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There’s nothing more appealing than the look of an import car decked out with all of the bells and whistles, such as a carbon fiber hood or sleek side skirts. Besides giving your import vehicle more eye-appeal, these modifications, also known as ground effects, will increase the performance and handling of your vehicle at high speeds. Adding these parts also helps with reducing the overall weight of your vehicle, since after-market ground effect parts are lighter than factory issued items.
Knowing what aerodynamics to choose for your car depends on the usage. At lower speeds, such as a vehicle used for daily travel, ground effects and other aerodynamics are mainly for looks. However, cars used for racing, drifting and other off-road usage need aerodynamic changes to make them competitive. Knowing what to use depends on the rule of your sport, so check the qualifications.
Materials Used in Body Kits and Accessories
Ground effects come in three popular materials: fiberglass, polyurethane and carbon fiber. Fiberglass is made of glass fibers that are poured into a mold and allowed to harden. Fiberglass is the least expensive and easiest to work on by amateurs. Fiberglass is the least durable of the choices, but it is easily repairable. It is the most rigid option, so if you’re looking for aggressive body kit styling, you’ll probably find it in fiberglass. They now make reinforced fiberglass body parts for a little more money, which has added plastic to make it even stronger.
Polyurethane is a hard plastic that’s more durable than fiberglass but heavier and falls in the mid-range price-wise. If damaged, polyurethane is hard to repair. They also now make ABS plastic options, which is the same material used to manufacture OEM bumpers. ABS is lighter than polyurethane and a little more expensive. Polyurethane and ABS parts need to be fitted before installing and come unpainted.
Carbon fiber is the newest and hottest rage on the import scene. The parts are made from durable yet lightweight molded carbon fibers that finish off black with a metallic sheen. It’s durable—Carbon Creations claims their products are 10 times stronger than steel, yet 1.5 times lighter. However, carbon fiber is far more expensive than the same part in fiberglass or polyurethane and it’s not repairable if damaged. You don’t need to paint it and you probably won’t want to.
There are so many styles and brands to choose from that ordering may seem like a nightmare. Here are a few tips to keep in mind to help things go smoothly. If you like one model of spoiler but like a different model of air dam, you’re in luck. You can mix and match spoilers, air dams, side skirts and fenders to give your ride a truly unique look, as long as you mix and match parts from the same manufacturer. Keeping within the same manufacturer will ensure that parts blend seamlessly and have the same fit.
When ordering, keep in mind that most prices given are for fiberglass kits unless otherwise specified. You may have to request polyurethane or carbon fiber, and not all applications are available for all body parts. If you decide to have a body shop install and paint the parts for you, make sure you have the cartons shipped directly to the body shop, as they are over-sized and hard to maneuver and store. If you’re doing the work on your own, make sure you test fit each part before drilling holes for installation. Test fitting will ensure the proper fit without damaging your car or the parts unnecessarily. |
