cArBon FiBer .::VS::. FRP

[..:cOrNerIng ArTisT::::..]

the Price range beTween the to is ridculious ..............is carbon fiber that much lighter>>? which one is a stronger material>?

[Scott]

Both have their pros and cons, but it really comes down to your budget.

They weigh about the same. In some cases, FRP is even lighter than CF depending on the process to make the carbon part.

FRP is also easier to fix.

CF looks nicer unpainted if that's your thing.

CF is stronger, but still won't withstand a strong impact. As an example, I hit an alligator with my S2000. At 50mph, the CF front lip shattered into several large pieces, and lot's of smaller pieces.

[..:cOrNerIng ArTisT::::..]

so yOu think for road abuse that cf is better>?

[karnito]

CF is no doubt a stronger material then FRP when put together right. The real process will required the CF to be baked in a vacuum oven at high temperature to bond the CF together and yield a stronger CF product called Dry Carbon. But most of the Cf products on the market today does not goes thru the same process since it would cost more, and most fabricator does have a large vacuum oven . So the cheaper process of fabrication would be using clear reisin to bond the CF together (the same stuff that you would see on the top of the tables at hooters!), and it would be the reisin integrity that would hold the whole thing together instead of CF itself. And that is really weak and will deform over time, especially; in the sun. So, FRP is a better product in this sense unless you are opt for the Dry Carbon

[ShadowX]

Originally Posted by Scott

Both have their pros and cons, but it really comes down to your budget.

They weigh about the same. In some cases, FRP is even lighter than CF depending on the process to make the carbon part.

CF is definitely lighter than fiberglass, if used properly. But you're right, most people don't lay it properly, and most CF hoods are mostly FRP with just a single layer of carbon fiber on the top.

The FRP hood on my RX7 is much much lighter than the CF hood I had on it before, but that's because the CF hood had tons of FRP and little CF.

And CF isn't any more difficult to repair than fiberglass...you're just not going to have that nice consistent weave that you had before, just have to paint over that nice CF .

[Scott]

Technically, that it accurate. I was referring to repairing the weave if you intended to leave the CF unpainted.

Dry Carbon will definitely be lighter, but many of the less aware consumers are going to be "wet" carbon, which like you said is generally FRP with a layer of fiber over it, assuming it's going to weigh nothing at all.