Should i get a fibreglass replica bumper?

[Remix-]

I've been thinking of getting an R32 GTR front bumper and lip, but i've heard that i cannot fit one on my R32 GTS-T as they are to wide.

My alternative is a fibreglass replica. I've heard that they break very easily and get cracks etc... are they really as bad as what i've heard? My car is quite low so im a little worried. I don't mind having to take alternative routes to avoid speedbumps and steep driveways, but i don't wanna buy something that's gonna crack in two weeks.

I'd prefer a response from someone that actually owns (or has owned) a fibreglass bumper that can offer some of their experiences and recommendations with a replica fibreglass bumper.

Cheers

[Fly_With_Sky]

well ive got a gtr front end (fibreglass one from UAS) on my 33 and its doin fine. It is super light (as u would expect) and in my opinion is tougher than the weight would suggest. Now my car is lowered and doesnt have a helluva lotta room for clearance between the ground and bottom of the front bar, and its been scraped along a few driveways and humps but has come up fine. It sounds terrrible when u do scrape it but its just in the underside of the bar and no one can see it anyway.

i think they are the goods at least...

[franks]

fibreglass is crap.

i have a crack on one side of my front bar and its being held up by "race tape" on the other - both of which had to do with incidents involving driveways.

if you can get the real deal, get the real deal. original plastic absorbs a shitload more imho.

[51jay]

You can't get the "real deal" to fit on the GTST without getting the front guards and bonnet too.

gtst89 all the aftermarket kits are fibreglass apart from a couple of carbon fibre ones. The quality varies depending on who it's made by. The good news is it's tougher than you would think and is very easy to repair ....even diy with a little practise

[Guest MFX_R33]

You just have to learn to take care when you are driving out of drive ways and over speed humps etc. If you are careful, you will be fine with fibreglass.

Jeff.

[Remix-]

Thanks guys. Im going to get an R32 GTR fibreglass replica bumper. :-)

I'll update some pics when i get it.

Cheers!

[pentae]

Just get a decent aftermarket front bar instead, either get a gtr or make your gtst look like a cool gtst, not a gtr wannabe.

[Remix-]

To be honest i haven't found any aftermarket front bars that i have taken a liking to. I don't think a GTR bumper on my gts-t is going to infer that i am a 'GTR wannabe'.

[predator]

i agree with gtst89 on that one.. just because you have a GTR bar doesn't make you a "GTR wannabe" just that it looks a heck of a lot nicer. Being a GTR wannabe would be putting GTR rims on it, flared front guards, and incorrect badging on there.

anyhow, when you can break it (not if), you can read my guide on how to fix it just be a bit careful and you should get a couple of years out of each bar.

[Pekatu]

you can fit a real GTR bumper to a gtst, you have to bend it a little but they do fit, look FATTER to as they are a little wider.

[Remix-]

Pekatu, have you got any pictures of a gts-t fitted with a genuine GTR bumper that's been bent?

[wilch]

I've also got a fibreglass bar on the front of my R33. It's been cracked, but I've repaired it myself... They're stronger than you might think.

I also don't think there's anything wrong with putting a GTR style bar on a GTS-t, the GTR bar's look cool I reckon. I like them.

Can you spot where it's been repaired??

[MYC-R32]

You need a FMIC to fill that gap mate!

[Guest MFX_R33]

GTR bars on a GTS is fine, just the GTR badges are EXTREMELY Ghey!

Jeff.

[Pekatu]

gtst 89, nah sorry dude i don't have any, but there are afew people on here that have them, I am looking out for a genuine one that is a good price.

The "bend" isn't obvious when you put them on just makes the front look a little wider (which is good). But what ever you do, don't put the GTR badges on.

[Marlin]

GTR bar will fit on GTS with VERY minimal work. GTR grille also clips in to headlight mould, and you can cut the front off the bonnet to let the grille fit. A Nismo air seperating bonnet lip tidies the front edge of the modified bonnet nicely.

It IS WORTH CHECKING with Nissan the cost of a new genuine bar and lower lip, they have recently halved in price! I reckon plastic is far superior to glass re longevity, and legal as well?

Cheers.

[Remix-]

You need a FMIC to fill that gap mate!

One step at a time buddy

[Greg]

what about if you have a crash - plastic is surely going to absorb much more impact than fglass? the difference may be minimal though, i dont know

[Zagan]

Can you spot where it's been repaired??

A good guess here, but right hand side at the vertical bar lowest point, a crack that has run up slightly from the left over to the right along the joint point of the right vertical bar, to the hole on the right.

It doesn't have the same look as the left hand side.

If that's not the repair then the bar wouldn't have been made right.

[Zagan]

Fibreglas is two times stronger than an Iron I bar, The I bars are mainly used to hold up roofs in warehouses and stuff.

Carbon fibre is 4-5 times stronger than fibreglas.

The reason why it breaks is because it's usally thin, this saves on weight but it's strength should handle small bumps but if you bang scrape it badly or enough times it'll also break it, carbon fibre is lighter again as it isn't glass fibres, it's something else, it looks like yellow weaved mat when it hasn't been made into anything, it goes clear so the black stuff is black coloured resin.

In auto salon, they had a thing about this they were saying you should buy the real thing rather than buy a copy because most copies are made crap and won't look right, vilside get copied a lot and you can tell because one of the wings on the side isn't the same size as the other side.

Apprantly the companies also don't allow the resin to cure in the mould properly, and it can also have weak points, They have it make 100's per day so they can't aford to be waiting long times etc.

Also gelcoats etc might not have been applied correctly, so when you goto paint it some parts might ot paint properly, also could get osmosis if there's no gelcoat on fibreglas.

Depends I don't really like the copies myself as they have the trailer lights on them in the front which I think makes any cars with copied front bars look tacky and cheap ass.