Rotary Rocket

So this is a REAL long shot, but what the hay...

I contacted Seibon to see if they would make us a carbon fiber hood for the RDX. Long story short we need min of 20 people and they will make it.

The cost will be $640.
There would be significant weight savings, at the right end.
It will balance the weight distribution and thus give us better handling.

I have their products on multiple cars, and they make very good quality products.

Check them out.
http://seiboncarbon.com/

So what do you say, anyone up for it?

1. Rotary Rocket
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Rotary Rocket

I just called VIS Racing, they also need 20 people but their price would be $450.

I really hope we have 20 enthusiats that want to go for this...

http://www.visracing.com/newcatalog/

Rotary Rocket

Also put in a call to V Fiber, they'll let me know by Monday if they would be up for it or not.

bluecarbonfiber

seibon is better then VIS IMO.. VIS i heard does gelcoat on there hoods which will cause it to distort faster.. probably why they are cheaper.. i forget who does a hood with the honeycomb backing but they do a decent job too for the price.. too bad most companies do about 2 layers of carbon and the rest is fiberglass.

ive been thinking about doing the IC cover in carbon but dont think there is a market for it yet.. maybe someday..

crazycated

Count me in .

1. Rotary Rocket
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Rotary Rocket

Crazycated,

Love it dude, you are up for EVERYTHING...

My neighbor is the president of a carbon fiber manufacturing company, if all fails I'm going to hit him up for making us this hood.

crazycated

Sounds good to me I have a lot of catching up with these mods . The first three moths I owned my Rdx spanking brand new no miles on it and I got my my reflash , exhaust and intake manifold gasket done on my car and after that the rest was very very slow with the lack of support with aftermarket parts . Now there is no excuse .

BigHatch

how about a rear diffuser!

bumb

count me in too. any word on how long it'll take?

Rotary Rocket

Bighatch, lets see if we can get 20 people to go for the hood which has a lot of benefits. If there are enough interested people then we can talk to the manufacturers about other parts. If we can't even get 20 people to be interested then no one will want to talk.

Bumb, we have to get to 20 first before discussing time lines with the manufacturer. I would not worry about the time, this is what they do for a living. It should be relatively speaking fast to do once we have enough people.

1. Rotary Rocket
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BigHatch

Guess we'd have to find a way to attach the duct if we want to keep it functional.

Seems like they just put a skeleton on the underside. There has to be a way.

DRR98

^ Or have them fab it up with a hood scoop to the i/c.

Rotary Rocket

The skeleton for the IC would just bolt up to the CF hood just like it bolts to the metal hood now.

I would not be shocked if we would save 50lbs or more with this change. You would actually feel a difference in handling for this amount of weight sitting "hi" on the car.

There would be no negative effects in function and daily use.

Big Ant RDX

1. Rotary Rocket
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bluecarbonfiber

this would be true if you spend 1500.00 on a hood.. but not many makers out there are gonna do a hood that is true to the weight..

not trying to knock who ever makes it.. but most places like VIS SEIBON are out to mass produce which means material being used isnt 95% carbon and 5% being the core material.. really they are doing maybe and i mean MAYBE 2 sheets of carbon cloth.. then a foam/matt core and then finish off with a heavy fiberglass material which adds to the weight when its all said and done the hoods typically weigh about 15lbs lighter then the original..

but 15lbs lighter is still better then the original so bonus on that =)

SherbHabsFan

just bought an rdx '07 non-tech , and i'm interested in buying a seibon carbon fiber hood

bluecarbonfiber

^ good luck.. they dont make one.. maybe if you live close by you can work something out with them... they will most likely need a hood with no dents or rock chips to make a mold

KenB350z

YOu know I would be in for a carbon hatch.

K23A+F22C

omg...Rotary Rocket, everything you are trying to get are my wish list for the RDX. Can't sign up for so many parts at the same time...I'll keep updating this thread. 20 people is going to be a loooong shot thou...guys go try and lift the hood of the RDX, and come back to put your name on the list within 20 secs!

i guess the weight saving, lowering the center of gravity, better F/R weight balance...will be significant to be able to feel. less nose heavy, possibility of reducing understeering, better MPG...etc. lol

Rotary Rocket and other fellows, appreciate for all the efforts you guys putting together to make aftermarket parts happens on the RDX.

CR-X SIR-T

Kevlar hood a possibility? Even a nice rear spoiler that extends out a little further than oem would be nice!

lumel187

im definitely with it bro im new to this sorry but um quick question will the hood come with the air scoop for the turbo????

Mr Marco

The weight reduction in the hood will not be sufficient to make up for all the other problems with weight/height on this vehicle. I drove my Mom’s Civic over the weekend (happy mother’s day ya’ll). I forgot what a light weight vehicle could do. There is no way you can turn the RDX into a Civic fighter.The body structure of the RDX puts so much weight up high that no matter how much you saved by removing the extra weight of the hood (or the rear seats and airbags), you will always come out a looser on the time attack.

SAVE YOUR MONEY

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^i agree to a certain extent.

has any one ever weighed their hood? lol
you might be surprised to find out that it is already pretty light weight...

the third gen TL has been out since 2004.
surely, there would be carbon fiber hoods for it all over the place right?

unfortunately, the TL's hood doesnt weigh much and the cost of a CF hood would definitely out weigh the benefits (pun intended)

bluecarbonfiber

there are carbon hood already for the rdx.. you just have to search.. who knows on the quality though.. if you are looking for looks and maybe a few lbs savings then the 5/600$ hoods are for you.. if you want true weight savings and not so much on the looks then the hood costs more.. really the doors and a hatch would produce the weight loss needed to make the difference.. i forget the math on power to weight ratio and then the weight to mileage ratio but i am sure its almost not worth it for the regular driver..

BTW to the earlier question a good carbon company would make the scoop still attach to the carbon hood

Cooljust

I'm in for the hood!

andrewbenjack

Why not a full body kit while you're at it?

ivan_baez

anyone has weighted the stock RDX hood?, it seems to me that is made of alumiunm, not steel because is not that heavy.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^lol spot on!

the third gen TL (04-08)'s hood is so light that it doesnt even need a carbon fiber hood. this probably holds true with other Acura Vehicles.. .

it would be a waste of money to buy a carbon fiber hood for weight savings...

however, if you just want it for aesthetics, by all means spend your hard earned dollars!!

bluecarbonfiber

my 2010 rdx hood weighs about(if not more) then my 05 tsx hood.. that with all the crap added to the rdx hood (sound cover,tmic channel box, and other what nots) not sure if all that plastic really weighs it down or if its the hood itself but there is some weight to it

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^lol. that tells us nothing...

im positive a carbon fiber hood would cost more money than saving weight. the dollar to weight ratio isnt in yall's favor.

unless, you're just doing it for aesthetic reasons

Mr Marco

If could save money buying a CF hood rather than painting mine (those pesky rock chips) I'd do it. But I'll bet Josh would paint it for $250.

bluecarbonfiber

not disputing that.. just saying in general the hood weighs more then what people give credit for.. im not saying its weight is 400lbs but i would think a good 40-50lbs atleast with all the crap added to it..

a good true carbon hood will weigh in about half that with all the crap added.. is it substantial no but if you are serious about weight its a good start.. honestly the doors are the heavy parts... you do all 4 doors in carbon you are going to feel a difference

its the power to weight ratio effect.. i think its 10lbs lost 1 hp gained drop 100lbs and you will feel peppier on take off.. drop 300 and you are going to feel like you just bought a new vehicle

if someone wants to shed 30/40 lbs right away i would suggest removing the spare tire in the back first