hood

[poobala]

I am replacing my steel hood with an aftermarket fibreglass or carbon fibre unit, just wondering if the carbon fibre is worth the extra $ or am I better off with the f/g version.

[pbs911]

Carbon Fiber is more difficult to work with if it comes to repairs or paint prep. CF will also only save you a few pounds for a lot more $$.

[island911]

In general, I would choose fibreglass over carbon fibre for any application where toughness (crash worthiness) is important. (fibreglass generally will absorb much more energy before snapping than will an equal amount of carbon fibre.)

Beyond that, composite strength (and toughness) are very dependent on how they are put together.
My advice (for a hood, fender or door) is to put workmanship first, material toughness, then, material weight (usually implies glass). For a tail, however, carbon fibre's light weight stiffness would be hard to ignore.

[poobala]

thanks ! these issues are great to discuss , this has saved me some dollars for other upgrades.