Trek

I love cars but I've never modded or have a desire to do so in the future. I've noticed on this site and even more so on other sites with sporty or luxury cars what strikes me as an obsession with carbon fiber interiors and to some extent exterior parts. I know absolutely nothing about carbon fiber and automobiles. I'm trying to understand exactly why it appears to be the rage lately. It doesn't look all that fantastic or great to me. For that reason, I'm thinking it is a fad like wood paneled station wagons back in the day, and when the fad suddenly vanishes, car buyers will step back and look at cars with CF and say "ugh" just like it happened with wood paneled walls in houses and wood on the sides of station wagons. Cars with CF will be difficult to sell because it is no longer the esthetic of choice. Am I missing something? Is there some practical benefit to carbon fiber that I'm not aware of and what difference would it make to interior door panels or dashboards? Why are people willing to pay a premium to get carbon fiber inside or on the outside of their automobiles? I really have no idea.

Z3NK1

iTrader: (2)

Wood paneling was purely aesthetic, carbon fiber is lighter and stronger than many comparable materials. Automakers try to reduce the weight of their vehicles with exotic materials in order to improve performance and gas mileage.

http://machinedesign.com/contributin...otive-industry

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6061140e-a...#axzz3hgIrjjHe

Can always paint it if you don't like the look, it's not a fad and it won't go away until we develop another material to replace it.

People want the benefits of carbon fiber, but it can be costly and there are products out there that simulate the look. Vinyl wraps and carbon overlays actually add weight, and they are just for cosmetics. Perhaps the use of fake carbon fiber just for looks is a fad, but it'll likely continue until carbon fiber is so mainstream that it's not special anymore.

DougHII

Carbon fibre is cool. Carbon fibre is light. Carbon fibre is sporty. Carbon fibre looks killa. Carbon fibre is strong. Oh, and did I mention that carbon fibre is cool? Maybe is is just a people into sports car versus people into family trucksters taste type of thing.

Some people like mini vans and wood paneling. Some like Porsche Carrera GT2 RSs with carbon fibre hoods.

Lol, if you think the carbon fibre hood on this GT2 RS makes it look tacky, you may be more at home in the Grisswald family truckster forum.

Trek

I like the Porsche. I just don't get the attraction of carbon fiber inside of it. It doesn't look special enough to me that it would justify a premium for putting it in a dashboard. I guess it looks better than plastic. It's like I woke up one day and the world had gone carbon fiber mad. I guess I slept through the start of this craze. The last time I shopped for a new car, I rarely heard the word "carbon fiber." Now you can't buy a really nice car without hearing about it, reading about it, seeing it, etc. It just feels like a money making scheme for premium and luxury automakers. To each his own, I guess.

RNM GS3

Carbon Fiber is very strong and light material but also very expensive therefore you only saw it before on exotic cars. Past 5 years or so it has become more mainstream and is now featured on most every day Performance cars from M3/4, RCF, Mustang GT350, 911, etc.

BMW has really utilized it a great deal in the i3 and i8.
McLaren and other exotics like Pagani, Koenigsegg, make most of the car from CF.

Unless something new comes out, i think CF parts are going to be even more utilized in the future so def not a fad.

I do agree that fake CF pieces in cars are getting old.
Honda Accord even has CF like interior trim which is rediculuos.

DougHII

Lol, if you don't like it, don't buy it. No need to start a thread about it telling people how tacky and over priced their carbon fibre is if it ain't ya thang. You apparently have not been introduced to the costs of options in high end cars.

Check out Ferrari 458 Speciale or 488 carbon interiors. Gorgeous.

I personally think carbon fibre looks awesome. In 2001, I spent around $ 20k for interior carbon fibre options on my 2001 996tt for dash, guage surround, center console, shifter, steering wheel, arm rests, door sills and seat backs. Why? Because I loved it. Black, black and all interior surface carbon fibre.

My triple black 04 99tt cab was ordered with aluminum dash trim, arm rest, door sills, shifter, but had a carbon fibre center console for a change. I regretted not going full carbon fibre again. The aluminum was just not as masculine or aggressive as carbon fibre.

Almost all of my later cars have had carbon fibre interiors, some came that way in base form.

IMO, Lexus should have made the flat surfaces of the center console carbon fibre to match the dash and arm rest trim pieces. The plain plastic makes it look cheap..

Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

Because Lexus LFA










Joe Z