Okay so im trying to start the modding season off right by getting a new front bumper. I just got the CS with carbon diffuser installed onto my IP g35 2dr.

I want a full CF bumper but im worried about the fitment. I was told that CF bumpers are good out the box and jsut need to be fitted then painted. Real simple since my experience with fiberglass rear cost $880 in prep work alone plus $450 paint and 3 days without my whip.

Anybody have any advice about carbon creations ts-1 front bumper? Its the only on i like and i dont mind the cost. Cuz if the fitment is really good then ill save money compared to the rear bumper install.

 

why not just get a polly bumper from a vendor on here? fitment should be pretty close & it won't look ugly ... I'm really hoping if you end up getting this CF bumper you paint it.

 

I personally wouldn't do it. One of the guys in my area had full CF body parts a long time ago and I just remember it cracking and hazing over time. Plus it looks terrible and stands out like a sore thumb IMO.

 

Im DEFFINATELY painting it. I want the car to look real clean with CF accents on the front and rear. Just the lip and the ducts would be CF and the rest would be QX1 IP paint.

Fitment is my biggest concern cuz idk how the heck a body shop would fix a full CF bumper...

 

Do it!!!!!

 

Check out our thread.. in my sig I think our addCARBON service will interest you...

 

I did check yours out, just the fitment and prep time with fibergass was horrid with my strafe CS rear. I dont want to do that again ever lol. Hence the full CF bumper, supposedly no prep, just sand and paint. All holes drilled etc.

 

Honesty really doubt it need no prep work

 

Wait your saying it will need prep, or that you doubt it will need prep work. I think i see a double negative here but idk hahaha

 

=( sad face.. okay explanation time..

Carbonfiber.. Majority of the carbonfiber you see around you is wetlay and I'd bet that bumper is as well. However disregarding all of that (I'd safely say) all carbonfiber you'll find for a G35 Coupe is wet laid or vacuumed and NONE are drycarbon. If anyone here owns a dry carbon hood on their G35 I'll send you a set of SR48 lugs out of my pocket right now.

Quick run down:
Wet lay.. I take my sheet of carbon and stuff it into the mold.. this process is very delicate and takes some practice to get right.. you push the carbonfiber into every little crevices of the mold and let it cure that way. This always has a fiberglass back.

Vacuum.. you lay carbon on whatever and use epoxy and resin to hold everything together. All the excess resin is then pushed out with the force of the vacuum bag. Downside is that you get a little dimple where the vacuum is. (note dimple)

Since the bumper isnt vacuumed the surface is not smooth.. Why.. the gel coat used shrinks and wraps itself around the part so example would be if you go look at your cf hood or trunk right now the ends kinda appear like they bump up if you look at it at a right angle..

customer called and now i GTG but in short it'll be more prep work because the surface will be wavey and you might need more then standard primper to fill in the pinholes if there are any

 

shoot me a pm, ill get you that bumper no problem.

i have a dry cf hood

 

Dustin the CS i bought needed alot of work... had a huge crack in it... BUT, your customer service and shipping time where awesome. Pm sent buddy.

 

I think it would look good.

 

Dry carbon as in the manufacturing process Dustin using prepreg material and an autoclave or oven Not dry carbon as in a matte finish. (which is dumb because dry carbon can be gloss too) The easiest way to see a dry carbon product in real life is to go to a Mercedes Benz dealership and pop the hood to a new AMG. Their engine covers are accented with prepreg carbon crafted through a dry process. Another common example is to go to a BMW dealership and take a look at a roof of an E92 M3 - which is actually BMW's own mixture of plastic and dry carbon they manufacture in house but the pattern is similar.

Below I have attached some Thumbnails to HIGH RESOLUTION unedited, taken by a Rebel XS, photos of dry carbon to wet lay / vacuum.

First, the weave pattern is VERY different. While many carbonfiber companies are making their wetlay or vacuum-ed carbon with a matte finish it is not dry process. They're simply delivering a affordable solution for a expensive style. You can see the threads on the small dry carbon piece is clearly more compact/tighter giving it more strength!



Another example with some flash.



The other side of the rainbow.. Carbonfiber itself is essentially weak.. I guess you can almost put it like a flat piece of card board versus a assembled box. Without a curvature a flat piece of carbonfiber no matter what method, wet or dry, is rather weak. With a curvature drycarbon can hold its own with unbeatable strength to weight ratio. if you dont understand just remember carbon is woven together so naturally its flexible so when its made flat it's more willing to flex versus when made into a curved shape.

However, this is NOT the case with wet lay, vaccumbagged, chopper gun, whatevers. Everything NOT made with prepreg carbon is NOT dry-carbon. NON-Dry Carbon is dependent on the resin or glue we use to hold its shape. Similar to fiberglassing. so for wet carbon to be strong it needs a frame/skeleton or some fiberglass on the back end. Here I've attached the back side to both pieces (again the smaller piece is drycarbon while the big wing is wet laid).

Now that we've established what is what. Everyone who's viewed this thread should be able to identify DRY carbon to wet.

The sample of dry carbon used in the picture above has a honey comb wood core. The core is very light (about as light as Styrofoam) but is all thats needed. Before cutting it in half to show what the core was we've hung all the weights we could find (over 120lb) and even an oil pan and it still held together.

So lets go to school.. I mean go over some notes:
DryCarbonfiber is made using pre-preg carbonfiber into an autoclave or oven. It is called dry because the whole processes only involves tooling no additional resin is added! [resin being the WET term here]. Carbon made ANY other way is NOT dry. It is called prepreg because when the carbon cloth is manufactured/woven there are threads of resin impregnated in. The roll is then frozen and kept cool to prevent the resin from melting. When ready to be used the cloth is cut (tooling) onto a mold then sent in either vacuum bag + oven or bagged and into an autoclave. This results in manufacturing a carbon piece using the minimal amount of resin is strength and that unique thread pattern.

WetCarbonfiber is just regular carbonfiber cloth or fiberglass cloth laid onto a mold and between every sheet resin or epoxy is brushed in between. then all excess resin is squeegied out. Vacuuming will push more excess resin out as well. Reguardless the amount of resin used is uncontrollable causing the part to be weaker. (glue pieces of paper together and flex it.. its not the paper that breaks its the glue is the best example I can give). This process is what we usually see in our industry.


Here are more example of DRY Carbonfiber.. Taken with my iPhone.

Picture 4 - can you tell which ones dry?
Picture 3
Picture 2

Google any of the keywords I've written up and I'm sure theres more detailed information on carbonfiber.

I a little bit when you said your hood was dry carbon can we see it? And if it is that's one very amazing and fine piece and mad props to you for creating one. However if it isn't I'd go take a class on glassing and carbonfiber as a vendor.

 

Take a deep breath everyone. This has gone way off topic, now lets discuss CF bumpers.