Hey everyone, recently my oem bumper was cracked pretty badly. I'm looking to replace it and possibly get a whole body kit. What i'm wondering is how bad would a fiber glass bumper be compared to my oem bumper? Some people make it sound like the whole kit is going to shatter if I run over a crack. Has anyone had any luck with fiberglass? If so I would love to hear about your experience and what brands you've had luck with.

 

a simple search would have given you the answers you want

https://my350z.com/forum/exterior-an...s-bumpers.html

 

Thanks for the link, I'm currently going through every thread possible haha. That thread clears some things up but what about just daily driving with fiber glass? If i'm not getting into accidents or running into parking blocks do you think something like a VIS kit would hold up? My oem busted going maybe 5-10 mph into a snow mound which is why i'm torn on whether to spend the extra money on something that will break in the event of an accident anyway.

 

to be honest, it is hard to say... me personally i would do duraflex over fiberglass

 

Don't fool yourself- OEM poly bumpers are WAY more durable than any fiberglass body kit. With less flexibility and so-so fit, you'll find even the best paint jobs will begin chipping and deteriorating on a daily driver that go out into the snow.

 

^+1
Any way a OEM bumper can get messed up a fiberglass bumper will have 10X the damage.

 

I'd steer away from fiberglass because it will break easily if something happens, and in the end you'll pay more to keep repairing it than you would have buying a poly body kit. A lot of it also has to do with where you get it from. Is there a particular kit you were looking to?

 

http://www.bodykits.com/Extreme-Dime...107996/895459/


Honestly I love this Kit but I have read so many bad things about duraflex. I have also read about people who are totally happy with duraflex. The thing for me is, I can't remember the last time I hit my bumper on anything aside from a few days ago when I messed up my oem bumper (And it was because I was messing around in the snow). Does fiberglass/duraflex just crack/break/chip without running into anything? If not I don't see why it would be a bad idea to throw a duraflex kit on. (I would have a shop do the mounting/paint matching to make it look right). I do appreciate all the input though, im definitely not going to rush into this decision.

 

If your worried about your fiberglass bumper breaking then my suggestion to you would buy om bumper with a lip....fiberglass is OK for a daily but not recommended if your slammed...I cracked my shine v2 bumper a week out of the shop, but the lip was about an inch off the ground

 

Yikes sorry to hear that. Mines just going to be a daily driver, and I don't plan on slamming it for that reason.

 

Waizzzz (a moderator on here) is sporting one of our front bumpers and has been happy with it. Let me show you a CRAZY car thats a DD, he's currently rocking a full widebody kit from us.not the same application, but...


http://forums.evolutionm.net/vendor-...13pcs-kit.html





He DAILY's that car! lol. So yes, Duraflex can stand up to the daily grind, but no, we don't recommend diving head first into poles/snow mountains.

 

^^^Funny you should mention and show an Evo kit. I just saw one today driving down the highway in Denver. Nice red and white graphics with a deep chin spoiler similar to what's pictured. Except this particular Evo must have driven over a chunk of ice, or some other small obstacle, because the spoiler was fractured down the middle and driven back into the radiator opening.

That's what can happen to any composite body kit that's daily driven outside of Cali, Arizona, Texas, Florida or other warm weather state. Being careful can only go so far with any daily driver, but warm weather is almost a prerequisite to making one hold up. Many Z33 owners don't have a second car (like the OP) and DD one with a body kit in Chicago is just asking for trouble.

Some might think I'm talking out my ***, but after racing several Nissan tubeframe cars (with full fiberglass bodies) I can only say that it's not WHETHER a fiberglass bumper will break, as it will surely do so down the line. The only question is how much will it shatter and if it's repairable.