Anyone know how much the stock hood weighs and a stock type carbon fiber hood weighs. Not sure if any real weight would be saved going to the carbon fiber since the stock is aluminum. Any ideas?

 

I dont know specifics on weight. But our hoods are designed to be "pedestrian" safe and they are really light. You wont save any weight here that is worth the money, you should start with some light weight wheels / tires.

 

I heard it is minimal

 

yes it is minimal, but there is a noticeable difference..i have a oem CF hood, my hand scale is going to say that it is about 3-4 lbs lighter..

 

stock hood is ~15lbs
avg. weight for an aftermarket CF hood would be ~12-~15lbs.

 

good numbers..

 

How would 3 lbs be a noticeable difference in a 3000 lb car? (Before anyone flames my "math", I know the 8 is not a 1/4 mile car, however...) Typically when talking about weight reduction and performance, 100 lbs = .1 second, so by losing 3 lbs, you would complete the 1/4 mile a whopping .003 sec faster.

 

your not listening, i said by hand...of course you can't tell when your sitting in the car..but if you physically pick up a stock hood and then my cf hood there is a difference in weight.

 

I think your calculations are about correct. There is no way that you could notice, or even quantify in a meaningful way, three pounds difference. Heck, that's the difference between before and after a big dinner.

 

Gotcha.. that makes sense.

 

And here I thought XDEEDUBBX picked up his whole car by hand and noticed a difference. Ha,ha.

 

Anyone know if they make aftermatket bonnets (hoods)without the rotor shape in the center?

Me no likey...

 

Yes, they do. Plenty of people have them. But, how could you not like the rotor?

 

So, then what's the point of getting CF? I never have understood that.

 

on the 8? cosmetic
other cars' hoods weight more

 

You lose 3lbs by going CF and gain 3 bling points...

now thats some gains

-hS

 

on other cars, the hoods can weigh 30-50lbs. so on those vehicles, its a decent weight savings.

 

AutoEXE Makes one that looks completely stock minus the rotor shape, no vents or scoops, just a flat CF hood.

 

I dont like it. Personaly, I think the RX-8 has already was too many lines.

I cant seem to find any pics, or the correct search words to find them.
Do you have any?

OT:
Same reason why id never get the Mazda body kit or any wing for that matter. I dont like having tachy stuff on, just there for aesthetical purposes. Question of personnal taste i guess.

I think id also replace the front of the car with something more discreet that a "smile". Maybe the Knight Sports one.

Makes me wonder if the vents behing the front fenders are functional at all. If not, id like to get rifd of them.

 

Whoops.

Thanks Guice! Greatly apreciated.

 

I think instead of focusing on weight loss on hood, you are better off focusing on cooling your engine compartment with a hood swap. A few kilos only meant something if you are racing.

 

i love the way water "dances" in the rotor shape while driving in the rain.

 

yeah but that shows you that you're not getting very good airflow thru there, that cosmetic look on it makes for a bit more air resistance.

So if you get a CF hood without the rotor shape on it you save 3 pounds of weight and improve your coeficient of drag by a few hundredths of a percent, so the weight savings and aerodynamic improvement combined might actually increase your gas mileage by about 0.01 mpg...

Does that mean it's worth it? doubtful...

how does CF hold up in a crash?

 

The wheel well is an area that traps air and creates a hi pressure area. The vents behind the front fender releases this air to reduce drag. In keeping the air moving, it probably also helps cool the brakes.