Well after a rather large bird dicided to eat rocks and then drop what can only be discribed as the worlds toughest **** onto the hood of my Z I decided to just go with a carbon fiber hood from Seibon cause I like the stock hood look just wouldnt mind it to be carbon fiber .... just wondering how you guys feel about the carbon fiber trunk aka the hole hatch itself.... dont really remember seeing any 350z with that type of carbon fiber without it being a direct sponsor car so figured there may be a reason for that if anyone has any good input about why to go with or without the carbon fiber please do let me know ... Thanx Slab

 

Carbon hoods from Seibon are really great quality and fitment, as far as the hatch goes, its all your personal preference.

 

There are plenty of members with hatch/hood combos. Some are now going with our a-pillars, roof, hatch, and hoods to complete the whole carbon fiber look.

Here's our Seibon thread with some good pics
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread.php?t=274194

Here's out Mastergrade thread
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread.php?t=288435



BTW: Welcome to the site

 

I like the hatch. I'd like to get one. If it wasn't for my wing, which I love so much. There's just nothing that I can do to make it match the CF.

 

If you get a hatch make sure you get one that fits your needs. For example, some have support for a GT style wing and some dont. Also some dont allow you to use your stock dampers on the hatch....

 

I have to disagree....seibon carbon fiber products are not that great....over a year or two they will fade and possibly crack....real carbon fiber would be around 2k for GOOD hood...and if you spend that on a hood I will smack you

 

Carbon fiber will make the car lighter, but if I were you, I'd definitely have the hood painted body color.

 

Not if properly cared for...

It's when you take a hood slap it on your car, dont ever wax it, and leave it sit in the sun for hours and hours a day...thats when you start to run into fading/yellowing issues.

 

You would think a decent one would have the UV protection in the clear coat to allow it to be in sun for hours and hours without damage.....

 

I treated my hood with it as soon as I got it. But it really doesn't see that much sun either. Also, not all CF is lighter, only true CF makes a difference. But as said, who's going to pay 2K for it. My Seibon VT is about the same.

The only benefits are the looks of it and function. Function as in your type of hood has vents to help move cooler air in and hot air out to better serve the engine cooling process. I really believe this has helped a lot with my TN kit.

 

Oct needs to get here sooon damnit... guy from seibon told me thats when the 07 OEM hoods come out... im so anxious, i wish there was a preorder...

 

there are very few carbon products that are lighter than stock (mainly because most "carbon" hoods are simply fiberglass with a carbon overlay)...none of the Seibon hoods are lighter than the stock hood

 

Almost all carbon fiber parts now a days have UV protection...but that doesn't mean you can just slap them on and call it good.

Generally when you see a "yellow" or "faded" hood they are the older version that didn't use UV protection. The other cause is not waxing your products once a month (or so). When you see a yellowed hood its from the sun baking the resin causing oxidization. I've been running carbon fiber on all of my cars for over 7-8 years. Various brands, pieces, and manufactures. I researched before purchasing to find the proper care, and have yet to have anything fade, yellow, or any other sort of discoloration.

Now Im not saying to go on Ebay and buy the $150 carbon fiber hood and come crying to me when it fades. here's the rules to purchasing carbon fiber IMO
1. buy a reputable company
2. buy from a reputable shop
3. Wax 1-2 times a month
4. If you want, have a body shop spray an extra coat of clear coat on for peace of mind.
5. use hood pins

 

Adam's right, Seibon hoods are roughly the same weight as your OEM hoods. Once you start getting into "true" dry carbon fibre parts your looking at a savings of 5-10lbs, in most cases. But at the same time your looking at $1200+ easily for a dry carbon product.

The Mastergrade parts are "vacuum" bagged which means they are a bit lighter and more durable the the wet hand-laid pieces.

 

Hate to put anyone on the spot, but I wondering if I can get an honest opinion as to seibon's quality in regards to other companies (aside from ebay knockoffs). I know this is a semi thread-hijack, but the reason I'm asking is that I'm debating between a CF front lip from seibon, and a CF front lip from another vendor. Both seem like they're going to be roughly the same price. Any input would be much appreciated .