Fiberglass fenders. Pros Cons

[Siberian Husky]

Im looking into this silvia front conversion kit and it comes with fiberglass fenders. I can't see anything wrong with running fiberglass panels. They weigh less, they dont rust. Granted they are of course flimsier, but fiberglass these days holds up well to even fast speeds.

I tried searching, but nothing came up that satisfied by inquiry as to hop on this good front end deal or wait out for some sheet metal fenders.


I dont think I can accept "cheap" as an appropriate con, because I really could give a f*ck about another persons subjective opinion on value.

I'd like to keep this discussion about functionality and practicality.

Thanks

[singlecamslam]

Pros: none
Cons: everything. Unless its a really good brand its going to look like ass, nothing beats OEM metal.

[Csomme]

unless you're going to run a larger front wheel, stick with Metal.

[drivens13]

ffiberglass any facking sunks.The parts never fit well and you are constantly repair the parts because those cheap fiberglass parts have no strength compared to metal ofcoarse.

[living4surf]

Biggest con is fitment they will never fit as good as oem metal but the good thing is you can repair them if you crash

[C-unit]

the cons are just bad fitment and will turn weavy eventually.

they are easily repairable, cheap, shit load of style to choose from.

[duffman1278]

Pros: none
Cons: everything. Unless its a really good brand its going to look like ass, nothing beats OEM metal.

tsk tsk

There are pros. Such as non-corrosive, lower density, easy fix(as was mentioned), very rigid when made correctly, resistant to high temperatures, and cheap compared to other fibers.

[Broadfield]

There is only one con I can think of, and that's the damn ugly ass vents. Otherwise, as long as you buy quality ones, they should fit damn near OEM like. Most people don't even realize I have 20mm fiberglass fenders. I started with really good quality fenders, ChargeSpeed, then filled the fenders vents.

You can't even tell:

http://images40.fotki.com/v775/photos/4/47612/3915226/IMG_8221-vi.jpg

[cheesyriceo4]

(Broadfield, that's a beautiful S13.)

Don't the higher quality(aka more expensive) fiber panels fit better than the cheap knock offs?( For example: Vertex)

I guess a con would be if you hit a pedestrian, they'd be filled with pieces of fiberglass. :(

[Siberian Husky]

the kit im lookin at has the vents in the fenders. look pretty homo yeah, but i think people exaggerate how badly they fit.

[sleep]

You get exactly what you pay for

[Bushido]

oem metal all the way.

fiberglass fenders only if your wheels call for it.

[OBEEWON]

Tires eat fiberglass for brunch. Portly friends lean on your car thinking it's metal, then craaack.

[theboy]

depends on the brand. I have origin 20mm fronts and they fit like shit at the gap between the door (1/4" wide gap). But that type of stuff can be fixed with a little bit of work. They are also flimsey, but im fixxing that by adding a couple layers to the inside in certain areas for added rigidity. Get the cheap ones then learn how to fiber glass and do body work. Then realize its a 240 so youll always be working on it no matter what.

[CaptainVlad]

(Broadfield, that's a beautiful S13.)

Don't the higher quality(aka more expensive) fiber panels fit better than the cheap knock offs?( For example: Vertex)

I guess a con would be if you hit a pedestrian, they'd be filled with pieces of fiberglass. :(

Did he just say Vertex is lower quality... lol

[wh0aitznic0]

You can't pull fiberglass fenders to make wheels fit.

Pulled metal fenders > Fiberglass.

[Broadfield]

the kit im lookin at has the vents in the fenders. look pretty homo yeah, but i think people exaggerate how badly they fit.

No, it's not an exaggeration... most of them fit absolutely horrible. Some of them are so bad you can't even get them to bolt up at all.

There is only 3 brands that I would even think of buying as far as quality:

Vertex, ChargeSpeed and Super Made

[fckillerbee]

fyi..i'm running all knockoff fiberglass, as I tend to break shit while drifting, so spending money on something that will break soon isn't worth it.

the full kit i'm running was an ait uras style 4 replica.

when people say they fit like ass, they really do. if you don't know basic cutting and measuring, then your fucked. I spent two weekends getting the whole body kit to fit perfectly. which required cutting and bending, a few zipties, and some more fitting.

one of the fenders hit the door when I open it, so I made it a few mm wider, you really can't tell.

the rear, well, you fit the fenders to the rear. pinch, bow, pull, same shit, you can work fenders to fit. I have 30 mm, and needed over a 50mm pull, and no problem. Hardest part was aligning the car to what i wanted, and then riveted the fenders on. real simple.

as far as the body kit...front bumpers tend to fit perfect, sides are always cut and re-cut to fit, rear needed a little trim....but i saved what...over 1k, and it looks decent....looks great for drifting! lol....30 ft pictures.lol

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4133/5023162918_1075b67df2_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/wlee_87/5023162918/)

p.s. the rear had some damage, so fenders hides that a little. if you look close enough, you can see the sides not fitting extremely well.

[jspecusa]

Never get fiberglass fenders if you have OCD.
Only get it if you are building missiles.
A car is just a tool to perform a task, what's your car being use
for it the key to any build.
It's all about Optimal and Efficiency.

[fckillerbee]

^^^^ agreed, make a goal, and shoot for it. if you are driving, fenders will hid damage, easy to replace too. If you aren't, don't buy knockoff shit, buy legit, so that it looks great for the daily. You don't break shit driving to and from work, unless your an ignorant 16 year old.

[tims05]

I just recently got some front fenders from Origin for my s14 zenki. The driverside fits like complete crap and not even close to being able to bolt on enless you brake off the lip that bolts to the fender rail and reglass it back on.

Passenger side is okay, few spots may end up with little crackin if i bolt it down.

I bought the Origin fenders because I heard they were okay/good quality but where they bolt to the car is complete disgrace. Not sure how a company can ship something out like that.

If you look at the pics im attaching you'll understand.

Ive contacted the company I ordered them thru, hope to hear from them on monday.

[KiLLeR2001]

If you want perfect fitment say NO to fiberglass. I tried the fiberglass conversion fenders for my s13.5 and it didn't turn out that great. Spent many hours just trying to make it not seem like so much fail...

http://tehl33tsite.com/240sxdd/black240/s15conv/IMAG0057.jpg

Driver side wasn't too bad but the passenger side is a whole different story... And that was after many many hours of cutting/fitting/zip-tie'ing etc. I will be going OEM metal cut and weld when I have the funds.

[whitepony22]

I just finished mocking up my S13 Silvia front with Origin fenders, and they fit decent at best. But for the amount of time/work involved with them.... I don't really see the value at this point.

I am surprised at how rigid they are with everything bolted up, but that is also my biggest concerns as I see simple chassis flex from a drive way or a pot hole or something cracking the hell out of them.

[chiboy002]

^^^^ agreed, make a goal, and shoot for it. if you are driving, fenders will hid damage, easy to replace too. If you aren't, don't buy knockoff shit, buy legit, so that it looks great for the daily. You don't break shit driving to and from work, unless your an ignorant 16 year old.
hey hey hey. i drive cautiously because i don't wanna kill my vertex front...... and no, my mommy didn't pay for it ;)

[slideways2004]

yea, my buddy got some origin front fenders and they didnt fit very good. The worst part was the door to fender gap. It was huge.

[tougefactory]

http://www.tougefactory.com/mike/gloss1.jpg

Origin Fenders. Origin fullkit.

[Corbic]

tsk tsk

There are pros. Such as non-corrosive, lower density, easy fix(as was mentioned), very rigid when made correctly, resistant to high temperatures, and cheap compared to other fibers.

The non-corrosive is just stupid. Paint your shit and it won't rust.

Also a fiberglass body part will be cracked, smashed and broken long before a metal part has rotted away.

[Corbic]

Never get fiberglass fenders if you have OCD.
Only get it if you are building missiles.
A car is just a tool to perform a task, what's your car being use
for it the key to any build.
It's all about Optimal and Efficiency.

Even the missile theory sucks.

Sure on a 70's Muscle car it's brilliant, as the heavy steel cowls, fenders and hoods weigh hundereds of pounds.

There is nothing heavy with OEM fenders on a 240, the are made of tin foil.

Only reason to buy fiberglass is you to fucking lazy/cheap to properly work on the highly available OEM fenders.

Cut and Weld my friends.

[tougefactory]

Fiberglass is stronger than metal, weight for weight. It is also stronger than metal at the same weight. Deosn't rust, doesn't dent, easy to repair.

I've installed Vertex, chargespeed,c-west, origin and they are all about the same. None of them will fit 100% perfect out of the box but if you're patient you can get them to fit good.

[K_style]

I have B-magic fenders.. not the top quality but not the lowest either...

fitment was good except corner light part and you dont see wavy surface...

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g58/peterkim0121/CIMG0988-1.jpg

[freshazphuck]

too right!!!!! hahaha

[oldman_KA_T]

you bumped an old thread but...

Fiberglass is stronger than metal, weight for weight. It is also stronger than metal at the same weight. Deosn't rust, doesn't dent, easy to repair.

I've installed Vertex, chargespeed,c-west, origin and they are all about the same. None of them will fit 100% perfect out of the box but if you're patient you can get them to fit good.

doesn't dent... just chips and cracks extremely easy. lmao fiberglass is trash. thats why an oem kouki 180sx bumper is worth the premium over a fiberglass rep. i had a full fiberglass kit once and will never buy another, got chunks taken out of the corners from normal road debris, couldnt imagine a track day with it.

[turboshoebox]

Everyone keeps saying fiberglass is trash but everyone that says that is running some shity chinese replica....

[oldman_KA_T]

nope. I have had multiple big name pieces. version select. gp sports... expensive surfboards. fiberglass is just fragile when it comes to getting hit by debris. hell, if it werent for paint over top, it would be even more noticeable.

[turboshoebox]

Version select is replica and Origin I believe is kinda it's own brand but still made cheaply.

I haven't had GP sports but I imagine their stuff fits fine. I'm speaking of how well they fit not as far as durablity.