hey guys, i was just curious how bad hitting a cone will screw up a front bumper? i just put on my aerosync front bumper and i really dont wanna crack the front lip on it

 

I've whacked a few and the only "damage" has been cone-rash. I little wax or polish will take that right out.

I can't say what it will do to a soft foam bumper, etc.

 

Wax the car before you go to an event to help protect the clear coat. Some people put clear film on the most likely strike areas.

Don't autocross when the temp is cold and the cones are like cement. I've seen a cone dent a RX-8's rocker panel and door. Of course the driver was sliding into the finish out of control so maybe you just shouldn't get out of control.

If you are afraid of blemishing the car or breaking after-market plastic then co-drive a buddies' car.

 

I've hit a handful of cones and have never had any lasting marks.

 

Never had one leave a mark on my car yet.

 

just dont hit them

 

I had my first real cone-tastrophy last fall. (Different car, but could happen regardless) I got a cone up in the wheel well and it caught the ABS line. In the process of tearing that off, the ABS line ripped the CV joint boot (FWD car) and threw grease all over the wheelwell. That ended up costing about $400. And that car is actually lower than the Z. the plastic undertray on the Z has suffered the most from cones. Otherwise, even the ugliest cone rash has buffed off.

 

blue masking tape works wonders for cone rash, thats all we use.

 

It'll buff out no problem!

 

Ripken Stadium, Aberdeen, MD 11/2006

Don't be a wimp. Go for it!

 

Relative to other 2 seater sports cars; the Z does very well when encountering cones in autoX. It's front facia, bumper and side skirts can take take a good beating. Aside from the usual 24" cones, sometime we use 36" cones to mark critical areas when we run different autoX formats (i.e.: Enduro). These bad boys are about 4x heavier than the 24" cones. I hit one dead on w/ my bumper right by the passenger head light. To say I "hit it" is an understatement; I sent that cone to Hell! I hit at at over 50 mph, sending it flying over 10 yards. I could even feel the Z react to the impact. While driving back to grid I though for sure that I had broken something. But after a through inspection, aside from a mild scuff mark, everything was fine.