Seibon Carbon Fiber lip kit

[kuhan]

Has anyone heard of this Seibon CF lip kit?

CF lip kit:SEIBON 06-08 CW Front LipSEIBON 03-08 CW Side SkirtsSEIBON 03-08 AS Rear Lip

They quoted me for a full CF lip kit for $1325 shipped. Is this a good buy? Thanks

SEIBON 06-08 CW Front Lip

SEIBON 03-08 CW Side Skirts

SEIBON 03-08 AS Rear Lip

SEIBON 06-07 OEM Hood - $400

[R350Zz33]

$400 for the hood i want it seibon makes good quality products

[Retired Chief]

Why would you want to buy a carbon fiber hood that looks just like the 08 factory hood that you have now? The factory hood is aluminum and weighs less than a carbon fiber hood.

[coleycole]

Why would you want to buy a carbon fiber hood that looks just like the 08 factory hood that you have now? The factory hood is aluminum and weighs less than a carbon fiber hood.

The factory hood does not way less then a carbon fiber hood and that is one of the many reasons people go with it.

I have the seibon VS style carbon fiber front lip and am very happy with the quality

[Retired Chief]

The factory hood does not way less then a carbon fiber hood and that is one of the many reasons people go with it.

You better check your facts. The 2008 350Z factory hood weighs about 18 pounds. That's lighter than any carbon fiber hood I've seen.

[kuhan]

I might not buy the hood. That is optional. But I will buy the full lip kit and V2 wing.

Thanks guys for the feedback.

[abhik382]

Yeah buy the full lip kit and v2

[Retired Chief]

I forgot to add that I like that kit too. Once I start modifying my Z, that's the kit I'll probably go with.

[R350Zz33]

i want to replace all the body panels on my car with carbon fiber.

[dasoupdude]

jesus, there are so much more things you can buy than a carbon fiber lip.

try a decent looking duraflex lip, its more forgiving than a seibon lip granted that you eff up somehow on the road. whether it be driving or parking in a not so friendly Z zone.

[Retired Chief]

try a decent looking duraflex lip, its more forgiving than a seibon lip granted that you eff up somehow on the road. whether it be driving or parking in a not so friendly Z zone.

I would go duraflex but I’ve read mixed reviews. I would like to get the opinion of someone here who has it. I like the idea that duraflex is nearly indestructible but the videos I’ve seen show that it is pretty flimsy…almost too flimsy. I’ll see if I can find the link but I read on another forum about a guy who claims that when he hit 100+ mph for the first time after getting his duraflex front end that it started to fold under the front of his car. He said it never scraped the ground but it cracked the paint where it was bending.

[sluggoZ]

Chief....your right, plus the fact that the OEM hood is made out of aluminum.I have heard some bad comments about the Seibon hood fitment issues too!

[_b.jaye_]

where are you gettin your info on the weight from chief? i tried to find a handful of component weights without much luck

[Retired Chief]

where are you gettin your info on the weight from chief? i tried to find a handful of component weights without much luck

The first place I saw it was here on the Nico forums but I've found it in other places since then. I'll see if I can find a link.

[kuhan]

I believe Seibon is knockoff brand. Their CW CF lip kit is actually replica of C-West CF lip kit. But I don't care much about replica as long as their CF lip kit fits our Z without any issues and have quality CF. That's all I care about.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

The lip isn't bad... the rest of it is kinda meh... I'd definitely paint it too.

Regardless of if the CF hood weighs less or more than the OEM hood, its definitely going to be close, which begs the question: Why spend the money? You'd be better off spending it elsewhere.

[ldstang50]

The first place I saw it was here on the Nico forums but I've found it in other places since then. I'll see if I can find a link.

Chief

I just called Seibon and spoke to a guy named Jimmy there. I asked him about the weight of an OEM CF hood and he said it was 13lbs. So according to Seibon they are lighter than OEM hoods.

[coleycole]

Chief

I just called Seibon and spoke to a guy named Jimmy there. I asked him about the weight of an OEM CF hood and he said it was 13lbs. So according to Seibon they are lighter than OEM hoods.

Now thats how you get to the bottom of things. I knew I wasnt crazy.

[Retired Chief]

Chief

I just called Seibon and spoke to a guy named Jimmy there. I asked him about the weight of an OEM CF hood and he said it was 13lbs. So according to Seibon they are lighter than OEM hoods.

That's awesome. I called 1-800-Nissan1 and got transfered to a tech. He confirmed the weight on the 2008 factory aluminum hood. It's 18lbs, which is still lighter than most CF hoods for the 350z.

[xjmxstac]

Carbon fiber and fiber glass are lighter than Aluminum. There's no way in hell that an aluminum hood could weigh less than carbon fiber/fiber glass hood. It just doesn't add up...unless they put lead in the cross members?

[_b.jaye_]

uuuh... or make it thicker? it wouldnt take much more resin over that much surface area to add on some weight. id say its totally believable that some cheaper made CF hoods would weigh as much or more than the aluminum hood... just make sure you know what your getting if your in the market for one... im with everyone here that are quick to point out there are way better places to put the $$$ towards if your doin it with performance in mind

[xjmxstac]

So cheaper carbon fiber hoods have more layers of CF than the more expensive ones, making them heavier? Then it would be more expensive to build a heavier hood vs. a lighter hood...

[ldstang50]

That's awesome. I called 1-800-Nissan1 and got transfered to a tech. He confirmed the weight on the 2008 factory aluminum hood. It's 18lbs, which is still lighter than most CF hoods for the 350z.

Damn straight! 18lbs is light for a stock hood!! Trying to beat that is very hard.

[kuhan]

If you're going to get carbon fiber, then why would you want to paint it? Get FRP kit if you want to paint it.

The lip isn't bad... the rest of it is kinda meh... I'd definitely paint it too.

Regardless of if the CF hood weighs less or more than the OEM hood, its definitely going to be close, which begs the question: Why spend the money? You'd be better off spending it elsewhere.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

So cheaper carbon fiber hoods have more layers of CF than the more expensive ones, making them heavier? Then it would be more expensive to build a heavier hood vs. a lighter hood...

Its not that simple... carbon fiber (and fiberglass to an extent) are fairly complex things to manufacture. To get the best weight savings (and maintain strength), you have to have the perfect resin to fiber ratio, and it has to be well distributed. Some cheaper places probably can't distribute the resin well enough, so they compensate by adding more.

Basically, there is a big difference between vacuum forming something in an autoclave and laying out fabric by hand and painting on resin. It would be DAMN easy to get the hood to weigh more than the aluminum one.

If you're going to get carbon fiber, then why would you want to paint it? Get FRP kit if you want to paint it.

If FRP were available and was just as strong/light as carbon fiber, I would buy it in a heartbeat over carbon fiber. Unpainted carbon fiber panels/body pieces looks like absolute dog crap on most cars in my opinion.

[R350Zz33]

u know whats lighter then a carbon fiber hood and a aluminum hood thats right boys and girls no hood. and u dont have to spend a dime

[_b.jaye_]

u know whats lighter then a carbon fiber hood and a aluminum hood thats right boys and girls no hood. and u dont have to spend a dime

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAOxY_nHdew

[R350Zz33]

i am right

[PapaSmurf2k3]

u know whats lighter then a carbon fiber hood and a aluminum hood thats right boys and girls no hood. and u dont have to spend a dime

Very true. I've seen some nice camaros and such with no hood whatsoever. If you've got something under the hood to show off, and don't mind ruining your aerodynamics, its definitely the way to go. (Might have trouble getting the engine up to temp though... then again maybe not)

[_b.jaye_]

i m sorry, i thought we were looking at this in the intrest of performance...

my molestake