Fiberglass or Urethane [Merged 7-9] polyurethane poly

[thehyena]

Urethane

 

[Beef Jerky]

I've always used fiberglass. It's so much easier to work with. If you get a urethane bumper and it doesn't fit perfectly, you're stuck with it...whereas with a fiberglass bumper you can simply heat it or chop it and reshape it to fit perfectly. And I have yet to see a body kit that comes from the factory and fits perfectly right out of the box. Urethane also requires some additional paint prep work....which also costs more. Most urethane bumpers sag after time unless you invest into additional support brackets....more money. Also, fiberglass is alot lighter than urethane. And the last reason I like fiberglass better is because there's a greater variety of styles available.

 

[thehyena]

but if you hit a curb or bottom out with fg you're fvcked

 

[Six97GST]

When I had my Stillen front, I can't tell you how many times I was glad it was poly urethane. I had some horrible scrapes and even plowed into a curb more than once. No cracking, sagging, or any of that BS. Never had to repair it. GO URETHANE!

 

[UVaJester]

I'd say go with Urethane too. I have Urethane front, fiberglass sides and rear. Within the first week I would have completely destroyed a fiberglass front. Good Luck...

Jester

 

[Beef Jerky]

Originally posted by thehyena
but if you hit a curb or bottom out with fg you're fvcked

You'd be surprised just how durable a quality (note the "quality" and not some cheap e-bay knock off) can be. I've had some experience with both the cheapies and the good stuff and there is a major difference. I guess in the end it comes down to the old saying: "you get what you pay for."

 

[blinkin]

ok, well still having not made up my mind. Is there anywhere you guys reccomend getting a fiberglass kit out there from? I am not a newbie and I know of the sites, but im asking from your guys' experiences with kits and quality where I could find the cheapest quality fiberglass from. Ive been looking and I see no way of telling a difference. Half use the same pictures anyways.

 

[blinkin]

any ideas?

 

[eclipse95racer]

ok well im probly just repeating what everybody else sayed but here is my 2 cents. i would sugjest getting a urithan front. most urithan fronts wont sag in the middle (unless you get a cheap kind). i friend has a urithan blitz front on, and it loks great. my front kit is fiberglass and i have already had to repair it hella times. i wish i would of gotten urithan. i like how the fiberglass is lighter than the urithan. so i would suggest getting the urithan from but getting the sides and back of fiberglass. if you hold out for a little bit, VIS is coming out with some new Polyurithan kits that are saposed to be the best kits to get. just letting you know.

 

[98eclipse]

Urethane is the way to go! Let me put it this way. I bought my aggressor front bumper in urethane same time my friend bought his blitz in fiberglass. I still have mine and he is on his 4th, yes 4TH, bumper. And I am not saying all will be this way but mine fit PERFECTLY when I put it on. And if you order off a website, there is NO website that gaurentees the shipping of bumpers, EXPECIALLY fiberglass ones. But urethane can be twisted and bend all over in shipping and still be a great bumper when you get it home. just my .02 tho.

 

[hardrive07k]

I'd go urethane front and fiberglass for the sides and the rear, thats what i did and i have had no problem, and i have had no sag at all on my front, unless you have perfect roads everywhere, I would NEVER buy a fiberglass front bumper, you couldnt give me one or pay me to put one on my car, just my 2 cents

 

[EuroGSTSpyder]

well i just gotta put my two in hrere too...I got the Kaminari kit for my GS..fiberglass..and I can tell you they hold up real good! I went full speed on second into speedbump,knocked the front right into the bump and it held up just fine Its all about the quality of the kit made...If its well done ..thick, and well-layed then it can take alot of beating.So fiberglas aint all bad.However..most kits out there are knock offs or are made thin..with no supports..then the fiberglass is no good.Be sure to check out the quality of the kit before you buy it!iberglas is also easier to work with if you wanna do some custom work to it..say add a vent hole...meshgrill or something...

Urethane is good...real good.It holds up to almost anything you do with it..but as said above..its a PITA if it doesnt fit perfectly from the store....Its not easy to work with...takes alot of more knowledge to make it good if you ned to redo it.....but all and all.....its both good.


For my personal reference..I would go with fiberglass since I cannot leave anything as is ..but have to custommake something to everything I buy**

 

[Chuckt]

out of curiosity, what would happen if you baught a cheap fiberglass kit, and added extra layers of glas in the inside and made it hella strong? would that work or no?

 

[EuroGSTSpyder]

It would work ...and you could also put in "ribs" of some stronger plastic material to mold in the layers you put on.Been done many times to help stabilize bad kits.Main thing is to get a good quality kit from the start though..its always best under any circumstances

 

[4g63tc]

well, to get this straight.
a Urethane kit is more expensive because it requires a totally different process to make, first the urethane is mixed then heated, then injected into a mold ( the molds are quite expensive hence only the most popular kits are made). The plastic then goes through a controlled process of cooling/cureing to ensure a strong yet completely flexible part with little or no warping. with this process parts can be made quickly, and relatively cheaply, however the initial cost is somewhat prohibative, hence the higher price.

 

[white1997gs]

Just in case this poll has never been taken (and the fact I'm a FNG and have no idea): Which is better? Polyurethane or fiberglass? And why???

 

[guedo512]

poly is much stronger, it can take a beating. only problem with it is over time it may begin to sag. poly also has a remarkable fitment.

fiberglass is ok, but it doesnt have a good fitment, it can crack and spider. fiberglass is good because you can fix it.

 

[BryE23]

Urethane Rules..Fiberglass Sux..I will never buy fiberglass for a car again it jus gets messed up too easily..esp. the front end If u kit ur car at the very least get a urethane front cuz it will get smacked up..If u go glass then u should Definitely invest in a carbon splitter jus to save some of the beating

 

[jimwross]

Yeah, fiberglass kits crack like no other. If you ever get in an accident its an immense amount of work to fix the fiberglass (its NOT easy).

Poly bends, you can hit little curbs by accident etc...

basically fiberglass sucks, if you live in a place where theres cold weather, watch for the spidering too.

 

[white1997gs]

thanx for the info, seems polyurethane is the way to go!

 

[guedo512]

Originally posted by white1997gs
thanx for the info, seems polyurethane is the way to go!

definately...

 

[fAt_sUnNy]

I heard that ViS Racing makes their body kits in polyfiber which is supposed to be as flexible as polyurethane but can be repaired if broken like fiberglass. I wanted to know if anyone has had ever bought a polyfiber kit or knows anything about it because I dont wanna end up spending like an extra $250-300 and not have much of an advantage over fiberglass.

My friend was saying that one of his friends was like jumping up and down on his polyurethane body kit and nothing happened to it so is that true and is that the case with polyfiber?

Oh BTW, the polyfiber kits are $600 from ViS Racing. Any help would be appreciated because I have no experience with body kits.

Also, I have seen Eclipses with the Silvia headlight conversion and I was wondering if its too much money to do that and if not where can I get it done at. I live in Chicago so I might already have a disadvantage.

 

[dark_Controller]

isnt urethene like rubber? like on the 1st gen dsms?

 

[river]

does anybody know of any good poly urethane body kit manufacturers? i can find a plethera of fiberglass kits available, but i cant seem to find any poly urethane kits. i have had fiberglass kits and every single one of them has been horrible. you bump into the smallest obstruction and the paint webs and the fiber cracks. they also dont seem to hold paint very well. ive had everything from Blitz kits, to Bomex, to AndysAutoSport specials and now i am really wanting to try this whole poly urethane thing. does anybody have any experience with it or know of where i can find a kit?

 

[HighPsi92GST]

if you get a urethane kit, you pay more, and when the paint chippes or you break the bumper its not as fixable as fiberglass.
iv have a fiberglass bumper for 2 years now, have hit several things including bottoming out and never had as many problems as you seem to have had.