[Dan Bennett]

Not sure of the origin of the studs you describe, but a while back I ran across something that made things a lot clearer.

There is actually a single word in Chinese which translates to "good enough" and is considered a wise business practice. It's profitable to change dimensions, processing, and manufacturing to get something that sort of works - at least long enough that people who aren't paying attention don't notice.

Again, in another field I've found that there are some machine shops there that turn out very good items - but of course they are more expensive. Sadly, it looks like the current state of racing doesn't choose to do that.

And yes, I am a strong believer in buying American and avoid buying anything from there when I can. But as their lower prices have gained them market share, it's getting really hard to do so.