who makes real carbon fiber products

[finallymysti]

what i mean is i don't want seibon or vis that is carbon for looks but no rigidity or weight savings. so far lic used to and velocity carbon seems to. any others?
thanks

 

[Grinder34]

Voltex?

What piece in particular are you looking for? As for trunks even the "VIS crap" saves CONSIDERABLE weight vs the stock steel trunks, and even noticable weight vs the spec-c aluminum ones.

 

[finallymysti]

trunk for now. other peices like hood and roof later on.
crap was an overstatement, i'll edit. i don't think they are crap just not as performance oriented.
and thanks i'll look at voltex

 

[Stiyle11sedan]

Voltex is great but $$$$$$

 

[Grinder34]

Any CF trunk is gonna be a ton lighter than the OEM. I dont know the weight differences between the CF brands and dry/wet, etc... but a trunk is mostly a trunk. Not much performance oriented to it. So i haven't looked up the prices and weights, but I bet you'd spend an extra $800+ to go to a Voltex Dry carbon trunk and only save 1.5 lbs. There are better ways to spend that money!

Now when it comes to some aerodynamic pieces, i'd trust some of the more expensive brands to have done aero testing vs the cheaper "looks-only" brands.

 

[06f250sd]

Steve's parts are legit http://www.aerosim-research.com/sho...zuvjU64fTkiVDD4NoZJSygVoLNZ5PRHkZ&shop_param=

 

[Vermont]

Any CF trunk is gonna be a ton lighter than the OEM. I dont know the weight differences between the CF brands and dry/wet, etc... but a trunk is mostly a trunk. Not much performance oriented to it. So i haven't looked up the prices and weights, but I bet you'd spend an extra $800+ to go to a Voltex Dry carbon trunk and only save 1.5 lbs. There are better ways to spend that money!

Now when it comes to some aerodynamic pieces, i'd trust some of the more expensive brands to have done aero testing vs the cheaper "looks-only" brands.

When it comes to aero what you want to look for is companies who have dealings with race teams. A lot of the bigger teams have funds to spend time in wind tunnels to test out what works and what does not. It costs a lot of money to rent and wind tunnel and if they do not get it right the first time then that means they are out of that money. You need to compare what the race teams are doing to what the vendors are selling and see if it matches up. A lot of the times the "aero parts" are just for looks and nothing more. A good example is pretty much anything off ebay. The catch is if they company describes their part as "so and so style" then that means they went and purchased a part from "so and so" and then ripped it off using cheaper materials. They are then able to sell it for much cheaper by one using cheaper materials and two not having to spend as much money on R&D as most of the work was already done for them.

You may be saying now that this is horrible and pointless as those look alike parts will be useless. Well not so in some cases. If the original design was sound and based good R&D then the copy will have many of the same benefits just due to it being a copy. Yes some of the materials will be cheaper, but honestly for a personally owned road car or even track car, you do not need to consider every single last ounce of weight. A good example would be rear diffusers. Vis and voltex both make diffusers for the GR but they cost an arm and a leg, and if you are going to be driving the car on the road where the piece will be getting damaged and hurt, then what is the point of spending twice or even three times as much for the "real" thing. You might shave off a couple ounces but then again a large shit in the morning would accomplish the same thing.

The point I am trying to make is that you need to do your research to find out what constitutes good aero and what is crap. A good many of the "splitters" offered by the big names are a complete and total waste and would make no difference what so ever except to add weight to the front of the car. They can get away with making what ever claims they want becasue unless you go and test the car in a wind tunnel with SAE techs there doing the testing you have no proof, but then again neither do they. Most of these big name aero companies are all online, Volte:tard:x being a prime example. They have a very very small shop setup in japan for prototypes but other wise they design everything digitally in wind tunnel software and then have it made by a third party and drop shipped too the buyer.

If your are going for looks then great! There are some freaking mean ass looking body kits/lip kits/"aero" pieces out there, just don't think you will actually be getting any real befits out of most of them.

How does this relate to the thread topic? I am not sure yet but when I sober up I wil tell you! :tard:

 

[Evo_Fucking_STi]

Look at the weight of an aluminum hood compared to a carbon fiber hood. The aluminum hood is going to weigh less than 90% of the carbon hoods out there because you have to use so much resin to build a hood stiff enough to do what it does it becomes heavy. I have weighed them, You save about 5lbs over a vis or seibon hood if you get the jdm aluminum one if you have an older car or just keep stock on a newer car.

 

[Evo_Fucking_STi]

When it comes to aero what you want to look for is companies who have dealings with race teams. A lot of the bigger teams have funds to spend time in wind tunnels to test out what works and what does not. It costs a lot of money to rent and wind tunnel and if they do not get it right the first time then that means they are out of that money. You need to compare what the race teams are doing to what the vendors are selling and see if it matches up. A lot of the times the "aero parts" are just for looks and nothing more. A good example is pretty much anything off ebay. The catch is if they company describes their part as "so and so style" then that means they went and purchased a part from "so and so" and then ripped it off using cheaper materials. They are then able to sell it for much cheaper by one using cheaper materials and two not having to spend as much money on R&D as most of the work was already done for them.

You may be saying now that this is horrible and pointless as those look alike parts will be useless. Well not so in some cases. If the original design was sound and based good R&D then the copy will have many of the same benefits just due to it being a copy. Yes some of the materials will be cheaper, but honestly for a personally owned road car or even track car, you do not need to consider every single last ounce of weight. A good example would be rear diffusers. Vis and voltex both make diffusers for the GR but they cost an arm and a leg, and if you are going to be driving the car on the road where the piece will be getting damaged and hurt, then what is the point of spending twice or even three times as much for the "real" thing. You might shave off a couple ounces but then again a large shit in the morning would accomplish the same thing.

The point I am trying to make is that you need to do your research to find out what constitutes good aero and what is crap. A good many of the "splitters" offered by the big names are a complete and total waste and would make no difference what so ever except to add weight to the front of the car. They can get away with making what ever claims they want becasue unless you go and test the car in a wind tunnel with SAE techs there doing the testing you have no proof, but then again neither do they. Most of these big name aero companies are all online, Volte:tard:x being a prime example. They have a very very small shop setup in japan for prototypes but other wise they design everything digitally in wind tunnel software and then have it made by a third party and drop shipped too the buyer.

If your are going for looks then great! There are some freaking mean ass looking body kits/lip kits/"aero" pieces out there, just don't think you will actually be getting any real befits out of most of them.

How does this relate to the thread topic? I am not sure yet but when I sober up I wil tell you! :tard:

Show me where voltex has there parts made by a third party? I have a full voltex kit and it took over a year to get because when you order it they start laying it out by hand at there shop and make it for you to order by hand. I have an entire write up somewhere of voltex and there engineering, i will have to find it. It was in a japanese racecar mag my cousin got for me over in Japan. His wife translated it for me as a birthday gift.

 

[Grinder34]

Look at the weight of an aluminum hood compared to a carbon fiber hood. The aluminum hood is going to weigh less than 90% of the carbon hoods out there because you have to use so much resin to build a hood stiff enough to do what it does it becomes heavy. I have weighed them, You save about 5lbs over a vis or seibon hood if you get the jdm aluminum one if you have an older car or just keep stock on a newer car.

He said trunk. Hoods are a whole different matter. But i agree with you on hoods, just not trunks.

 

[Evo_Fucking_STi]

wow, was my reading comprehension that off. haha, i swear i saw hoods. OH well. if you really want to get a lightweight trunk. Take all the reinforcement off the back side take the hinges and springs off and pin the bitch down. Then you have a super lightweight trunk!