Hey I live in Atlanta (Roads are horrible), and I want to buy a body kit.
Off course everyone would drive way more carefully with a body kit on, but I wanted to know how much of a problem is to have a body kit with bad roads.
And if you could tell me wich body kits (front bumpers specially) are not really low.
I have been looking at bomex and bc2.
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Main problem would be paint chips, if you buy urethane, it will flex well, if you buy fiberglass(probable), it won't flex as much, maybe a little.
Also depends on how low the kit is going to be, and how bad the roads are I guess.
But you should really define 'problem' better, are you thinking loose gravel, potholes, dirt?
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Oh, and don't forget whiteboystyle's lip.
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I have a drift kit that's not even 2 inches from the ground...
It's fiberglass and my roads pretty much suck. You just have to dodge things like specific bumps, holes, dips, etc. There's also numerous places you end up not being able to go to anymore (Autozone, Mcdonalds, etc.)...lol. Instead, you have to drive 30 minutes extra if you really wanna go there.
I don't know, I love my kit. I haven't had any problems with it yet...
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ive broke my front bumper 4 times..... roads suck and being stoned doesnt help either...my blitz bumper is pretty low..like dude man said speed bumps suck curbs suck anything thats not flat pretty much sucks. thane and glass both have there advantages and disavanages. thane bends but if you break it you cant fix it. glass breaks easy but you can fix it , thane is easier to install and to paint. so you make your choice...
You can fix urethane, since it's your first kit I would go with urethane just because it will be so much easier. If you wanted to change the kit a bit I would go with fiberglass.
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frankmckeever wrote:You just have to dodge things like specific bumps, holes, dips, etc. There's also numerous places you end up not being able to go to anymore (Autozone, Mcdonalds, etc.)...lol. Instead, you have to drive 30 minutes extra if you really wanna go there.
you call that not having a problem with it?
Heh if the roads are anything down there like they are here in rural PA... don't do fiberglass LOL. I have the drift sides, and Sound Speed Type 2 Rear... and HAD the Pro-Kits Intruder front. My rear fiberglass bumper is in fine shape... my exhaust has taken most of the beating... (haha?). My sides however... the passenger side one is beat to he11, cracks, there's a hole underneath the side skirt... the driver's side one isn't as bad but wow. I'm working on swapping my front and sides with urethane (waiting for my Streetfire front to be finished up), and I think I'm going to go with Bomex sides (urethane if I can find them at a decent price). I am keeping the rear however, as I LOVE my rear bumper
Basically, what I would recommend is this:
1. Have the kit put on BEFORE painting... and drive around various roads which you travel frequently that you think might be a problem, and get an idea of if you're going to scrape or anything. That way, if you need any repairs, it can be done before paint, and then you'll know what you're in for.
2. Avoid speed bumps at all costs if you can. (I ALWAYS scrape on speed bumps)
3. When it comes to road kill... judge how big of road kill you can make it over without causing damage. My general rule of thumb is if it's bigger than a squirrel... I avoid it if I can.
4. Pot holes... we have some rather large ones around where I live, and there's "speed bumps" in the middle of roads where there's not supposed to be speed bumps.
Luckily, I've lived in this area for... 14 years now? So I know what roads have what obsticles where,.... except for the occasional new road kill.
Urethane will flex a lot more than fiberglass. Fiberglass does have some flex to it... but not much.
There are benefits to both though...
Fiberglass, while not flexible and more prone to cracking, is lighter weight and easier to fix... and where repairs are needed can be reinforced to have more stregth, although not likely any more flex... plus fiberglass is cheaper... but it will most likely needed to be repaired down the road.
Urethane is much much more flexible, yet not as easy to fix... and there's not really a good way to reinforce it to make it stronger. But then again... with the wonderful flex properties it has... you won't really have to worry about reinforcing it. Urethane is more expensive, but well worth it.
If you go with fiberglass, I would highly recommend reinforcing the fiberglass BEFORE putting on the kit... i.e. lay a few layers on the INSIDE of the kit after fitting to give it SOME added strength.
Heck the Streetfire front I just got hit a highway median at I think highway speeds... and it held up pretty darn good. One larger crack on the passengerside of the bumper, and two small chunks had broken off. Speed Grip will fix that quite well though. That stuff is practically indestructible! That's what I used to mold in my side skirts, and where the Speed Grip is, the side skirts are fine... it's just everywhere else that they're cracked lol.
Hope that helped!!!
I'm fully kitted and, for the most part, don't take any special precautions. If an entranceway looks particularly perilous, I'll go in slowly on an angle. That's about it though.
Of course, my suspension is made for everyday driving.
Back when I was lower, I had real issues with sloped entranceways. Now it's not so much of an issue but I'm generally nearly at stock height and only drop down for shows or the track.
i dont have a kit but my car sits pretty low and i have to avoid certain bumpy roads and go in at an angle to certain parking lots, i might just buy a front lip or the avenger front bumper since it doesnt seem to sit lower then the stock one...
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I have the Street Fire kit. Delaware roads suck as well. Well im at stock height and i scrape alot but I mean you have to be careful and take your time. I hate haveing a body kit but then it looks awsome. But definitly get urathane it's worth the extra money...
get air ride and you will have no prob with any kit, lol, later
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Like everyone else said If you do Choose Fiberglass You just have to be extra careful i have the Blitz kit that sits 3 inches from the ground and i plow snow it where i live (no joke) call me crazy if you want, But yeah man just take it easy and at an angle and you should be alright. BOMEX would be the way to go it sdoesnt sit much lower than stock Stay away from the BC2 Drift And Blitz, they tend to be the lowest (well the BC2 rear). anymore questions feel free to e-mail me i will help ya
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Mine was definetely a daily driver. 40 miles round trip to work 5-6 days a week. Not including just cruising around town. I had the Streetfire front, sides, and a rear valence. Lowered with Eibach springs 1.5". The only time it was parked was when it snowed. Until last month I was driving to work on a clear, COLD morning, hit some black ice, and slid right off the interstate. It didn't even rain or snow 3-4 days prior to. While sliding through the deep grass and gravel I saw my front end and the left side fly off. Then I hit the ditch and did some more body damage. Obviously me babbling about my incident has nothing to do with the quality of my urethane kit flying through the air. Up to this point, I agree with what everyone has said about watching out for the normal road hazards, curbs, and speed bumps. Although, I did drill some roadkill (fat bloody oppossum) on that same highway a while back. I hit it dead center on the front end. Blood, guts, hair were smeared all over the lower lip. Cleaned it off... there was no damage at all. Anyways, I am starting over. My car is in the body shop now having the damage fixed and the entire kit replaced. As soon as it is finished, I am driving it straight to a local custom shop for Air Ride Suspension!
Just my 2 1/2 cents.
No, I actually don't consider it a problem. Most people would consider it a problem, but I don't. Like I said, I love my kit. My girlfriend always says "I'd never buy a kit that low where I couldn't go places!" But...I don't know. I couldn't give it up.
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Just like everyone said, I agree with. If you decide to drop your car though, get a really good suspension setup with some stiff or adjustable shocks cause that will make a world of a difference. I live in Jersey with a kit & dropped on Eibach Sportlines which are pretty low. That's really all my advice. Good luck bro.
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