davepl

Do people order painted (CFZ) carbon because it's cheaper, or they prefer not to see the weave?

I know they take 'imperfect' visual weave pieces and paint them "carbon flash", so they're a little cheaper, and would weigh about the same, so maybe it's just an appearance preference?

Also curious what the "flash" is about carbon flash. A light coat of something? But what?

Snorman

A few of my own comments and opinions...

• Exposed CF often has a brown tint to it, which I don't like
• Repairing exposed CF can be costly or impossible, painted CF can be repaired relatively easily
• The splitter end plates aren't finished in exposed CF, so if you want the splitter to match, it would need to be CFZ
• We found out after the Z06s were in owners' hands that the "carbon fiber" used in CFZ doesn't really seem to be the carbon fiber that was expected. It's some sort of carbon "composite" and certainly not worth what GM is asking for CFZ IMO
• CFZ finish matches the rest of the vents and trim on the car and the mirrors (if optioned)

All that being said, I got a level 1 aero car. I like the cleaner look.
S.

Steve Snake Driver

Constraints on availability are one factor.

Painted carbon fiber is much easier to repair a minor ding. For clear resin carbon fiber not nearly as easy.

The 'flash' is simply metallic paint instead of plain black.

mjpcowboy

I personally think the exposed carbon is a great addition to set off the car

davepl

Interesting about the carbon fiber type - do you mean it's not 'real' in the sense of being baked, then vacuum bagged, all of that?

I do know the aftermarket stuff seems to have a better reputation for quality. I wonder where they (like Carvaggio) get it made? I think the US is short of CF production capacity at the moment.

rwheelz

Over time CF parts often turn yellowish and look like **** from sun exposure. Not sure about the factory pieces.

Snorman

Yeah...Halltech and lawwdog149 posted up some info about it and it's apparently not the woven, then painted product that some of us thought it would be. Jeremy posted some pics of the underside and it looked like it might have been vacuum bagged. IMO...the CFZ isn't worth the $3k that GM charges for it with REAL CF options out there in the aftermarket.
S.

Matt26

Painted parts tie in to the rest of the carbon flash painted parts.

Exposed carbon fiber looks tacked on to me especially if all you have is a splitter/side skirts or just a spoiler.

Some people go gaga over exposed carbon fiber.

SBC_and_a_stick

1) Matching body parts in color is a more refined look imo. The best concept cars are one tone so that the lines of the body work define the car. It is Zen-like, Apple-like if you wish. Simplicity and elegance wins in my eyes everyday. Multi-tone cars give me a Fast and Furious vibe. Not what I call classy.

2) Modesty. Inevitably many exposed carbon fibers come matched with owners that like to boast that carbon fibers are used thoughout the car. Not my cup of tea. I'm more about driver involvement. I let people drive the car. Nearly a dozen test drives so far. Spread the joy of a driver's car!

3) Carbon ain't all that. Nanocomposites are the next gen materials. There are even some deep ocean worms that have teeth much superior to carbon fiber.

jvp

It's a personal opinion of course: I really don't care for the appearance of bare carbon fiber. I don't need to show off the fact that it's CF; I already know it is and would rather it just blend in with the rest of the car. It's one of the very few things I dislike about my ZR1: the exposed CF roof and bow. I'd rather those were painted to match the car.

jdmdohcpower

I would have preferred exposed if everything else like hood vent, brake cooling ducts, spoiler, rear diffuser, tail light bezels, and so on matched. Since they are only available in flash I think the theme of blue and flash worked better. I know you can go aftermarket now on all these pieces but I don't think its that big of a difference to spend 5k additional on

AZDoug

Ginger, or Mary Ann?

(though this late in the game, i probably wouldn't want either one).

I don't really care for the look of the weave, it looks unfinished; and i don't like dull, or matte paint on a car, either, though it is OK on small accent pieces or areas.

I also don't like rat rods either, FWIW.

Doug

badhabit_wb

I like the aero but not the exposed. It looks brown on the roof and with a vy car, to me, it would have looked like s**t. I would have paid more for the carbon flash than I would for the exposed. I may even get the top painted carbon flash in the center, or use a decal, to match the style of the exposed roof. The black matches the black on the rest of the car and it just looks better to me.

mjpcowboy

To each their own that is why they offer options. I think quite a few people did like it though as it has been on constraint for months and held up a lot of orders with people having to change to non exposed to get their car

Mad Dog 24

Real carbon as most know is made with resins like boats its basically fiber glass. The problem if real carbon is not clear coated over with a urethane automotive style clear it will fade over time quicker than paint. Resin has little to no UV protectants, why boats are always so faded.

I have the flash and thought it would be the first thing to paint all body color. After seeing it in person it looks fine and will be VERY easy to repair when wify bangs her up???

But, my vote is carbon its just really cool!

RC000E

Just to add some perspective here....

If you consider the principles of carbon fiber, why it's weaved, how its produced, etc, then look at fiberglass for some reference you can deduce a good bit. I personally began working with carbon fiber about 16 years ago, well after aerospace and high end automotive began working with it, but very much prior to it's mass incorporation into everyday life.

In carbon fibers woven form, you are seeing the format in which is was created to have high strength in multiple directions. Carbon is very strong in tensile, but very weak in shear, so various weaves were created to promote strength in multiple directions. When weaves are laid strategically in many directions on top of one another, you end up with a part that is pretty durable to tremendous forces. What you have is something light, that also provides a high degree of strength....this is well known.

Many parts though, would suffice to not use such a complex type of carbon that is woven. Woven carbon is still only manufactured by a small number of companies, due to the complexity and cost. As of now about 6 companies control beyond 90% of the manufactured carbon market. So...this equals high cost, complexity, etc.

So, think about the parts that need to be light, have a degree of strength/durability, but not that to the extent that woven carbon is capable of. It would be wise to develop processes that can produce carbon LIGHT products, with only a degree of carbon strength. Use some of the characteristics of carbon, but reduce its cost.

Well...enter Teijin...a company pioneering parts that combine carbon characteristics with a plastic to create carbon reinforced thermoplastic. GM made a deal with them some years back, and we are likely seeing the fruits of that relationship along with others (Plasan Carbon Composites). Granted though, with any process, there still needs to be molds, development, outsourcing, etc.

I think it's become clear over the years, both from my speaking with Ford engineers, chevrolet, etc...that with rising fuel mileage standards there just isn't a way to avoid the fact that crash standards have made cars heavier, as have increased emissions components. The only room to reduce weight is to stop using steel. There have to be processes in place which allow components to not necessarily have the strength of woven carbon fiber, but that can equal that of steel in some modes and weigh far less.


So, this is what you're seeing here. I wouldn't look at it as, you got some cheap knockoff of carbon for carbon fiber pricing...I would disagree and direct you to the cost of carbon parts from Porsche, Mclaren, Lamborghini, etc. The cost of developed, low production, woven carbon products is HIGH. What GM has perfected with the Corvette in the past 20 years, is the ability to give you 90% of a million dollar supercar for 10% of the cost...think about that.

fdxpilot

One of the reasons the visible CF roof and CFV effects package are so expensive is that GM uses a very expensive UV protectant in the clearcoat. Consequently, the clearcoat is several hundred dollars per quart. It was discussed extensively when the C7 was first introduced.

Vrroom

I had ordered the visible carbon fiber for the ground effects on my Z06/7 . . . but as has been mentioned in this thread, demand exceeded supply and it was the single item that was denied in the production order request. In order not to delay my production (and possibly lose it altogether as there was no guarantee they'd ever catch up with demand on the visible CF), I opted for the carbon flash version. Now that I've received the car, I do NOT regret it at all. As a matter of fact, I'm now preferring it. I agree with other posters that it matches the rest of the car. And reading some comments about the browning of CF . . . I now recall that I just accepted the fact that on my 15 year-old TT, the carbon fiber was "gold." The carbon flash is a great effect and I'm glad that's what I have! (And yes, it'll be easier to repair when the occasion arrives.)

Paulchristian

I think the finish of both CFV and CFZ look great. However, If I had to choose, I'd go with CFZ because they are less costly to replace and can even be repaired if the damage isn't too bad.

That said, I would not order a ground effects package on the C7Z. I'd opt for the stage one, paint the front factory splitter and replace the rear spoiler with an after market piece. IMO, once the car is properly lowered, the side view looks better without the bulky side splitters.

svtkeith

The one thing I DON'T like about my ZR1 is the CF roof wish it would have come painted the body color.