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Fiberglass Hoods



Hey, this IS opinionated because you can do a LOT more to your car with less
money than loosing a couple pounds in a hood for $700- $1000.  And as far as
Hondas are concerned, they will always amuse me when they look like formula
cars that perform like Yugos.  I don't think there is anything else that
bugs me more than a Honda with all the external mods you can have, very
little done on the motor, and some "Euro" sticker on it.  No such thing!!
Euro styling comes with performance, and particularly, performance first,
then looks.  Even then, the styling is usually conservative focusing on
performance (lighting, hp, handling, wheels/tires, etc.).  I don't think I
have seen one carbon fiber hood in the European magazines unless they are
race only cars set up for the track.  But hey, like I said, this is ONLY my
opinion and you can do what you want to your cars.  I love salvage yards and
would love to come accross a CF hood!!!

Traction?  Well, my car weighs 1850lbs and I always get posi (kinda makes me
wonder about this tranny!!) and I don't run slicks on the street so I
couldn't see taking anymore weight from the front of my car.  Plus, I would
bet that most of us are barbaric inline weenie racers.  I don't hear too
much about how someone raced a CRX on a twisty winding road, but I do hear
ALOT about taking on some Acura or Mustang at a streetlight.

I tend to look at things from the "common sense" point of view (and my
finacial situation may be part of it!!) and I would have a hard time
reccomending a CF hood for a street car.  Hey, I do think they are kinda
cool, but just can't justify it!  And, I wouldn't make fun of Josh's car, he
may be to that point where that is one of the last mods available (I'm
getting to that point where my next mod will cost $1000 or more).

Dave

> Dave, the more weight that you can remove from the overloaded front end
the
> better. Improving the car's balances (towards an ideal of 50/50) will pay
> huge dividends in braking and handling. The minor loss in straightline
> traction is easily remedied with sticky tires, a limited slip
differential,
> or an adjusted launch technique. This isn't a matter of opinion; it is
basic
> car tuning fact.
>
> So, don't make fun of the Honda guy's (or Josh Able's) carbon hoods
because
> of the weight redistribution issue. Even if most folks are just going for
> the bling bling/ "Yo, check me out!" look, the balance enhancement is the
> technically valid part of the modification! Anybody who races around turns
> will heartily recommend a lightweight hood, a relocated battery (to the
> trunk between the shock towers -not at the rear bumper), and anything else
> that can be done to even the weight score. (In fact, I bought your
> ultra-lightweight upper stress bar with this exact notion in mind.)
>
> The quarter mile guys will keep the weight up front, but that's because
> they're barbaric straight line weenies who know nothing about real racing.
> ;^) (Just kidding!) As always, optimize your car for a particular venue
and
> have fun thrashing. :^)
> --
> Scott F. Williams
> NJ Scirocco nut
> Golf GTI 16v "rollycar"
> Mazda 323 GTX turbo "assaulted" vehicle
> '99 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS (coming soon)
> ClubVAC: "Roads found. Drivers wanted."
>
> Check out our rally team's website!
> http://www.usrallyteam.com
>
>