Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic

[driftah]

i already searched it and i know what it is made of but i'm still wondering if anyone esle has the material on their car.. the bumper, sideskirts, hood.. just wanted to know if yall have any problems with the material? is it recommended? is it durable?

[AndysAutoSport]

Fiberglass reinforced plastic? So it's a plastic bumper that uses fiberglass on the backside for reinforcement?

If you're talking about a fiberglass kit that utilizes plastic in it somehow for reinforcement I will call the BS flag :bs: . I work with composites all day long so Duraflex, Blueclass, Fiberflex, etc. is all BS. Fiberglass is fiberglass, no matter how much they mix up the resin to acheive flexibility, it will never be like urethane.

Just letting you know man, the only thing that flexible kits will help with is the installation process.

[driftah]

since you work with aero parts.. Do they make aftermarket bumpers like the vertex bumpers in urethane? what type of material do they use anyways?

[honduh]

in reply to the last post, you got it backwords...it is fiberglass reinforced plastic, however, the plastic is reinforcing the fiberglass. what they do is put a plastic skeleton type deal inside the weaves of the fiberglass, to make it more solid. These kits are better than normal fiberglass in most cases, but it largely depends on the quality of the kit. A very well made fiberglass piece can be comparable to abs, but on the other scale, can fit horribly and chip/crack to pieces. It all depends on how it was made. I guess I should add that if you think of going with a urethane kit, they sag over time unless they are supported with metal backings. ABS is the most rigid and is what most OEM bumper covers are made with, but it is usually way more expensive.

The main thing that FRP has going for it is it's generally stronger than normal fiberglass of the same quality, not too much more expensive, and fiberglass can be repaired easier than the other alternatives. Just make sure you check that company's feedback to see if their kits fit well, and you should be in business. There are some companies that just mass produce their stuff and thats why fitment is kinda screwy, but you get what you pay for, since its usually wayyy cheaper than ABS/urethane.

btw, a simple google search will give you more information if you still are in need :wiggle: