- [Cameraman] Cardboard fiber kit.
- Cardboard fiber kit, fitmentindustries.com
low price of $9,999.99. (laughing)
What's goin' on guys?
Gels from Fitment Industries.
We're back with another episode of The Build Sheet.
Now, today we are gonna be going over a topic
that has been around for quite some time,
it's been in and out of the car scene,
and from what we've seen recently,
it's kind of starting to make a comeback
and like starts of like arrow pieces and things like that.
On today's episode of The Build Sheet,
we're gonna be talking about carbon fiber.
(screaming)
carbon fiber
(laughing)
- [Cameraman] Carbon fiber!
(laughing)
(suspenseful music)
- And before we go ahead and get into it,
don't forget to subscribe,
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when we upload next.
And let's just jump right into it.
So as early as the 1800s,
right around the time when our friend
Thomas Edison was working on
the light bulb, (chime)
carbon fiber filaments
were being used for experiments.
Produced by baking cotton threads at a high temperature,
the cotton would begin to carbonize
and eventually become an all carbon fiber filament.
Little did we know at the time,
that this process would become
one of the most widely used processes in the world
of composites that we know today.
It wouldn't be until quite a few years later
in the year 1958
that a gentleman by the name of Rodger Bacon
created on of the first high-performance carbon fibers
right here in the United States.
Cleveland, Ohio to be exact at the
Union Carbide Parma Technical Center.
Instead of using strands of cotton,
Bacon found that applying a similar heating process
in the manufacture fiber known as rayon,
they could achieve much better results.
Now, of course, there was still a lot to learn
and after a few years of tweaking the process of
creating the carbon fibers,
in the year 1960,
the first high-content carbon fiber,
with a carbon content of 99%,
was developed by Richard Millington
of HI Thomson fiberglass company.
Compared to the first trials of producing carbon fibers
from rayon that contain around 20% carbon,
the high carbon content fibers showed a combination
of high amount of elasticity and tensile strength.
Now, of course,
to produce the carbon fiber stuff that we know today,
those strands are woven into sheets
which are then cut and then sent out
which are applied with epoxy resin
to mold and form the parts that we know and love.
So throughout the years following,
carbon fibers and composites were used mostly
in the development of aircraft and their engines,
specifically, in the development of jet engines
and their compressor blades.
But the use of carbon fiber and composites
were being used and experimented within a variety
of aerospace systems ranging from civilian aircraft
all the way up to, well, spaceships.
not spaceships but rockets. (applause)
Same thing.
Carbon fiber is a very strong and lightweight material
hence the reason why it got its start
in aerospace development.
However, as time went one,
we started to see it sneak its way
into the automotive scene.
With carbon fiber being five times as strong as steel
and lighter than aluminum,
it comes as no surprise as to why
high-end auto manufacturers started to use this material
in the production of their cars.
With the first ever production car
to implement what is known as
the carbon fiber monocoque cell design,
was none other than the Bugatti EB110
which was produced right way in the early 1990s.
You know the car,
it's the one that the 300ZX stole its headlights from.
And it didn't take long for the designers of McLaren
to pick up on this and implement it one year later,
in 1992 with the McLaren F1.
From there on, the use of carbon fiber
in the automotive industry blew up.
And now today, we see it almost everywhere.
Especially in the aftermarket scene.
You have companies such as Seibon and Carbon Creations
that produce everything from carbon fiber hoods
to bumpers to side skirts, fenders, doors, spoilers,
you name it.
If you've been shopping around for anything
of your car lately,
you've more than likely seen carbon fiber options
from pretty much anything and everything for your car.
However, the aftermarket companies weren't the only ones
to take advantage of the benefits of carbon fiber.
Of course, high-end auto manufacturers such as
Bugatti and McLaren continue to use carbon fiber
and composites in the development of their cars.
But, however, they aren't the only ones.
You have examples of other manufacturers such as Chevy
with their removable carbon roof in their Corvettes as well
and it's Ford, who introduced their 2016 GT350
rocking a full set of carbon fiber wheels
right of the assembly line.
But why is this?
Why is carbon fiber such an important material
when it comes to the automotive industry
or just an important material in general?
What are the benefits of having carbon fiber parts
on your car?
Well, besides the fact of it looking (beep) awesome
and making sure that you hit the necessary rating
in Need for Speed Underground 2,
so you can get on the final magazine cover,
carbon fiber does offer quite a few more benefits than that.
With the number one fact that it is very lightweight,
like we mentioned.
If you're looking to shave a few pounds off
of your car's total weight,
carbon fiber replacements are a great way to go.
Like I mentioned before, you can find almost anything
as a carbon replacement for your car.
We have seen it quite a few times
throughout the last few years,
where cars will pop up every now and then at shows
that are almost entirely made up
of carbon fiber from bumper to bumper.
This paired with the fact that it's about
four to five times stronger than steel,
gives carbon fiber an amazing strength to weight ratio.
Now, obviously when it comes to performance driving,
weight means a lot
and if there's a material out there
that can not only perform as well as steel or aluminum
but perform better
and all the while maintaining a fraction of the weight,
it's kind of hard to argue with it.
Manufactured similar to the way fiberglass parts are,
carbon fiber pieces can be molded into just about any shape
that you could desire,
this is why we see a lot of aftermarket hoods
with cool vents and fenders
that offer more aggressive body lines
and all those things like that
that you normally wouldn't see with a sheet metal part
or anything else.
Style and performance are huge gains
with carbon fiber car parts.
As well as its resistance to corrosion.
But it does come at a cost,
and that being probably one
of the biggest down sides to carbon fiber.
(beep) not cheap.
Now, although the price has come down tremendously
over the past few years,
you are still going to be spending a pretty penny
on carbon fiber options.
You can expect to spend around $800 to $1000
for a decent carbon fiber hood
and even more when you start getting the things such as
door panels or door shells
and even wide body kits
that people are coming out with nowadays.
Now, the sole reason for this being,
is the manufacturing process itself.
The material is expensive to produce
and when it people down to taking that material
and turning it into something that you can put on your car,
the prices soon begin to add up.
With labor costs, costs of the mold,
with the time that it takes to produce all of that stuff.
So who knows?
Maybe a few years down the road,
there'll be a new material that proves itself better
than carbon fiber and the price will maybe drop off then.
Other down sides that people would argue is
that you have to take care of it a little more
than your normal material,
whether it be the clear coat, that is meant to protect it
or watching for cracks that may form
may reduce the integrity of the part.
Just be careful with it,
make sure it's not getting hit with anything
that would cause like a shatter,
cause things to crack,
'cause then you're just not gonna have
a good time with it.
So the question comes down to;
Is carbon fiber worth it?
Well, it all depends really.
If you're building a time-attack car,
something that every pound counts,
then 100% carbon fiber is gonna be a great solution.
Especially with wheels,
we see more and more carbon fiber options
becoming available,
whether it be in the barrels,
whether it be in the lips.
However when it comes down to more everyday enthusiasts,
such as you and me,
the benefits of carbon fiber
really don't seem to matter as much.
Like I mentioned,
carbon fiber is a fantastic aesthetic styling choice
and can really make a car stand out.
So go ahead and let us know your thoughts on carbon fiber
down in the comments below.
I'm Gels from Fitment Industries.
Don't forget wheels, tires and suspension,
fitmentindustries.com
and if you're over there,
don't be afraid to add your car to the gallery
fitmentindustries.com/add
we'd like to see your aftermarket car.
Help out some people, help out us,
help out other people find it on fitment.
I'm Gels from Fitment Industries.
We'll see you later.
Peace.
(upbeat music)