Genuine question from a domestic-owner: what's up with not painting body parts?

[O2BQIK]

I've always wondered this about imports...you don't see it in the domestic crowds. If we do a body kit (which is less common in general), it's painted before it goes on the car. But sometimes you see imports that have a hood or ground effects, etc that appear unpainted (or maybe painted a different color) and put on the car. Is that the desired effect? Is there a bigger picture I am missing? It just looks to me like somebody didn't want to spend the cash to paint their new hood, but I'm not sure if there's something more to it.


____________________
Twin Turbo Camaro SS

[2002GT_Celica]

Well, some people put the kits on and ride with them primered for a while, but sometimes I think people have the kits on and are driving to the paint shop to get it sprayed, or at least that's what I like to think. I have yet to see anyone do such a thing in a Celica though, only seen it on Hondas and Cavaliers, but those are the ricer cars of choice in my area.

[O2BQIK]

I kinda thought that too but then I saw a banner ad on this site with an orange celica and a black or other dark color hood! That's when it dawned on me that maybe it's on purpose...but I don't see what the appeal is of that.

[jszydlo]

Originally posted by O2BQIK
I kinda thought that too but then I saw a banner ad on this site with an orange celica and a black or other dark color hood! That's when it dawned on me that maybe it's on purpose...but I don't see what the appeal is of that.
I think that the orange car you saw had a Carbon Fiber hood

[PhatCellyGT]

It is a CF hood...We have Celicas not civics!!! But, we don't claim civics as an import!!

-Wil

[X-EVIL-X]

i wont ever put anything on my car not painted,
when i got my kit i did a test fitting but waiting till it got painted till i put it on.
im not sure why people put on tacky ass unpainted things on there cars but it bugs me also.
it just seems like they're in a rush to get the kit and put it on because they have it, i dunno.
Its much more common with the honda croud i think not much with celica's.
people wont paint cf because thats the point of it. i saw a white car with a painted black hood and thats tacky. cf is ok and paint everything because you put it on!!!

[Redline]

Its not only domestic owners who wonder why people do that. :)

Yea the black looking hood is a common misunderstanding for most of the domestic crowd. As jszydlo mentioned, it probably was a carbon fiber hood which lightens the front end of the car a bit (a good thing for FF cars!). Not everyone likes the contrast in color, and I didnt at first either, but it grows on you.

[O2BQIK]

Originally posted by Redline
Its not only domestic owners who wonder why people do that. :)

Thank God for that! ;)


Yea the black looking hood is a common misunderstanding for most of the domestic crowd. As jszydlo mentioned, it probably was a carbon fiber hood which lightens the front end of the car a bit (a good thing for FF cars!). Not everyone likes the contrast in color, and I didnt at first either, but it grows on you.

Hmm. Well I haven't seen a carbon fiber hood up close, but it still doesn't match the car. Why not paint it? I guess cause then nobody would know it was carbon fiber?

Last question...why would a front-drive car not want weight over the front wheels?

[Blue Lucifer]

but only import cars unpainted kits? Not true. There's a couple of mustang drivers who have raised hoods that are still colored gel blue from the fiberglass treatment that haven't painted their hoods yet. Regardless, it is found on all specturms of cars and it is ugly and tacky.

[Redline]

Originally posted by O2BQIK




Hmm. Well I haven't seen a carbon fiber hood up close, but it still doesn't match the car. Why not paint it? I guess cause then nobody would know it was carbon fiber?

Last question...why would a front-drive car not want weight over the front wheels? [/B]

I dont know how well paint would stick to CF in the long run. CF the actual CF is protected by this shiny gloss plastic.

I'm not an expert on the subject, but I thought 50/50 weight distribution on a car gives the car better balance and we all know FF cars are front heavy. Putting a lot of weight over the front wheels may be good for the drag strip, but I'm not so sure on a road course.

Someone will correct me if im wrong. :D

[Redline]

btw, carbon fiber looks sort of like this up close... (just did a quick search on google. not a great example, but you get the idea.)

http://www.superiordash.com/Samples/Carbon_Fibers/Carbon-Fiber.jpg

[O2BQIK]

Redline, I see your point, you are absolutely right on weight distribution with regards to cornering. The goal would be the opposite for drag as it would for cornering ability.

[2002GT_Celica]

Originally posted by Redline
Yea the black looking hood is a common misunderstanding for most of the domestic crowd. As jszydlo mentioned, it probably was a carbon fiber hood which lightens the front end of the car a bit (a good thing for FF cars!). Not everyone likes the contrast in color, and I didnt at first either, but it grows on you.

Well, the way I look at a CF hood is this...it's not really going to affect your performance that much, and it may not really go well with the rest of the car in some peoples' opinions. But it is definitely a status symbol. If you have one on your car, you're saying "I'm serious about modding my car and I have more than the average rims, kit and drop."

[O2BQIK]

Huh...to me it's one more part that costs $$ but doesn't make the car much if any faster.

[chameleon]

Originally posted by O2BQIK
Huh...to me it's one more part that costs $$ but doesn't make the car much if any faster.

IMO, you are 100% correct O2BQIK. I think that we can all agree that carbon fiber hoods are in fact lighter than the factory hood, however, the performance increase that they offer is so minute that it is immeasurable. A carbon fiber hood, like most modifications done to imports, is simply a fashion statement. This is fairly obvious since 99.99% of all owners of carbon fiber hoods prefer to permanently leave them unpainted and miss-matching their car, in order to allow people to see the exposed carbon fiber.

This is the basis for the gap between domestic and import owners. Domestic owners are primarily concerned with modifying their cars to increase their performance. Import owners usually use their cars as a status symbol, and do modifications that are focused on making the car look cooler, sound cooler, gain the most attention, ect., with little concern for increasing performance.

There are, of course, performance minded import owners out there, as well as appearance prioritized domestic people. But the majority seems to fall into the above mentioned categories.

[TRD StreetRacing]

Originally posted by chameleon
This is the basis for the gap between domestic and import owners. Domestic owners are primarily concerned with modifying their cars to increase their performance. Import owners usually use their cars as a status symbol, and do modifications that are focused on making the car look cooler, sound cooler, gain the most attention, ect., with little concern for increasing performance.

There are, of course, performance minded import owners out there, as well as appearance prioritized domestic people. But the majority seems to fall into the above mentioned categories.

:applaud: :thumbup: :applaud:well put

[J3adSeed]

you don't see many celicas with unpainted **** on them. thats pretty lame.

[LEDmod]

I'm shame to show you but.. I took this picture.. while I was leaving my college...
I like the kit.. but it wasn't paint...

What I thought was that.. most people driver around unpainted cause they didn't had enough money to get it painted....
Maybe it's just me...

http://www.lvcm.com/seanyiya/public/same_school.jpg

[Chiznarles]

that car will look pretty sweet when its done being painted..

[KSilver2000]

Damn that celica has 3-4 different colors to it. First the sides and rear are a dark color, the body is silver, black tint and CF (or black) hood, a gray sticker that goes on the middle of the door, and a whitish front that doesn't seem to match great on the sides near the fender as you can see a little gap (and whats with the fender, it looks a little messed up at the front). I bet you he also has altezza meatball lights in the back to top it off.

[Mistrimeat]

Originally posted by Redline
btw, carbon fiber looks sort of like this up close... (just did a quick search on google. not a great example, but you get the idea.)

http://www.superiordash.com/Samples/Carbon_Fibers/Carbon-Fiber.jpg

More like this...

http://www.digitaldistortion.com/cf1.jpg


http://www.digitaldistortion.com/cf2.jpg

:thumbup:

[WillyK]

I can honestly tell you that part of the reason I got a carbon fiber hood is so I don't have to deal with paint chips on a hood anymore. After a year and a half my hood was so chipped up it looked like I drove it through a sandblaster. The black hood matches fine with the red car, and it looks better than a chipped up red hood. As far as performance, I doubt it's much you can feel. I noticed very slightly that the car seemed to turn a little easier with the extra 20lbs or so lifted off the front wheels however.

[Jesse IL]

I think you will find most unpainted kits on Civics. This is due to the type of people who buy these cars. Even a Celica GT will cost at least $14,000 new and used ones aren't probably that cheap yet. However, any dumb kid can go out and buy a used Civic for $3000-$5000. This person is obviously broke to begin with, so they will buy cheap crap and do dumb things like install unpainted body kits. If you look at any unpainted body kit, 99% of the time if you look at it closer you will see that it is a very low quality kit.

There is also a very practical reason to have an unpainted kit on your car. Urethane kits are intended to be installed before painting and allowed to "settle" to the car before painting. This is done to ensure proper fitment, as urethane is flexible and will often be out of shape after storage/shipping.

[MicaCeli]

Yeah lord knows no one has EVER seen a Missmatched Muscle car.......Or even Primered......Never seen one with patched up rust spots ether.......Nope never........never seen a Neon or Cavaler with an unpaited body kit..........

On the other hand you ever see a Ferrari or a Porche with an unpaited body kit????? their imports.....

Plz do not generalize........I have a CRX....oooohhhh yeah thats a HOnda.......I bought it with front end damage..... Fixed everything.....got the bulkhead paited but didnt want the Hood,fenders, and bumper painted becouse the rest of the paint was terrible and I wanted to paint the whole car.........Now I hate to Half-A$$ things so I was saving up for a good paint job.........So maybe I should take the fenders and hood and the rest of the Black primered parts of the Rex and drive around like that becouse you think it looks bad.......whatever

Slava

[MicaCeli]

Oh and the reason you you dont see many Celis with unpaited body kits is becouse Half of em come prepainted.....

Slava

[a1even]

Originally posted by MicaCeli
"Women are like "lift", You have to get them Hot for them to work properly."

Slava

woman ='ing sex objects... study up on Civil Rights, dumbass. <-- coming from a guy.

[Jesse IL]

Originally posted by a1even


woman ='ing sex objects... study up on Civil Rights, dumbass. <-- coming from a guy.

Guy, just ignore him, its best. Just from reading his posts in this forum, you can tell he isn't worth arguing with.

[MicaCeli]

Originally posted by Jesse IL


Guy, just ignore him, its best. Just from reading his posts in this forum, you can tell he isn't worth arguing with.

Right....and what exactly do you mean by that? Not arguing just want an explanation for the flame........Thank you.

Slava

[Jesse IL]

Originally posted by MicaCeli


Right....and what exactly do you mean by that? Not arguing just want an explanation for the flame........Thank you.

Slava

Please come to Off Topic - Enter At You Own Risk and I can explain this further.

[Johan]

Yeh, take him there.........................

[Mr.J]

Originally posted by Jesse IL


Please come to Off Topic - Enter At You Own Risk and I can explain this further.

...said the spyder to the fly :evil:

[GAGsTer]

Bratish, tebya tut vz'ebut esli tak budesh myamlit'. I bros' eti mnogotochiya, Slavik. And use a spellchecker.

[ken zai]

heheh kinda cuz the kids that have unpainted gfx and stuff on their car..just get the parts..the parts are cheap the install and paint is usually the expensive part....its a joke.....but sometimes you just gotta deal with the $$ u got....dont want to be politically incorrect..but thats the real deal.....also some ppl spray paint their own stuff....u can tell cuz of the overspray and odd colorations.....sigh.....so. cali......u guys ever seen a triple wing..? i have many many times over...a wing..with a wing installed on top and u get the picture.....:)

[djTOY_2000]

well..... IMO carbon fiber is a FAD in the importscene and give it about 3 years and it'll be over !!

people will see so many carbonfiber hoods that just seeing them will make them sick

i think that once this fad is over, those that are truly performance oriented, and wanting to make a true 50/50 balance of there wieght and whatever bennefits that come from the use of carbon fiber, will soon 'em up painting the carbon fiber........

i have a full carbonfiber wing that i am having painted black just because i am tired of the "CARBON-FAD" and because i do not want anytype of carbon fiber visible on my celica - doesn't go too well with my scheme of things

these are just my opinions

[Death_Adder]

Originally posted by Redline

I'm not an expert on the subject, but I thought 50/50 weight distribution on a car gives the car better balance and we all know FF cars are front heavy. Putting a lot of weight over the front wheels may be good for the drag strip, but I'm not so sure on a road course.

Someone will correct me if im wrong. :D
Actually, you are wrong. :chuckles: FWD cars tend to push or understeer. Redistributing weight to the back of the car just makes this worse. The best way to counter understeer is to add weight over the front wheels. You probably already knew this without even being aware of it. Ever notice how your car can turns quicker while applying a little brake? Or how it pushes more under acceleration?

[Redline]

Originally posted by Death_Adder

Actually, you are wrong. :chuckles: FWD cars tend to push or understeer. Redistributing weight to the back of the car just makes this worse. The best way to counter understeer is to add weight over the front wheels. You probably already knew this without even being aware of it. Ever notice how your car can turns quicker while applying a little brake? Or how it pushes more under acceleration?

Well there you go. :)