Rock Chip Protection
 

Has anyone used the Invisible Chip Protection set from Mid America, if so what's your opinion? Just trying to keep the rock chips to a minimum.

Thanks for the input.

I have 3M, not cleartastic. Absolutely love it.
Have had it about 1.5 years ... paid around $400, but worth every penny IMHO.
Virtually invisible. Little chips, but better the replaceably flim than my clearcoat, if you ask me. :cheers:

Dave Q.

I have the 3M clear bra and love it. There's a guy on e-bay selling a full front and side mirror kit for $189 great deal actually. If you have a link to the Mid America stuff I wouldn't mind having a look at it. :seeya

i have cleartastic and am quite happy with it. my car is torch red, and have the kit behind both front & rear wheels/wheel wells, and along front & rear edges of the rocker panels.

there's a few annoying bubbles that have creeped up with it (noticable mostly in the rear), but from anything farther than a couple feet away you can't even see it, and at the end of the day i'd rather have a few innocent little air bubbles than a few thousand innocent little rock chips...

the whole kit was around $70-80.

how do these clear protectors look on dark colors like my navy blue metallic?

I have a black FRC , the cleartastic blends in okay, not perfect though.you really have to be patient when putting it on ,making sure you get a good fit. If you wash your car alot you have to be careful about not catching it and peeling it up. they also recommend you remove it for waxing. It has helped as far as chips are concerned.

The kit that Mid America sells is manufatured by Cleartastic.

http://www.cleartastic.com/

Several forum members use it and from what I've seen, it performs as advertised. The install is not always easy but once it is on, it is hard to detect.

Paul :cheers:

Here's a picture of a black C5 with a clear bra. Also, note the difference in quality between the 3M film and Armorglove (which uses DuPont).

Not all clear films are alike --

Read this link before you make a decision:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/sho...0&highlight=bra


It lists the advantages/disadvantages of the different types, and includes comparison pics.

I think you'll conclude that Armorglove is the way to go.

Here are a couple pictures from that thread:

http://home.att.net/~fivecats/c5/ArmorGlove_7.jpg
The bra is on the car.


http://home.att.net/~fivecats/c5/ArmorGlove_8.jpg
Another shot with the clear bra.

http://home.att.net/~fivecats/c5/ArmorGlove_9.jpg
Two test samples of 3M film and Armorglove film. Pick the one you'd rather put on your car.

http://home.att.net/~fivecats/c5/ArmorGlove_10.jpg
Close up of the two samples. 3M is on the left.

Here's my experience with the 3M Product....

I have had the 3M protection put on my '82 CE 5 years ago, and it has not yellowed whatsoever. But then again, it is a seasonal weekend driver car and is not exposed to the sun for long periods of time....

On the flip side, I liked it so much that I had it installed on my brand new 02 Camaro.

I'm also having it installed on my C5 next weekend. I'm having the the front and back wheel area, mirrors and front end done. The whole kit plus installation will run me around $650 and to me, is worth every cent.
Rather than trying to install it myself to save a few bucks, the guy that does it has been doing it for quite a few years. He's so meticulous that he goes around the car with a diabetic hypodermic needle to take out all of the air bubbles. I like that attention to detail.

To me, $650 is insurance that I won't be paying big bucks down the road to completely repaint my front end and is an excellent investment for your Vette.

Oh, one more thing, I only go as far up as the front bumper. I never went with the piece that goes on the hood. I really don't like the way that looks. And for some reason, on both the Camaro and the CE, I never (knock on wood) had any stone chips on the hood.

Just my 02 worth and experience with the 3M Product.....

I have a product called Venture Shield that I like very much on my 04 CE. The only time that I really notice the film is when the car starts to get dusty, then the film line is a little more evident. :cheers:

I absolutely hate the way the hood piece looks.

First time around, when I was still using yellowing 3M, I didn't have the hood piece.

Second time around, with non-yellowing Armorglove, I went with the hoodpiece, because the (somewhat) visible seam was better than the really visible chips in the hood.

Just my .02s.

Thanks for all the great response on the chip protection. Looks like I need to give it a try.

side note to cleartastic: a few pieces (critical ones, unfortunately, right behind the front & rear quarter panels) blew off somewhere on a recent 1k mile trip--a 3rd of which was traveled in rain. bummer. the rocker pieces still held on, strangely enough.

oh well, the stuff is still great. i'm going to order a replacement kit.

wish i'd given it a try months ago..

i hear ya on that one. my rocker panels and the lower inside lip of all wheel wells look they were sandblasted--and my car only has 8k miles on it!

3M here. Great stuff!!! :thumbs: