PPF removal-- you've got to be kidding me

Love this vid.

It's interesting that Ferrari started to roll the fenders with the 430! The 360 has been plagued with the issue on the front fenders because of the sheet metal protruding and catching on the tire on tight incline turns! I was wondering why I've seen tons of 360s with fender damage and no 430s with the problem.

My 360 came with 19/20 setup and a perfect offset so I am very happy, but I was looking to change the wheels out but I'm afraid I won't get the offset correct.

 

Kenny great video, and thanks for posting that up. i've always been leery of lowering the car. You make it seem like it's not really that big a deal. it looks pretty easy. Questions... how much did you lower it? and how did you do it meaning did you just count threads?

 

I had to have my California repainted due to the PPF removal taking the paint with it.

 

Kenny, one more thing. It would be great if you could share the brand of spring compressor you used. Yours looked to fit well.

For anyone who hasn't tried this, you need to be very careful when compressing springs. If they don't quite grab right, it can kill you. It's a very nerve-wracking job. I bought a few brands that turned out to be junk. I wound up taking my shocks off and using a commercial wall-mount compressor in the end. This was on my Aston, not the Ferrari. Mine were already lowered on the Ferrari when I got it.

 

About PPF - what every happened to good old fashioned bras? I had one on my Porsche years ago and I'd install it before a trip, then remove it after. Paint saved! My bra was one of those purported "stealth bras" that are said to absorb radar (cough *BS* cough) that even came with mirror covers. I could probably crash through a chain link fence with that thing and sustain no damage lol.

 

I don't think I could put one of them old bras on the front end of my car. i know they work ok but it would probably look hideous

 

Anddd that's why I haven't bought one! LOL

I drive about 100 miles one way a few times a week, and when I arrive, I immediately get out in the parking garage and spray with speed shine/wax and wipe off the bugs. I thought about the bra idea but it would take longer to clean that and then stow it away dirty in a trunk designed for show, especially if it rains. My trunk is customized with amps, backlighting and a Tec-9 mounted so I rarely put anything in there. Before you commend, yes, I was a Miami Vice fan growing up lol.

 

They scratch the hell out of the paint and cause visible differences in the paint fading of left on all the time (also trap moisture and dirt if left on). But even taking on and off constantly will likely scratch it up

 

This makes me worry about PPF, unless the newer ones are better. I've had ceramic on some of my cars, although I wasn't impressed either, cool to see the rain water bead off the coating, but I've had issues where tree sap got caught in the coating itself which I don't think would have happened on normal paint. Ending up needing ceramic correction. Maybe easier just to use the occasional touch up and then get a fresh repaint at some point.

 

Yes, I think the negativity arose from those who left them on their car - the majority of buyers, like my sister did on her car. But it never ever make a mark on my car - it was plush felt on the inside and it fit tightly with bendable brackets fit around the fenders.

Just a cool idea if you're making long routine trips or deciding to go on a rally. Those would be worth their weight in gold during Gold Rush or Gumball where those cars are getting pelted with stones and debris.

 

Normal spring compressors are to big. these smaller ones work great. https://amzn.to/47AuFgn

There was a post somewhere here on fchat that someone actually calculated how many inches change per turn. From fatbillybob: "Most Ferrari shocks are 1.5 pitch metric. That means each full turn changes the height 1.5 mm but at the angle of the shock relative to vertical. So to get the exact height change you tke the 1.5mm x the motion ratio. The motion ratio is in your WSM. So lets say you want a 1" drop and your MR is 0.70. Then 12 turns will drop you 1" (25,45/1.5=16.97 16.97x0.70=11.88). "

Trial and error is also a fine method, just pay very close attention to the turns.
I will go back and find the number or turns from the raw footage, but i wanna say it was maybe 15-18 turns total. The front lip is actually 1" higher than my stock c6 z06, but the 430 has a long nose, so you have to be careful.

 

I've have this spring compressor, works great and seems to be good quality, have used it several times.

https://www.amazon.com/ReluxGo-Compressor-Automotive-Macpherson-Compression/dp/B0BK38K3ND/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?crid=2P5REPBV29O4B&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.w75Fg0dPRlU49fGPchFUgpwmVIr6XFyEJVwPtSej9xLSU-UPb_VKtd7c2At0862dnZrQHpTDetjfNNm_cXnaaqwAGotRZGAdYjTL_0tnkVRcwdJVYhKgnlUfv_kwjkca_dygsGoyz2Mdsoa3L3QO4WU1ZZVgMOqsHH7CKD10vtjqo7dH_x6yuQQYFrO0E_VDTF_Mp6fjFpmzvqX6KdZVpSC3EqGkd9Vb_DA_eMMAw3O_-lEmQF12Enxhz6nKRmiHAKO7TBpZG4nZe41JDuAWz2yxyR2h6pQNETNNRkKY5Qk.KtNPwW4rfgYLOBb9tygl6bD2fA6yhpLT08LQU3G3uZM&dib_tag=se&keywords=spring+compressor+tool&qid=1762895910&sprefix=spring+compres%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-3-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

 

The new PPF materials are better than previous years. I’ve had it applied to all my car’s entire front end at a minimum. One black car I recently purchased had full ppf coverage and it’s a pleasure to clean the car without the worry of scratching or marring the paint. On the other hand, the hype of ceramic coating is just that. To pay for a shop to put it on (@ around 1K) is ludicrous imo. And if one absolutely has to have it, it’s definitely a dyi process that would cost under $100. Better to use so-called ceramic detailing sprays like Carpro Reload for example. Amazing shine with that stuff.

 

Lots of good comments here. I am very pro-PPF myself. Quality film with a good installer will give you little to no issues with removal. Just takes heat and patience. I'm a big proponent of XPEL film. I've also seen damage from minor low speed crashes completely negated by PPF, meaning the film took 100% of the damage and the paint underneath was fine. Additionally, if you have visible carbon exterior components, a good PPF film will offer UV resistance to prevent yellowing (i.e. BMW M cars with carbon roofs) in addition to rock chip protection. Rock chips can cause carbon components to de-laminate and look terrible.

I've personally peeled 5+ year old PPF off of a few high-end cars without issues. I'd never do it without heat and/or steam, though.