Fiberglass or urethane bodykit?

[Nine49Kid]

Originally Posted by Silverbolt

IMO, because fiberglass doesnt flex too much, its actually a good thing. It keeps its form so that the paint doesnt crack, spiderweb, or peal. My house has a steep driveway with a deep drain gutter thing, I've gone over countless speedbumps and dips for over 7 years, I've gotten into around 3 accidents... I still have the same fiberglass bodykit Also, in the long run, urethane tends to sag and start drooping. The only way to minimize this effect is to use alot of mounting points to hold it up.

you could say this works both ways, if the fiberglass doesnt flex much, your fenders can actually dent, it happened to my friend, but i see what your saying, ive cracked my fiberglass and flares twice now, its somewhat frustrating

[nyckid]

but to my understanding wouldnt fiberglass be easier to fix if cracked? and also a lot easier to shape? people told me that if you go with poly, you better hope and pray that the fitment is right on, because theres not much you can do to reshape it, is this true?

if this is true i think ill go get the ings+1 fiberglass replica...cuz if the fitment is a lil off, i can at least have the body shop reshape it to make it fit.

not sure why most bodykit companies use fg instead of poly, guess fg is better?

[nyckid]

not sure if this is true or not, but my bodyshop told me that polyurethane is better and easier to repair and make fit better since it flexes, but most of you guys said fg is better. So confusing. He told me that all car manufacturers use polyurethane, and that it is easy to work with and repair compared to fg, so whose right? :/

[kaigenx]

I hit a tree branch on the freeway going about 50mph. My urethane veilside lip took 100% of the hit, it popped off from the double stick dragged on the ground for a bit. Only major thing that happened was that the paint is scratched. I been too broke to get it repainted but it fits right back on perfectly. A FG would have gotten cracked and had the screw mounts ripped off.

[Silverbolt]

Originally Posted by kaigenx

I hit a tree branch on the freeway going about 50mph. My urethane veilside lip took 100% of the hit, it popped off from the double stick dragged on the ground for a bit. Only major thing that happened was that the paint is scratched. I been too broke to get it repainted but it fits right back on perfectly. A FG would have gotten cracked and had the screw mounts ripped off.

Of course there will be scenarios where it woul be better to have a urethane than a FG kit. In your case, it probably was alot better to have a urethane kit to handle that little accident... but over all, a FG kit would have more advantages.

[GreenGoblin]

very good read thanks for the info

[wickedik]

Originally Posted by Silverbolt

To be honest, I dont know too much about FRP or PFRP. All I know is that FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) is a very hard and durable plastic that has tiny glass fibers embedded in the plastic.

Theres also PFRP which is poly fiber reinforced plastic, which is supposed to be more flexible that FRP. I really dont know much about this either.

there is no such thing as PFRP. PFRP is a marketing tool that ppl use to confuse the consumers that their fiberglass parts are "better" and "more flexible" that others.

i can tell by this statement that you really dont know what you are talking abuot. frp is fiber reinforced polymer. polymer being the resin (polyester, vinylester, epoxy...) since polyester and vinyl are forms of plastic people think the P stands for Plastic in FRP. Many things are made of plastic, some are flexible and some are not for example my taillights are made of plastic but they are not flexible... a credit card is also made of plastic but it is kinda flexible.. techically polyester clother are made of plastic and yes they are "flexible".. all i am trying to teach you all is that just because it is called FRP doesnt necessarily mean it is plastic or flexible. the flexibility of a FRP product depends on the materials used. i dont know of anyone that uses chopper guns anymore... and i doubt the author of this thread could tell a choped bumper from a handlaid one.. basically there are 2 main types of fiberglass and 3 types of resins. there is fiberglass mat and fiberglass cloth, all you need to know is that fiberglass cloth is better that mat. for the resin (polymer) many companies are using polyester resins because of the price, epoxy resins are generally more expensive and provide more strength/ flexibility.

there also other manufacturing process besides chop and handlaid.. but that is a whole nother subject...

[Dustin@StrafeAutomotive]

i would feel better with poly parts but all my body parts are fg and everythign is fine.. just can go running into walls or anything

[I ride G]

wow i never saw this thread till now, i have to agree 100% with helldorado. he hit all the nails on the head!

people always ask why we make kits in fiberglass opposed to urethane. well, there you have it =)