i called Chassis Inc - Carbon Fiber these guys to see about a blaster hood in carbon fiber. he said $400-$500. why is it so much money??? he is drawing me up a prototype look for a blaster i will post it when i get it
Why is carbon fiber so expensive?
- Thread starter 88' blaster
- Start date
because of the material and process they take to make it is ridiculously long and expensive to begin with
Your paying for the time it takes to design the mold, make the mold, cloth,laying down the cloth on the mold.press and make the hood and shipping. If you thing about all the time and what these guys get paid an hour, you'll see where the price comes from On a one off hood.
Doesn't maier build carbon fiber hoods for like half that? I know they do I've seen a whole fender set in carbon fiber from maier or atleast carbon wrapped
yep my brother got a couple things that are just wraped instead of real cf because the real cf cost an arm and a leg
Why would you want carbon fiber on a quad?
Carbon fiber is strong and light, but also tends not to bend. It'll take more of a beating to deform it than plastic but once it breaks it doesn't bounce back like a plastic piece or replaced nearly as cheap as a plastic piece.
It's not like the maier hood and fender set weighs 50 lbs or anything either. How much weight could you possibly save by using carbon fiber instead of a plastic hood anyway?
Carbon fiber is strong and light, but also tends not to bend. It'll take more of a beating to deform it than plastic but once it breaks it doesn't bounce back like a plastic piece or replaced nearly as cheap as a plastic piece.
It's not like the maier hood and fender set weighs 50 lbs or anything either. How much weight could you possibly save by using carbon fiber instead of a plastic hood anyway?
RACE CAR not offroad machine....
And even then only exotic GP/F1 series cars use carbon fiber for major components. The budget for the chassis on one of those cars is over 1 million dollars.
And even then only exotic GP/F1 series cars use carbon fiber for major components. The budget for the chassis on one of those cars is over 1 million dollars.
i have seen rally cars use CF for body parts.
only reason you would do CF parts on a quad is for drag racing to help reduce the weight.
for a banshee a CF front fender weighs around 1.1lbs, a fiberglass front fender weigh around 3lbs and stock is around 5ish (IIRC)
only reason you would do CF parts on a quad is for drag racing to help reduce the weight.
for a banshee a CF front fender weighs around 1.1lbs, a fiberglass front fender weigh around 3lbs and stock is around 5ish (IIRC)
alright now everybody calm down no need to start an argument over carbon fiber... everybody has their own opinions on it.
So $600 to save 3.9 lbs.... what a deal! HAHA
If you're drag racing you could take the fender off (I know some tracks won't allow this but MOST will) and you save 5lbs for $0.
If you're doing anything other than drag racing, it doesn't make sense to run a CF fender. Even in MX, if you break a fender off and get mud/dirt coating your goggle lens you might crash or at least can't race to the full potential.
No arguement (at least a not a name calling, mud throwing arguement) here. I am wondering why you would want to run a real CF body panel on a quad. I'm also acknowledging that sheeblast is correct, road racing cars (and some rally cars) do use carbon fiber for some crucial parts.
I'll also point out that most do not use strictly carbon fiber either.
Most chassis' are a CF, fiberglass, and aluminum layered honeycomb monocoque frame.
Carbon carbon brakes are not carbon fiber like the original poster is talking about. Carbon fiber is long strand carbon blend (graphite being the main component) cross woven into a fine grade cloth and then "glued" together using an epoxy resin. Pure carbon can withstand about 6,000K before it sublimes BUT the resin is only good for about 600 degrees F before it begins to oxidize. Carbon fiber, therefore, is a poor choice for braking components.
Carbon carbon brakes are a mixture of pure carbon/graphite mix for the pads and a carbon fiber silicone carbide matrix for the rotors. The silicone carbide acts as a binder and is able to be machined like a steel rotor.
Last but not least, carbon fiber body panels... Have you seen a race car wreck? See what's left after what looks like a bomb went off inside it? The body shell comes completely apart and "brooms" leaving virtually nothing that resembled the car it once was. Would you want your fender to do that the first time you smacked something hard enough to crack the resin?
If you're drag racing you could take the fender off (I know some tracks won't allow this but MOST will) and you save 5lbs for $0.
If you're doing anything other than drag racing, it doesn't make sense to run a CF fender. Even in MX, if you break a fender off and get mud/dirt coating your goggle lens you might crash or at least can't race to the full potential.
No arguement (at least a not a name calling, mud throwing arguement) here. I am wondering why you would want to run a real CF body panel on a quad. I'm also acknowledging that sheeblast is correct, road racing cars (and some rally cars) do use carbon fiber for some crucial parts.
I'll also point out that most do not use strictly carbon fiber either.
Most chassis' are a CF, fiberglass, and aluminum layered honeycomb monocoque frame.
Carbon carbon brakes are not carbon fiber like the original poster is talking about. Carbon fiber is long strand carbon blend (graphite being the main component) cross woven into a fine grade cloth and then "glued" together using an epoxy resin. Pure carbon can withstand about 6,000K before it sublimes BUT the resin is only good for about 600 degrees F before it begins to oxidize. Carbon fiber, therefore, is a poor choice for braking components.
Carbon carbon brakes are a mixture of pure carbon/graphite mix for the pads and a carbon fiber silicone carbide matrix for the rotors. The silicone carbide acts as a binder and is able to be machined like a steel rotor.
Last but not least, carbon fiber body panels... Have you seen a race car wreck? See what's left after what looks like a bomb went off inside it? The body shell comes completely apart and "brooms" leaving virtually nothing that resembled the car it once was. Would you want your fender to do that the first time you smacked something hard enough to crack the resin?
for a quad, the only thing you would want to be CF would be the exhaust, but that is only on 4-strokes. people do use CF rims before of the strength and light weight they offer.
as for running the plastic, most will run a front fender to help with the drag. they run a solid front piece to help psuh the air around the quad.
as for running the plastic, most will run a front fender to help with the drag. they run a solid front piece to help psuh the air around the quad.
I can see rims because of the protective layer of rubber that's wrapped around them anyway. They would save a bit of weight there.
For the little bubble that would need to wrap around the front of a drag frame, CF v plastic would save maybe a pound. So would the rider not eating lunch and that wouldn't cost $400...
For the little bubble that would need to wrap around the front of a drag frame, CF v plastic would save maybe a pound. So would the rider not eating lunch and that wouldn't cost $400...
For most riders (excluding national level drag racers and formula 1 drivers) CF isn't a useful option for body panels or much else...
To the original poster, why are you considering CF fenders?
To the original poster, why are you considering CF fenders?
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