I already saw a couple posts about the differences but I'm looking for more of people's PERSONAL experiences concerning fiberglass and urethane bodykits.

I'm considering getting the Impul replica kit (fiberglass), mostly because I don't have the $3500 to pay for the real thing (urethane). And is it even really worth it???

So if anybody has had any problems/experiences/input with either material I appreciate it in advance!

 

I don't know about the kit, but fiberglass is not as flexible as urethane, so it is more likely to crack if hit at the right angle.

 

if u run into a curb with fiberglass not only will it crack at the spot where u hit but it'll crack in several other places like the mounting points. i've had urethane and it takes a lot to crack it. probably a major accident. with my previous car i ran into curbs which bent the lip in half but it bounced back in place with scratches and scuff marks. with fiberglass, it would've cracked the whole bumper

 

Yeah that's what I heard, but I don't really have a problem with that, I don't park in a driveway so I won't scrape the bottom, I don't park in front of those curb things, and I usually back into spots like that anyways. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it WILL NEVER happen and I know I can't control what other people do, I'm just saying that I don't have any dings on the stock bumper and I've had the car almost a year and a half with no problems like that so I would imagine I wouldn't have any similar issues when I do change it.

What about fitmet issues or first getting it painted? I've heard that urethane is a pain to prep.

Thanks for helpin this nooooob.

 

Urethane is cake to prep. PPG makes a bumper prep now that takes about 15min to do. Ill be using it on my new bumper. If you go glass go real, save if thats what it takes. My Kenstyle front bumper is very strong. The other day I got stuck going down my driveway, yes stuck. I took my foot off the brake and clutch and the car didnt move. I had to get out and remove the bumper. Now thats strong.
Also when you buy the knock off it will have to be blocked and glazed then blocked again. That is if you dont want waves in it. The bodyshop will charge you a ton for this. So in the end you might as well get the real deal.

 

What do you mean go real? As in the genuine kit?

Blocked? Glazed?? Waves???

 

Yes, real.

When you buy a real Kenstyle bumper it will need to be blocked down with 180 grit paper. When you buy a knock off it will need to be knocked down with 180 also. BUT after the bodyshop knocks it down they will have to glaze(bondo) the whole thing then 180 it again until it is flat. Knock offs are wavy, its like dents all over. I dunno why but they are. My buddy bought one of the first few Kenstyle knock offs. It was REAL wavy! We had to block the shiet out of it. Ask him if he would do it again,lol. I would have charged a arm and leg for anyone else. In the end you get what you pay for with these kits. Think I like to just spend my money on real stuff? Not really! But it doesnt get better then the real deal!

 

https://g35driver.com/forums/interior-exterior/54678-fiberglass-urethane-bodykit.html

A thread has already been written about exactly that.

Also, if you're getting the impul front bumper, and dont like the lincense plate area, you would only be able to customize and shave it off if you had the fiberglass version.

 

My good ole buddy silverbolt! This post you posted shows how much you really know.
"With intense and extreme driving, I think handlayed fiberglass holds up better than urethane. Urethane can flex... but sometimes flex too much for the paint job to hold on... causing alot of cracking and spiderwebbing. Handlayed is also flexible, but only to a certain extent. Because of its surface, and its more stable build, the paint will not be as prone to spiderwebbing/cracking.?"
lol

 

urethane...fiberglass cracks easily

 

[QUOTE=Silverbolt]https://g35driver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54678

A thread has already been written about exactly that.QUOTE]

Yeah that was the thread I was talking about originally, but I think there was too much information and just confused me more. I understand what the differences are, just trying to see people's experiences and see which ones have had trouble and if it was worth it or not.

Could that be because they are choppered, or whatever it is, as compared to hand-laid?

 

Point?

 

Point? My point is that you dont know as much as you think you do.
"With intense and extreme driving, I think handlayed fiberglass holds up better than urethane. Urethane can flex... but sometimes flex too much for the paint job to hold on... causing alot of cracking and spiderwebbing. Handlayed is also flexible, but only to a certain extent. Because of its surface, and its more stable build, the paint will not be as prone to spiderwebbing/cracking.?"
This is just not true. With todays products I can take a piece of urethane and bend it in half and nothing will happen to it. Glass is not even close to urethane.

 

Yes, you can bend a urethane kit in half. Good for you. I wasnt talking about that. I was talking about how paint holds on to poly urethane compared to fiberglass. If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me in detail so everyone else can learn from all your knowledge, wisdom and your experience. Your "lol" isnt doing anyone any good.

 

Thats the only part I hate about the net. Everyone knows everything. I would think that the fact that you can bend a piece of urethane without damage to the paint would say enough. PPG makes a product thats called bumper prep. It comes with a with a scuffie and a wash along with a plastic promoter. I attended a PPG cert class last year where they passed around a piece of urethane that was painted and preped with the bumper prep. We all bent it in half and no damage was done. So how is glass better? Tell me again.