Carbon Fiber Hoods Or Fiberglass Hood? Car Body Kits That Save Time And Money

Do you like to race and give your car extra speed? Make it lighter so it will increase your mileage? Do you want to personalize its look and make it as comfortable as your bedroom?

Ok, the last one was a joke.

There are a plenty of car accessories and exterior car products available in the market. For the car enthusiast, depending on his needs, he can use it as an opportunity to accessorize his car and personalize it. He can even improve the aerodynamics of his car if he wants to increase its speed and improve mileage. Popular movies like The Fast and the Furious or MTV’s Pimp my Ride show the public what can be done to improve and accessorize their car. Due to this subtle car body kits marketing, aftermarket products have become highly in demand.

What is a hood?

A hood is one of the most visible parts of a car and the least complicated because it requires very little engineering. Manufacturers try to make fancy accessories by using various designs in their material. The wide range of choices available ensures that the customer will find a range of choice that appeal to his taste.

Fiberglass hoods

Fiberglass is a composite material consisting of fine glass filaments bound together with resin. Light weight and widely used, it is almost inexpensive. The rigid composition of the material allows for extreme styling.

Fiberglass hoods are a cost alternative to manufactured hoods because it reduces the weight of the vehicle, is durable and easy to work with.

Fiberglass, however, received a really bad reputation because of cheap, low quality imports sold on the market today. Nevertheless, there are a lot of quality fiberglass parts offered by quality manufacturers that do not easily break and are not difficult to attach.

When working with fiberglass, extra steps must be observed in the painting process. You have to see to it that it is sanded absolutely smooth aside from adding a smooth coat of primer, topcoat and a sealer adding more work and expense in the process.

Carbon fiber hoods

Carbon fiber is a material that involves taking together carbon filaments, placing them under pressure and binding them with resin. Carbon fiber was originally used in aircraft technology and is a more expensive material compared to fiber class.

As it is light, installing a carbon fiber hood greatly reduces the weight of the vehicle. The reduction in weight allows the car to run on lesser power and fuel consumption. Because the hood is right on top of the front wheels, lesser weight on the front wheels gives the vehicle better balance when driving. The latest models of carbon fiber body kits possess cutting edge designs due to the material’s capacity to be molded into interesting forms. Carbon fiber is used in racing cars being of light and strong material. The only downside to carbon fiber hoods is that if it breaks down, it has to be replaced.