360 Anyone have an opinion on R-Tuned engine bay carbon fiber panels

R-Tuned is among the worst quality out there. Fit issues, poor finishes, and waves in the carbon weave. If you do a search you will find multiple complaints on the quality of their products. Cheap stuff made in China.

 

All I can say is do you homework. I wanted CF engine bay panels and ended up with a used set from a CS which cost me about the same as a new aftermarket set. The OEM carbon covers weigh about 1/2 of what the original aluminum ones weigh and are 100% CF, not an overlay like some of the aftermarket ones are. I asked about the weight of the aftermarket ones and never received an answer. There was one aftermarket set that I saw that had the rain gutter bolted to the panel. Even though the outer covering was CF, I can't imagine how much fiberglass they had to use to support bolting them together.

 

You can buy my CS and get the panels for free!

They are quite nice!

Good luck with your search.

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Eurospares has some in stock...new....at about $1400 each....

 

The R-Tuned engine panels fitted just fine.
Only 1 hole didn't line up perfectly and that may have been the bracket being a bit bent.

Yes, they are a fiber glass base with CF top layer.

So it all depends on your budget.

 

I would rather have the factory CS CF engine panels they are over 3000.00 or Rtune 990.00 I went with Rtune both airbox and engine CF panels from they look very nice.. I am going get the factory engine panels stickers for a more stock look
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How are people's CF Panels holding up with the heat of the engine bay? I've been thinking about getting some CF Engine Panels, but, heat + CF usually don't mix.

 

Another thing I was concerned with was the appearance of the CF between manufactures and age. In here are three different manufactures but everything "fits" well and looks good to me.
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Just my opinion, but I feel there is more airflow in the 360's engine bay than the later models. Due to this, I think the heat soak is limited with these models. Now, when I go on a spirited drive, I will popped the deck lid to help with cool down when I put it back in the sauna known as my garage. Also, with the manufacturing techniques used in modern production, especially in the aftermarket area, there are not as many issues with clearcoat/resin degradation as in earlier factory CF items. My airbox lids (aftermarket 2018) clearly show the dark gray/black and white 1x1 checkerboarding while my engine bay panels (OEM 2004)are more of a light gray and dark gray due to age and production quality.

 

I have not bought any yet ,you may find the engine panel stickers at them from Eurospares may have them

 

When you do purchase make sure it's from someone who shows the back of the part. To only show the shiny side is disingenuous. Carbon Fiber manufacturing is all about the process and there really aren't a lot of short cuts. It should have the same weave, and same "cloth" as the pretty side and looking at it you should be able to tell how the different shapes on the part were created from the same material. As below the pockets and depressions have an extra layer of the same weave cloth cut around the outline of the various shapes.

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Engine bay panel decals are available from the dealer and are remarkably affordable.

I agree that images of the backside can indicate (but not guarantee) the use of carbon throughout however it is rare for the carbon on the backside layer to match the one on the front side. Case in point are the posted images above where the weave on the factory OEM panels do not actually match the weave you see on the front side. Nothing bad here as it is common for manufacturers to mix weaves.

 

Good mention! Also in critical applications the materials are often rotated to create an engineered matrix.