itek4bux
06-20-2008, 05:13 PM
So it seems like there are a lot of different opinions on this and it's all confusing to me.
Can anyone tell me the pro's & con's of the both or what your experiences are with either?
88Buckaroo88
06-20-2008, 09:18 PM
If your going to race I would say go with carbon fiber just for the weight. It will also be much stronger than the aluminium but cost much more. If you are going to bash aluminium would be more cost effective and serve its purpose.
BaronVonGareth
06-20-2008, 10:37 PM
Aluminum will hold after a crash, providing enough driveability for you to nurse it back to the pits where CF will just break, but even then both materials will be useless. I suspose aluminum is good in some parts, CF in some, steel in others, and plastic has it's place. For control arms, I'd go with CF to save weight.
Grizzbob
06-21-2008, 12:03 AM
Honestly, it really depends on just what component you're talking about, some are best in molded composites & others are fine with machined aluminum. For example, suspension arms are NOT a good idea in aluminum, as a car's suspension deals with a LOT of abuse, & any impacts can tend to bend aluminum, which once it's happened, it won't likely be able to return to its proper shape, so your car's suspension geometry can change unpredictably & only replacing the bent parts would fix it. Molded parts however, can be plenty stiff & hold their shape under stress(at least up to their breaking point), so they'll either maintain your car's geometry properly or break(no middle ground, & either way, you have to replace parts, & the molded ones are generally less expensive to boot). However, for parts that are not as stressed(like chassis bulkheads or motor mounting plates, for example), aluminum is MUCH better suited, as it's reasonably light, can be precisely machined(so everything can line up properly), & in the case of motor plates, they can help dissipate motor heat(which composites do NOT do well), so it really depends on what parts you're looking at....:cool:
dont slow down
06-21-2008, 02:07 AM
Uhhh, yea.....what Grizzbob said.