I'm thinking of going carbon fiber on my hood and hatch, maybe doing a gloss fiber wrap on the roof. It's a 92 Civic VX, anyone have comments? The car itself is going to be a white pearl with wire covers, valve cover, battery hold down, and maybe a few other things. Also does anyone think this will improve my gas mileage significantly?

 

At best, if you only plan to reduce weight (meaning just replacing the hood and hatch with carbon fiber versions)... you may see a fraction of a mpg change. But, the weight savings will be entirely negated when you add 1 passenger.

Are you planning on painting your wires or something? What do you mean by "wire covers"? That sounds like something that was "cool in the '90s", but lacks a current visual aesthetic. And wrapping your roof will only add weight.

 

I read it many times, but I think he is wanting to put a carbon fiber wire cover instead of the regular one.

Op, Google up eco modder if you want to find ways to get those mpgs.

 

Ahh, I see. I was wondering why he'd put pearl paint on everything.

 

By wire covers I mean what's in this picture. Is there something wrong with the 90's looks? I'm not trying to sound rude with that question. I grew up playing NFS Underground and I loved buying new vehicles, throwing on cosmetics, painting it from roof to rims, etc. I know that sounds like a childish idea but I've always loved working with vehicles. So basicly your saying carbon fiber is gonna basicly be worthless?

 

If you're going at it from a perspective of fuel savings, carbon fiber panels won't net you as much as say more mechanical areas of the car (changing gearing ratios, reducing unsprung rotational mass, etc...). If you're going at it from a performance perspective, where you're trying to get the best lap times, they most certainly would be worthwhile investments.

As for "liking the 90's look", you're more then able to like what you want to. At the end of the day, its your money and your car. However, you'll find it incredibly difficult to keep those wire looms clean (especially if they're white), and will probably face ridicule for spending money on them in the enthusiast world. And by no means do I take offense by you stating your opinion on this. If you've always wanted them, by all means... get them!

 

This should give you some idea about the weight you'd save switching to cf parts

1992 Honda Civic VX - Import Tuner Magazine