Fiberglass body kit on a G35...good or bad?

[morrison82]

I am wanting to purchase a body kit for my G35. I live in southern New Mexico (not by choice) and the body kits I want for my car are mostly fiberglass or fiberglass reinforced plastic. I have been told by people who live here not to get any fiber glass body kits due to the heat, that the fiberglass has a tendency to warp and get wavy. Is this true, does anyone have any experience in this or should I stick to urethane body kits only.

[TeflonG35]

Don't go cheap on body kits. That would be an easy way to make your car look like crap.

Do you have pics of the body kits you are looking at?

Also this post is in the wrong location. Don't be suprised if a mod moves it.

[Sentientbydesign]

Also this post is in the wrong location. Don't be suprised if a mod moves it.

Done!

Don't go cheap on body kits. That would be an easy way to make your car look like crap.

Do you have pics of the body kits you are looking at?

Also this post is in the wrong location. Don't be suprised if a mod moves it.

Fiberglass is cheap and "easy" to make. Someone with the right tools and some supplies can make a mold and start producing fiberglass.

Now for the details. Fiberglass is just that, glass fibers, then they use polyester or epoxy to hold the fabric together. It is very lightweight and fairly rigid but is also VERY BRITTLE.

If you were going to get a fiberglass hood, I'd just shrug and say "whatever". After seeing numerous cheapo fiberglass body kits, I would highly recommend against them.

Urethane parts like your factory bumper are flexible and allow for some impact resistance. When they hit the ground or a bump, they usually bend or scrape. Fiberglass on the other hand shatters. If you look at a lot of lowered ricer cars with kits on them, the front bumper will usually be cracked.

So here's what I would do:

-Pony up the cash for a urethane kit-Pony up even more cash for a Carbon Fiber kit, then get a rubber or urethane lip for cushion.

The Carbon Fiber will be much more expensive, but a lot lighter and a little more durable than the Fiberglass. If you don't want to deal with discoloration, just paint it. UV clear coat can be ridiculously expensive and doesn't always work.

[joe603]

+1 for Urethane!

[MIA-G35]

This man speaks the truth.

Avoid getting into Fiberglass bodykits, try polyurethane, ABS or some type of flexible material to avoid shattering and cracking. Also painted Fiberglass tends to chip a lot easier, so at all costs avoid using anything made of fiberglass on the front end of your car.

Done!

Fiberglass is cheap and "easy" to make. Someone with the right tools and some supplies can make a mold and start producing fiberglass.

Now for the details. Fiberglass is just that, glass fibers, then they use polyester or epoxy to hold the fabric together. It is very lightweight and fairly rigid but is also VERY BRITTLE.

If you were going to get a fiberglass hood, I'd just shrug and say "whatever". After seeing numerous cheapo fiberglass body kits, I would highly recommend against them.

Urethane parts like your factory bumper are flexible and allow for some impact resistance. When they hit the ground or a bump, they usually bend or scrape. Fiberglass on the other hand shatters. If you look at a lot of lowered ricer cars with kits on them, the front bumper will usually be cracked.

So here's what I would do:

-Pony up the cash for a urethane kit-Pony up even more cash for a Carbon Fiber kit, then get a rubber or urethane lip for cushion.

The Carbon Fiber will be much more expensive, but a lot lighter and a little more durable than the Fiberglass. If you don't want to deal with discoloration, just paint it. UV clear coat can be ridiculously expensive and doesn't always work.