some shops in Australia as well, but I'm not sure who to call. Any recomendations? I'm hoping to sell to local shops as well as have a web page for direct sales.

Thanks again for the feedback. I'll gladly keep taking suggestions for more brands. I'll keep you guys posted on how things develop.

-Aaron

tekling
18-11-2004, 01:17 PM
where abouts in australia will u reside...hopefully melb =)

Texan
18-11-2004, 01:37 PM
My wife and I really like Perth, but it seems to be pretty far from everything. To be honest, I'm really not sure where we'll end up. We're mostly just focused on getting out of the states; the political situation is getting to be a bit much for us. Most of the population seems to be on the east coast, so I guess we'll have the first warehouse there.

-Aaron

LatinoHatchCrap
18-11-2004, 01:59 PM
Hi there! I lived in california before and I now live in Melbourne. I think you and your wife would love Melbourne. Its the worlds most livable city :)
Back to the topic. We need cheaper parts period. Most of the new stuff we get from our current suppliers is priced at a premium reflecting the fatc that goods are usually brought in "on order" rather than stock sitting in a warehouse ready to ship.
I think we lack:
- NON GENUINE cosmetic parts. Like c/f duckbill wings/spoon style mirrors/spoon style lips/mugen style lips/wings west kits eg r/s , etc etc.
- Skunk2 goods - all of them!!!!
- hasport products
- ENGINE SWAPS!!!!

Hope that helps!!

cheers,

Joe

luzinit
18-11-2004, 03:40 PM
also bolt on turbo kits .. in the US rrp for greddy bseries kit is like 3400.. but on some sites u can find it for 1k less than that ! need more turbo hondas here in aust, as well as n/a ;p

Texan
18-11-2004, 04:26 PM
The timeframe on this is at least six to nine months, as this project is just getting started. But the enthusiasm I'm getting here is really encouraging. I think this will work, and I think I can make it happen. Keep posting on this thread. If I can show the manufacturers that there is a definate demand, this can come together alot faster. None of the things you've mentioned so far are hard to get ahold of in the states at all. If you guys want this stuff, we can get it. Think of it as a petition for cheaper and better parts.

-Aaron

crx_16x
18-11-2004, 05:22 PM
Dart blocks can already be purchased through Quantum Racing Industries in Melbourne as well as the full range of A.E.M. products.

www.qri.biz

[G]
18-11-2004, 05:34 PM
There are also distributors for skunk2 here.. Dynodave and another joint in QLD (cant remember name)

sivic
18-11-2004, 06:25 PM
a bit of d-series (and ZC) stuff would go down well as D's are the majority of engines rolling around at the moment. things like cams and stuff (cams for ZC's especially ;) ). it would be good to have someone specialising in US parts that is easy to order from.
btw- weather is better in Perth. maybe it gets a little hot at times but being from texas you'd be use to that. plus we have a clean river and awesome beaches. and we dont get the four seasons in one day ;)

xKx_31
19-11-2004, 01:29 AM
A lil info on the distributor for skunk2 wares in Australia ...

Dealer for skunk2 in Australia.

Austrack Motorsports
2/109 Arias Rd
Minto
Australia

www.austrackmotorsport.com.au

Hope this helps.

bumography
19-11-2004, 01:40 AM
welcome mate !!
we need more gen2 CRX aftermarket rice accessories!
cos they cost shitload here !!! :(
eehhe
adnt heres SOOOOOOOOO MUCH on american ebay

xKx_31
19-11-2004, 01:49 AM
welcome mate !!
we need more gen2 CRX aftermarket rice accessories!
cos they cost shitload here !!! :(
eehhe
adnt heres SOOOOOOOOO MUCH on american ebay


Rice?? Aesthetics?? Shouldnt you be looking at HK instead? :confused:

Pardon me for my ignorance :confused:

Texan
19-11-2004, 04:15 AM
Ok, here's an update.

-Skunk2: No problem, I can bring their entire catalog.

-Engine Swap Mounts: Again, no problem. I can bring the motor mounts, and custom axles and shift linkage. Obviously H22 into Civic, hopefully K20/K24 into early Civics as well. Are B-series mounts needed? I know you guys can buy your Civics that way.

-Turbo Kits: We're going to develop our own line of kits. I'm hoping to have a 3-tier system with common manifold/turbo/downpipe. Stage-1, non-intercooled, basic starter kit with an FPR. Stage-2, intercooled, black-box spark management. Stage-3, no fuel management at all. Add your own ECU and boost all it'll take. This should be good for ~11psi on a stock d16. I'd like to have kits for both b-series and d-series.

-Progress Group Suspension: I think you guys will love this stuff. Their coilovers are rebuildable with shortened bodies. They ride low, but have a good ride (MUCH better than JIC), and are notorious for pulling over 1G on the skidpad with street tires. They also have springs and swaybars.

-Aero parts: These guys are hard to track down, so no info yet. The US market is absolutely awash with imitation spoon and mugen parts, but the manufacturers tend to be a little fly-by-night. I'm working on this one.

Here's the basic plan so far. We'll be a distributor to stores, but we will also have a direct sell website. In order to avoid competing with the stores directly, we'll likely offer a multi-year "membership" for a nominal fee, so that all you guys who build your own cars can just call us. We'll keep the fee low, just enough to placate shop owners worried about being undercut.

That's the story, keep the advice coming, and I'll keep you posted.

-Aaron

IRI
19-11-2004, 07:32 AM
keep the advice coming, and I'll keep you posted.

-Aaron

Advice - Come to MELBOURNE!!! It's the FOOD capital of the world :D

LatinoHatchCrap
19-11-2004, 07:49 AM
Im interested in the coilovers especially the rebuildability option.
Theres already a few shops making good coilovers and providing good service and local support (HONBITS).
Personally Im not keen on buying anything that doesnt have local support especially when the car is gona see road racing during summer.

--eskimo-eg--
20-11-2004, 11:07 AM
how bout the shipping cost n the tax etc? pls work on them man, so we can all get some nice and quality US aftermarket stuffs here, cheap! keep us updated :thumbsup:

BLKCRX
20-11-2004, 11:44 AM
The biggest problem with importing into Australia, are government changes, and the simple fact, our after market Honda sales are VERY VERY small in Australia compared to the USA. Sadly there’s simply not enough sales to warrant ultra low prices here. Remember in the US, Honda’s are like Fords and Holden’s.

If someone can source parts from the USA with lets say %20 discount on top of already ultra low prices as found on some websites, once the goods hit Australia you typically have a 50$ surcharge for handling fee’s plus 15% import tax and 10%gst, not to mention shipping costs.

So already the Australia government adds a good 30% to the final price by the time it lands here.

Then like any business, it takes time to order items, time to clear goods though customs, time and money to run / setup a business, so once a business imports parts they will want to add profit on top, other wise why do it in the 1st place ?

Then you have to worry about the US to Aust$ exchange rate, which is constantly changing b/w 0.55 and 0.77 that alone can effect price by 25% plus or minus depending where the $ sits in the market, and a distributor can’t change there retail prices every month to account for this.. then there’s the question of keeping stock as the $ rate changes.

The other biggest thing killing Australia importers and distributors, is everyone one of US, who doesn’t support already local distributors. If everyone stopped parallel importing, and brought off the one supplier, that supplier could bulk order, distributors wouldn’t be afraid to keep stock which in the end after time would result in lower parts to the end user. I think as a community we need to support local Australia distributors more, rather than looking for E bay bargains or trying to save a little bit of $ importing via doggy means…. But hell, no one will ever do that, and our community is to small to even try.

If you look at parts already available here in Australia, and consider all the above facts, most are very reasonable, run by business’s that need to make money to allow them to continue supporting our community…. The only way it could work would be if manufactory made products here, to save on tax’s or sold parts to distributors with 70% discount, but who as a manufactory would do that ?

That’s my 2 cents on the topic…

Regards James

wynode
20-11-2004, 01:34 PM
I agree with what James said about the problems relating to costs and delays with brining things into Australia from oversears, but this is something that Aaron is going to have to sort out.

The biggest problem here is that we don't have access to the wide range of products that the US has nor do we have it at a decent price. I take it Aaron, that you are trying to help reduce this problem ?

Anyways, as said before.....the biggest thing IMO would be both d-series and b-series turbo kits. There are a lot of questions asked here and many people have to dish out the $$$ to go custom (which they shouldn't have to do). But lets not get into an arguement over custom vs. turbo kits.

In regards to where you should stay, i'd advise either Sydney or Melbourne as thats where most of your business will be. Sydney living costs are a bit higher than Melbourne, so maybe take that into account.

Ok so yeah.......my main thing is that you should bring some good D and B series turbo kits :)

Choongas
22-11-2004, 12:35 AM
yep simply not enough people in Australia, and not enough people who modify their cars... no huge demand. :(

panda[cRx]
22-11-2004, 01:22 AM
eh who asked u james :D
i'd rather be buying stuff from him if same price as from ordering online anyway coz if anything id would save the wait (even if it is only a week or 2 depending on supplier)
and plus if theres something wrong with the product i can hunt him down and give him a taste of Oz croc dundee styles "thats not a knife, THIS is a knife"
hehehehe

dont bother bringing too many k20a mounts as i dont think anyones even tried this in aus yet (yes as sad as that sounds) main mounts required are b series mounts. we dont have much of a honda all motor scene here in aus unike the US.

like weq said turbo kits would go well (if decent kits, not crap)

um anything else has already been said i guess

XXpl0Sive
22-11-2004, 01:27 AM
What BLKCRX has said is quite true, the aftermarket support for Honda's in Australia is tiny compared to that of the states, hence it will be hard for you to break into the already small market.

I find that the majority of serious car modifications/aftermarket support are directed at turbocharged cars such as Subarus and Nissans, and if you can get cheap parts to Australia, your business will be much more prosperous, but then again, most the parts for those cars come from Taiwan and Japan..

Texan
22-11-2004, 06:28 AM
Hello everybody. Thanks for the reponses, and especially the criticism (this is potentially the most constructive). There's been alot of valid points made, and I'd like to address them, and fill you in on a few details that have been hammered out so far.

Here's my theory on why the Honda aftermarket in Australia is so small. You can't build fast cars easily. If the US market didn't have bolt-on turbo kits and lots of hybrid parts for motor changes, we wouldn't race Hondas much either. Without the parts, everything has to be custom, nobody can build a good base of knowledge about what works and what doesn't, and everybody is basically shooting in the dark. In Japan, Hondas are often overshaddowed by the factory turbo cars as well. In many ways, a Silvia or a WRX is simply a better way to build a fast street car. But Hondas are fun. They are great cars, and in Japan, even though the Honda is not the centerpiece of the street scene (as it is here in the states), there is still a healthy thriving aftermarket.

I agree that the costs of getting the goods to Austalia is going to be considerable, and its something I am investigating right now. The exchange rate is absolutely unfavorable to getting cheap prices in Australia. Import tarriffs and customs charges will only make the costs higher. This is all true, but I'm not neccisarily trying to bring things in at a bargain basement price, because frankly the Australian market is simply too small at this point to allow for it.

What I wish to do is to simply make the parts available. I want to bring high quality pieces that will allow the market to grow, and as it gets bigger, higher and higher stock levels can be achieved, and prices will fall. The fluctuation of the exchange rate is not as big of a long run concern as it would initially seem, as maintaining credit lines in both countries allows for some insulation against exchange rates (i.e. buying US goods in US currency credit when the exchange rate is particularly unfavorable) I absolutely agree that long run stability will require production in Australia for the Austalian market. Both the turbo kits and motor swap components could easily be made in Australia as soon as I make local contacts. These items will only be imported initially, until I can find suitable fabricators.

I am going to attack the Honda aftermarket with a two pronged approach. I am placing a very high priority on the turbo kits. I am currently seeking my initial capital to begin R&D. I am envisioning turbo kits for the EG and EK Civic with both the B16 and D16 motor. I wish to offer three "stages," with stage 3 including an intercooler, BOV, all piping, and ECU "base map" software for either Hondata or AEM. I want all the turbo kits to include BB-T28 turbos, and a common manifold/turbo/downpipe arangement so that one could easily upgrade to a higher "stage" when money/desire allows. These kits will be very high quality and offer lots of potential. They will offer very quick spool, and depending on the exact wheels we end up choosing, offer 260-300hp of available flow (though you would need a built motor to achieve this.) This turbo is rapidly becoming the "standard" street turbo on <2.0L applications in the US for very good reason The kits will be designed to offer lots of room to grow.

I am hoping to have a first prototype within two months, and have the entire line ready to go by the begining of summer next year, with dyno results of all of our combinations, and a few prototype kits to send to the Australian motor press for testing.

The other avenue I'd like to pursue is hybrid mounts. These are the cornerstone of the US tuning industry. I'm hoping to offer mounts, axles, conversion wiring harnesses, and shift linkages. I'm even pursuing the feasibilty of importing the chips that allow B and H motors to run on D16 ECUs (this lowers the cost alot) This takes the guess work out of swaps and allows even a modestly equiped shop to succesfully build hybrid cars without the myriad of reliability and quality control problems that inevitably plague custom swaps. None of these parts would be impossible to produce in Australia; again, as soon as I am able to track down suitable fabricators. With these parts, and the Skunk2 parts I'm hoping to bring, building a damn good all motor car will be ALOT easier.

I absolutely agree that in the long run, the way to get a wide range of parts cheaply is to develop a central distributor that has everything. The US market has these, with NOPI, Summit, and JCW. I'd like to do something similar in Australia. My plans for start up include to EG/EK turbo kits, the swap hardware, and Skunk2's Honda catalog. My long run plans include anything and everything. Clutches, body kits, superchargers, wheels, you name it, I want it. But I've got to start somewhere. I might not be able to offer super-low prices at first, but if I can get off the ground, the swap stuff and turbo kits could be made in Australia, and prices would fall rapidly.

I believe that the Honda aftermarket in Australia is constricted only because of parts availability. I'd like to lessen the problem, and as time goes on, and more and more parts could be made available, at ever lower prices, I believe the market will expand as well.

Thanks for the input, keep it coming.
-Aaron

BLKCRX
22-11-2004, 07:44 AM
One word for everyone !!! Support Australia Distributors !!That’s the key to make any of this work !!!

If you look at Phil from Austak or Rocket or VPW, over the years more and more people have been buying products for honda’s and typically each time I buy something for my clients the price has always comes down !! not 2 mention there product lines have increased.... YAY for supporting Australia !

With turbo kits, here’s a handy hint… remember Garret Turbo’s have one of there’s largest manufactory plants right here in Australia ( Sydney) There’s no cheaper place in the world to source the “turbo” than Australia. They make on average 100 turbo’s a day, and there factory is a amazing place to visit, plus there top guys !


Regards James

pornstar
22-11-2004, 09:48 AM
Tex,

Before you go out and start bringing in large amounts of turbo kits, let me add in abit of my own experience. Many people will say yeah bring this in, yeah bring that in, but these same people wont be buying your kits, this is NOT targeting anyone on this post, its just the way things are in general.

The next big issue I have is that most turbo ktis in Australia are quite good. Products like AVO kits, TRUST kits from Toda_au they would all suffice in 99.95% of cases for the job required. The problem is that everyone wants somethign for nothing, these kits are great for street and in the right racing trim they run very fast times on the quarter mile. What people dont realise in Australia is that a factory turbo honda with abit of boost say 8psi usually means a 12-13 second car if they can get the setup for traction right. Not many people will agree with me, because most of these people havent been to the drag strip or even drove their own car down the strip.

Im not trying to deter you from entering the market, in fact I would love to see more options, but Im just telling you a harsh reality of our market. But do give it a shot, just dont stake ur life savings on a batch of turbo kits.

VTEC16
22-11-2004, 11:38 AM
Rota wheels anyone?

Civic Type R
22-11-2004, 05:53 PM
My wife and I really like Perth,
-Aaron
hell yeah !
Perth is great dude :wave:

VTEC16
22-11-2004, 09:20 PM
my grandparents really like perth :P

Texan
23-11-2004, 06:44 AM
Hello again,
The turbo kits do not constitute "all" of the money. In fact, the cost of my first Skunk2 order will very likely eclipse the cost of the entire turbo program. I'm very familiar with the fact that many people on the website that have expressed interest in these products will not be waiting in line when we open our doors. They do, however, represent a demand that I believe is very real.

People want quality parts, and once they are available, they will create their own demand. Motor conversion hardware just makes sense. Most Hondas didn't come with twin cam motors. Those that did were more expensive, and had more "luxury" features that dilute thier performance. Engine swaps let people buy old used up cars with blown motors or ultra-high miliage for a very cheap price, then swap in a new motor, gain both reliability and performance, and still keep the bottom line in check. These swaps are the bread and butter money for US shops, and once the option is available to Australian shops, it will be their primary business as well. A Civic may not be a highly coveted car when compared to a turbo car, but adding an H22 or K24 into a light base model hatchback goes a long way towards leveling the playing field.

The turbos will speak for themselves. By offering full management on our top end kits, the power output will completely eclipse what is offered currently. With an ECU you can run more boost, and make more power with better drivability. By including base map software, such tuning becomes accessable to "regular" people since the car will fire up right away, and requires only fine tuning.

If Rota wheels are currently unavailable, I'd love to bring them. They are my personal favorites. They are light, cheap, strong, and offer styling that otherwise sells for two to five times as much money. For "knockoff" rims, they are very, very good.

I'll be in touch,
-Aaron

LatinoHatchCrap
23-11-2004, 01:37 PM
I guess what you're saying is that engine swaps should be made more readily available at lower prices.
I cant complain about doing my swap but then again I had a job and the car already. For someone starting out with nothing or just at Uni it seems like alot of cash when you can buy a factory turbo car for less than 15K. I think this is the biggest obstacle to the Honda scene here.

My-B18c
10-12-2004, 08:44 AM
texan i would like some venom parts downhere i herd they are good nay more other companys??

VTEChnique
10-12-2004, 11:19 AM
Honda not very viable in Australia if you concerntrate ONLY on Honda parts.. all the $$ is in Nissans : ( ESPECIALLY here in Perth.

sure you can sell some parts, but to make a viable business ? well that'd be tricky.

Roland83
27-10-2005, 08:16 AM
I used to lived in the States, moved here for study reason and seeing the world. Here definately need some Honda aftermarket support, it seem more like a nissan market over here. they're some place you could get honda products but it just not enough. If i want anything, i usually have my shipped from asia and sometime japan. When you have friends in the military its easy.

Dxs
27-10-2005, 05:54 PM
Basically i agree with VTECnique..

the nissan scene is way bigger then the honda scene here. It might be hard for you to understand because your nissans are all crap in America.

But here we can import 2nd hand nissan's straight from japan with little modification, remember we are RHD and so is japan. Basically we have heaps of sr20det s13's, rb25det r33's, r32 GTR's etc etc here. So if you wanted a sports car the majority would go for a r33 over a EK vtir for the same price..

basically honda is a more a minor scene here in australia.. v8's and nissan turbos is where it is at..

food for thought

locote
27-10-2005, 06:44 PM
Im in perth and its great.
not a lot of aftermarket suport here but.

chee
27-10-2005, 07:39 PM
Perth is great! but there isnt any decent honda support.

BLKCRX
27-10-2005, 07:51 PM
There is now.. that im going over to Perth !!

CTR Coupe
27-10-2005, 07:52 PM
Jezzz guys what is it necro month everyone is digging up threads from the dead

**closed**