3M Carbon Fiber wrap

[upperguy]

So, i've been doing some research. I found 3M's version of the DRY carbon. Instead of a fabric, this is a film with a dry carbon style weave pressed onto the adhesive backing. It is NOT like the carbon fiber vinyl with the gloss. This will actually go from gray/black to black/gray as you rotate it, showing each weave is true and not a picture printed on white vinyl and cleared.

There are a few different manufacturers that make this, but 3M's is by far the best.
I have a few pictures of it wrapping around spoilers and such, showing its versatility.

My original idea was to cap my roof, like this:



I got some pricing on bulk orders of the film. It's pretty pricey somewhere around $9sq/ft for a small order... so I need to see if anyone is interested in helping to offset the cost of the rolls. I'd be willing to get the bulk, slice it up and send it back out.

I got my hands on some samples from the cheapest distributor i could find.
heres a nice photo of the texture:




It could EASILY be installed on the roof, spoiler, arches, fenders, cowl area... you name it.
Here are some photos of it on a spoler:





So... would anyone be interested? Once i figure out how much we would all need, i can get a price on the ROLL and dibby it up accordingly.

[Nick Merrone]

im in.

[phillycivicsi]

I need this

[P_856]

im kinda interested how much per sq/ft

[GOULET]

looks like rice to me

[phillycivicsi]

yea but for the people who cant find the carbon fiber parts they want because no one makes it
it is good
like me and my friend have the same issue no one makes the deck lid spoiler on each of cars in cf

[phillycivicsi]

i guess it would be rice if u did a whole trunk or hood but lil pieces here and there dont matter

[upperguy]

It's the same stuff that they use on the new M3 dash pieces, along with a number of other higher end cars. Is it real carbon fiber? no, but having worked with the real stuff I've found that 90% of the people who like carbon fiber have no idea what it actually is.

That being said, this stuff has texture, gives off a gray/black glimmer on different angles and is easy to work with. If you don't like it that's fine, don't buy any but I feel like this is the closest you can get to carbon fiber for 1/10th the cost. On another note, if you want to try your hand at the real stuff shoot me a PM, I have 2x2 twill left over from a project I'll sell you cheap.

Here are a few more pics:

[Nick Merrone]

so nice..

[drifty240]

In so can check out pics tomorrow...

[phillycivicsi]

nice but what can u do with 2x2 lol shift knob

[jpalamar]

So you want to pur fake CF tape on stuff to look like you got real mods?

[omgjacki]

I think I wanna wrap my lip. I'm painting my car again, so it'll stand out

[RedDawg]

how pliable is it?

i was going to attempt a carbon fiber project but need it to be able to curve to some sharp angles, i was going to pick up some 2x2 twill on ebay but if this stuff is cheaper and will give me the same results.....

[upperguy]

It's extremely pliable and not only that it uses 3M's comply adhesive which traps air bubbles to make it even easier for inexperienced hands to work with. But most importantly it can be thermoformed with a low level heat gun/hair dryer.

[Fujito]

If you want a CF roof then this is a good alternative since real CF roofs costs big money.

But I'd go with carbon fiber fabric for the interior, similar to the one that's in the 09 M3

[RedDawg]

Originally Posted by upperguy

It's extremely pliable and not only that it uses 3M's comply adhesive which traps air bubbles to make it even easier for inexperienced hands to work with. But most importantly it can be thermoformed with a low level heat gun/hair dryer.

i'd be installing it under the hood so i'd still be coating it in a few layers of fiberglass to give it gloss, in your opinion would it be easier working with this stuff or the carbon cloth?

[upperguy]

Originally Posted by Fujito

If you want a CF roof then this is a good alternative since real CF roofs costs big money.

But I'd go with carbon fiber fabric for the interior, similar to the one that's in the 09 M3

The fabric is definitely nice, the only downside is the mass it adds to whatever you are coating. In addition to that, it's inherently stiff to avoid stretching the pattern so instead of wrapping around things you will find you need to stitch in additional panels. It can definitely add a cool look using the fabric, but you have to weigh the benefits of being able to reattach the factory pieces:p

Originally Posted by RedDawg

i'd be installing it under the hood so i'd still be coating it in a few layers of fiberglass to give it gloss, in your opinion would it be easier working with this stuff or the carbon cloth?

You can use layers to apply the carbon cloth, however to really make it good you have to vacuum bag it. Beyond that, you run the risk of pulling the fibers and having a crooked weave which looks horrible! With this stuff there is no chance of skewing the weave so it comes out perfect every time. Either way shoot me a PM with your number and I'll give you a call because I can cover you either way

[D Money]

Conner,

So you're saying this is BETTER than the vynil version? And it can be applied to to interior pieces?

How does it work, does it like stretch over them?

[upperguy]

Don't get me wrong, this IS vinyl. But its fully textured and colored so 90% of the people out there wouldn't be able to tell the difference. It is designed to be safe inside or out and can be applied to anything solid! It has a life rating of 4 years and I believe it is warrantied through 3m for that time period. I've seen people wrap their roof/dash/ps3/fridge/wheels with great success, though I don't know how well it would hold up to heavy braking heat.

Shoot me a call sometime D and we can talk about it.