I was in an accident some time ago and my hood is the first thing I will be replacing. I want some good to come out of this so I've decided to upgrade nearly everything that needs to be replaced. I've seen quite a variance in pricing for hoods, I understand that fiberglass hoods are not cf hoods and are slightly heavier. This hasn't deterred me yet, seeing how they are so much cheaper. Is there something I don't know? Do they break easily or something? Do they look ok if left unpainted? Where could I find some good deals without getting ripped off?

 

Fiberglass is pretty light for what you get. However, it has been noticed that in fiberglass fenders they have a tendency to warp when not manufactured properly. With the carbon fiber hoods basically unless you are paying $1000+ for it, you are essentially getting a fiberglass hood with a carbon fiber like weave covering it. Just FYI... I'm sure someone else with more experience with specific manufacturers will chime in, since this is just overview of the hoods that are out there on the market for all cars.

 

As far as hoods the only thing I would do is CF and I wouldn't leave a fiberglass one unpainted its an Audi not a Honda. I generally don't like fiberglass body parts because I have yet to see an aftermarket fiberglass bumper that is not cracked. I would upgrade to an RS4 style bumper looks great I think you can make the OEM RS4 one work but it needs trimmed or something but that's the way I would go. Most of this is opinion though and ultimately its your opinion that matters on your car.

 

I'm hoping Fred2ka4 will chime in here, he's a CF ***** and could probably answer this question much better than most.

For my $.02, I would say that if you're going to upgrade to CF to save weight and/or for looks, go nuts. Just be prepared to pay for real CF. If you're looking to fiberglass as a weight saving alternative to CF, I'd do a lot of research about it. The fiberglass top for my brother's jeep still weighs a sh*t ton. You might just be better off going with a stock hood, unless you're looking for a hood scoop or louvers or something that you would only be able to get in CF or fiberglass.

 

I had a friend that had a fiberglass hood on his S-10 Blazer. He said he had to be gentle with it or it would break.

 

I would suggest staying away from a fiber glass hood unless it is going to be used strickly for racing.

If you want a very cheap hood try Eurogear. I offer Fiber Images hoods, but what gets you is the shipping. I did ship a CF trunk cross country for about $60 thru greyhound, but they only cover up to $300.

 

Can you get away with not using hood pins on any cf hood? or is it really as much of a safety concern as the disclaimers make it out to be?

 

^ i dont have hood pins on my VIS carbon fiber hood. i only paid around $800 for it too.

 

Air doesn't get under it and make it shake or anything like that?

Does "OEM style" just mean that it uses the stock hood latch? If so, then technically there should be no use for hood pins, right?

 

yes, mine uses the stock hood latch and no pins are needed.