It does matter b/c the hood is weight high up that doesn't do anything structurally. Therefore, the less weight, the better at lowering the CG.

Note the Mazdaspeed CF hood: it's a real CF hood and weighed much less than the Aluminum hood but cost $2000.00


It has everything to do with your words: it's called conflict of interest. We don't know if your loyalty is with Vis or for yourself.

 

I had actualy thought about getting a second stock hood and cutting vents in it @ specific areas of the hood similar to the vents in the hood that the originator of this post had boughten. I was unsure how it would look even after being painted. Plus I can see my stock hood move slightly at highway speeds and was worried about a cut factory hood being structually sound enough for those speeds. Maybe it would be better because the holes would allow pressure under the hood to be released? Who knows.... LOL!

 

Stock hood is Aluminum anyways. Not much weight to save.

 

I just got a Mazdaspeed replica hood from Attila. The fit is good and I really like the Mazdaspeed style. I have a Faspac hood and I've seen a VIS hood, neither fits for crap, especially the VIS hood, it had some places where it stuck up almost 1"! CF or FG, doesn't matter much, either way your not going to save weight over the stock hood.

From my short test drive I can tell you I think the vented hood drops the temps some. I'll have to drive it tomorrow in the heat. I was seeing 205F on my temp gauge the other day on the freeway with the AC on, outside temp was around 95F.

I'll post up some pics in the next day or two.

 

Can you tape up the vent, drive the same road at steady state and record the temps?

Do the same with the vent opened?

 

I should be able to tape up the vents and see what happens.

Another observation:

With the AC on while the car is in the driveway the fans push quite a bit of hot air out of the hood. The front of the hood is cool relative to the part of the hood immediately after the vent which is hot after a 5 mile drive.

 

Can someone explain why the VIS hood is not a "real" carbon fiber hood? When you say "real" cf, do you mean the entire hood should be of carbon fiber? When people say the hood is not real cf, it implies that the weaved fabric that you see under the clearcoat is not actual CF. Someone want to clarify that for me? Thanks.

 

It has already been posted. Or do an internet search.

Strength - A real CF hood would be one or more order of magnitude times as strong in bending and torsion than a FG hood.

A real CF hood would be several layers of CF with the resin vaccum extruded so that the resin is dispersed evenly though the CF fiber. Thereafter, the CF fiber and resin would be baked in an autoclave at something north of 500F so that the fiber and resin are interlocked such that they're stronger than steel. It's so strong that the Porsche GT, the $550,000 one, has a chassis tub made of just that CF.

 

Not to make this a materials arguement but CF does not have the same strength in all directions like metals we are familiar with. That means your real CF is stronger in one direction than steel but as soon as the load changes it is weaker than steel.

CF is an awesome material but it takes a lot of work to make strong parts with it and a lot of analysis to determine the fiber direction works with the loads applied.

 

I can say from experience that my RE N1 Carbon hood weighs 9lbs compared to the 22lbs the stock aluminum one weighed. 13lbs isn't a huge difference, but anything more than 10lbs helps out IMO. Worth $1300? To me, yes. Looks great and very functional, that's all I need. BTW, fitment on this hood is simply outstanding, as is the quality. There's a few forum members who could vouch for that fact.

*edit* spelling!

 

If and when I decide to go this route Attila's hood is the only one I will consider. It's the only one that honestly seems to be well built and fitted.

 

If you follow the posts in sequence you will see that I was speaking of the fiberglass "CF" hoods that this initial post was about. They are not TRUE CF hoods and that is why I said that they are not much lighter than the stock aluminum hood. I had never commented on the "RE N1 Carbon hood"

Turbo Jeff: What I posted about strength was a cut and paste from the originator of this thread added a few lines above mine. Like I stated: The information is already here on the forums. a real CF hood would have the material laminted (similar to plywood) for added strength in more then one direction. Congrats on your restorations. If I lived closer I would love to have you or the people whom do your paint work involved in the paint on my car. Your attention to detail is outstanding.

 

I thought about getting this hood but the vent opening seems kinda small. In retrospect, I should have gotten this hood and enlarged the vent opening.

Oh well, it looks like I'm going to butcher up my stock hood, glass the KS vent onto it and repaint the whole thing. And it will cost me another $600.

 

excuse my ignorance but who is Attila?

 

A forum member who made these a while back.

www.atihun.com

 

thanks. From his site it appears that he is still making them, is this correct?

 

Yep, I just got one on Tuesday!

I'll be making my own hood thread as soon as I get a free minute with good camera batteries.