Okay first I'd like to say - what opinions I get here tonight will determine what I will do tomorrow, so if you are unsure, please state that because a lot is at stake. I would like as many opinions as possible, but please be sure in the info you give.


I currently have the Seibon Carbon Fiber hood. I noticed slight cracking at the front tip due to the stock latch, and having to push it down hard to shut. This is a good thing since I know it's secure, but it's beginning to extend the crack a little.


Tonight I took off the stock latch and just using my Sparco hoodpins to hold down the hood. I took the car to 90mph slowly to test how reliable it is for my drive to SEMA tomorrow (which I'm sure at times we'll hit excess of 100mph).

My question is:

Can I count on this Sparco hoodpins to hold down my hood without the stock latch in speeds excess of 100mph? I want to be able to drive without the worry of the hood flinging into my windshield.

I was thinking of putting zipties to be extra safe also.

Finally, I know people will bring up the fact 100mph is stupid, but we all know we like to tap the gas now and then. I can assure you all it , IF I do go 100mph+ , it will be on an open road where only person at risk is myself. I would never put other drivers at risk.

Thanks in advance.

 

Our race team uses pins that are just like that of the sparco's... they hold well over 100MPH...

BUT...

When hoodpins are in use on a race car it gets rid of the hood latch all together... and relies only on the pins...

on a street car... you do not want someone walking up to your hood and opning it rite up... so use some small master locks to lock your hood...

so if you want to take out your hood latch and rely only on the pins it is perfectly safe if the pins are installed properly..

where are you bolting your pins too? the top of the radiator support in the holes that are to the lef tand to the right of the part that you turn?

ill take a pic of where tommorow on a Z for ya.. id do it now but my car is gone....



wanna hear a freaky carbon fiber hood story??

Its common for Jeff and I to take people for rides in our cars... well.. .my hood has no problem latching down... BUT... when you hit the hood release you do not need to flick the hook to open the hood.. you can just lift it rite up...

so I opened my hood to show a customer the pop charger etc... I didnt close the hood all the way...

I took the cutsomer for a ride, got my car up to 90mph and then hit the brakes and drifted around the corner... went back to the dealer...

stepped away from my car and WTF!!!!!!! I didnt close my hood all the way!!!!!

But the 7 vents let enough down force hold down my hood while releasesing any presure that was building up under the hood out of the top... If those 6 vents were not there my hood would have flew up into the air...

not sure how the arodynamics of the Seibon hood will be in this situation... but I am confident my hood wont fly up on me...

 

I personally don't have experience using hood pins, but I've known people who have had them.

One person had an old Datsun pickup with a vette engine and Nitrous that could run like hell. His hood used cotter pins and he never had problems while I knew him.

NASCAR also uses hood pins.

So, as long as your cotter pins are tight, and as long as your hood isn't vibrating, then from my (little) experience you should be fine.

However, if you are nervous, maybe you could secure the cotter pins with duct tape while driving to make sure they don't vibrate loose.

-D'oh!

 

as long as your hood pins are installed properly, you should have no problems at speed.

as a secondary precaution, i have used steel lanyards that wrap around under the hood aroudn the edges that attach to the cotter pins, so if somehow the shaft (not cotter pin) got loose, the lanyard would be attached to the cotterpin and where the base of the lanyard was attached to..
keeping it loose but not flying back into the windsheild...

 

nOTHING STUPID ABOUT GOING 100 MPH - THESE CARS WERE BUILT FOR THAT. HAD MINE TO 110 THE FIRST 2 WEEKS. MY 300 ZX I HAD TO 125 A COUPLE TIMES. IT REALLY CLUNG TO THE ROAD AND FELT VERY SECURE.
( THE FENCE POSTS DID MOVE PAST ME RATHER FAST! LOL )

 

ive had my car up to 157 something....

but, we are talking about just using hood pins on a carbon fiber hood that does not have a hood latch as strong as a stock one...