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I see many folks are putting on after market spoilers, mirrors, interiors, etc...... But many of these products are plastic look alike and NOT CF... So please educate me on these fake products, is it a look that people like? Thanks
Guys, let me clear up a few things that are posted in this thread. As you can see, I'm a Carbon Fiber affectionato....
First off...Carbon Fiber is a matter of taste. Obviously, I totally love it. But it's not for everyone! Mayor said he likes Carbon Flash, which is simply Black Metallic. He chose Carbon Flash, I chose Carbon Fiber-no one is right or wrong here....again, it's simply a matter of taste.
HOW IT'S DONE: I can tell you for a fact that GM also wraps some of their plastic pieces to make "Carbon Fiber" pieces, like the dash, etc.... That is also the way a lot of other aftermarket Carbon Fiber pieces are done. So you start with a plastic piece that has real Carbon Fiber overlaid on it. Then, you can get the finish done in High Gloss or a Matte finish. It's real Carbon Fiber, it's an overlay, but it's not a "pure" piece....I'll explain what I mean by "pure" later.
HOW OTHER BRANDS DO IT: If you look at Lamborghini, Ferrari and McLaren (and other brands), their Carbon Fiber pieces are what I call "pure". Their Carbon Fiber pieces are laid in a mold, vacuum sealed and "baked" in an Autoclave for hours and hours. So if you think the Carbon Fiber used in Corvette is expensive, don't even ask about "pure" Carbon Fiber parts from other brands. Carbon Fiber pieces made by these other brands are intended to make the car lighter and thus faster. Pure Carbon Fiber is 60% lighter and 40% stronger than metal.
For Corvette, it doesn't necessarily make the car lighter, but again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
OTHER CARBON FIBER OPTIONS: You do have other Carbon Fiber options....Hydro Carbon Fiber. This is a "dip" that is done to plastic parts that simulates the look of Carbon Fiber. To a trained eye, it doesn't look exactly like Carbon Fiber, but it's close. If you Google "Hydro Carbon Fiber", you'll see how it's done. It's actually kind of amazing.
Corvette does have real Carbon Fiber pieces, and yes, you can tell the difference! The engine hood is VERY light-it's pure Carbon Fiber. Your removable roof is only 16 pounds-it's pure Carbon Fiber.
I've replaced all of my Carbon Flash pieces with Carbon Fiber....it's all a matter of taste.
For some, yes. CF used to be exotic and rare, and expensive. To me however, putting fake CF on a car that already has full CF body parts seems a bit tacky. I would not put fake CF on my car, but everyone is different.
For some, yes. CF used to be exotic and rare, and expensive. To me however, putting fake CF on a car that already has full CF body parts seems a bit tacky. I would not put fake CF on my car, but everyone is different.
But I thought the major advantage was mostly for light weight of real CF, so why use a knock off...?
You answered this yourself... people like the look of CF.
My car has the CF dash which is nice but clearly isn’t doing anything for weight savings. The car has a real CF hood and roof so having those exposed or vinyl sticker of CF on those parts is fine with me. CF splitters and skirts seems like a bad idea given the potential abuse those parts could take. The fake CF stuff? Not into it personally.
Last edited by Steve Garrett; 12-24-2018 at 05:29 PM.
From what I have seen the fake CF looks okay, is definitely less expensive than the real CF but no big deal either way to me. Certainly have seen worse mods.
All my exterior pieces (spoiler, splitter, sides) are gloss real carbon fiber. As time goes on, I'll be replacing the front grill, vent and rear diffuser with carbon fiber. I'd love to do the side view mirrors as well, but I think I'll replace the mirrors with carbon fiber...maybe with the European blinker version.
For the interior, if there is a place that has the fake aluminum, that's where I put my FAKE carbon fiber pieces. They're a bit glossy, but to me it adds a bit of refinement to the interior. It really makes the interior feel a bit more special ... to me.
If you don't like it, the attraction to carbon fiber is not for you. There was just no way I was going to live with the horribly looking plastic poverty splitter and spoiler.
Thanks for many of the responses! I always wondered what the allure of CF was/is.. I guess some people don't care if its fake but like the look....but then its not CF?????
I see many folks are putting on after market spoilers, mirrors, interiors, etc...... But many of these products are plastic look alike and NOT CF... So please educate me on these fake products, is it a look that people like? Thanks
Some of them are real and some of them are fake. It's just a trend and people will definitely go for the fake ones if they like it. I would just do carbon flash. Then again, I just paint my car black so I don't really need it anyways.
Originally Posted by ImpliedConsent
All my exterior pieces (spoiler, splitter, sides) are gloss real carbon fiber. As time goes on, I'll be replacing the front grill, vent and rear diffuser with carbon fiber. I'd love to do the side view mirrors as well, but I think I'll replace the mirrors with carbon fiber...maybe with the European blinker version.
For the interior, if there is a place that has the fake aluminum, that's where I put my FAKE carbon fiber pieces. They're a bit glossy, but to me it adds a bit of refinement to the interior. It really makes the interior feel a bit more special ... to me.
If you don't like it, the attraction to carbon fiber is not for you. There was just no way I was going to live with the horribly looking plastic poverty splitter and spoiler.
I have seen a fake CF dash/center console on the forums and it wasn't completely terrible. I got the matte CF dash from the factory and I do love the look of it better than the glossy since I hate fingerprints.
For the interior, if there is a place that has the fake aluminum, that's where I put my FAKE carbon fiber pieces. They're a bit glossy, but to me it adds a bit of refinement to the interior. It really makes the interior feel a bit more special ... to me.
I too find the fake aluminum ugly. It looks so cheap (to me).
I have seen a fake CF dash/center console on the forums and it wasn't completely terrible. I got the matte CF dash from the factory and I do love the look of it better than the glossy since I hate fingerprints.
Oh man, if I coulda, I woulda. I love the factory carbon fiber they did. Hell, it's not too late to ask Santa?
I never understood why guys here go nuts for Carbon Fiber, when most of the exterior comes from the factory with Carbon FLASH. Carbon Flash to me is classy yet sporty... If I do skirts on my Z51, its going to match with Carbon Flash. I think Carbon Fiber looks tacky when combined with other external parts that are in Carbon Flash...its like mixing stripes with paisley...they just dont go.
From what I have seen the fake CF looks okay, is definitely less expensive than the real CF but no big deal either way to me. Certainly have seen worse mods.
I don't care for the look of carbon fiber, real or otherwise, however many do. Same here, no big deal either way.
Good choice of material for C7 hoods and tops though, strong and very light, and they are painted which I like.
Last edited by Kevin A Jones; 12-24-2018 at 12:49 PM.
I too find the fake aluminum ugly. It looks so cheap (to me).
That's kind of funny, because it's real aluminum. This is the piece that goes on the driver's door. It's metal wrapped around a plastic base.
The carbon fiber on the dash is the same concept. A plastic carrier laminated with real carbon fiber. Both are purely for aesthetics, but the materials are not fake.
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I like the look of CF, but unless all the parts (splitter, side skirts, mirrors, vents, spoiler) are matching, then it just doesn’t look good. I want to put some side skirts on my car but I think I will just go with carbon flash so it matches the rest of the car.
12-24-2018, 07:11 AM
Carbon Fiber....Really?
But I thought the major advantage was mostly for light weight of real CF, so why use a knock off...?
