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Hey guys,

well I have done a decent amount of mods to the engine, brakes and soon suspension wise... now I am thinking about getting some nice new body panels... but I have a few questions, in particular about bonnets at the moment because I have a few stone chips on my current one.

1. are fiberglass panels illegal?in particular bonnets? ;)

2. I know people say they are lighter and you can go faster etc... but I want an honest answer.. would the weight of replacing a metal panel with a CF/fibreglass panel be a large difference or is a couple kg negligible?

3. I would assume it gets sprayed the same as every other panel in 2pac paint etc... but would a fiberglass bonnet's paint chip/warp due to engine/turbo heat?or do you have to attach the blanket thing to the bottom of it or something else?

finally guess I am asking.... do both an aftermarket and standard bonnet function identically? or is one a better option for stuff like strength, weight, warping paint...etc?

if it makes a diff... my car is a street car... only been to the track once...probably not for a few years again...

Thanks,

Adam :)

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Check out HPI mag. There's a QLD company that makes ADR approved (read legal!!) fibreglass bonnets. Lighter than steel ones and keep things cooler with the venting.

It's a looks thing, functional, less weight and legal. 2 pac painted would blend in sweet.

You're on the right track with temps.

If you run a high mount turbo that's the only time you might want to look at say a turbo blanket to cover the turbine housing, to protect the bonnet etc.

Hope I'm not babbling on. Good night and good luck with your choice ;) .

Thanks for the advice felas,

dw, turbo is low mounted... had that much trouble getting it in tho I almost went highmount...

ok... so it may be a better option repairing the stock one by the sounds of it... just for strength and legality reasons... will post up more questions in the morn after they pop into my head overnight ;)

cheers guys.

99% of fibreglass bonnets are defectable/illegal

stock = stronger

FG = lighter and vented

neither will warp in teh heat if made correctly. weight you wont really feel any difference.

ever lifted a r32 gtst bonnet, that thing probably made of cast iron ;)

It's funny watching the gtr owners struggle with it due to being used to their fancy aluminum bonnets :)

ever lifted a r32 gtst bonnet, that thing probably made of cast iron :merli:

It's funny watching the gtr owners struggle with it due to being used to their fancy aluminum bonnets :D

hahhaha ofcourse you feel it when you open it, there is a major difference in the gtst V GTR bonnt

but not worth much when driving

99% of fibreglass bonnets are defectable/illegal

I would really like to know where you got your figures from? I don't mean to be rude, however you might be surprised once you approach your state authorities and seek clarification. As my understanding is that the bonnet itself only plays a small role in crumple zone testing.

I would really like to know where you got your figures from? I don't mean to be rude, however you might be surprised once you approach your state authorities and seek clarification. As my understanding is that the bonnet itself only plays a small role in crumple zone testing.

i pulled the figure out of the air,, simply since in NSW "any modification that would affect these crashworthiness safety standards should only be made on the advise of the vehicles original manufacturer or an engineering signatory"

so unless you get it engineered - it is illegal.

I'm in talks with several state transport authorities, at the moment trying to seek explicit clarification on these rulings, and so far they have been somewhat helpful. At this stage I'm not going to rule out all fibreglass/carbon bonnets to be illegal. Hopefully will have more on this soon, along with supporting documentation :(

  • 4 weeks later...
hahhaha ofcourse you feel it when you open it, there is a major difference in the gtst V GTR bonnt

but not worth much when driving

Not worth much if done on it's own but for someone that is watching their weight, a steady step in the right direction. Lightening a vehicles weight would have to be the most affective mod you can carry out.

  • 2 years later...

whoa... 2008 called.. ;)

yeah blits bodykits do an "ADR approved" bonnet.. But my understanding from some talk is that it is QLD Transport approved.. So just check with any local authorites/state transport to ensure.. Although i'm sure most won't even know the rules and will get a different answer to everyone you speak to.

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