Photo: www.E46Fanatics.com
In case you own a BMW M3 (any model) you already know that weight saving and high speeds are as important to this car as fuel or proper maintenance. That probably means that you've already done everything in your power to keep the weight down.
One of the most popular means of doing so is by replacing certain bits with Carbon Fibre ones. One of the heaviest of the bunch is the hood. Hooking up a Carbon Fibre hood on your car will definitely save some pounds but it will also bring some more responsibility.
You see, CF is light and resistant but it still has some flaws that might make you reconsider. One of these is that it bends at high speeds, having the mad tendency to unhook from the bonnet latch and surprise your windshield.
So, the utility of a Carbon Fibre bonnet is easy to explain. But how about the hood latched. Why should you get some? Well, one forum member explained better than anybody:
"Because the entire hood is lighter, there is more stress on the latch mechanism. A heavier hood exerts more downward force on your latch mechanism than the lightweight composite hoods do. When you are driving, airflow that gets under your hood from the front will exert upward force on your entire hood (because our hoods, like most, have the hinges in the back and latch in the front) which therefore exerts upward force on your latch."
Seems like a smart guy, right? Well, he is. He is also the guy who wrote this DIY for everyone that has a CF bonnet. Installing hood pins on your car is a must, not just to look cool, but for your own safety.
For this job you'll need:
You see, CF is light and resistant but it still has some flaws that might make you reconsider. One of these is that it bends at high speeds, having the mad tendency to unhook from the bonnet latch and surprise your windshield.
So, the utility of a Carbon Fibre bonnet is easy to explain. But how about the hood latched. Why should you get some? Well, one forum member explained better than anybody:
"Because the entire hood is lighter, there is more stress on the latch mechanism. A heavier hood exerts more downward force on your latch mechanism than the lightweight composite hoods do. When you are driving, airflow that gets under your hood from the front will exert upward force on your entire hood (because our hoods, like most, have the hinges in the back and latch in the front) which therefore exerts upward force on your latch."
Seems like a smart guy, right? Well, he is. He is also the guy who wrote this DIY for everyone that has a CF bonnet. Installing hood pins on your car is a must, not just to look cool, but for your own safety.
For this job you'll need:
- Hood pin kit
- Dremel with cutting discs AND sanding discs/tips
- Drill + various bits
- Sanding/anti-particulate mask (and kind of respiratory mask will do)
- Goggles
- Gloves (latex and work gloves)
- Long sleeves/sweatshirt/whatever
- Something to cut your anchor bolts down (Dremel may work)
- 2.5mm Allen wrench/hex key
- 7mm wrench (socket wont work)
- Pliers
- Measuring tape
- Sharpie
- 17mm wrench x2
- 1 role of painter's tape
- WD-40 or some sort of spray-on lubricator
- Clear silicone rtv/all weather sealant
- Rags/blankets
- Grease
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