F430 Carbon Fiber Hood

if you have it painted and are obsessed with "weight saving", why not...but these aftermarket CF items 2x2 wave are IMHO very cheap to look at...CF lines/ texture are not straight aligned and do not match OEM carbon.
Since I stand on details, having these 2x2 or 2x1 texture pieces on a Ferrari would simply be like wearing navy blue sportcoat with black trausers.

if you want to save weight have you interior spoiled from insulation foam under your carpet, something you won't see and will reduce more weight you can't even guess.

 

I did not see weight specs on either product from either manufacturer. What is the weight compared to a factory aluminum hood?

 

Both hoods appear to be a Carbon with fiberglass frame structure. The weight savings will more than likely only half. The only true weight savings would be a 100% carbon pre-peg component and should weigh in about 1/4 of the OEM aluminum. As far as cost goes compared to weight loss there are areas where you can loose padding, components or insulation to achieve the same result.

We also produce a hood that at this time is available in FPR only, not full carbon. Yes there is a weight savings I will have to check on the specific weight. ($1450.00 )

We can produce with the factory 1x1 pattern or even a Red/Black Carbon Kevlar weave that might look good on a red F430. If you are going to paint it I would recommend matt Carbon. That way it will be easier to paint, Less "flashy" IMOP than the gloss if left alone. If you decide you like the gloss you can have it clear coated locally.

I don't know what level of track/racing you participate in. Usually we see panel replacement after and most the engine, suspension and scaling down has happened to achieve a competitive edge. For example the HP to weight ration change between the OEM to even a full CF hood is at most 5-8 hp. For a component that would roughly cost $3000-6000 for the modification by the time you include shipping, installation and or finishing in body color.

Don't get me wrong as we are in the business to produce and sell CP and performance products. IMOP there are more effective mods to achieve higher increases for less or equil of an investment.

david

 

I commissioned my own carbon fibre bonnet as I wasn't happy with the few options that I could find. The underside is done in 2 different weaves to match the same used in the OEM rear carbon fibre bonnet that the car has. I also commissioned front and rear carbon fibre bumpers and a few other interior bits.

Way, way, way more time, trouble and money than it was worth; but it did come out pretty well.

FWIW, by the time you paint it and make it as shiny and pretty as this the weight saving is minimal versus the standard aluminium item which is pretty light anyway.
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To be blunt carbon fibre panels on a road car are not cost effective ways of increasing performance, to the point of being a total WOTAM.

In the case of the standard aluminium front bonnet, it's surprisingly light at 6.5kg.

I didn't weigh the pretty carbon fibre version before it went on the car, probably because it would have reinforced what a silly idea it was to pursue this. Light weight race panels do not have an inner frame and they are matt finished as clear coat weighs a lot more than paint. When you finish a panel to this level you have to add a lot of clear coat and the painted surface has a lot of prep and base coat to get a nice painted finish. All of this weighs a lot.
The end result is pretty; but there is no saving in weight and it may even be heavier than the standard aluminium panel. FWIW, the factory OEM engine cover is terribly finished from the factory. I took mine off and had it refinished underneath- it was that bad.

As an exercise I took the front bonnet off my 360 Michelotto and weighed it, along with the Scuderia aluminium bonnet. The race item weighs 4.0 kg, so a saving of 2.5kg for the race item.

You can see from the photos that it bears no relationship to a street item as it has no inner frame and it's made for function, not bling. My car has been restored and it's probably a lot prettier than when it raced. That equals weight. I would guess a raw panel might weigh 3.5kg with no clear coat on the rear and thin paint on the front. So a maximum possible saving of 3.0kg is possible by using a proper race bonnet....................ugly and at great cost.

So as I said at the start, way more time, trouble and dollars than it was worth
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Must have missed this thread altogether...

It's true that there are so many areas to save weight you start with them first... Bumpers are pretty heavy and so savings can be larger than on an already light hood. It's worth pointing out for completeness that the CF hood yields far bigger weight savings than one would first imagine because there is much more to a hood than just the panel itself.

You don't have an electrically actuated solenoid for opening on the race version, you get bonnet nipples. You also don't have the locking mechanism, just unnecessary weight, then you also junk the hydraulic rams which hold the bonnet up, again heavy and no purpose on a race car and the final big ticket item is heavy steel hood hinges which are over a kilo each on the stock hood. About half the weight savings are going into stripping out all the road car fripperies.

Replacement of aluminium with carbon fiber resulted in typical weight being reduced by 55-60% depending on how good the maker is. A component made from standard carbonfiber of the same thickness as an aluminium one will offer 31% more rigidity than the aluminium one and at the same time weight 50% less and have 60% more strength so if you want same strength as original you can make it thinner and still yield same strength or better than original.

 

I you like the way it looks unpainted then go for it, otherwise save your money for something else.