What are your recommendations as far as putting a bra on the Vette? I hate the idea of having to hide the beauty of this car but it makes me sick to see and gashes in the paint or chips from stones Your thoughts?

Dave
(Newbie Vette owner at large)

 

I want the best of both worlds....a good look and a protected nose!

I did the SpeedLingerie color-matched bra. Big $'s but IMHO worth it.

I use mine much of the year but do take it off for times that I am not in as much danger of a chip. Bugs here in the Spring are the worst but even debris from the road is an issue.

Hint = don't tail-gate. You are constatnly being hit with sand etc. Learned this from my sport bike days!!!!

Check my photos for a pic with the bra on.

 

After taking a flying brick to my front bumper, i started using my bra much more often, i kind of like the way it accents my car. I use the Gm bra, i couldn't be any happier with it.

 

If you don't want to hide the car you need either the 3M Clear Bra or the Armour Glove product that does the same thing. I have the 3M product but after 3 years it's starting to yellow. There was a post on here last week regarding the DuPont equivalent that I think is sold by Armour Glove. Either case it has saved the front of my car and I am so glad that I had it installed. You won't regret it if you do go this route. There are lots of vendors and EBay also has some kits. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...RK%3AMEWA%3AIT Check it out. It's worth the effort and it shines like the paint does. And most people don't even know it's on the car. Keep us posted as to what you get.

And welcome to the greatest source of info on Vettes on the net. Hope you enjoy it as much as we all do.

 

I love my 3M clear ... What color is your car? I'd only be careful if it's white. The plastic turns a little yellow (normal plastic wear) ... It's about $500 installed around these parts, but warranteed for life and it's pretty much invisible ... like it's supposed to be.

 

I recently had the 3M Clear Bra professionally installed on my pewter Convertible. So far I am very pleased with it and in fact, have since sold my Speed Lingerie pewter bra.

Reasons for switching:
1. We are moving to Florida next summer. The Corvette is currently our 3rd car and is only driven in good weather. It will become a daily driver once we move to Florida. I do not want to deal with removing and reinstalling the bra every time I wash the car.
2. I also do not want to deal with water getting under the bra from the frequent rain in Florida and also from lawn sprinklers going off all the time all over the place, even on the center divider of public roads.
3. The Clear Bra has much greater coverage than a conventional bra.

Advantages of the Clear Bra vs. conventional bra
1. It is barely noticeable. You have to look carefully to see where it is applied. The most noticeable is where it ends, about 1/3rd the way up the front of the hood, but even that is not noticeable from 10 feet away.
2. It covers a much greater area than the conventional bra -it covers the front bumper, the headlight doors, 1/3rd the way up the hood, the front portion of the front fenders (in line with where it end on the hood), the front of the mirror housings and behind each wheelwell.
3. Additional coverage is also available, but it has to be custom cut by the installer, but at additional cost.
4. Any single section can easily be replaced in the event it become damaged .
5. It can be washed and waxed, same as the car.

Disadvantages vs. conventional bra
1. Cost - it cost me $600, installed. However, this was significantly less expensive than some of the other recommended installers quoted. This is much more than a GM bra (less than $100) or other bras. The Speed Lingerie bra is now around $550.
2. It is not padded like convention bras and as such does not afford the same protection from a rock or other sharp object thrown up from the tire of a car or truck. A minor bump from a car backing up into the front of your car might damage the Clear Bra, but not a convetional bra.
3. The conventional bra wraps around the sides of the front bumper, all the way to the wheelwell. The Clear Bra stops just past the turn signal lights. I am sure that you could have this side area covered, but it would have to be custom cut by the installer at extra cost.
4. While it can be washed and waxed, you have to be careful not to use any abrasive polish on it. Also, you cannot use any wax that has a color in it.

I hope this information has been helpful to you.

 

Gm Bra.
Fits great. Bought it before trip to Carlisle. No road rash! Less than $100. Small price to pay to protect all that paint.
Bob

 

You'll get a lot of opinions on this. Many people will say no, it ruins the looks of the car. But I have been running one on mine for almost four years now and I can say that it has been very good at protecting the front end from all sorts of damage. I have the GM bra and it fits well, does not flap at speed, is easy to take on and off, and has not damaged the paint. My recommendation - get one. You could always get one color matched to your car - although that is quite expensive.

 

I like the bra less look myself but I have had to paint the nose this year!

 

I too, have a GM Bra - or is it Bro! Nevermind.....for $69 plus shipping, Fichtner has the best price on these and for the money, it can't be beat. I use mine only for road trips, not around town. And as the others have said - you don't want the car to get wet while the bra is on.

The GM bra is kind of a pain in the **** to install - the instructions SUCK, and the screws and snaps aren't great. But once you get past the install - it's an easy on and off.

You never want to put the bra on when the car is dirty - only over clean and dust free paint. Usually - I let the bra sit in the sun for a few minutes to heat up the vinyl.

 

I have used the GM bra on my '01 Pewter vert for about 3 years without any issues.

I use it on roadtrips or when I know I'll be caravanning ... a line of vettes can kick up some debris.

If it's an extended trip - I always remove it when I arrive and clean the nose before I reinstall for the trip home.

Works great, the install is pretty straight forward although you have to think through the instructions because the are not too good.

Whatever one you choose you'll be glad you have one to save the paint.

 

Regardless of the manufacture - get one for any long distance driving - it will be worth it, just in keeping bugs off the frot end.

 

 

Been looking at Bra's myself, ...well, for my vette of course, not for me

SpeedLingerie looks really nice but $500.00 plus is alot of $$$ for a bra. Since I would only need it for road trips I think I will give the GM bra a try. With the positive feedback and prices it sounds like the best way to go, for me anyway.

 

IMHO clear bra is the only way to go, had the 3M film on my Vette for two years and it still looks great. No chips, no scratches, no problem.

 

Ummm.... DD?

 

I like Victoria's Secret myself.

 

A Bra is good protection. Remember to put it on when everything is clean and take it off if it gets wet.

 

Thank you all for your comments. This is my 1st Vette and I love it to death. My only concern is I heard that bra's can cause paint damage, is this true? Where can I get the GM bras from besides the deal who likes to charge more then anybody else. Is there a part number that you know of? My car is a machine silver color. Thanks again!

 

I also have a speed lingerie bra their great.