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!

[BobbyC]

Carbon fibre is approved by NASCAR for use in driver seats for safety reasons. While it is more expensive, it is a safety advantage to use carbon fibre seats.

[luvracin]

If people think theres too many random debris cautions now with sheetmetal bodies, then if they used Carbon Fibre bodies you may as well just throw away the green flags.

[call_me_andrew]

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!

Well it's not about reducing the weight. If the teams could have a lighter body, they could relocate ballast where ever they wanted.

So why is it that someone has to promote carbon fiber everytime we have a "what would you cange" thread and no one says anything to them about it?

[Mark in Oshawa]

I think people who advocate carbon fibre are nuts. I think though for certain mandated parts, like seats, roof flaps, and possibly some other components could be carbon if there was a purpose to making them that light and strong.

That said, as it was pointed out, carbon is messy, and in the case of the "Big one"nothing would clean the track up enough to allow racing again short of having a vacuum out there. Carbon works great in OW because for the most part, cars wreck by themselves or in maybe pairs, and they break apart differently. They also are super light for their size and it is needed for to provide a stiff structure. IN a world where massive roll cages are used in 3400 lb cars, using Carbon Fibre would be just a waste......lipstick on a pig I believe.

[Mark in Oshawa]

BY the way, I realize if they used a lot of Carbon, they could put weight where they want it, but all it does is add cost to an already expensive series. NASCAR just does NOT need the headache.

[call_me_andrew]

I don't think $20 million per year is expensive enough! It's nice to see a major racing series as being all inclusive. But it's simply a contradiction of terms to be all inclusive and elite at the same time.