Would you buy aftermarket Carbon Fiber parts?
 

If I were to make Carbon Fiber parts for the BRZ which parts would you prefer and how much are you willing to pay :P

That fake rear diffuser (the black piece) in all carbon fiber would be hot as long as the price wasn't $$$$$$.

well there is real carbon fiber and then there is fake ones which are fiberglass with carbon fiber on top to look real. the later is cheaper I forgot to put an option for fake carbon fiber

Anything that can both significantly reduce weight and be reasonably affordable.

before when I was looking online I found that any (real) carbon fiber part cost about 1k while the fake ones were a lot less. I'm asking because I might have a way of making these parts to sell

Fake = posing/ricer style
Real = worthwhile if quality carbon fiber is used as well as well designed.

I would rather take aluminum over fake CF (would never want fake CF).

I hear the hood is light enough but I'd def be interested in a CF hood anyway, ONLY because I'd be interested in a CF hood, trunk, front splitter and diffuser also.

How about an option for none. After being exposed to the elements, they'll start to weather quickly and look like shit.

Maybe a low-key front splitter, but that's it.

If I was crazy and rich, I'd put on some real dry carbon, CF fenders or doors, but paint them of course to match.

are you willing to pay for dry carbon fiber? they cost a lot :/

Maybe I would get a front splitter, but pretty much everything else would either be too expensive or impractical.

A carbon fiber roof is not really a feasible aftermarket upgrade as the roof is an integral part of the chasis. You can't just take it off and replace it with a CF one like you would a spoiler. It would be extremely expensive to have it done right and that money would be better spent on other performance upgrades first. I suppose if you have $250k to build a real race car then all bets are off, but for the weekend warrior it isn't feasible.

Same goes for most of the rest of the stuff. A quality CF bumper or trunk would be far too expensive to justify its cost on a weight savings basis. Again, just spend the money on more power. The hood is already aluminum if I recall, which means that you aren't going to be saving a ton of weight there either.

Even the front splitter, if i get it, would be merely cosmetic. This car doesn't have enough power to accelerate on the straights to hit speeds where a splitter would even be functional. Same goes for the spoiler, which doesn't really do anything other than slow you down (extra drag) until you start hitting 140+ mph. The shape of the car alone will create enough down force for most weekend racing.

One thing that I would like might be the underbody panel that they are putting on the european and japanese cars that we can't get here due to crash standards. My understanding is that the exhaust on the cars in other markets are set further back (as in protrude past the bumper) and that isn't allowed here in the U.S. (crash standards) therefore they had to eliminate the rear underbody panel in order to pull the exhaust towards the front of the car.

edit: autoblog review

send me more info on the underbody

I'm asking about carbon fiber because my mechanic are restomodding a 1967 fastback mustang with a 2012 5.0 mustang so the option for carbon fiber is on the table. Awhile we're at it I might have some carbon fiber parts for my BRZ perhaps tubes and other stuff

A CF hood won't reduce much weight if any unless it's Dry Carbon which would be very expensive. CF fenders could help as those are still steel.

I'm not a CF junkie, so I probably wouldn't buy anything. But there are lots of CF addicts out there that will buy anything as long as it's made of long carbon chains suspended in resin.

Maybe just the roof... but dry carbon roof. Lol

Also..

Ichi's duck-tail spoiler. :)

Personally I want my carbon fiber painted World Rally Blue

I can probably work something out, but I need a price range. That way I know if I should make it with fiberglass, fake carbon fiber, wet carbon fiber, or dry carbon fiber.

If there is aftermarket trunk that molded into a ducktail shape, I will definitely look into that option since I don't have to get a damn spoiler for 500 bucks.

Price should be around $750, but cheaper is better. I'm not sure how much different between dry and wet carbon.

oh you're talking about all of this?

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/3...tachmentdu.jpg

Maybe we can import it from Japan and/or remake it for everyone here

Real dry CF but painted in dody color. But also only after all other modds are done. In fact most important are roof and hood, then doors, after that trunk, all the rest is useless. Well maybe functional diffuser and lip/fins.

I know it's stupid and not functional but I really want to replace the aluminum-look dashboard trim with a real carbon fiber overlay. Subaru has one listed in it's JDM accessory catalog; I hope one comes out for LHD models.

Since the hood is aluminum I'm not sure I'd be too keen about replacing it, but maybe the trunk if it's steel and a front splitter, rear diffuser and undertrays would be excellent!

It already exists for the US market. You can buy it at your local Scion dealer since it's the same exact piece.

Isn't that also the air bag cover? If so, you do NOT want real CF over the airbag.. unless you like shards of CF flying into you at a high rate of speed in a collision.

Properly designed pieces can work at much lower speeds. Absolutely pointless (and annoying for parking) on a street car though.

I hate naked carbon fiber. If I ever got carbon pieces they'd have to be painted. Most of the stuff on the market is FRP anyway; the dry-carbon shit costs a ton more money. I'd never buy the FRP stuff and won't likely shell out for dry-carbon.

None, and as for the plastic black piece on the back id get a functional rear diffuser.

Nope they are useless and not aesthetically pleasing to look at unless painted; also, the best CF parts made cost an arm & leg and I don't want to drop 3-5k for just a hood, trunk, etc on a street car.

Where's the "none of the above" option? I'd like to keep everything original.

another vote for "none of the above" here...

imo, this car is not "exotic" enough to justify true cf parts...

the only cf part i see myself getting is a set of craft square side mirrors:

http://www.craftsquare.co.jp/images/toplogo_01-over.gif
http://www.craftsquare.co.jp/images/ph_m_agf-all-c2.jpg
http://www.craftsquare.co.jp/tc_corner_jpn.html

fkn sikkk ~

Touche... I feel the Scion piece looks too plasticky. But the CF in the face is a good point.

I'd go for a CF Roof, unpainted so I can get a nice contrast with the red. Would be willing to pay up to around $2k, which would be my budget anyway if I ended up getting one of the other cars I'm considering *coughCSLRoofcough*

Might also go for a hood, but painted to match. And only up to around $800-ish for that one. Hood's already light as it is though.

I am a carbon-fiber whore. Unfortunately I have also educated myself about the stuff. So I won't be buying anything. The 'affordable' stuff is garbage and the good stuff is ridiculously over-priced.

I also know to be wary of the word 'dry' when describing CF. That is not the word you are looking for. The words you are looking for are 'pre-preg' and 'autoclave'. Failing that 'epoxy resin' and 'vacuum bagged with elevated temperature post-cure are also acceptable words.

'Dry' is iffy...

Yeah yeah, I know. More people have heard of dry than pre-preg though.

Problem is I've seen polyester resin-transfer marketed as 'dry' because the layup was dry.

And then there are companies that satin finish a wet layup to have a 'dry' look.

Hellastock right?

I am also a "composite whore" but not so much with automotive. More with my road bikes. :happy0180: But I am sure much of it is the same as most of the carbon fiber is coming out of the same few places in Asia. With the increase use of composites in airplanes (787) the price for CF seems to have gone up (low supply of raw materials).

I vote no thank you..hate the look

I'll see what I can do to match those prices of course if I make one for the roof idk how you would go about installing it. after I have my BRZ I'll start making a few parts for myself. so far it seems like the Front splitter will be the first thing I make for everyone followed by the Diffuser. I'll have to check out the frame for the roof and what you need done to install it

I'll probably make a kit for the bottom brake light and more kits for other things you guys want

Actually, a carbon roof is feasible. What we think of as a "roof" of a car is actually just automotive skin. The "integral part of the chassis" that you mentioned is actually just framework underneath the roof skin (panel). It is possible to replace the roof skin with carbon, however, I don't know how much weight savings that would be. If the roof skin is aluminum, the difference in weight won't be much. It wouldn't cost more than any other large carbon piece, and maybe slightly more expensive for labor if done by shop (depending on how difficult it is to remove the OEM roof skin). But it isn't nearly as bad (or as difficult) as chopping off the top of the car and replacing it with carbon fiber, which sounds like what you're referring to in your post.

I'd be interested in quality dry (or pre-preg) carbon fiber parts if they offer a significant weight savings, and you had better believe I'd be painting them body color! This car is still about 250lbs heavier than I'd like it to be... There are other places to save weight, like wheels/tires, battery, suspension/brakes, exhaust, etc. without using composite panels.

Just because it is a "skin" does not mean it doesn't serve a structural purpose. The panel, in its plane, is significantly stiffer than the braces and likely contributes to the cars rigidity.

The brace is over 1500mPa tensile strength; strongest part on the car. Roof skin adds rigidity...carbon is lighter and stronger, how wouldn't it be more rigid? Especially considering you're leaving in the roof brace (unless you're a maniac or possible have a roll cage?).

carbon fiber us not necessarily stronger than steel but that is beside the point.

the cf panel may be more rigid than the steel one it is replacing which is fine, but the difficult part in all if this is connecting the panel to the frame. the steel panel is welded in place which is a very rigid and efficient connection. you can't weld cf which is why I originally said it isn't as straight forward as replacing spoiler or similar. the panel would likely have top be riveted in place which isn't a diy project.