I am in a quandary. I have an ’03 with 80K on it. As you can tell, it’s my well used daily driver. The car sees every season and I love it. However, she’s starting to show her miles a bit. The hood has about 10 good size paint chips in it from rocks, snow plows, salt, etc. The up side is they don’t stick out too bad because the paint chips are about the same color as Apex Silver . This past winter a snow plow heading the opposite direction covered my car with a wall of wet snow, salt, rocks, etc. The result is I have a small dent that looks kind of like one of those stick-on bullet holes (often observed on the back of pick up trucks). I called the insurance company and they cut me a check that will easily cover repair/repainting the current hood or buying a CF VIS or Seibon OEM hood.

I am trying to decide what to do. I know the CF hood will add a couple pounds (not a big deal for me – I don’t drag race and only go to Gingerman once a year for fun). Here is what I am looking for:
- I would like to have a more durable finish than the OEM paint. I assume the after market paint job on the hood will help. Are the CF hoods pretty durable to the abuse that it will see on my car?
- I want to have the OEM grill and mesh in the Hood (not an issue if I repair mine). Can the VIS or Seibon hoods be retrofitted to accept the OEM grill and mesh? (I have seen threads that say it can’t be done and others that say it’s easy to do). Is the VIS or Seibon easier to retrofit?

If you have any first hand experience with the VIS or Seibon hoods I would appreciate your input. I plan to either repair/repaint or get the CF hood when the weather gets a little better.

Thanks!!

 

Go with CF hood. BTW it won't add couple pounds

 

i would get a cf hood, but put the stocker back on for the winter months

 

Yeah, if you dont mind the look go for the CF hood. It doesnt add any pounds at all, in fact you may find you may lose a few pounds.

 

I hadn't thought of that. I guess that could be an option too. As long as it's not a long drawn out process (although it doesn't seem to be).

 

I think your best bet would be to have your OEM hood re-painted with a harder clear coat. This will cost you about the same as a CF hood and you wont have to worry about the grill, mesh or washer nozzels fitting correctly.

 

My seibon cf hood fits perfectly. No issues with fitment or quality.

 

It just depends on if you like the CF look on the hood. To me I feel it is a little too much, but I like the idea of having a cf hood for spring/summer/fall and the stock(beaten up) hood for winter.

 

+100000, i used to have a CF hood but it got cracked really bad casue i was driving it in the winter time with rocks on the road and one day a good quarter size rock flung up from a truck and destroyed my hood . Then i got rid of my CF hood and replaced it with the OEM hood and repained the car from that year's rock chips...and now i don't drive my car in the winter months. Sorry, i had to share my store real quick .

 

I'm not knocking Seibon, but the hoods I've seen have had some serious cracking issues. Simply basing my opinion of Seibon on the three hoods with cracks that I've seen, I would consider a different brand. I'm using the Kaminari hood, which I had cleared a few extra times, and I'm not experiencing any cracking or other issues.

 

I also don my CF hood throughout the winter months in Chicago and have not had any problems. Good luck.

 

Most of CF hoods are weak fiber glass and very thin piece of carbon fiber laminated.
Keep the stocker. It is way stronger and have a perfect fit.
fiber glass cracks and peels at the end.
I haven't seen the real carbon fiber hood yet. Even if you can get one, It will be so expensive considering current carbon fiber price.
I would just repaint it.

 

The main reason I am considering the Seibon or VIS is because I want the hood to be exactly like OEM. Most of the others I saw (Monster, Kaminari, Varis, etc.) had extra vents or scoops or were not exactly styled like OEM. If there is another brand that is just like OEM I'll consider it (chargespeed? ..... the only pics I could find were very small).

Good input though. Thanks all.

 

stocker FTW!

 

repaint...we redo hoods for about 350...cheaper than any cf hood unless its used...