Unfinished Thoughts: Carbon Fiber [RANT]

[call_me_andrew]

<rant>I'd like to take a moment and ask that no one says that NASCAR should have the teams using carbon fiber instead of sheet metal. We can all agree that it's the "in" product and light weight, but the reality is: it's damn brittle. As soon as any kind of stress is applied it manages to not just break, but shatter. And it always shatters into the sharpest possible shards. I imagine that would cause more debris cautions and less actual racing.

I've come to terms with these composite bodies that the lower series are running. ("Composite" should not be confused with carbon fiber.) I would be willing to see them race in NEXTEL Cup under the following condition: They must be made by the manufacturer as a sillouette and they may not be modified by the teams. This takes aerodynamics away from the teams and puts it back where it belongs. NASCAR can handicap the manufacturers with weight if it wants.</rant>

[Jonesi]

The last I heard carbon fiber is $$ and takes a couple months to cook/cure. Nascar teams are building cars from scratch in a couple of weeks. I'm not sure what they wouldgain by using it.

Yes, it's very sharp. I picked up a piece of Tracy's shattered front wing at '05 SJGP, like a razor.

[BenRoethig]

<rant>I'd like to take a moment and ask that no one says that NASCAR should have the teams using carbon fiber instead of sheet metal. We can all agree that it's the "in" product and light weight, but the reality is: it's damn brittle. As soon as any kind of stress is applied it manages to not just break, but shatter. And it always shatters into the sharpest possible shards. I imagine that would cause more debris cautions and less actual racing.

I've come to terms with these composite bodies that the lower series are running. ("Composite" should not be confused with carbon fiber.) I would be willing to see them race in NEXTEL Cup under the following condition: They must be made by the manufacturer as a sillouette and they may not be modified by the teams. This takes aerodynamics away from the teams and puts it back where it belongs. NASCAR can handicap the manufacturers with weight if it wants.</rant>

The problem is that fiberglass composites don't look very good. Too bad those GTO.Rs were re-bodied as G6s. We could have used them to test some things.

[harvick#1]

the cost would be tremendous high if nascar went to carbon fiber, plus unlike in F1, WRC, Lemans. alot of accidents happen in Nascar, so damaging one car would make them have to buy a whole new car instead of fixing one piece.

Welding pieces of metal is much easier than it looks

[Jag_Warrior]

If it ain't broke... don't replace it with something that will.

[call_me_andrew]

So I just said something and everyone here agreed with me?

That's amazing. I need to rant more.

[spike123]

The last I heard carbon fiber is $$ and takes a couple months to cook/cure. Nascar teams are building cars from scratch in a couple of weeks. I'm not sure what they wouldgain by using it.

Yes, it's very sharp. I picked up a piece of Tracy's shattered front wing at '05 SJGP, like a razor.

I can have a body panel (hood, door, fender, etc.) made in 2 hours. Cured at 250 degrees and there you go.

[Cole_Trickle]

Another fan of sheetmetal here, it'll just bend and not cause much damage to a car, when carbon fibre could totally break and make a car undrivable.

[wedge]

No way NASCAR will use carbon fibre!

First of all it ain't cheap.

Sheet metal is more versatile, cost effective, and more convenient due to the amount of contact, damage, wrecks that you see every Sunday.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Sheet metal works, you only use Carbon fibre where you are trying to have light weight parts, and in NASCAR, a 3400lb minimum pretty much dictates Carbon Fibre would not be required, EXCEPT to cheat, and of course, NASCAR would just outlaw it. Racing in the Cup Series is expensive, but to have Carbon Fibre parts would just make it stupid expensive!