windshield replacement
 

Anyone ever thought of replacing windshield with lexan material?

What would be the reason?

Lightweight.. because racecar.

I suggested lexan/FAL in another thread talking about weight reduction but I only ever mentioned the rear glass. You would NOT want to replace the windshield in anything that saw more than strict track duty. Lexan is a bitch to maintain and scratches rediculously easy..it would be destroyed after a single highway run.

Not to mention lexan offers zero structural support. The windshield plays a crucial role in roll over protection as it supports the roof. Replace it with plastic and you will screw yourself. Every car I have ever seen with a replaced windshield A) was a racecar B) had a full cage.

You can buy aftermarket windshield replacements that are thinner glass so they might be lighter but I wouldn't suggest going that route either.

why not remove the windshield completely if you're so worried about weight? just remove the windshield and wear a pair of those goggles like a World War One pilot.

...because racecar....................................

I removed mine and used saran wrap with a clear coat.

Isn't the use of lexan instead of glass illegal in certain classes?

I got mine made out of transparent aluminum.




/troll

Just last week I removed my windshield and dipped my car into a vat of bubble blowing solution. Lighter than saran wrap and gives it a sweet JDM reflective look.

Because racecar...

All the glass for that matter. Nascar does it... :iono:

Good to see I'm the only one with a credible response on here..

Everyone trying to be an E-comedian and sucking at it huge lol.. saran wrap, aluminium, ect..

If you can't reply with something useful just back the hell out of the thread. You aren't funny offline you certainly aren't any funnier online.

Same couple of dudes have been trolling the last couple of threads I made. Not sure why. Doesn't really matter either. Some people feel the need to crack jokes for attention because they don't get any in their personal lives? IDK...

Either way, :thumbsup: good job guys, I'm going to try that transparent aluminum saran wrap, plasti dip windshield as soon as I get home.

i dont think insurance would agree with you changing your windshield to a non DOT approved windscreen
Im sure if you only use the car for racing then thats different.

I am a very successful Saskatchewan'ian comedian actually. Travel all over the great white north telling jokes of beavers and moose.

Carbon fiber is the only way to go in a replacement windshield.

I was hoping some useful info would be here instead of jokes. I had a rock put a crack in my windshield and I am interested in prices to replace it.

Lowest cost: have your insurance pay for it. Most insurance will allow you to pay for full glass coverage for very little money. Then, when the windshield cracks from a rock chip (happens all the time here in Minnesota during construction season) the insurance company will pay the bill.

If there is a small crack you can have it filled with clear plastic stuff. Much cheaper, but definitely not as good as a new windshield. Most insurance/glass companies will not do the crack filling if the rock chip is in the line of sight because it is not optically transparent.

If you have a small crack and suspect it may grow, thump on it a couple of times with the fleshy part of the palm of your hand. Hit quite firmly. If the crack grows, you definitely need a new windshield. On my old car, cost for paying for it myself started around $300. Try to get a reputable installer that will use OEM glass. The windshield is a SAFETY item as mentioned above.

I was contemplating this for a while and did a little research on it. There is a copolymer extrusion that can be used for windshield replacement that is UV and scratch resistant. I forgot the name for it, but I'm sure if you did some Googling, you'd eventually find the same information I did. That said, I talked to Robispec about it, and he said at best, you'd save 15lbs if you swapped all the glass for polycarbonate. Granted you'd be removing the weight from above the stock center of gravity, but there is a lot of "lower hanging fruit" to go after in the quest for making the car lighter. Also, a poly windshield would put you into an unlimited class in racing where you would get your ass handed to you if you didn't already have $40k+ in the car.

Welcome to the internet. Sarcasm is part of the package :)

The windshield glass repairs that I have seen rarely have obscured vision, and I know most insurance companies would rather pay for those than the others. And they do last. My previous car got hit and a small crack in the windshield, had it repaired, and it lasted without any sort of change for the rest of the time I owned the car.

It is "etc." not "Ect". Short for the Latin "Et cetera".

I have scratches in my windshield from a squeegy I used at a gas station... and I've tried all sorts of glass scratch remover.... nothing works.

I have a crack extending halfway across the middle of the windshield on the passenger side caused by a rock hitting it on the highway. Looked into replacement and found out that there is no aftermarket support YET. Factory windshield is $495 + install. My insurance does not replace glass outside of standard deductable, so I wait for adtermarket glass to become available. Anyone find something new, I'd love to hear about it.

Thats the reason why I asked this question, but quickly got every Saskatchewan-ian comedian this side of the northern USA border talking about saran wrap and translucent aluminum... too busy making jokes to really answer the question with foresight that someone could be having a problem and looking toward peers for help/advice.

Stop trolling him guys. Everyone knows weight reduction is the way to go.


My car runs a 8 second 1/4 mile.

http://www.newagedesignsinc.com/Chassis%20Main.jpg

Speed glass works better than most other Lexan and polycarbonate materials. Having used it in the past none of that stuff would hold up in a daily driven car. It will pit and scratch, water adheres to it worse than glass, etc. It's not meant to be continuously used in extreme temperatures, etc. Use real DOT glass unless you have a full cage and trailer your car around everywhere.

I wish I could eliminate "because racecar" from the Intrnet vocabulary.

I've considered replacing the glass in the past in other cars for weight reduction, but the windshield is the last one I'd do. Side windows and rear window would be more doable in a street driven car. I wouldn't do the windshield in anything other than a trailered track-only car. Some very popular cars have pre-cut lexan panels made for them that are easier to install. For the BRZ/FRS it would have to be custom at this point.

I removed my car for more weight reduction.

Every Saskatchewan-ian com median? This implies plurality. There can only be one.

You didn't ask the problem because you had a "problem," you never stated as such so don't be so serious about this. Some people had some good jokes. if you wanted to talk about making your car lighter than you probably could have asked the people on the Tracking sub-forum because those people would actually know about it. This is a cosmetic modification forum, we are talking about LED's, carbon fibre interiors, adding scoops and heaven forbid, scissor door kits.

Know when I used lexan last to solve a "problem"? when someone kept breaking into my brother's car. My father replaced his side windows with lexan - the s*** got scratched up and gouged when people tried to break it but it held up. Made it impossible to see out when the sun hit it though.

Scratches in your windshield aren't cosmetic? I don't care so much about weight reduction as i do a $400+ windshield.... many assumed it was about weight reduction. If a poly replaced windshield was tough and scratch resistant and lighter... the lighter part would just be a byproduct of and an added bonus. But main concern is keeping cracks and pits out of my glass... not saving weight... where shall I discuss and post that? Mr. Forum post director guy...

the crack in my windshield spread a little today after the car wash, so I decided to go in search of a place to repair it. My insurance covered the repair, and not a dime out of my pocket.
I called safelite window co and they wouldn't even bother with the crack. They wanted to replace the whole windshield, then they told me it was a hard to find windsheild and would cost extra...