Fiber Images Carbon Fiber Hood

[dark_matter]

I was in a minor fender bender and my OEM hood was going to be replaced. I went looking for aftermarket alternatives and found next to no information on Fiber Images Cerbon Fiber Hoods. So I took a gamble and went with it, this writeup is meant to be a FYI for the community.

I ordered the hood through a reputable forum vendor. It took about 22 Business days to get to the doors of the body shop.

I have the hood painted to match the other body panels. On with the pics...


Mazdaspeed Logo showing the original Carbon Fiber Weave. At certain angles and lighting conditions, you can actually see the CF weaves under the paint.


There is a Fiber Images logo located Top Middle of the Hood, don't really like to idea of advertising the brand fro free.


Underside of hood with stock ducting. Body shop claims that the insulator don't fit.


A real ghetto cutout toward the back of the hood on both sides.


Latch looks solid


I believe the skeleton of the hood (the inner) is fiberglass and only the top cover is made out of carbon fiber. The hood is definitely not as light as I have expected, but light and flexible enough that you will notice.

The overall Fitment is alright. You will definitely see bigger gaps all around, but the gaps are more or less even on both sides. I am seeing some issues with the hood not sitting flush with the fenders. I think sliding the hood forward a little may help. To adjust the hood back and forth, you will have to take off the front bumper and both fenders to get to the hood latch bolts. A royal pain in the you-know-where.

[Karmat]

1. How much was it?
2. How much weight does it actually save?

[AZSPEED3]

Very nice, good to see you painted to match the rest of the car and not go the rice way

[-cj-]

I bought this hood last year and just recently installed it last week (I didn't want to use it during the winter). It's a great quality hood, but I'm also having trouble getting it to sit flush with the car. I have to try playing with it again, but the hood isn't centered, so the left side gap is greater then the right side... It's also a little higher next to the fenders, like you said.

I like what you did with the paint job... Looks cool.

The body shop that installed the hood lied to you about the insulator stuff not fitting. I have mine on... That "ghetto" hole in the back is where the insulator slides into place. The rest of the holes for the insulator panels need to be drilled out if you choose to install them. The under side of the hood is an exact reproduction of our OEM hood, so everything fits....

[4G63]

Props for the gamble think it turned out pretty good. Underside is ugly but not gonna really see that unless you do shows

[Hectik1]

Looks good!

[drknyte]

Your a f'n retard..... you can still see the carbonfiber pattern wanting to come out through the paint..... you know why?!?!?!

CAUSE IT'S CARBONFIBER AND IT WANTS TO B SEEN!!!!

[wette460]

I have the same hood on my car as well. Never thought about doing a write up on it though, lol. You need to get some heat protection on that thing asap! Don't be like me and not put any and then 3 months later you see cracks go through the entire clear coat from heat damage. I'm thinking about sanding it and painting it black just so the cracks don't show up. It is starting to look pretty bad.

If you live in a sunny area, wax that bitch often. And yes, our OEM hoods are heavy as shit and I bet I shaved at least 20 lbs by switching.

sorry about the thread being

[BReif61]

Why did you decide to go without pins?

[Babyface]

No need for pins with this hood. I have had mine for over 2 years. Mine fits perfectly but PLEASE put the stock insulator on it... you WILL need it. Also it wouldnt hurt to pull the rubber seal off from the back of the engine bay to let out some of the rediculous engine bay temps before it starts to get to your new investment.

[daztdMS6]

It's too bad the fitment isn't better. The larger gaps and fitment issues would make me mad .

[dark_matter]

Originally Posted by wette460 .... You need to get some heat protection on that thing asap! Don't be like me and not put any and then 3 months later you see cracks go through the entire clear coat from heat damage. I'm thinking about sanding it and painting it black just so the cracks don't show up. It is starting to look pretty bad.

I went back to the body shop and have them put the insulators back on.

I was reading mix reviews on the CF hoods with regards to clearcoat cracking and peeling. That is actually the main reason why I have it painted and clearcoat. I guess it's just one less thing to worry about.

[okc_car_dude]

I wanted to ask a couple of things. I am looking to replace my hood due to a dent and scores (20's) of rock chips in the paint from highway driving... As was mentioned before, 1)actual weight of the oem hood would be very helpful. =)
2)Also, I really like the concept of matching the oem supports, but I don't know...
Do all OE replacement CF hoods come this way?
3)A BIG concern for me is, what about the top mount intercooler? It has a channel and gasket that attatches to the oem hood that that takes air through the battery box. Will this also fit? or do you really not need to worry about it? (This may be something trivial, but this is why I'm asking)
*edit* Lol, so looking back at those pics, I realized that duct is on there, heh heh. But does the hood have to come with something to attatch it, or something else? Just wondering exactly how it fits on there, as I have yet to mess with mine (wasn't going to risk anything until replacement, lol)
4) I've not seen this brand of CF hood shown. Where is it purchased?

Thanks for the tips on the insulation and the clearcoat! ^_^

Also, this is connected to the cf hood replacement, but I'd like to do a tasteful body kit on it, but the only one I like is this one

http://http://www.ebay.com/itm/2004-...item4d001978d8

I can only find a couple that fit our cars with the straight front bottom to our hoods. So what I'd like to know is,
4) Can we swap out the hood for the type that partially wraps around the grill and go with the shorter bumper?

Thanks for any info you can give me! Any help is greatly appreciated! =D

[vballbwing]

hate to resurrect an old thread too, but I'm also looking for one, and haven't found too many places selling hoods for an MS6.

[mazdaspeed619sd]

Originally Posted by vballbwing hate to resurrect an old thread too, but I'm also looking for one, and haven't found too many places selling hoods for an MS6.

go FMIC and buy a hood for a regular 6. It will fit.

[okc_car_dude]

Sorry about my noob post from way before, guys... and re-resurrecting an old thread.

Got the VIS CF hood on my car, now. Fits a little better, with less gaps, and has a nicer underside than the Fiber Images hood, I think.
[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]

About the hood not fitting flush, did you turn the rubber stoppers on both the core support, and the fenders down, right? I had to take them all the way down, and then force one side in a touch more.

Originally Posted by wette460 And yes, our OEM hoods are heavy as shit and I bet I shaved at least 20 lbs by switching.

I thought my OE hood was super heavy, too... until after I took of the ducting, the insulation, and whatnot... I realized it's not so bad. I weighed it at only 30.5 lbs. So, you're saying this one is only 10.5 lbs or so? Usually only custom Race hoods are that light. (or lighter)

I want to let the people on here know that going CF hood on our cars hardly saves any weight! My VIS CF hood was 5.5 lbs less. While I feel the VIS is a bit heavy at 25 lbs, I doubt this one could be much lighter than 20.

The CF hood on our cars is really only for looks, a tiny bit of weight savings, and cool option to replace a damaged OE hood.

If you're interested in weight savings, I modded a 6.5 lb lithium iron phosphate battery for about $300 and earned 22 lbs weight savings. =)