Fiberglass or Urethane [Merged 7-9] polyurethane poly

[GST4LiFe]

Whats the difference between Urethane body kits and Fiberglass??.. is one stronger or something??

 

[guedo512]

i heard fiber glass cracks. i think urathane is a coating that goes over the fiberglass though so that it doesnt crack. im not positive b/c i like the stock body look better.

 

[siueclipse]

urethane:

doesn't break as easy. more expensive to paint because you have to get special paint and to mend to a car, it doesn't bend easy.

fiberglass:
brakes easier than erethan, but can be fix very easily and cheap. easier to bend and to paint.

i prefer fiberglass because if i hurt something i know i can fix it.

 

[nvs]

fiberglass is generally lighter than urethane, it's also cheaper. if you crack or bang up a fiberglass piece, it's easy to repair. also easy to "fit" to your cars curves and seams with just a heat gun and some muscle.

urethane is not a "coating over fiberglass". it's an entirely different product, more liek a very flexible "plastic". with urethane, it's going to be more forgiving. it will take the small bumps and bangs, but it is possible to tear it, and is impossible to fix....which means you'll need a whole new piece. urethane is usually heavier and more expensive. it can be harder to "fit" to your car perfectly if it is a bit off on factory specs.

i also prefer fiberglass, i like that it's lighter and easier to work with.

 

[guedo512]

so when they mold a body kit to a car does that just mean they put it on right or do they actually fit and curve the pieces to fit exact?

 

[SlaMMdTaLoN94]

when they mold a body kit they actually make it part of the body (1. they put it on the car 2. they fill in all the cracks in between the bumpers and the body and the sides and the body giving it a smoother look)

kix @ss

 

[quwhees99]

look at my kit...that's a mold

 

[Dsmed]

The main problem with molding a body kit to the car is that, if someone bumps you in a parking lot, or you bump someone or something, the bumper cover no longer takes the shock. All of the molding will crack and split all the way to the furthest part of the mold. That tends to piss people off a bit when they have just completed 3 years of body work and mold work on a car. Not my car, but a buddies car. And we used a urethane kit plus wide body fender flares and side skirts. Everything was molded from front to back.

 

[quwhees99]

yeah and if you don't know how to mold if you crack it be prepared to spend 2000+

it really depends on your preference....if you want that clean look to your car yet have that risk of paying for it when something does happen

or go for the bolt on look if something happens, just throw that piece away and get a new one.

(i think we've had this conversation before, deja vu? suieclipse?)

 

[DsmAwdTsiTurbo]

when urethane tears be prepared buy a whole new piece

Imo fiberglass all the way.
1.its lighter
2.easier to fix

 

[siueclipse]

Originally posted by quwhees99
(i think we've had this conversation before, deja vu? suieclipse?)

yup yup, the search functino works pretty good. I use it regularly

 

[quwhees99]

....what did you do, type up your login name? you vain @$$!

 

[Tuff02Ranger]

Any suggestions? Which is better, a urethane body kit or fiberglass? Pros and cons?

 

[xleRateGSX]

urethane will bend and not break if you are to hit a curb or scrape the ground. Fiberglass can be repaired but will never be the same as when it was new. People on my team ride around with their stock urethane bumper at stock ride height to avoid any damage and by the time the show comes around they swap bumpers.

 

[Johnny5]

I dare to disagree (somewhat). A urethane bumper will take more punishment than a fiberglass, but if you tear it, that's it. whole new bumper. Urethane is also more expensive. If you crack a fiberglass bumper, it is easy to repair. Where i disagree is when you say the bumper will not be "the same" after repairs. If you know what you are doing or have a shop that knows what they are doing, the bumper should be as good if not better than new. Reapairs usually involve a fiberglass patch kit and somekind of body filler (ie, bondo), which can then be sanded and shaved down to match any curve or corner exactly. You can even give additional strength and support to those weaker areas of the bumper to avoid future damage. Also, urethane is generally heavier than fiberglass.

Personally speaking, I prefer fiberglass because I find it easier to just repair a bumper than buy a whole new one. Damage should not be a big issue after awhile as you will learn what to avoid and change your driving style.

 

[L2RTSiAWD]

I'm personally getting a urethane bumper. Aroung where I'm at the is to much that can crack fiberglass and the don't resist rock chips as well as ureathane.

 

[tjh-dsm]

I think all the pro-fiberglass people don't realize how HARD it is to tear urethane. It takes a lot of effort, like 5 -10 more effort than would crack fiberglass. I've scraped the bottom of my bumper many times, and had yet to have any damage or paint spidering from it. Try that with fiberglass.....

There's a baby blue civic around here w/ a fiberglass body kit, and every two or so months I see him driving around w/ out a front or rear bumper b/c he cracked it and had to get it repainted.....must be $$$

 

[Six97GST]

When I first bought my car it was already lowered with a stillen urethane front bumper, and because I wasn't used to the driving style I would scrape like crazy.... 4 months later the bumper still looks great. No tears or cracks. There is some very minor paint peeling on the pressure points of the bumper but nobody but me every notices them. I would recommend investing the extra $ in a urethane kit, or at least the front bumper.

 

[98eclipse]

Let me put it this way, I just bought the Aggressor bumper in urethane, and I was cruisin down the street about 65 MPH when a dog just jumped out of the bushes right in front of me and I nailed it head on. didn't do a thing to the bumper, not a bend a dimple or anything.. bent the grill up a little, that is it.. i would never go fiberglass. just my $0.02

 

[Six97GST]

Originally posted by 98eclipse
Let me put it this way, I just bought the Aggressor bumper in urethane, and I was cruisin down the street about 65 MPH when a dog just jumped out of the bushes right in front of me and I nailed it head on. didn't do a thing to the bumper

but what about the dog?

 

[quwhees99]

SPEAKING of this topic....

i just discovered mine just cracked!!!!!!!!!

 

[tjh-dsm]

Originally posted by quwhees99
SPEAKING of this topic....

i just discovered mine just cracked!!!!!!!!!

WOW, that's gonna be expensive. Still planning on molding everythin in next time?

 

[quwhees99]

thanks for your concern....ummm i hope it's gonna be free (crosses fingers)....it's the bottom right bumper/lip....you can't see it straight on but if you look underneath you can see how *(&#! up it is

a crack is slowly growing from the bottom and working it's way to the front

 

[Budget Tuner]

Your opinions gentleman on which of these has more value for your dollar.

 

[4g63dsm]

Urethane is supposedly unbreakable or close to it so I would have to go with that.