The value of carbon fiber

[SilverBolt]

I personally have saved more than 10X of a "good morning dump" on the last project vehicle (street utilized) utilizing carbon fiber, chromoly, alloys, and fiberglass in place of mild steel.

Looking at the glass parts on the Gen1 Raptor indicates that they are not hand laid as you presented.

I have done the same on several projects and race cars.

 

[Sethrad]

When you’re racing every ounce counts. I used to race offshore sailboat. We spent ungodly fortunes to save ounces and pounds.
When a company is trying to reduce weight to meet CAFE standards, weight counts.
If you’re trying to save a smidgen of gas, weight counts.
Other than that, it serves no purpose other than to blow your own skirt up. For some reason, I don’t think most Raptor owners could give a damn.

 

[Badgertits]

Was just proving a point, bot being dead on balls accurate.

Cost difference between steel & AL is pretty spot on though, @ least from a % difference in cost

 

[Badgertits]

Having worked in composites for decades, I can say just the opposite. Composites (carbon fiber, fiberglass, Nomex honeycomb, rigid foams, aluminum composites, micro, flox, vacuum bagging, molds, etc.) are as easy or easier to repair than metals. Also, unlike metals, they can be easily formed into any shape. They can be utilized for either structural or cosmetic purposes.

I'm not talking about the pre-fab or production/manufacturing level, I'm talking about once these parts are on a vehicle.

Crack a CF fender flare - fix or replace? Dent a steel fender flare - can fix. Warp a steel or AL frame - maybe can be fixed, crack/damage a CF monocoque? SOL

Also I'm kinda in the opposite biz work w/ metals & AL in particular, HATE AL composites because they're near impossible to recycle & that's an issue if you're a manufacturer trying to represent yourself as a "closed loop" recycler....or if you don't want entire hotel buildings burning down from the inside out like what happened in Dubai/London due to lucabond-type AL composite panels used in construction.

Anyhow- I think we can all agree CF is a nice material to have regardess whether its for aesthetic or structural.

 

[Dusty]

I’m in the market for CF. Dealer told me it’s around $995. But...none of the dealers or the Ford website seem to be able to sell it to me!

Anyone have a vendor for the oem CF?

 

[profunctional]

+1 that carbon interior bits are mostly cosmetic. The non carbon variants will perform just the same. Even on higher end cars like lambos you don't see performance figures improve with carbon interiors. Carbon tubs and exterior bits like wings and hoods are a different story.

 

[zombiekiller]

as one of the few out there with CF bodywork, I say save your money.

When I replace my CF this winter ( it is HAMMERED and cracked all over the place), I will be going to fiberglass.

I'll destroy whatever I put on my truck and glass is way cheaper.

Do whatcha wanna, but unless its a street queen, you're using CF because you know how to lay it yourself, or someone else is paying, fiberglass is probably a better option.

 

[CigarPundit]

Nothing wrong with putting CF bits on your Raptor if you like it and don’t mind spending the money. I plan to replace the hood and fender vents with carbon fiber replacements. I think it will look awesome and I really don’t like plastic exterior parts. I’m not doing it for weight, I’m doing it because I love the look of CF. People can think it’s stupid all they want...it’s my truck.

My M3 is dripping in CF, both interior and exterior. Some functional (like the CF roof and diffuser) others aesthetic (like the mirror caps). I’m a CF *****. Love it.

I would say if you are prepared to spend really big money on big CF panels like the hood and fenders, then you will indeed get a performance benefit from reduced weight. However, if you are going to use your Raptor as a truck for hauling and off-roading, these very expensive parts are likely going to get pretty beat up, so I don't think I would do it. Like sombiekiller said, you'd be better off going with fiberglass, which gets you a weight advantage at a lower cost.

Ultimately, if I was trying to improve the performance of the truck, CF parts would be low on my list of things to spend money on. I would go for powerplant, suspension and wheel/tire updrades. Much more performance gain for your money there I think.