Carbon Fiber Body Panels

[Drmoussaka]

Came across this website and thought it was pretty interesting on the parts that they have for the e30.

Has anyone purchased from these guys?

I dont see however a trunk lid thats carbon fiber. Anyone know where to get one?

http://competitionconcepts.com/

[Farbin Kaiber]

I highly suggest their products. But, its a known resource.

[E30Idea]

I have been there before. Ary has better prices and it is layed CF, just like Ary's.

Give him a call for a few quotes.

http://www.eurostopusa.com/

[compcon]

Hello my name is Keith and I am the owner of Competition Concepts. I would like to point out a few things that make our parts very different than Eurostops. We use 100% carbon fiber except for our fenders which are carbon,kevlar and a thin layer of s-glass for impact protection. They use alot of fiberglass in their parts with a layer of carbon fiber on top. They also use a wet layup process which is the least expensive and also the least technologiclly advanced. We use a vacuum bagging process that requires alot of special materials. All of our materials are vacuum bagged dry. We dont use brushes, rollers ,chopper guns or cheap fiberglass mat. Our process is far more expensive and time consuming but yeilds a far superior part. For example our hood weighs just 10lbs with a complete inner frame and bolts directly to the factory mounting points. Their hood weighs 6 or 7lbs more. Our dash weighs 3lbs and theirs weighs 7lbs, thats more than twice as much. Our bumper weighs just 7.5lbs ,has a integrated core and bolts right up to the factory mounting points. Their bumper reguires fabrication. We are also the only company that produces a 1:1 replica of the Motorsport (Die Wethje) DTM wing. They sell a evo copy with a tall flap. It is impossible to control the resin to fiber ratio with a wet lay up which results in a heavier part that isnt a strong. Our parts fit very well and if you do some research you will find that we have a superior part. This isnt intended to knock Eurostop but merely to point out the differences. I realize that most people have a budget or a limit as to what they will spend on a part and thats ok. There is clearly a market for both expensive and inexpensive parts. Ive said it before and I will say it again, there is value in quality. I firmly believe this and personally dont mind spending more for a better product. We produce parts that are used by several Grand-Am BMW teams including GS and ST champions. These teams demand the highest quality parts available.
Our focus at Competition Concepts is to produce and offer parts that will enhance the performance of your BMW. Whether its a carbon fiber part, Moton shock or H&R springs we sell it because it will improve performance. To say our parts are just like Ary's is entirely inaccurate. While two parts may look similar there is in many cases, as there is here a big difference.

Thanks,
Keith

[Farbin Kaiber]

Thank you for ringing in Keith. Maybe Ary will share his techniques in this thread as well.

[speedminded]

Coming from an unbiased opinion and relatively familiar with the various processes of creating carbon fiber components, I would say Competition Concepts products are for function and Eurostops are more for cosmetic even though they are both substantial weight savers over the stock parts. It truly does come down to what fits your budget but without a doubt a dry carbon laid item is far superior in every way.

I'll venture out on a limb and say race cars use dry and show cars use wet.

[etxxz]

I have been wondering for months about making my own fenders, hood and trunk. I am capable of making composites and doing the molds AND since I’m not looking for a high quality clear gloss finish (i’m painting them) I won’t need tooling gel, high cost epoxies, vacuums (I may vacuum bag for voids reasons), furnace or make everything out of CF/CF+KV. My main concern is making the mounting spots specially on the backpart of the hood which is the top piece glued to the bottom piece (the support/mount)… same for the trunk. I’ll be using mostly glass fiber topped with CF

Then the mold for the fenders and the mounting features because I can see how releasing from the mold will be a pita big time! I have a local supplier of materials that my Co buys from and I would want to do this not so much to save money but to learn…I will probably save half and have half quality finish strong functional parts that will get painted. Once here I know I’ll make other int/ext parts ie bumpers dash doors vents etc - nah I’m just kiddin - too much work for the purpose of this toy/track car.

whichever the case competitionconcepts seems very impressive