Carbon hood

[nefarious986]

I'm talking to several experts in CF from other forums, and I think its possible to get both front and back hood made in pure cf to mount with stock latches and weight under 12-15 lbs for the front, 9-12lbs for the rear. Maybe even lighter with some investment in equipment

If the fitment is good with stock hardware, how many people would be interested in purchasing them for $800-$1000 range ?

It would be a stock looking hood with no vents or extras.

Just curious.

[Brucelee]

Not me. What is the attraction if I may ask?

[Sputter]

Not I, however on a purely Ax/Track car it would be worth considering.

[jhandy]

Maybe I would buy one, from a weight saving stand point.
However I would not like the CF look. Very ricer in my opinion. If it came painted and fitted so that all I had to do was bolt it on.....maybe.

[RandallNeighbour]

I'm interested. I'd paint them too.

Both of my deck lids have reverse dings in them from PO's stuffing crap in the trunks that doesn't fit.

[Kirk]

I don't think it's real feasible to do "pure cf" for $800 - $1,000. I mean that's a GREAT price!!! I suspect that the cf hood I have only has the outer layer in cf and the core is probably fiberglass mat. Still it's much lighter than stock. But to do it all in cf at the current cost of that material is going to be very pricey.

Fitment could be a real problem too. If you study some of the pics of 996's and 986's on the Net with a cf hood you'll see that most of them bulge in the middle. I fixed mine with some dzus fasteners in the middle of the hood, but still it's a potential issue as obviously TRG still hasn't gotten it right.

Bottom line though, look through this forum and see how many other Boxster owners have a cf hood. There are two that I know of, including myself. How many Boxster owners on the Net even have a cf trunk? Again there are only two that I know of - Danny in the SF Bay area and "Boxster Boy". I don't think you'll get much interest as exterior cf bits are considered too "rice" for a fine German car. Now interior cf bits are the bomb though.... which is funny to me as the interior bits are completely for show and offer no weight savings (just cf laminates) while a cf hood does offer a real weight advantage.

[nefarious986]

Nah,

If these happen, they're not going to be fiberglass mat core. Forget that. If I am going to put it on my car to, its going to have about 4 layers of carbon, 2 on each side, and a honeycomb core.

That's the only way to make it as light as I want it. I am going to put it on my car after all.

If it happens, they'll come with the carbon finish, you can paint it however you see fit. You wouldn't want me just painting hoods and shipping it to you anyways. It would never 100% match your car even if I used factory paint.

I'm only gauging interest because if enough people is interested, then I can talk to those guys and see if I can bring the price down, other wise, its going to be a one off for me.

I dont understand why there's the misconception of 'rice' if the part offers performance advantage. Look at any super car, and its an explosion of carbon. And if you really notice, the cheaper models comes painted, the more expensive race version, its bare carbon. Paint has weight too !

It should be judge on a 'per car' basis.

Example:

88 accord 4dr with no mod except 3" tail pipe ... verdict = rice !

92 rx7 with b20 and supporting mods with the same 3" tail pipe that can put out almost 500 hp .. verdict != rice !

Whatever though. To each his own. Its your car that you gotta drive.

[rick3000]

You can already buy carbon fiber hoods for under $600, just do a google search. But yours maybe better quality, I don't now anything about these.
Here's one for under $400.
http://www.deftracing.com/carbon_fiber_hoods/carbon_fiber_hood_97_up_porsche_boxter.htm

[nefarious986]

Do you have any weight number for the deft racing hood ? If its light enough, I might as well get one of those.

[Kirk]

Originally Posted by nefarious986

Do you have any weight number for the deft racing hood ? If its light enough, I might as well get one of those.

Look very carefully at the photos on their website. I believe the Deft hoods have the same bulge I have seen in the middle of all of the 986/996 CF hoods. Attached are a few photos to show you what I'm talking about. One is from another forum member who's got the Zeintec top, so you may want to ask him where he got his CF hood. The shape of the hood matches the contour of the car, but in the middle it does not lay flush with the fender, but sticks up about half an inch. It's maybe not a big deal to some, but I could not stand it. I fixed mine with some dzus fasteners so it lays flush and is more secure.

The only 986 CF hood that I've seen with a good fit is on Danny's Milo wheels show car (member here, but not active, you can see ads with his car in Excellence). But he's done a conversion to the later 996/turbo style lights and fenders which requires a different hood. All of the pictures I've seen of that hood for the turbo-style lights on the 996 show a much better fit without this problem.

Just my two cents...

Kirk

[Kirk]

The other board member with the CF hood is "Cold Warrior", but he hasn't been on here since December 2007.... Here's a link to his thread with photos:

http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14765&page=2

There is the one photo where I could find the hood bulge as being very pronounced. Just look at the gap between the hood and the fender towards the middle, along the edge, of the hood.

He didn't say where he got the hood from, but he claims it's 6 lbs! You might be able to find him on 6speed or PPBB and ask him for more details.

Kirk

[Tool Pants]

We have a local owner, Danny, with CF front and rear.

[Allen K. Littlefield]

Tool Pants, can you find out the cost? Also what do you think of the fit of this item? How much weight is saved by switching to CF deck lid? Is it hard to accurately install? Thanks in advance.

AKL

[Kirk]

Originally Posted by Allen K. Littlefield

Tool Pants, can you find out the cost? Also what do you think of the fit of this item? How much weight is saved by switching to CF deck lid? Is it hard to accurately install? Thanks in advance.

AKL

That CF rear trunk is on Danny Cho's car, not Tool Pant's car. I've asked Danny about it before and he said that it was custom made for him. Danny has the turbo-style front light conversion so the front CF hood that he's using fits well but does not apply to the standard 986 with egg yolk-style lights.

Here's specifically what Danny wrote me about his rear deck lid:

"As for all the carbon stuff you have to be really careful with who you go with as far as quality. I got my hood and trunk custom made. The fitment is near perfect with no humps in the middle. ...... As for the trunk sorry to say but I am the only one in the world with it. LoL...perks of trying to be unique!"

Kirk

[Brucelee]

I don't know for sure but I bet most of us could save more weight for less cost by:

1-Going on a diet

2-Hitting the gym

3-Losing the sub-woofer in the trunk.

4-Tossing out the spare on older models.

5-Driving around with no more than half a tank of gas.

6-Not bringing the Mrs on the ride

Am I missing the boat here?

[Allen K. Littlefield]

1. Lost 10 lbs recently.

2. I work out every day.

3. Keeping sub woofer.

4. Keeping spare ( not yet that crazy!)

5. Already drive 1/2 tank.

6. I notice a difference when her 100 lbs are not with me but that is not always an option if I plan on remaining on the right side of the grass.

7. My Tip weighs in enough to justify some weight loss. I figure CF front and back, a lighter exhaust and battery might just get me down to 5 speed performance. Still expensive but won't jeopardize my warranty.

8. Your boat still floats and is still at the dock.

AKL

[Brucelee]

8. Your boat still floats and is still at the dock

thanks. Some days it feels like I am tilting to the right (of course!).