blacklancer03

iTrader: (10)

hey guys. im lookin to get a new front bumper kinda soon.. what is the difference between fiberglass and the poly reinforced plastic stuff.. actual details, not the making of them. i know they are said to be tougher but i bumped my once a while ago and it cracked all apart.. sucks. (ill take a pic if ya care) ive never had a fiberglass body kit but it can be that less tough or it would crack from rain. also do they look any different. can you tell the difference.

whatever. any info/input is cool. thanks

OZLancerlunatic

iTrader: (10)

ive got a fiberglass kit, its lightweight and pretty sturdy. I think either or you can do it. I like the fiberglass because you can get it to fit better with more/less fiberglass whereas its hard to add plastic.

petey pab

iTrader: (18)

its basically the same thing. neither one is much stronger or easier to work with than the other.

SIMSSEGA

iTrader: (6)

does fiberglass get messed up in the cold. I live in minnesota so it get down to the -20 on the really bad days.

OZLancerlunatic

iTrader: (10)

my fiberglass survives boston cold....althoguh it didnt survive the boston curb, thats what fiberglass resin and bondo is for!

RumbleCam

their is fiberglass canopys all over here and it gets 50 below on the 'bad' days, its already been - 47 C. this winter already.. plastic gets brittle in cold but fiberglass is always brittle so... lol take your pick.

aku4lyph

it just all depends on the weather i guess..

they're all right, fiberglass is ultimately easier to fix in comparison to PFRP being that it's plastic. The best way to fix plastic is by melting plastic on to it - plain and simple.

fiberglass can take dif. weather just like pfrp
they just differ in how brittle or how warped they get... also the driver HAS to be careful... no matter HOW MUCH you reinforce body kits, if you start skidding towards a curb, just start thinking of how you're gonna fix that LOVELY crack

BensLancer

iTrader: (2)

You know, I need the same answer to the same question because the body shops that I have talked to say they charge more to do fiberglass kits than polyurethane kits because of the texture! Does anyone know at all what the difference is? I mean I heard one guy say it was fiberglass covered with polyurethane, but I'm not sure myself! Dave, Dimantha, Kareem? Any input from you guys? We would appreciate it!

Danno

iTrader: (4)

The weather has very little to do with anything. It all depends on the quality of craftsmanship put into the product, What composits where used, The pre paint prep work and the paint its self. Road conditions also can be a factor.

Pros/Con's Fiberglass

Pro
Cheap and Easly acessable
Molds are easy to make
Good for DIY Guys
Easy to make adjustments to mould
Fairly easy to fix

Con
Britte
Easly dammaged
Vibrations can cause cracking
Proper paint and prepwork must be done for a good, long lasting product

If the fiberglass is laid with good materials, a good consistancy in the resin and and mulitple layers it should hold up pretty good.

Pro/Con PRFP

Pro
More flex in the materials therefore it will withstand impack and vibrations better
Lasts longer

Con

Usually a bit more expensive
more flex must be added to paint
fitment takes a bit more time and money

Poly-Fiber Reinforced Plactics will out last much longer and will withstand more abuse then fiberglass. Much harder to make a mold for DIY projects.


If you want your kit to last then use PRFP and have a snowmobile painter do the painting using the same paint on Sled hoods. See if he can recommend a sled repair shop that can do your fitment and prepwork aswell.

Snowmobile hoods have to be able to flex extrordinaty amounts with out cracking, therefore special paint and materials must be used. A good shop can take a hood and twist in in half with out the paint or materials cracking.


Hope this helped
Danno

OZLancerlunatic

iTrader: (10)

i must admit that is an interesting fact and I am going to look into it. I have already looked into getting the same stuff that they apply to the front of ferrari's. Almost a sort of bumper paint so i can avoid some of my chipping. I do my paintwork myself so can you lead me in the direction to get this snowmobile paint?

Danno

iTrader: (4)

I dont know that much about it. I know its simular to regular paint with lots of flex in it.

TeamAccolade

iTrader: (1)

fitment takes a bit more time and money

as for the PFRP... This statement is wrong. Our Front bumpers have been thru numorus test fits so that we know that when we make the final one and sent it to the costomer we can stand safely behind our Fitment Garuentee. Shipping can give hell to any body kit's make up weather it PFRP or Fiberglass. Adding Flex to your paint ( on the PFRP parts ) is a must, this will keep your kit looking good, w/o flex during cold time if you were to tap the paint, it would crack. You will be happy with the PFRP its more forgiving.

If you have any other questions Please PM me or one of the ACCOLADE vendors we will be glad to help you.

aku4lyph

ok ok
in regards to what accolade has said I CAN honestly say that i've heard this from shop owners (believe it or not) along with friends that have baught pfrp kits...

"this is the best kit i've ever worked with" why? cause of their fitment - and the material used
YES - it took them for ever and some change to work on their fitment, but they got it down!

I'm not saying anything against any other companies that make kits - but i have to admit, i agree with everything that backs up PFRP... **** is strong!

NOW... if they'd make a kit for the mazda MX3 (wink wink) with pfrp... that would be really nice of them