Check out these CF parts on eBay for the hood and boot. Has anyone bought these type before:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7921713223&catego ry=33646

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7922082408&catego ry=33656

 

HECK YEAH!!! I saw that the other day....CF boot here I come!!!! I love CF.....it's an addiction I think...I see it and just have to have it...LOL..I can't help myself

 

Note: The VIS hood requires the use of hood pins.

 

I think all carbon hoods do....it's just for saftey...even if they come with the latches for the original hardware...I am not sure however

 

...And don't forget their carbon fiber fenders.

http://www.visracing.com/catalog/pro...oducts_id=2863

 

Not all. It depends on how they are constructed/reinforced. Some hoods ,other than MINI, have been known to rip out the poorly mounted hood latch and rip right off the car. Hood latches are always a good safety measure for c/f hoods.

 

At least they can spell....:smile:

 

that is some expensive shipping... i didn't realize ups ground raised it's rates that much.

 

UPS probably doesnt cost that much...thats where sellers on Ebay make their money. The shipping.

 

I do daily business with UPS ... and if the guy claims his boot is around 20 lbs ... even if the box qualifies for oversize rates ... it would not be more than $35-$40 from CA to NY. And that is the most expensive ...

Who are these people?

 

Has anyone installed the ViS OEM CF Hood? If anyone has, do you have pics? I want to order and install one but have found that ViSRacing.com http://www.visracing.com/catalog/pro...oducts_id=2862 states it's for OFF ROAD use only (whatever that means). In addition, I don't mind having the pins installed (also on website) as long as the hood comes with them or there are pins recommended. I checked the ebay listing http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...&category=6755 but couldn't find anything stated about pins. I have also inspected the pics and can't find where the windshield washer sprayers are installed on the hood. Does anyone have more info on any of this?
Thanks,
Leo

 

Probably means it's not DOT approved so it's not street legal.

 

There's no such thing as a DOT approval for hoods. That's just a generic disclaimer that's tacked onto virtually every aftermarket part now.

If you need to keep the spray nossles, you should contact VIS directly for information. Many, if not most, companies don't include the holes.

 

Thanks for your response. I just sent an email to ViSRacing.com. I'll post their reply when I receive it.

 

Perhaps something to do with the front crumple zone and the car's crashworthiness? Just guessing.

I'd think that asking for a better photo would be a reasonable request. It's hard to tell how well they replicated the curves and creases.

 

Well, after not receiving a response from either the sellers at ebay nor ViSRacing, I decided to take the plunge anyway. Here is the result. The whole think took about 5 hours working mostly by myself and without a service manual. I did run into a couple problems but was able to work around them. First was the hood box at some point was flipped upside down at some point and the front was broken and CF bent. Fortunately all of this would soon be located behind the grill so I proceded anyways. The other problem was that one of the bolts that was epoxied to the underside to hold the air flow duct did not line up and I ended out breaking the glue contact. I was able to use some two part epoxy and put it back on but it was very time consuming cause the glue kept melting the old glue and not sticking once the two mixed together.
As far as weight goes, the new hood definitely weighs less but after you put the headlights, grill, and everything else back on, it feels about the same. I did some investigating and could not find where an aftermarket hood was not street legal so the statement by ViS "For Off Road Use Only" is probably only there to keep them from being sued. There are prebuilt latches that match the OEM hood on both sides so it feels very sturdy when locked down. The hood from ViS does come with most of the holes predrilled, including the cutouts for the windsheild washers. Most of the accessories lined up fine and the overall shape was very close to the oe hood. The hood actually latched shut on the first try and didn't need to be modified. It does rub when opening but I think I'll try a heat gun at a later time for the minor shaping. I still need to put the plastic archs on and will be replacing the bumper with a pure silver painted Aero bumper that's on order through Classic MINI.
Overall, I think it worked out well and looks pretty good too. I'm debating pure silver racing stripes and CF mirror covers; any recommendations?

 

Nice.

Did you weigh the bonnet before you installed it?
Supposed to be about a 19 pound weight reduction.
That should lower center of gravity a little and reduce weight in the front which is normally about 60-61% of the total weight.

 

Nice work! I would paint the majority of the hood PS, and create racing stripes by leaving that part of the CF unpainted. Not sure if that makes sense - basically the opposite of what you said. I'd rather have the subtle suggestion of a CF hood than black hood.

 

Good writeup. I have always been interested in these types of products and their fit and finish. One question though:



Why the expense for a CF lightened hood when you have roof racks installed to carry extra stuff?

 

My initial intention was a result of an accident I was in a couple weeks ago. I am paying out of pocket so I wanted the cheapest method of attaining as good if not better repair of damage. I live in Atlantic City and have only been here for a couple years so I had no reference of good paint shops. The only references I could find were negative. Because of this, I decided to look for painted parts. Not finding any luck with used parts, I found the CF hood. Figuring that I could paint it later if I found a place, I went for the CF hood which ended out probably costing me the same as what a new hood painted would have cost. In addition I ordered a factory painted bumper from Classic MINI so I didn't and won't need to bring my car into a paint or body paint shop at all.

 

I guess that is OK if you like the carbon fiber look. I would rather save the same amount of weight by going on a diet since I'm up to 235 again!

 

Not that my word counts for anything MINI related (since I don't have one yet), but I am not a fan of cf. Sure it weighs less, but I just think it's ugly/tacky.

If people want a dark shiny surface, just paint your car darker and add some sparkles.

But of course, you would be apt to think differently since you actually like that look...

 

i'd paint that hood.. im gettin mine probably early august... gotta come up with the funds first...

it looks clean though...

 

Fair enough. An accident involving a deer is how I ended up with my custom hood paint. Please Keep us posted as to how it holds up over the longterm especially if you do end up getting it painted.