“We like it here,” says Irene Bernardo, owner of Top Of The Line Detailing. Irene has an infectous laugh, a sharp wit, a kind heart and a passion for detailing – she knows her stuff, as does her staff. “It’s so fun to find a cool new product and introduce it to people,” says Irene as she leads me through her expanding facility.

“The business started as a result of us [her and her husband, John] detailing some concours vehicles. We had been detailing our cars for some time, but didn’t realize how big the industry was until we detailed a high-end BMW M5 for a concours event at Octoberfest,” says Irene. “Once we realized what was out there, and recognized the demand for the products, we began to sell products from a tent at car shows across the country. Our detailing service and product sales started to grow, and things got real busy,” she says.

Before she knew it, Irene had quite an arsenal of products at her disposal, including the Cyclo polisher. “The Cyclo was our first entry into the professional detailing world,” she says as she picks up a shiny, new Cyclo random orbital polisher. “We’re now the largest distributor for the Cyclo in the United States.”

But Irene and her crew haven’t forgotten about the enthusiast level detailer – they have plenty of boutique products, tools and equpiment that’s certain to satisfy everyone’s needs. “We love working with professional detailers, and we love to help the ordinary weekend detailer,” Irene says as the phones continue to ring relentlessly in the background. I ask her if today is typical of how many orders they receive each day. “Oh yeah,” she says smiling, “We stay plenty of busy – have you seen our new Web site?”

We walk over to Irene’s desk (which is situated on the showroom floor) and take a peek at what she’s been working on – a new Web site, complete with products for everything from airplanes to recreational vehicles. Irene says that she hopes to launch the new site sometime this fall.

“The Internet has been a tremendous help to our business. We used to do catalogs and direct mail pieces, but that was a nightmare. The Web works great for us – I’d say at least two-thirds of our orders come in via the Web,” says Ms. Bernardo as we walk toward the warehouse.

Sitting in front of another computer are Myra and Twila, both of whom are busy on the phone taking orders. Myra is the office manager and Twila handles a lot of the billing and customer service issues. If you’ve called Top Of The Line, you’ve probably talked with Twila.

In the warehouse, there are rows and rows of metal shelves, all brimming with dozens of detailing products. I had to pinch myself, for this felt just like my version of heaven. Don, Marilyn and Cassie are busy packing an order, while Gina is weighing the packages and preparing shipping labels.

Despite what is obviously a very busy area, everyone takes time to introduce themselves and answer my questions, and as they do, one thing becomes extremely clear – these folks love their jobs and are sincerely interested in providing the best service possible to their customers.

I watch as an order is printed, “pulled,” packaged and processed for shipping. The entire process is seamless, with everyone working together to make sure the customer gets exactly what they ordered. Irene comments, “It’s hard to believe that all of this started in an ‘office’ no bigger than the typical bathroom.” She’s refering to her first official suite – the one she had before she acquired the current facility.

We wander a little further and are greeted with yet another area of warehouse, only it’s empty. “We’re getting ready to expand the warehouse, so this area will be filled with products fairly soon,” she says, pointing in both directions to help illustrate how products will be organized.

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While there, I took time to examine some of the goodies that Irene showcases in the main show room. There were various AutoArt pieces (I like the salt and pepper shaker set best), plenty of racing artwork (Irene and her husband, John, are huge racing fans, having campaigned a BMW 1502 themselves), and a slew of incredible detailing supplies.

There are Metabo power tools, which are an incredible line of German made equipment, buffers from Cyclo, Makita and Porter Cable, and dozens and dozens of detailing products – everything from Hi-Temp, Klasse, Pinnacle, P21S, Top of The Line and countless more.

Irene took a few moments to show a few really cool new products to me including a mobile canopy, a trim restorer kit, some new waxes and a pet hair remover that really works. I couldn’t leave without grabbing a group photo as well as a few photos of Tatsu.

“Before you leave,” Irene said, “I wanted to tell you something about the ‘pro’ products that I think is very important.” I was all ears – Irene had shared information and tips with me that I’d never thought of. She continued, “People tend to think that ‘pro’ stuff is inferior to the boutique products, and that’s just not the case. The products are less expensive, sure, and they’re concentrated, but that’s a positive – you get more product for the buck. Everything we sell here has been tested thoroughly and we wouldn’t sell it if we didn’t believe in it.”

After seeing how customer focused the crew at Top Of The Line is, I had no reason to doubt her. So, I bought almost $100 worth of products and went on my merry way… and I’m happy to report that she was correct – the pro products that I tried were extremely high quality and provided awesome results. So if you’re in the market to try something new, or are looking for a hard to find item, or just need to stock-up on your favorite products, give the friendly folks at Top Of The Line a call. You’ll be glad you did, and they’ll be more than happy to help you.

I don’t know about you, but my butt-dyno is in need of some serious recalibration (“This new washer fluid feels like it added 8 or 9 horsepower!”). With an inaccurate butt-dyno, the next most obvious option is to use a vehicle chassis dynamometer. Taking your vehicle to a dynamometer is both cumbersome and inefficient – you’ll need to make several “runs” on the dyno, all the while allowing for sufficient cool-down time. And to make matters worse, dynos are usually a hot commodity, so your time may be restricted by the shop’s schedule.

Luckily, there’s a solution for those who like to test performance improvements themselves. The solution comes by way of the Beltronics Vector Pro GX2 Performance Computer. Gone is the guessing: “Does this feel faster than before? Do I need to go one heat range lower on my spark plugs?” Gone is the frustration of hearing, “Sorry, the dyno’s booked solid until two weeks from next Thursday.”

With the Beltronics GX2, all you’ll need is a quiet, preferably secluded section of road (or better yet, a racetrack or large, empty parking lot) and some time. Within seconds of attaching the GX2 to your windshield, you’ll be enjoying instant feedback about your vehicle’s performance, and thanks to the GX2′s long list of rich features, you’ll learn more about your car’s performance capabilities than you could ever dream of learning from the dyno.

THE PACKAGE

If you’re expecting something big and clunky, you’ll be disappointed with this accelerometer. The Beltronics Vector Pro GX2 is compact, measuring only 5-1/2-inches “long” by 1-1/2-inches “tall” and 1-1/2-inches “deep.” It mounts to the windshield by way of three very robust suction cups and an adjustable, drilled aluminum bracket. The entire assembly weighs just under five-ounces, including the bracket and suction cups.

Once powered (by way of a 12-volt, cigarette-lighter plug) the GX2 lights-up with a bright, 2-line vacuum fluorescent display that’s easy to read, even in direct sunlight. The large push buttons on the unit are easy to use and the menus are easy to navigate. Thoughtful features with the GX2 include the 6-foot coiled power cord that terminates into a RJ-11 (telephone-style) connector and the “remote control” buttons that are built-in to the 12-volt adapter.

CALIBRATION AND USE

The true beauty of a quality accelerometer lies not in the packaging or the marketing, but rather, in its ease of use. And to that extent, the Beltronics VectorPro GX2 is the easiest accelerometers to operate that we’ve ever tested. Calibrating the device requires nothing more than a level surface on which to park your vehicle and a finger that’s capable of pushing a button that’s marked “Calibrate.” Simple. Best of all, the unit remembers the calibration settings even if the power is disconnected – calibration is a one-time ordeal, unless you decide to move the mounting location (or transfer the unit to another vehicle).

Ok. The unit’s attached to the windshield and calibrated, so what’s next? Press the start button, wait for the unit to tell you it’s ready and mash the gas pedal. That’s it? In effect, yes. The GX2 is one smart cookie – it can determine if you’re conducting 0-60 runs, quarter-mile tests or any variation thereof. The intelligent accelerometers automatically record all run data until you either: (a) stop accelerating, (b) travel a 1/4-mile, (c) your run lasts longer than 30 seconds or (d) you press the start/stop button again.

Further, if your top speed for a given run was less than 60 miles per hour, the GX2 will tell you your time to the highest “even-10mph” speed. For example, if your top speed was 34 mph, the GX2 will calculate and display your 0-30 mph time. It does all of this automatically, requiring no programming or intervention by the end user – how cool is that?

Reviewing run results is simple, thanks to the 10-run memory and the easy to use up/down navigation buttons. The GX2′s run-data memory is also retained in the event the unit is powered off, another welcome and handy feature.

The GX2 ain’t no one-trick pony – no sir. In addition to recording straight-line times and speeds, it can measure cornering forces (your own personal skid-pad), braking distances, horsepower and much more. And just like the acceleration tests, utilizing these other features is simple and straightforward.

OUR EXPERIENCES

We decided to utilize my 2002 Volkswagen GTI 337 as the official test mule for the Beltronics VectorPro GX2. With a snappy 1.8-liter turbo that’s benefited from a few aftermarket goodies, a six-speed transmission and large 18″ wheels wrapped in sticky Michelin Pilot Sport tires, it seemed the most logical choice.

We moistened the suction cups, stuck the unit to the windshield, pressed the calibration button and set about conducting various runs and measurements. Ambient conditions were ideal – air temperature was 58 degrees Fahrenheit with 31% humidity. Perfect testing conditions.

We also went through the GX2′s G-Meter options to set the vehicle’s weight, determine the coefficient of drag (this provides a more accurate horsepower calculation) and tweak a few other settings, based on our past experiences with fifth-wheel measuring devices. Total time to complete the installation, calibration and set-up: 2 minutes, 8 seconds.

With the unit completely calibrated, we headed off to an abandoned airfield (there are plenty in our area) and began testing. The first thing that we discovered was that yours truly is not the best at launching a vehicle from a standstill. We tried it with traction control on, off, at high rpms, low rpms, and every other combination imaginable. We eventually lowered the tire pressure to 30psi (from 35psi) and accepted the fact that we wouldn’t get very good 0-60 times because despite the warm ambient temperature, the January pavement was only retaining 64-degrees of heat. Darn winters…

We made a handful of sample 0-60 runs and evaluated the data. Navigating the results was simple and easy, and much to our pleasure, the meter appeared to be providing very accurate and consistent results. And then, after the sixth “official” timed run, I stumbled across the best launching technique, and rattled off a group of 5.9 second 0-60 runs, thus matching the results from the professional fifth-wheel measuring device we had used in our full review of the 2002 GTI 337 last year.

Quarter-mile results were equally accurate to the fifth-wheel – we averaged runs of 14.60 – 14.65 seconds, with terminal speeds of between 100.5 and 101.5. But as mentioned earlier, there’s more to the GX2 than just measuring straight-line speeds. Our meter indicated that the GTI was putting down 172 wheel horsepower (again, confirmed by a previous dyno run that indicated 175.3 horsepower), and it confirmed what he had long suspected about the car’s braking system – it’s phenomenal. We wrangled the GTI from 70 mph to 0 in just 153 feet (this is due in large part to aftermarket pads and super sticky tires).

The GX2 was able to measure lateral acceleration with ease, indicating .87 g’s on our 300-foot circle (averaged in each direction). G-force readings can be read “real time” as you drive, by simply selecting one of a few available display options from the GX2′s menu. The display can also be changed “on the fly” to show everything from peak g-forces, best 0-60 times, and more.

SUMMARY

We were extremely impressed with the Beltronics Vector Pro GX2 – so much so that we’ve decided to employ it as our full-time vehicle performance meter. The ease of operation combined with the highly accurate readings and brilliant display make it a no brainer, especially when compared to the bulky, complex and pricey alternative of a fifth-wheel system.

Whether you’re a performance junkie or someone who enjoys learning as much as they possibly can about their vehicle, it would be in your best interest to check out the Beltronics Vector Pro GX2. With a street price of well under $250, this will be the best money you’ll ever spend on improving both you and your vehicle’s performance. For more details and specifications, visit: http://www.beltronics.com.

The problem started and grew so gradually that you didn’t even notice, but sure enough, now that you’re actually paying attention to the vehicle’s ride characteristics, you do notice a rather unpleasant vibration. Where’s it coming from? Looks like it’s time for a trip to the tire shop.

The burly gentleman with the bushy mustache who’s standing behind the local tire shop’s counter diagnoses the problem before you even finish telling him the situation. “Yer tires need to be balanced,” he says. “It’ll be forty-two dollars and we’ll have ya’ outta’ here in ’bout an hour.” You pass the time in the “quaint” waiting room, leafing through a two-year old copy of Field and Stream, and sure enough, your car’s ready to go in no time.

Problem solved, right? Well, maybe not entirely. How well do you know your tire shop and its employees? Are the technicians ASE certified? Do they have additional specialty training? Are they using equipment that’s state of the art, or does the shop bear a striking resemblance to Gomer Pyle’s garage? These are important questions, and they could make the difference between a repair that’s fixed right the first time or the beginning of a long and stressful repeat problem relationship.

Roadfly was fortunate to have spent a full day at the world-renowned Hunter Engineering headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, where we met with the folks who know more about vehicle dynamics than Brett Favre does about football. They gave us the full tour, and we were able to pick their collective brains about the proper way to mount and balance a wheel and tire. What they told us might surprise you…let’s read on.

“Most people don’t realize that both the wheel and tire have high and low spots,” began Dave Scribner, Product Manager of Hunter’s wheel balancers, tire changers and brake lathes. “The general notion is that a tire might have a high spot, so people pound weights on a rim to counterbalance that high spot.”

Denny Bowen, Hunter’s Director of Product Management chimes in, “Static balancing has long been a standard for balancing, but a true two-planed, dynamic balance will really make a difference to any vehicle.” We’re standing in one of Hunter Engineering’s shop facilities, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of dollars of world-class automotive equipment.

Scribner leads us to one of Hunter’s finest pieces of equipment, the Hunter GSP9700. As he places a wheel and tire assembly on the machine, he talks about the additional factors that play a key role in proper tire and wheel balance. “You can have a wheel that reads completely balanced and still have a vibration. That drives customers and technicians nuts,” he says with a bit of a knowing smile and as he places the wheel on the machine, we get the impression that he’s done this a time or two before. “Wheel force variation can cause a vibration that most balancers won’t detect, and it’s one of the main reasons drivers feel a vibration in their vehicles.”

Jim Huhn, Director of Marketing and Communications for Hunter Engineering adds, “With today’s extremely modern and well engineered suspensions, drivers can detect vibrations that they were never able to detect before. It’s something that can be both a blessing and a curse.”

We watch as Scribner attaches Hunter’s exclusive “Inflation Station” device to the tire’s valve stem. The Hunter GSP9700 is capable of determining the proper tire pressure for a particular wheel and tire combination, provided the operator supplies data about the vehicle from which the wheel came from. The machine detects that this particular tire is under-inflated by almost 7-PSI. It automatically corrects the tire pressure.

With the tire properly inflated, the machine starts itself up and attempts to determine the wheel’s state of balance. Within a matter of seconds, it’s determined that the wheel is severely out of balance and that it’s suffering from excessive wheel force variation. Scribner makes a few marks on both the rim and tire with a grease pen, then removes the assembly from the machine.

“What’s happened here is that the rim has a high spot, as does the tire. To complicate matters, the tire has its own ‘stiff and weak spots.’ As the assembly rotates, there are various forces working against the tire. Air pressure is supporting the tire, while the road surface is pressing back against the tire. When there’s a stiff spot, it can act like a ‘hard spot’ and cause a vibration.”

Bowen seems to be reading Scribner’s mind because he continues, “Dave is going to deflate the tire, break the bead and spin the tire so that the high spot on the rim matches with the low spot on the tire. That should correct the problem.”

We follow along with Scribner as he rolls the wheel assembly over to another one of Hunter’s fine pieces of machinery, the top of the line TC3500 Tire Changer. Having spent many years mounting and balancing tires myself, I was awed by Hunter’s latest and greatest equipment. The attention to detail, the quality construction and the amount of computerization was nothing short of amazing.

As Scribner deflated the tire and broke the bead, we arrived at a somewhat startling discovery. The wheel that we had been working with was a 19″ magnesium alloy wheel from a Ferrari, and much to our surprise, the inside surfaces of the wheel were heavily gouged and scraped. “That’s from a technician using a shovel breaker improperly,” said Scribner rather nonchalantly.

Apparently the Hunter folks were well aware of this, and explained that on traditional tire changers, a metal shovel squeezes the tire against a nylon block while breaking the bead of the tire (that’s where the tire mates to the rim to create an air tight seal). If the operating technician isn’t careful, the shovel will drag across the inside of the rim. “The scary part of this is that the customer would never know it happened, but anyone with a basic understanding of chemistry will know that magnesium doesn’t like water,” says Bowen, “And the inside of tires can collect moisture and water rather easily.” The result could be catastrophic were the damage and moisture great enough – the wheel could easily collapse at a very inopportune moment.

“We can build the greatest equipment in the world,” says Jim Huhn, “But if the tech’s don’t know how to use it properly, it won’t matter how good our equipment is. We place a lot of emphasis on proper technician training, and offer classes here on a regular basis (for industry technicians).”

Within a just a few seconds, Scribner has the wheel free of the rim, has spun it to align his marks and is inflating the tire. The beads seat with a loud “pop!” and with the press of a pedal, the wheel is released from the non-marring jaws of the rim clamps. We head back over to the Hunter GSP9700 machine, and watch as Dave Scribner mounts the assembly to the machine once again.

“This is another problem for a lot of technicians,” he explains as he places the wheel on the balancing machine. “A guy uses the wrong centering cone, or manages to clamp the wheel so that it’s slightly out of square, and he’ll be chasing balance issues all day.” With the wheel mounted (square and true) to the balancer, Scribner once again checks the tire pressure and waits for the machine to properly inflate the tire. Within seconds, the air hose is removed and the wheel is being checked by the GSP9700. Bowen adds that Hunter has an optional attachment for the GSP9700 that will help to automatically center the wheel assembly on the balancer.

The machine winds down and Scribner lifts the protective lid. “We need to add three-quarters of an ounce to right about…here,” says Scribner as the machine rotates the wheel assembly automatically to the proper position. He makes a note of the location, cleans the inside of the rim (as close to the center of the rim’s width as possible, and applies a weight. He fires up the GSP9700 once again and smiles, “Perfect.”

The Hunter GSP9700 tire balancer really is a marvel of modern day engineering and Hunter has every right to be proud of it. With a large, CRT-style display, computerized menus and functions, and Hunter’s exclusive “road roller” (a drum that rotates against the tire to simulate road conditions and measure wheel force variation), the GSP9700 makes all other tire balancers look like toys.

The road roller can supply up to 1400-lbs of pressure against the tire to detect non-balance, radial force-related vibrations and is a key component to the success of the GSP9700. The GSP9700 can also determine if excessive “run-out” (effectively a side-to-side variation) is tire or rim related. But the most amazing option available to the Hunter GSP9700 (at least in our minds) is the “StraightTrak Lateral Force Measurement System.”

This incredible piece of technology can detect tire pull, and suggest the ideal corner on which to mount the wheel and tire to negate a tire pulling effect. Tire drift was one of the most difficult problems to properly diagnose, that is, until Hunter developed technology to detect and correct it. It’s nothing short of amazing. Why? Prior to this technology being made available, a technician had only a few options available to help correct a vehicle’s drifting problem – perform a vehicle alignment to counteract the tire pull, or try to guess which tire was causing the problem and then, through trial and error, place the tire in the proper location on the vehicle to correct the pull.

Neither of those options is very efficient, especially if the vehicle’s owner rotated his tires regularly. If a vehicle is aligned to correct a tire drift problem, the drift will resurface when the tires are rotated, creating a “repeat problem” for the shop and vehicle owner.

“Tire drift problems just became a thing of the past,” says Bowen. “The StraightTrack LFM system helps a lot of shops solve problems that were once nearly unsolvable.” We watched as Scribner demonstrated how compounded tire pull could result in more than 21-pounds of pull to the left in a simulated example. Jim Huhn commented, “You’d notice that sort of pull pretty quickly and most tech’s would suggest an alignment to correct it.”

Scribner then asked the GSP9700 to determine the ideal placement of each wheel and tire assembly on the vehicle, then re-ran the simulation with the proposed changes in effect. After the corrections were made, the pull force registered 2-pounds of pull to the left – an entirely acceptable figure.

Despite spending the better portion of a day with the guys from Hunter, we had run out of time and wished we could have had more time to talk tires. We finished the tour with a trip through the company’s mini-museum, and marveled at the dozens of Duesnebergs, Lincolns, Rolls Royce and other fine cars from the ’30s and ’40s. Lee Hunter, Jr. founded the company in the mid 1930s when he invented the world’s first quick-charge battery charger for automobiles. Prior to Hunter’s invention, battery charging took days – Hunter’s machine could charge a battery in just a few hours.

From there, Hunter was called off to World War II. Upon his return in 1946, his company went on to develop many industry leading products – from alignment machines to electronic, drive-on brake and suspension testers. Today, Hunter Engineering products are the finest in the industry.

Of course, as the good folks from Hunter were quick to point out earlier, a properly trained technician is the key to getting the most from any Hunter equipment. So, do yourself a favor the next time you need to have your tires mounted, balanced or aligned – locate a shop that utilizes Hunter equipment, and make sure the technicians are properly trained to use the equipment.

For more information about the amazing line-up of Hunter Engineering equipment, or to locate a shop that utilizes Hunter equipment, please visit them on the web, at: http://www.hunter.com.

The editors of Roadfly wish to send a hearty and sincere thank you to Jim Huhn, Denny Bowen and Dave Scribner for taking the time to share their knowledge with us, and for allowing us to spend so much time at their world-class facility in St. Louis, MO.

Paul’s Strong Strut body braces (there are several models available) have been a popular performance enhancer for many Z3 owners, and are now becoming popular with the 3-series crowd. And, for good reason- Paul builds one heckuva product. While showing us his company’s original Strong Strut, the all-new Alloy Strut, the Butt Strut and the Body Brace, we were instantly impressed with at the level of craftsmanship and the high-level of detailed finishing that Paul demands for his products.

With their beautiful welds, the perfectly CNC machined solid, cold-rolled steel and the incredibly precise hardware, all of the Strong Strut pieces exude quality. “I wouldn’t put them on my own car if I didn’t believe in them,” says Ebeyer as we admire a highly polished strut brace. “We don’t rush into anything, and we take our time making it. I’ve got a really good team of guys helping me, and we put a lot of pride in our products.”

“I drove a Z3 for a few years and quickly grew tired of the chassis flex that is inherent in almost every convertible, so I set-out to build something that would solve the problem,” says Ebeyer as he describes how Strong Strut was started. “It was a problem turned hobby turned business,” he says with a smile.

Paul Ebeyer is a friendly, good natured person who has an aura of BMW glow around him – when talking with him, you get the feeling that he may even bleed blue, black and white. His 2000 BMW M Roadster, however, is blindingly red. We took a stroll through his garage and admired his current pride and joy. He pops the hood and we’re greeted by a beautiful, chrome strut tower brace (The Strong Strut).

The Strong Strut is truly a work of art – CNC machined from cold rolled steel, masterfully welded and then fastened in place with some of the nicest hardware we’ve ever seen, the brace is as beautiful as it is functional. “It helps with just about every aspect of the car,” says Paul, “Flex, alignment, ride quality- it’s all improved with the Strong Strut.” And we don’t doubt him – the thing is that incredible.

“Take a look at the Body Brace,” he says, directing us to peer under the car. We immediately notice two body-length braces, carefully hugging the BMW’s body rails. They look like factory components. “They really stiffen up the car,” he adds.

Paul’s M Roadster sits low – very low, so we ask him about ground clearance. “I’ve been driving with these for about 2,000 miles now – how do they look?” We take a look at them again, and they’re completely unscathed. While we’re admiring the Body Brace system, we notice the “Butt Strut” that Paul has on the back of his M Roadster.

The Butt Strut is a solid, 2-1/2 inch piece of cold rolled, CNC machined steel and it’s mounted to the brackets that support the rear sub-frame assembly, which appears to offer a ton of reinforcement to the rear assembly. Again, the brackets, the components and the brace itself are absolutely impressive; the quality is more than top-notch.

Paul explains that the placement of the Butt Strut results in a direct reinforcement of the chassis as the Butt Strut is effectively bolted to the body and chassis. “Ground clearance on this can be a problem for people with very low cars, but as you can see, my car is pretty low and I’ve been OK with it.”

People seem to really be reacting well to the Butt Strut. “I’ve noticed a marked improvement with turn-in, but my favorite story comes from a gentleman who swears that his car feels like it has four-wheel steering [after the Butt Strut was installed],” says Paul. “It seems to cure the infamous ‘hula dance’ that so many Z drivers complain about, and for what it’s worth, when you traverse railroad tracks or other ‘chops’ in the road, the car moves over it as a unit rather than flexing and shaking.”

We were convinced of Strong Strut’s benefits just from looking at the products, but a quick ride confirmed our beliefs. The car felt much more solid – like it was machined from a single piece of billet; cowl shake, chassis flex and imprecise feedback were completely eliminated. The Strong Strut products undoubtedly improved the character of the Roadster.

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Paul also shared with us a new product, his “Competition Light” strut tower brace. “The Strong Strut is probably stronger than it needs to be, but that’s what I wanted,” says Paul as he shows us his latest product, the CL Strong Strut. “The CL isn’t intended to replace the Strong Strut, but rather to offer an alternative for guys who are racing their car and are willing to sacrifice a little strength in the name of weight savings.”

The CL Strong Strut is CNC machined from solid aircraft grade alloy, heat treated to T-6 specifications and features the same pivotless design of the original Strong Strut. The pivotless design is critical to offering robust, flex-free performance, and is what has set the Strong Strut products apart from the competition.

The CL weighs just four pounds, despite measuring 2-inches wide by 1/2-inch thick, and features eleven cross-drilled holes. Paul tells us it’s available for all Z3 models, and all E46 and E36 3-series BMWs. Color choices are limited to “galaxy,” powder coated flat black or titanium.

Our time with Paul drew to a close, and we asked him for specifics – quick facts about his products. What do they fit, who can benefit from them, and how can people get their hands on them?

“I have products for all of the Z3 models, the E36 3-series, the E46 3-series and I’m working on some Z4 products right now. Anyone who drives one of these vehicles would benefit tremendously from the Strong Strut products – we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so there’s virtually no risk. I’ve been a Roadfly member and supporter for many years, and I listen to my customer’s input. If anyone would like to order a product, they can visit the website at: http://www.strong-strut.com”

We take one last look at the incredible Strong Strut products and wish Paul well. Our ride back to the hotel in our 2003 Taurus really points out the benefits of the Strong Strut- the Taurus flexes and shakes as it wallows over bumps and road irregularities, something that the M Roadster was immune to when we drove the roads just minutes earlier. Perhaps Paul might consider building Strong Struts for Hertz rental cars….

Strong Strut is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona and can be found online at http://www.strong-strut.com. If you own a Z3, E36, E46 or Z4, do yourself (and your car) a huge favor and check out the Strong Strut products – they really impressed us, and that’s not easy to do.

For many years vinyl nose masks, or “bras”, have been popular. While they are widely available, they have downsides; they vibrate at speed and can scratch the paint they’re designed to protect, they don’t always fit very well, and they’re prime bait for thieves. Some creative owners have had custom-built Lexan shields installed, acting almost as body armor. Others have gone “low tech” and attached things like window screens and Saran wrap to their cars in the hopes of adding a little protection.

In the recent years, paint protection film technology has grown rapidly to the point where it has become a viable alternative. Numerous companies have popped up offering various types of protective kits and films for most vehicles. Roadfly paid a visit to two of the most popular companies, Dynashield and Invinca-Shield, to get a close-up look at what paint protection film is all about. We met with the owners of Dynashield, Mike and Brenda Messer, and Thomas Bell of Invinca-Shield, and discovered there was a lot more to paint protection film than meets the eye (or the hood, or the fenders…). We also watched as the Messers installed one of their kits on to a brand new Infiniti G35 coupe and learned that the performance of the film is directly related to how well it is designed and applied. While the more adventurous reader may be tempted to self-install their own kit, many will find that having an experienced installer makes a big difference in how well the protection film looks and performs.

Dynashield is located in Jonesboro, Georgia, which is south of Atlanta. While the company has only been around for 18 months, Messer has many years of experience with aerospace composite materials in both military and commercial aviation. His first experience with paint protection film came several years ago when he had a kit installed on his personal truck. He immediately recognized the technology – the grandfather of automotive protection films is used on helicopter blades to prevent abrasion which degrades performance (remember that a helicopter’s blade plays the same role as an airplane’s wing, the spinning rotor creates lift which allows a helicopter to fly). Both Messer and Bell are quick to point out that modern automotive protection films are not “helicopter tape”, and those who claim it is are simply ignoring the new technology of current products.

Both Dynashield and Invinca-Shield custom-design and manufacture their kits using computer software and a sophisticated digital pattern-cutting machine. This eliminates a potentially serious problem as there is no free hand cutting involved. Many installers of other kits have to use knives to cut the film during installation and this could lead to paint damage if a mistake is made. The software and cutting machines were major investments, but both companies feel it gives them a big advantage over the competition. Dynashield primarily uses protection film from two companies, 3M and Venture, while Invinca-Shield uses 3M products almost exclusively. Each have advantages and disadvantages and Messer from Dynashield discusses the differences with every customer before producing the kit. After the kit has been cut, attention focuses on prepping the car, and this is where the similarities between Dynashield and Invinca-Shield end. Dynashield wants the customer to bring his or her car to their shop or one of their handful of installers.

After a day with the Messer’s, we learned the ropes of their technique. Each car is hand washed before it’s pulled into their workshop. The workshop itself is impressive; ventless, sealed and insulated with air conditioning and a 3-micron air filter making for ideal work conditions. The shop is not for show; it provides a controlled atmosphere that assures a top quality installation by eliminating dust and other particles from interfering and causing durability problems in the future. Once in the shop, Brenda Messer carefully preps the areas to be protected by using an adhesive remover to take off wax, paint sealant, bug residue and any contaminants. That’s followed by a swirl mark remover which removes light scratches and polishes the paint to perfection.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Dynashield kit is the use of up to 48″ wide sheets of film instead of the more common 24″ wide sheets. For many vehicles this allows for one-piece protection on large areas such as the hood. The larger sheets eliminate seams and edges, giving a clean look to the installation. It makes for a challenging installation; however, and only a few shops have successfully installed a Dynashield kit. Messer makes it look easy by using a steam buggy to set the film instead of a heat gun which he believes can blister the film if used carelessly. The entire installation process can take up to 12-14 hours when done by the Messers. Many vehicle owners leave their cars overnight, and some even have them trucked-in to be worked on. While we were visiting, a BMW Z8 was parked in the Messer’s garage, awaiting its application of paint protection film before being extensively driven.

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Dynashield focuses on the high-end vehicles of the automotive landscape, producing kits for brands such as Ferrari, BMW, Mercedes, Infiniti and a few select models such as the Nissan 350Z. Contact Dynashield directly at www.dynashield.com or (770) 471-8598 if you are interested in their products. Along with the front-end bra they offer door edge guards and headlight guards. They also offer less expensive kit alternatives for those who want to install it themselves.

Speaking of do-it-your kits, Invinca-Shield is the premiere source for do-it-yourself car buffs. Invinca-Shield is one of the most popular choices because they make ready to apply film protection for over 4,000 car models. Numerous shops all around the country can apply Invinca-Shield on your car, but they are quick to point out that their product is very user-friendly. An instructional video comes with every purchase, along with all of the tools to get that professional look. The kit also includes a few sample pieces to experiment with before tackling the big job.

Invinca-Shield is based out of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, and has eight full-time employees. The company has been in business for more than seven years, which has allowed it to collect an extensive library of templates that cover almost all cars produced in the last 10 years. Kits for many popular classics are also available. The entire library is on a database that enables easy access, ensuring same-day order processing in most cases.

Templates for motorcycles, boats, RVs, racecars and commercial trucks are also available. Another thing that sets Invinca-Shield apart from the competition is the ability for customers to order individual pieces instead of only complete kits. This is ideal for cars that may have aftermarket accessories.

As far as installation is concerned, “patience is key” according to Invinca-Shield CEO Thomas Bell. He described applying the film as being very similar to applying window tinting or wallpaper, “but dealing with the contour is a factor,” he added. “It’s much easier to apply the film to the flat front of a Ford F150 than to the front of a compound-curved Maserati.”

One of the biggest concerns with paint protection film is the effect of aging, but there’s no need to worry. The film will not yellow because it contains a UV protection agent that prevents discoloration. It still allows the sun’s rays to penetrate the film, which keeps the covered areas from looking more vibrant than unprotected portions. So, if for any reason you decided to take the film off, your paint would not appear two-toned afterwards. Also, the film will not remove any paint or have any other kind of effect on properly painted surfaces when taken off. If Invinca-Shield sounds like the right fit for you, contact them at www.invinca-shield.com or (336) 838-1392.

After visiting the shops, we were left with the clear impression that proper installation of paint protection film is the most important component in obtaining a top quality, durable product. While a do-it-yourself kit may be tempting to those trying to save a few bucks or just feel like tackling this project, it would be a good idea to explore all the options available before plunking down your hard earned cash. Whichever direction you take, there is no question paint protection has come a long way from black vinyl bras and pieces of plastic wrap flapping in the wind.

Justin Downum and Steve Litscher contributed to this article. All photography courtesy of Bret Frazier.

Classic Motoring Accessories represents the pinnacle (pun intended) of detailing suppliers. They offer a wide variety of very high end car care products, at prices that are extremely competitive with top notch customer service.

Terry Freidberg is the owner and operator of Classic Motoring Accessories (CMA). With his wife Jan and son Jon, CMA helps hundreds of needy detailers achieve automotive euphoria. We sat down with Terry a few weeks ago and asked him a series of questions in an attempt to learn more about CMA, and more importantly, to learn more about what makes this wonderful vendor tick.

Roadfly (R): Terry, before we get started I’d like to thank you for taking the time to talk with us. It is a pleasure to have you as our very first spotlighted sponsor – let’s get down to the questions.

How many employees does CMA have, where are you located, and approximately how many different products do you stock?

Terry Freidberg (TF): We have 10 employees, we originally started our retail business in 1988 and we’re currently located in a 5,000 square foot warehouse in Tampa, Florida – we’re right between the Gulf and Disney World. We’re looking to lease a larger warehouse sometime next year – because of our continual growth we’ve outgrown our current environment and are hoping to move in to a 10,000 square foot facility next summer.

Our order process is highly automated, which helps account for why we’re able to function in such a small environment, and we have a great staff on hand that are able to make good use of our limited space. We can process a lot of orders – 250 to 300 orders per day are typical for us – and we do stock everything that we sell.

R: You mention you’ve been serving the detailing industry since 1988, what were you involved with previously, and how did you become involved with the detailing supply business?

TF: My background includes 25 years in the retail home entertainment (audio/video) business. I owned and operated 2 retail stores in Michigan, and I’ve always said that I have three great passions in life: music, movies and cars. I have always been a car nut and am one of those people who truly enjoys taking care of his car, including washing, polishing and waxing all of my vehicles – I truly enjoy driving a nice, clean, detailed car.

I got started in the detailing supply business after I sold my two audio/video stores in 1988. We opened up a shop in Tampa and focused on retail sales of high-end detailing products. The business grew quickly, so I started trying to stock everything that I could think of, and as a result, we began to attract car dealerships as clients – our focus shifted from retail to wholesale/distribution.

After about a year, our wholesale business was doing much better than our retail business, so we actually closed the retail portion and concentrated on the wholesale distribution of car care products. After about 3-4 years we started a national catalog, and about another 3-4 years later along came this new media called “the Internet”.

R: How long have you been on the web?

TF: We’ve only been on the web for perhaps two years – but since we started on the web, it was magic – our business increased five-fold; it was unbelievable. As I said earlier, we quickly outgrew our current warehouse and are hoping to find a larger location.

R: Am I correct in the assumption that CMA is the manufacturer for BlackFire, Eimann Fabrik, Pinnacle and Sonus products? What drove you to create your own wax products, and how did you get started with the process?

TF: I have a great job. I get to play with the chemistry and techniques that are involved with manufacturing detailing products – I’m not a chemist, so it’s incredible to see and learn about all of the complexity that is involved with creating products.

We got our start as a manufacturer because so many people were asking us for “something better” – so we hired a research chemist and I naively told him that I wanted to make a better car wash shampoo. I thought it would be something very simple, but it turned out to be incredibly complex and expensive.

Pinnacle products came out around 1993, when people were still asking us for something better – as I stated earlier, I hired a research chemist – actually, I hired a skin care chemist, and told him that I wanted to treat the car as a ‘metal skin’ – not as a painted piece of metal. What I learned was that anytime you work with car care products, you’re constantly balancing the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’; it’s a constant tradeoff between usability and durability.

Thankfully with the advent of synthetic polymer chemistry, we’re now able to offer our BlackFire synthetic protectants, products that I’m very proud of because they offer the optical qualities of a carnauba, with the durability and protection of a synthetic.

R: I know that when I first started detailing, I bought most of my supplies at the local discount chain stores. What would you say to the people who shop at those stores that might convince them to look into trying a supplier/manufacturer like Classic Motoring Accessories?

TF: I’m thrilled when anybody takes care of his or her cars. If someone wants to shop at the local discount store and wax their car with a $3 tin of wax, that’s great – it makes me happy to know that they’re taking care of their vehicles. Conversely, what bothers me, is the person who spends $50,000 on a leased luxury car and then doesn’t take care of it because he’s of the mindset that “this isn’t really my car, and I’m just going to get rid of it in 3 years anyway.”

TF: But, back to the question – people who shop at retail stores are getting very good value for their money. I liken it to my stereo experiences – if you walk in to a retail audio store and you buy a Denon, JVC, Kenwood, Sony or Yamaha receiver, you’re getting very, very good value for your dollar – everybody wins.

Now, let’s look at the specialty manufacturer or retailer – we’re trying to make an existing product “the best”. We work hard to find the very best ingredients for our products regardless of cost and we limit the amount of compromise that has to take place based on budget. Much like the Mark Levinsons or the Conrad Johnsons of the audio world – they take that base technology and scrutinize it, tweak and improve upon it regardless of the cost.

People ask me, “Can’t 3M or Meguiar’s make these products?” And I reply without hesitation, “Absolutely,” there’s no doubt that their engineers could make these products, but the problem is that these products don’t fit their business model. The high-end, niche market is just too small for them to include in their business.

Long answer short; if someone is an enthusiast and they want to experience the next level in car care, then they should consider a higher-end product – and that’s where we come in. We have a large variety of very high end product to choose from, all of which are in stock (save for docking strikes and special order items). We offer prompt delivery and reasonable prices, and most importantly, if you ever have any questions, we do our very best to help answer them quickly and accurately.

R: What’s the largest order CMA has ever processed?

TF: We do supply some large companies, so we’ve had orders in the six figures; but as far as the single largest retail order – we probably get two or three $500+ orders per day.

R: Any celebrities on the customer list (other than us, btw)?

TF: (laughing) Yes, but I can’t divulge who they are due to endorsement issues.

R: What’s your detailing schedule like, and what’s your favorite product at the moment?

TF: Every Saturday morning I (at the very least) wash my cars, and treat them with a quick detailer spray. It’s something that I really look forward to each and every Saturday. My car is also a little unique because it’s constantly being used as a guinea big on a regular basis for all of the products that we carry.

Classic Motoring Accessories: Detailers Paradise, continued.

Long answer short; if someone is an enthusiast and they want to experience the next level in car care, then they should consider a higher-end product – and that’s where we come in. We have a large variety of very high end product to choose from, all of which are in stock (save for docking strikes and special order items). We offer prompt delivery and reasonable prices, and most importantly, if you ever have any questions, we do our very best to help answer them quickly and accurately.

R: What’s the largest order CMA has ever processed?

TF: We do supply some large companies, so we’ve had orders in the six figures; but as far as the single largest retail order – we probably get two or three $500+ orders per day.

R: Any celebrities on the customer list (other than us, btw)?

TF: (laughing) Yes, but I can’t divulge who they are due to endorsement issues.

R: What’s your detailing schedule like, and what’s your favorite product at the moment?

TF: Every Saturday morning I (at the very least) wash my cars, and treat them with a quick detailer spray. It’s something that I really look forward to each and every Saturday. My car is also a little unique because it’s constantly being used as a guinea big on a regular basis for all of the products that we carry.

If I had to pick a favorite product right now, I’d say it’s the Souveran Paste Wax with the Microfiber Magic Towel. These are two unbelievable products that no detailer should be without.

R: What’s your favorite beverage for refreshment while detailing?

TF: Merlot. I just love Merlot – I tune to my favorite jazz station, pour a glass of Merlot and have a good time detailing my car. I’m literally in heaven when I’m out in the garage detailing my vehicle.

R: If you could detail a ‘dream car’, what would that be?

TF: I am a big fan of Enzo Ferrari and the Ferrari automobiles. I don’t think that I would ever own one because I’ve had experience through my previous business that has indicated that they are truly a wealthy person’s toy. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the late Enzo Ferrari and his passion to make his product the absolute best.

R: Any tips or tricks you’d care to share with us?

TF: The first thing that comes to mind isn’t really a detailing tip, it’s more of a safety tip – please check your tire pressures. The last figure that I had heard indicated that more than 50% of the vehicles on the road today have under inflated tires, which can lead to serious tire failure. I always make it a habit to check my tires regularly and would hope that everyone else would do the same.

As far as detailing goes, the one thing that I run into quite often is that people are deathly afraid of high speed rotary buffers/polishers. These buffers are actually very user friendly, just make sure that you keep them at a low speed – it’s the buffers that are a single speed, or the ones that people run up to 3,000 rpm that cause problems. If you’re using a quality pad, with a quality product and you respect the machine, keeping the speed around 1,000 – 1,200 rpm, you’ll be able to do things that you can’t do with a random orbital.

Finally, I’d really suggest that people not focus on the “magic bullet” of wax – the secret to a great finish isn’t necessarily the wax, it’s the preparation that you put into the vehicle – the claying, the polishing and finally the waxing. The wax will only enhance the work that you’ve put into the finish.

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It was an absolute pleasure chatting with Terry Friedberg, owner of Classic Motoring Accessories. He is a very knowledgable person who has a passion for detailing like very few people do.

Roadfly would like to thank Terry for taking the time to chat with us and for sharing so much interesting and useful information. We hope that you enjoyed this episode of our Vendor Spotlight, and we welcome your feedback.