So I hear you guys always grunting about how the tC weighs a few hundred pounds more than it's competitors...

Any idea on how much weight a CF hood would save?

Those photochops bluebox did looked pretty hot with the CF hood, especially the black one, and I don't see many CF hoods on black cars.

 

CF hoods are always the WORST investment anyone can put on their car... They're fragile, they stand out too much, they don't save you but a few lbs... (10 - 20 maybe) and they cost as much as a dang exhaust system...

You might as well rip out the back seats or take out the motors for your windows and put in manual rollers LOL...

If I ever find a need to shed 20 lbs. this might be the last thing of any sort that I'll get...

I rather shave the bolts and screws on the car first...

Either that or drive naked and or lose 20 lbs...

 

My first understanding of CF was that it saved weight, but I've noticed that not a single CF hood maker has mentioned the weight. Realized that they are purely cosmetic. Not saying I don't want one...

 

Carbon fiber does save weight... in exotic cars, where the entire chassis is built of Carbon fiber. Porsche Carrera GT, Ferrari Enzo, Mercedes SLR McLaren, etc., etc., are all built almost entirely of carbon fiber to save weight.

But just replacing a single piece of sheet metal (like the hood) with carbon fiber isn't going to make a whole lot of difference. If you replaced all of the sheet metal with carbon fiber, took out the panorama roof and replaced it with carbon fiber, ripped out the tranny tunnel and replaced it with carbon fiber, etc., etc., you might save some weight. A hundred pounds or so.

Mostly, people just hear that exotics are built from carbon fiber, and refuse to look any further into it, just assuming that it must have some magical properties. It looks cool, sure, but a carbon fiber hood / door sill / shift **** isn't going to get you anywhere.

A friend of mine had an old Camaro dragster that he did weight saving on... and it really showed me how you do it right. Take out the back seats, the radio, air conditioning, heat, defoggers, windshield wipers, power everything, trunk lining, sound deadening, floor panels, headliner, replace all the glass with 1/8" lexan, smaller rims to reduce unsprung weight, fuel cell in the trunk, insulation from the bulkhead... basically, just take out everything that's not absolutely necessary to make the car go.

Putting a carbon fiber hood on isn't going to do anything but make you look nice and take up money that could be better used buying a faster car.

 

well alright, that's coo

shows how much I know about cars

 

When you're running a CF hood, trunk, or fenders, it's purely cosmetic.

Andrew

 

Oh, and as far as weight savings... here's somebody who managed to do it better than anyone I've ever seen. Shaved two full seconds off the 1/4 time just by taking off weight. The car suffered a little bit in the comfort department, though...

http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/fe...red/index.html

 

I wish I had a scale and I'd weigh the xb hood and get a weight on the Fiber Image hood that we carry. The XB hood is actually pretty heavy for as big as it is, I was surprised. Most people say that on average every 100 lbs. is another 10 hp. freed up., so if a carbon fiber hood saves about 20 lbs. then that is two hp that it frees up and would help with handling ( I know it's minimal). Once you've done a few things to your car and gotten the best things done then the bang for the buck does change.. the buck goes up and the bang goes down.

What do you think about people spending money on lightweight wheels that cost a fortune only to save a few pounds. The wheels would do more but it all helps.

You get what you pay for when it comes to carbon fiber products.

I do agree that they have become a mostly cosmetic add-on though for people that buy them.

 

Great article. 0-60 in 5.8.... almost competition for a WRX.

 

Agreed. I volunteer my civic egg hatch for the second edition...

..'Cause she can't get any uglier...

 

Rims are not good for bang for the buck too... But custom rims will get you either more rubber to the road or smaller raidus for faster acceleration while taking off a LOT of weight depending on the original wheel it's replacing...

As for a shift ****, I have to say that if you do get the right one... It helps the car shift a lot easier... Weighted shift ***** are not just for looks, they go into the gates a lot smoother... (Just drive a WRX and change the crappy stocker to the MOMO Race Leather and you'll see what I mean...)

The hood on the other hand is very useless... Just covers things... Rocks and other things can damanage it pretty easy as I stated, they are very very fragile...

Rims hold a better resale value if taken care of... You can probably lose about 50% on a CF hood thats old since you can almost garuntee it'll hit some rocks on the freeway... (hey the more that chips off the more weight you save right?)

 

weight reduction is a great excuse for someone to turn their xB into a pickup... or maybe even a cab chassis :D

 

My guitar's made out of carbon fiber.

You couldn't chip or put a scratch in the thing with a hammer.

plus it's really light.

http://www.caguitars.com

 

to put weight into comparison. a stock civic hood will weigh about 50-55lbs and a carbonfiber one will weigh about 12lbs. you can use a fiberglass hood and get the same weight reduction, but it is no wear as strong as carbon fiber. once you start adding carbon fiber trunk and fenders then you could lose some weight have a stronger car at the same time. carbon fiber will not dent like sheet metal. the other key is to not put a kit on and leave that alone.

 

yeah.. i've always thought carbon fiber was light and strong..

 

I've alway heard they shatter...

 

I thought plexiglass shattered. CF is rediculously strong from what I hear... but I usually hear about it used for other things, not sure how strong it is for cars.

I mean I'm not saying it's the end all mod, or it'll shave like a second off your run or anything, but I don't think CF hoods are QUITE as useless as you are making them out to be, KAuss...

Plus dude, i'm telling you, that thing looks HOT on Bluebox's photochopped black tC.

 

Carbon fibre is incredibly strong. That's why the chassis on the cars I've mentioned (SLR McLaren, Carrera GT, Enzo Ferrari) have carbon fibre chassis... lot's of strength, little weight.

But it's more torsional rigidity than chipping damage that they're concerned with in chassis building. Unfortunately, the torsional rigidity of your hood isn't terribly important.

 

Well, I dunno... How can we gauge the use of a CF hood?

The WRX came with an aluminum hood... That thing is fragile as hell... Saved some weight cause you can lift it with a finger... I'd rather spend 400 - 500 on an exhaust or something... (I would never buy an exhaust too cause I hate the sound)

 

i have a CF rod for my RC that is about 3mm thick and i cant break it with my own hands or with a hammer... so i think they are pretty strong. and i have a CF chassis for my RC that is like 2mm thick and i tried to break that also... wouldnt break.. i dont know why im posting this.. i guess its just my experiment with CF.