Carbon Fiber front fascia?

kannibul

I went to the garage to clean off some bugs today and found yet another (relatively) deep knick down by the fangs (about 1mm x 1mm x 8mm). It's deep enough that a clearbra would not have prevented it, as with another cut I found about a month ago.

Anyhow, has any manufacturer (in the past with Z's) put out a carbon fiber front fascia? I don't mean as an overlay, I mean a replacement.

I figure it'd be hard enough and resistant enough to not dent/ding/etc from road debris. The weight savings might be something, don't care about that...lol.

Personal preference would be that it would get painted to match the car...so it's a matter of eventually wanting to replace it when it looks bad enough and either spending the $200 or so to get a new plastic fascia (and whatever to have it painted), or, get a CF fascia at $xyz, then have it painted to match and likely not have to worry about dings/chips/cuts/etc.

nogoodname

you mean the whole bumper cover.... that's gonna be money


there's already a fiberglass bumper cover out..... it's pretty darn strong... stronger than OEM.... Zele is the way to go

kannibul

Like how much (for CF) - ballpark?

I'll check into Zele.

nogoodname

the Zele one will be around 1500 i think... plus shipping

CF would probably be the same if made here in North America
but no one has done it yet


if the CF gets a knick, thats so not fixable... i would go with FB.. which is fixable

kannibul

Thanks - good point about CF. I imagine that CF's epoxy base would be harder than the plastic used for the OEM fascia, correct? At least the damage would be minimal.

Also, it looks like Zele would be part of a body kit, which isn't something I'm entirely after. I guess I'll just deal until something comes out (or go OEM again)

One other thing - what's the exhaust on Zele's site? If I did something like get the body kit, that exhaust would probably be what'll fit best with the rear fascia...at least, as I understand it, they come pre-cut, right?

nogoodname

carbon fiber is not flexible... so yes it is harder
fiberglass is hard also, but fixable....
those Japanese kits are pretty darn tough though.... the OEM bumper would break before a FB would.

the Zele front bumper is a variation of OEM.... so it will match nicely if you buy the front bumper only....
the front bumper costs 1200 plus shipping

the rear bumper is 1100
the side skirts are 975

now get ready for it.... are you ready to see the price of the exhaust


it's a full titanium exhaust at 5800

kannibul

LULZ!

I guess there's not a lot that can be done with the rear bumper with their body kit (I'm not familiar with body kits in general, so please forgive the ignorance!)

nogoodname

no problem

i would put the front bumper and keep the rest stock


and forget that exhaust.............lol


btw...those are real prices i posted from 370ztune

NYBladeZ

I don't think you would be able to paint over a CF front bumper. The CF most of us refer to is wet carbon so its already been clearcoated meaning you won't be able to apply paint afterwards. Correct me if I'm wrong but only dry carbon would be able to get painted on after, and you are going to pay an arm and a leg for any dry carbon pieces, heck I don't think they even have any out right now. For wet carbon, I know atleast of one other member completely CFing their car. The name is beyond me right now but I believe he's working with Seibon. I'm currently doing the same thing with a local wholesale company on creating a full wet carbon kit. I don't think I'll see much in weight savings but I love the look.

__________________
2009 Carbon Fiber/Red 370z aka Trish: Sports Package, Meisterschaft full catback, Fast Intentions Longtube Headers, Injen Long Tube Intakes, UpRev Tune: Sold
2008 Lotus Exige S Club Racer aka Bella, always leaves me smiling

nogoodname

cf fenders would offer decent weight saving

NYBladeZ

I hope so, I'm patiently waiting to see how much weight it I actually shave off. Though honestly I did it for the unique look than any major weight reductions. Anyone know where I can get an overlay for the rear quarter panel in CF?

__________________
2009 Carbon Fiber/Red 370z aka Trish: Sports Package, Meisterschaft full catback, Fast Intentions Longtube Headers, Injen Long Tube Intakes, UpRev Tune: Sold
2008 Lotus Exige S Club Racer aka Bella, always leaves me smiling

nogoodname

mmmm... i dont think you can....lol

think of it like this... the fenders are made from steel
(only hatch, door skin and hood are aluminum)

CF is lighter than aluminum... so there's definitely a savings

Modshack

Sure you can. CF is painted over all the time. The clear-coat is just paint after all. You'll still have paint on top and that's what typically chips though, so there is nothing really gained from doing this to reduce road dings......I fact, it may cause more issues as the underlying CF (or FG) is pretty unyielding as opposed to the flexibility of the stock bumper material..

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Modshack

Actually the Hood, Doors and hatch are aluminum......

Roof is steel....My Auto-X numbers stuck real good up there..

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nogoodname

my bad.... i meant that...lol

door skin is aluminum