Why Buying USA Made Shocks And Suspension Components Matters
“Proudly made in Lakeville, Minnesota.”
This statement, found throughout the QA1 online catalog, is more than just a slogan — it represents the essence of who we are as a company. As a family-owned business, we take immense pride in investing in our community, supporting the local economy, and creating opportunities for American workers. Our commitment to our local region extends beyond our business operations, as we actively engage in fundraising efforts that benefit area youth and the broader community.
But why does “made in the USA” really matter when you’re choosing suspension components for your vehicle? The answer lies in our belief that designing and manufacturing our products right here at home results in a superior product. At QA1, we employ a team of talented men and women who are not only skilled professionals but also lifelong automotive enthusiasts and racers. They share the same passion for cars and projects as our customers, and this passion is reflected in every product we create. If the big “QA1” sign on the front of our building doesn’t give us away, the many lowered muscle cars and pickup trucks in our parking lot certainly will.
From the front office to the back, our team is comprised of people who think like enthusiasts because they are enthusiasts. They identify with the goals, pain points, and needs of the average gearhead, and they engineer and package components and suspension systems with the customer front-of-mind. This is why we focus so much on not just features, fitment, quality, and price, but also on the ease of installation, minimizing modification to your prized classics, and creating single-part-number kits—so that enhancing your vehicle’s performance is as pain-free as possible.
QA1 puts a heavy emphasis on American-made products. Our team of car-centric engineers is dedicated full-time to product development and testing. They are constantly ideating innovative new solutions, working to bring thoughtful, easy-to-install, and high-quality products to life in Lakeville, MN.
Our product development process involves the use of advanced design software and 3D scanning tools, allowing us to create precise models of actual make-and-model vehicles. This technology ensures a precise fit and a quality-first design. But our commitment to quality doesn’t stop at the computer screen. Following extensive modeling, prototypes of new products are built and put through rigorous testing—testing that pushes them beyond anything they’d experience in your vehicle out on the road or track.
As part of this process, we install functional prototypes and press the vehicles into real-world scenarios. We perform high-speed cornering and skid-pad braking maneuvers to dial in the design and ensure that the feedback is precisely on target. Shocks and struts are put through millions of compression and rebound cycles on our in-house shock dyno to simulate tens of thousands of miles of highway responses. All of this ensures that every QA1 product that goes out the door will stand the test of time, no matter how much abuse your right foot dishes out.
Once we’re satisfied with the design, we move on to manufacturing. Here, the highest quality raw materials are converted into finished goods utilizing state-of-the-art machinery, within our 100,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehousing space. By keeping the bulk of our manufacturing in-house, we maintain a keen eye on ongoing quality in material, machining, and assembly. We are so confident in the quality of our motorsports products that we offer a limited lifetime warranty on the majority of our shocks.
QA1 applies the same in-house engineering and manufacturing efforts, as well as alignment with ISO-certified quality standards, to its industrial and OEM manufacturing business. We provide support for industries as wide-ranging as agriculture, lawn and garden equipment, recreational vehicles, ATV/UTV vehicles, packaging, HVAC, car washes, medical equipment, fitness and play equipment, military and defense, electric vehicles, and more.
This attention to detail and hands-on approach to design, development, and manufacturing is what gives QA1’s American-made products their exceptional quality and thoughtful design. It’s why you can depend on QA1’s made in the USA shocks and suspension components for every mile of your journey. Our products are crafted with the utmost care by people who share your passion for automotive performance, and that’s something we take immense pride in.
At QA1, we believe that “made in the USA” is more than just a label—it’s a promise of superior quality, thoughtful design, and a commitment to supporting the American workforce. When you choose QA1, you’re not just choosing high-performance suspension components—you’re choosing a product that embodies the very best of American engineering and manufacturing. And that’s a choice you can be proud of, every time you hit the road.