I bought the petit rear fender flares to get molded into my FD3. I intended to use them with my N1 side skirts. Believe it or not my body guy discouraged me from putting them on. He just loves the car as is. I had originally two reason for wanting them. Looks and better grip. Now I am torn and can't make up my mind.

 

I think you can tell where my vote went.

 

I think it would look better without the pettit flares.

 

thi sis my front ready to be painted

 

is that the wise sports front??

 

Looks like mazdaspeed to me

 

go for the flares, mine are getting molded in in 2 weeks, and will be joined with 18x12 rims, with 335/18 tires. The bottom line is that it's your car, so do what you think is right with it. If you like pop-up headlights and zero body mods, then go for it. I personally think 335 michelin's look extremely wicked.
Mike

 

Yes, it is the wise sport.

 

Too late for stock...

Did you get a quote for molding the flares? To do it properly it will cost several times what the flares set you back.

Molding the flares and connect them to side skirt was my original idea. Several body guys now told me that the side skirts will flex and eventually crack and seperate from the rear flares...that is if you drive your car. So cost and the high possibility of spending money on something that won't hold up scared me some.

Anybody with experience with this happening?

CW

 

Some flares (brands) look OK but IMO those pettit flares completly ruin an FD, but as BoostorLose says.. its your car...

 

Well he let you put on the ugly hood and headlights, take that into account.

 

Those body shop guys are also not taking into account the stiffness of the Fd's chassis. The main problem I see with cracking could mainly come from excessive wheel hop while racing. Wheel hop will make the entire chassis stutter. This all by itself could cause you some major problems with molded parts. Aside from that, if the side skirts are fastened properly and the right materials are used in the molding process the cracking could be very minimal in the long run. The key is how well the parts are fastened to the vehicle. Also I heard the experts use fiberglass and resin to mold things together then apply a thin layer of fiberglass bondo to smooth things in.

 

Thanks,
Even on the vote!!!

The guy is just very honest and pointed out the risks. Although he hasn't worked on a RX yet, he did a lot of trucks that won several shows. So I trust his workmanship. It is first class as far as I can tell from other cars. THe side skirts is his biggest worry and the flares molded in eat up the most cash.

You have to love the dentist's car, don't you?

 

mine

 

Yes, it took me a while to know that they were pettit rear fender flares.

 

Alright, broke the tie, 10 to 6..

Thanks for your inputs

CW

 

I go to an automotive school, so I've been fortunate enough to do almost all the work to the car by myself, and costing myself next to nothing. I molded them in with Duraglass, which is a fiberglass impregnated filler, or Kitty hair if you prefer. I plan on getting the Feed skirts, so nothing really to mold into there. I think it looks awesome, and get a lot of compliments. Good luck man.
Mike

 

Man,
You are fortunate. Body work is the only thing I haven't attempted on my 7. I had no idea how expensive it can get if you find someone who does great work.

CW

 

good thread here. Does anyone have anymore pics?

 

The best molded Pettit fender flares I've seen belong to the dentist! A.K.A. Endless/Camo RX-7





http://www.tunerzine.com/articles.asp?id=144

 

Oh yes, and who can forget this car?

 

I voted for the rear flares. I think it really depends on whether or not you are keeping the rest of the body stock or not.

 

I luv the rear flares!!!

 

I vote for the stock look. I thik the FD looks awful with super wide rear tires, and the flares are almost always akward at best.

 

Damn!!! I haven't seen that one yet. That is awesome. Anyone know any details on what parts they used or what shop did the work? I'd love to see more on this car.