homesarr

I was wondering what are the pros and cons of each are and what will be better in the long run. Recently wrecked the front air dam of my car and if I can't find a cheap front air dam I'll end up getting a body kit. Thank you for you advice.

fenderlover

forget those go with CARBON FIBER!!!!!!!!! MUCHOS BETTEROS

homesarr

ok does the MS body kit come in CF? If so how much more is it?

TownDrunk

I'm no expert, but I believe its the urethane's ability to bend and flex that makes it superior to fiberglass. Over time, fatigue will cause fiberglass to crack, and the paint to spider, and/or chip. I'm not sure if all fiberglass is the same, however. My understanding is that there are better "fiberglassing" methods than others. I'm interested in hearing from an expert as well...

yiksing

Carbon Fibre is the best but expensive, urethane I think is good enough unless u think u need the better weight of the CF. Fibreglass in my opinion is not good because they tend to bent after under the sun for too long but maybe expensive ones won't.

Tamas

iTrader: (1)

I'm not too big fan of putting body kits and stuff on my car, but there's no way I'd put on anything made of fiberglass. Don't understand the carbon fiber craze either, so that leaves the urethane as the option I'd go with.

Japan8

Fiberglass (FRP... Fiber Reenforced Plastic) is not something I'd ever use for something like bumpers. It doesn't handle stress very well... thus cracking and paint spidering from little "fender benders." OTOH, it can fairly easily be repaired.

Urethane... there are many different blends... some better than others. This is what is used on cars OEM. The good stuff is able to absorb minor impacts without resulting in major damage. The bad stuff... it can sag over large sections when exposed to extreme heat (Texas or Florida summer days).

Carbon Fiber... lightweight and strong. It is also susceptible to cracking under stress, but better than FRP and probably close to Urethane. At least on motorcycles... comparing ABS plastic pieces to CF... the CF is much lighter and impact resistence seems pretty similar. For things like the hood... there seems to be little cost savings as the stock ones are fairly light so you're not saving much weight for the money.

homesarr

Ok this is what I was expecting to hear. My dad is an orthopedist tech and works with CF and Fiberglass. He said that both of those are very stiff but if cracks appear it not only makes your bumper look like crap but also your paint and it is difficult to get it fixed and mostly ends up in a new item. Thank you for your help, looks like Urethane it is.

truemagellen

I personally think it is environment related

I live in Minnesota and unless I garaged the car all winter (I don't) I'd never put anything fiberglass on the car, I thought about a spoiler but once someone trys to close the trunk with using the spoiler that is the end of that.

Most Fiberglass around here becomes a brittle cracking mess in the winter that causes bad paint damage. The reason I say most is some of the higher end manufacturers are using a more complex gel coating style technique. Supposedly it acts more like Urethane, is lighter, and still less expensive than Urethane...a local installer buddy of mine uses that style of bumper since he HATES sag, and some of the cars he installs on drive around in -20F temps like mine, so I dont know I still would want to research this more.

As for Carbon Fiber I am not and never have been a fan. The cost/weight ratio is not justified for most applications, it is in most cases a cosmetic decision...I do not see it as a replacement for FRP or U anytime soon unless costs go WAY down.

HorsepowerFreaks

Urethane will hold up better and be more forgiving... fiberglass is easier to fix however.

zoom44

some urethanes cant stand the heat and sag which is not at all nice looking on your car. but it is usually more durable in accidents/fender benders. however fiberglass is more easily fixed. urethane usually requires replacement if damaged.

the OEM bumper is made out of Metton
which is not used by any aftermarket companies

foo77

i don't know much which one is better,so far since i used Veilside ver.1 lip spoiler(urethane)i've hit bump many times, therfore i used to checked whether it crack or not. But believe it or not,i've just have a minor scratch over it i like it alot and recommend to use it