CF hood - in a case of collision??? - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

WarpSpeeD · 10th February 2003, 12:50

Hey....

I just want you to think twice on purchasing and installation of CF fiber hoods.

I would like to have one of CF hood, if it is as safe as the factory hood. Even if OEMs are heavier, they are designed to absorbs crash forces and bent in a way that would not harm what's beneath it, or the passengers inside the cabin.

I personally experienced it when I had front-end collision w/ Suburban.

I happened to crash my 540 into its tail side tow bar, and since I was at my full braking (front lowered), the bar hit between the dirver's side front light and the grill, not the bumper. The right side of the hood was half folded, so I had to replace it, but it didn't do much to anything under the hood, nor to me.

If I had CF hood installed, could it give same level of protection that OEM hood gave me?; probably not. CF is too strong to absorb crash forces. Some of you might have never had an accident, and all of us don't have any in our future plan, but Who know's what's going to happen?

So I just want all of you to think once again before installing CF hood. It is your option, but I do not think it is worth neither the money nor your safety.

Thanks for reading,
Good luck...

MIB · 10th February 2003, 14:05

With a name like Warpspeed, your concerned about accidents??

Next you'll be telling us not to speed because its dangerous.

Moding you M5 is also dangerous. Why on earth would any sane person want to make it faster. Why tamper with the brakes. You have to use them all the time.

I understand your point, but their are far more dangerous mods than a C/F hood.

How come you didn't bring up the guy with the honda civic who was decapitated in an accident with his C/F hood.

This is a Race car hood. Races cars have more accidents in one season than all of us on the board put together.

If its safe enough for them, thats good enough for me.

But thanks for the concern, MotherNeed4Saftey.

Gustav · 10th February 2003, 14:16

I don't think the hood offers any crash protection. Here are som pics when I crashed at around 60 mph with a E39 525i:

Interiour all fine. Me and Johan too BTW

pdiack · 10th February 2003, 15:53

That picture is testament to the safety built into the E39 - but, off topic - Gustav, did that Evian bottle stay in the cupholder during the crash?!?!? Maybe the cupholders are better than we thought

AVOXO · 10th February 2003, 16:24

THANK GOODNESS YOUR OK! GREAT CUP HOLDERS! LOL

tfung · 10th February 2003, 16:38

cf hood crack upon impact, so it's safe to say that they offer less protection than the regular hoods.... but from looking at the pictures above, not sure how much protection the regular hood provides in the first place...

Anyhow, I think in the event of a front impact, the frame of the vehichle absorbs more of the energy, so the hood shouldn't matter that much...

Gustav · 10th February 2003, 19:02

Yes the cupholders worked great

The other car flipped over on the roof, and he had a broken arm. Thanks god he didn't have a passenger. Then it would have been a tragedy.

In anycase, wearing a seatbelt, seatbelt tensioners and an airbag is you best life insurance.

If this would have been in an E36 3 series I might not have been so lucky.

Lessons learned: never trust that other drivers follow the traffic rules. Lesson two: bring a license with you when driving in Germany, otherwise they you'll have to deal with lawyers for years after... But case is closed, at last they accepted what I said all the time: I have a license and I just didn't bring it with me.

Hamann7 · 10th February 2003, 20:28

Ahhh Gustav,

But you missed one...

A full rollcage with GT3 seats and a five point harness will do wonders for safety as well, even in an E36 3-series.

Just my theory.

de Witt · 10th February 2003, 20:58

Quote:

Originally posted by MIB
With a name like Warpspeed, your concerned about accidents??

Next you'll be telling us not to speed because its dangerous.

Moding you M5 is also dangerous. Why on earth would any sane person want to make it faster. Why tamper with the brakes. You have to use them all the time.

But thanks for the concern, MotherNeed4Saftey.

I dont see the need for that tone in your writing. Dont be a jerk. Warpspeed is seriously voicing a concern for safety.

10th February 2003, 23:30

Some Facts about Carbon Fiber

1) Advanced composites, such as carbon fiber, (e.g. Kevlar), absorb five times more energy
per pound than steel, and they absorb energy more smoothly.

2) Materials and design are much more important for safety than mere mass, as any bicycle helmet will illustrate.

3) Formula One and Indy race cars are made of advanced composite materials, not only because their light weight improves acceleration and handling, but also because they provide the ultimate in driver safety.

Cheers.