kramykram

iTrader: (135)

its not going to raise market prices. if someone wants to pay then they will pay. if they want a cheap part, that they will have to pay for proffesinal installation then thats up to them. I want something that is going to hold up to scraps and bends and not crack if i hit something in the road. You are totally missing the point man. Like i said a mold has to be made. that is not cheap.

BoomerZ33

iTrader: (23)

what's wrong with a happy bumper?

Z1 Performance

iTrader: (564)

But what you are failing to understand is the cost to do a mould for a urethane bumper. For you to try to compare the cost to make a urethane, stock bumper that is sold on ebay, vs the cost to make an aftermarket bumper sold by a true end retailer are 2 different things. It implies you have an idea as to the costs involved.

Do you know what these moulds cost? You could buy a 350Z for the cost of the mould. Those moulds have a specific service life...after that, it can't be used and must be destroyed and a new mould made. Often it's just resold and there you get lower quality units from a "new" brand name). That's half the reason there is so much garbage out there in the first place.

If you think all these "brands" are watching what all the other "brands" are doing as far as pricing on their replica bumpers, you're wrong. I'll give you a bit of a clue - at the end of the day, there are very, very, very few manufacturers. There are lots of resellers, rebrands, etc. All you need is someone to make you a box with your name on it, and voila, you're now a "manufacturer" in the modern sense of the word.

Your bumper was cheap, and if it fits well, good. But guess what. So is a factory Nissan 350Z bumper. Costs under $300, brand new, from your local dealer. No shipping costs, no BS with fitment...just a factory part. There are TONS more customers for a stock bumper than there ever will be for a V2 bumper. Particularly at this point in the cars lifecycle (half past dead). That is why yours is priced as cheaply as it is. Who knows when they started making them. Could have been 8 years ago and now there is a warehouse sitting somewhere with thousands that they are just looking to dump to recoupe costs. To say that the price you paid for yours should somehow dictate the price for a new product, with a new mould is.....

If a urethane version of a genuine V2 can be created, produced and sold for the proposed price, it would be a good thing, as it serves a purpose, assuming its a quality piece. Wings West products go either way, from good, to absolute JUNK - like every other replica brand out there. Particularly in recent years. Whether or not it can be done remains to be seen. So far, you're arguing the proposed price of something that doesn't exist. Sorta makes no sense. Why not just see where the price ends up, if it ends up being made at all, and then you can decide for yourself, if it fits with your needs/wants. Or, make your own bumper if you think it can be done at your proposed price.

e30cabrio

iTrader: (30)

I was about to post similarly but not nearly as eloquently. Thanks Adam!

I'd add, ABC Nissan (local dealer) has the oem bumper for 260 out the door, I'd pay double what you paid for oem without a second thought. Additionally I find it hard to believe you just bought that bumper bur are in the market for another seeing as you installed it unpainted.

I like Adam's idea, you make the bumper.

Have a perfect Nismo V2 available for pickup tomorrow at 300.00, I'll buy 2!

kramykram

iTrader: (135)

LOL, i think if a vendor gets involved with them and they get the first peice to try and judge without paying for it. I think it could go very well. But until then we may never know.

J 0 K 3 R

so why are you guys trying to get this made again? its already been made and is offered by multiple companies. duraflex and ait do not crack and ait has good fitment. these bumpers are not full fiberglass and flex like mad please watch the vid in the ebay link. its just as flexable as the full PU duraflex version whic is only 150$ lol. or fork out 150 for a test fit before you blow 450, for 300 you can buy 2! i have not heard one negative personal experience with either of them. so why not buy one that is available?
and i dont think anyone is gonna make another version. they are making 370 molds now.

vex008

iTrader: (4)

^ just cuirous - r u afiliated with the ebay seller or something?

e30cabrio

iTrader: (30)

Seems a reasonable assumption.

Z1 Performance

iTrader: (564)

There is no comparison to be made between the strength and ease of prep between urethane or polypropylene and any FRP blend. I've had both on my own car, Ive been involved in prep and paint on both materials from ultra high end brands to replicas. There is no comparison.

J 0 K 3 R

wow no. ebay has nothing to do with it. ait looks like a good company thats all.in fact i think everyone should buy the duraflex, its cheaper. i have no affiliation with any bumpers. im honestly just saving everyone money, and preventing ripoffs from ever happening.

mr. sparco

iTrader: (13)

^ IIRC Duraflex originates from Extreme Dimensions which is another replica company. With ED it's hit or miss with their parts as far as fitment and quality.

Shine molded their front from a real deal JDM Nismo v2 front bumper. Ken never skimps on his master molds and always molds from authentic parts. I have owned 3 kits from Shine and each one has been perfect fitment.

As far as AIT, have you ever owned a kit from them? I have for my SC300 project car. As far as the quality goes... No comment.

Wings West is now owned by VIS so when the OP is asking from WW it's just VIS. I live pretty close to the original Wings West in Costa Mesa CA before they went out of business and VIS bought the rights to the name.

mr. sparco

iTrader: (13)

Then you've been had by their video, did you notice there is no sound but just music playing in the background? When you flex AIT kits like that, it crackles, it's brittle, and nearly falls apart once you stop twisting and bending it. Not only that it weighs a ton. It's basically bondo consistency when sanding with fiber reinforcement backing. It has casting flaws all over the green primer and requires a lot more prep work.

Shine parts are very close to race parts in terms of durability, fitment and weight savings. It requires practically no prep work saving you money during paint. Thanks for the suggestions on saving money but in the long run, you get what you pay for and may end up spending more fixing fitment and surface prep.

kramykram

iTrader: (135)

LOL WOW i had no idea they were bought out by vis, i never planned on putting a kit on my car till i started making better money. I feel in love with the v2. my first one i have now is a duraflex and it has cracked twice. I just ordered a vis kit that was supposed to be duraflex and right when i grabbed it out of the box it crackeled. but it does flex. i think i might go bolt it up just to see how it fits. regardless of who it is now. if they can make a quality bumper im down for it. but guess not so many people are. =(

J 0 K 3 R

hahaha you have a vis. if you throw a brick at anything its gonna crack. dont be such a meat head and stop breaking quality parts. if a PU bumper flexs enough sure the bumper will be ok but the paint will still crack. its like painting rubber, you can use flex additives all day, the paint will crack on the rubber at a point.

Scabd

I'd rather just the paint crack, so all I would have to pay for is paint and not a whole new bumper and also paint...

In the past I have had (and/or had friends)
Wings West (all pre VIS ownership): no flaws, no fitment issues, 0 problems
Extreme Dimensions: Friend had an issue with a pair of fenders, needed a little trim to fit perfect. Two body kits on friends cars and they fit pretty darn good. No complaints since they are so cheap to buy.
VIS Racing: Crap, only one friend didn't listen and picked up a body kit from them and it lasted almost a week lol. Never really had problems out of their carbon fiber hoods though, had 2 myself and friends have had countless hoods, they always fit extremely close to factory and only had 1 over the years that turned yellow, and that was almost 8 years ago when that happened.

Never had experience with "shine". Actually never heard of them until this forum. I'd like to give the brand a try if someone has video of someone with a kit racing and hitting a cone at say around about 60mph and the bumper not flying apart lol

fury350

look, if you want cheap, sell your Z and go get a 90 civic or something. A Z shouldnt be for you if your looking for cheap. The OP is trying to throw the idea out for a company to pick up on to get quality work and more of a variety, material wise.

Back on the original topic for this thread, I'm game for getting one.

Z1 Performance

iTrader: (564)

That's not true. There are countless examples of Z's being built to the lowest common denominator. Not just Z's, but all cars in this tuner category. People who think price and value are the same thing and argue fervently without having a clue as to what actually goes into manufacturing something. People who think that just because some company somewhere was able to crank out a bumper that now sells for $200 online, means all companies should charge $200 (or less) for their bumpers. Without any consideration into the fact that the original design of that bumper cost money (and time), the original mould of that bumper cost money (and time). And that, of course, companies that produce tangiable goods can only survive if they make a profit. People place value in different things. Something can be expensive, and still represent an excellent value. Something can be dirt cheap, and be a waste of money.

Zazz93

iTrader: (2)

+1 on the Shine pieces, great fitment and my painter said it was the easiest prep job he's had in a while (to paint). Fitment was good enough I was able to bolt it up with zero bodywork experience or additional prep-work. My bumper has been through the ringer and has held up pretty good. But are they still in business?

DaeHan

iTrader: (12)

If your referring to shine auto, yes they are still in business

J 0 K 3 R

you sound like a bmw or porche owner. my z was cheap under 20k. its cheap to fix. cheap *** parts. it is a budget sports car made in japan that can run with n/a porches and beemers.


your game for what? the OP has the bumper he requested to be made. dum dum dum dum.

@ Scabd. get the vis, it probably has better fitment than your buddies experience. or get the duraflex, its exactly what your asking for and you already praised their fitment and quality AND its only 150$.

if you need something that is more flexible than the stock rear bumper (that can be fender rolled) or a duraflex. . you cant call this a nice expensive car than say you want it to be able hit curbs and bottem out. you have to be more carefull if your slammed not have rubber bumpers. lambos are low and you dont see them complaining about cracks. and most of the slammed super vip high quality DD are running carbon fiber. that stuff is rigid and crackly! but it can even take a good hit.
and no the carbon fiber is not stronger than fiberglass. it would be stronger if it were vaccum sealed and the same weight as the fiberglass product. but carbon parts are always much lighter and weaker than their fiberglass counterparts.
lastly, cracked fiberglass is the easiest thing to fix in the world, a surf shop will do it for 20-50$. the expensive part is the repaint, which would be needed on a PU bumper also if you hit it hard enough to crack the fiberglass.

looks like you guys want magical super flexing, but super good fitment at whatever cost it may be. i think you guys are very few and far between.
you should be trying to get this made out of sheet metal.