advantages/disadvantages of a carbon fiber hood?
12-28-2001, 07:34 AM
#12
AudiWorld Senior Member
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My experiences with Vortrag's CF vented hood...
They fit well if done by the proper shop (or yourself). Some things you should look out
for... make sure the CF is baked correctly, if not, the hood will be very fragile and easily prone to cracking, it is anyway despite popular opinion. The hood flexes at highway speeds, but it is not something to be overly concerned about, just make sure the brackets and hood latch are secured tightly. Having a vented hood will help with this. Being vented, rainwater does get into the engine compartment but I have never had any serious issues with this. There is significant heat dissipation out of the vents, which is an advantage with this type of hood.
The paint is matched and you can still see the crosshatch, which makes for a very cool appearance. This one weighs in at about 6lbs and you can definitely tell the difference. IMHO, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, being that some care is taken into the manufacturing, painting, and installation. Be careful when closing the hood, try not to slam it, and be
careful installing the grill. I do have some small cracks, but they are not noticeable and easily repaired. All in all I think it makes a great addition to the car.
Any further questions, feel free, bon chance,
-Aashish
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/22316/a4_roofhood.jpg">
for... make sure the CF is baked correctly, if not, the hood will be very fragile and easily prone to cracking, it is anyway despite popular opinion. The hood flexes at highway speeds, but it is not something to be overly concerned about, just make sure the brackets and hood latch are secured tightly. Having a vented hood will help with this. Being vented, rainwater does get into the engine compartment but I have never had any serious issues with this. There is significant heat dissipation out of the vents, which is an advantage with this type of hood.
The paint is matched and you can still see the crosshatch, which makes for a very cool appearance. This one weighs in at about 6lbs and you can definitely tell the difference. IMHO, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, being that some care is taken into the manufacturing, painting, and installation. Be careful when closing the hood, try not to slam it, and be
careful installing the grill. I do have some small cracks, but they are not noticeable and easily repaired. All in all I think it makes a great addition to the car.
Any further questions, feel free, bon chance,
-Aashish
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/22316/a4_roofhood.jpg">
