Ritter v4.0

After running mainly with NASA last 2 years my car is starting to get banged up and resemble, well, a typical NASA racecar (duct tape, sheet metal, scrapes and dents). I need a new GT3 '6Cup bumper and fenders but am loathe to sink too much in parts that are in essence, disposable.

Looking at alternatives I found these Duraflex bits which if I read correctly require perhaps more prep work than others and might be a bit heavier than CF/FG alternatives.

I may stick with used steel fenders but has anyone tried their stuff?
Can you repair?

Here are some before and after pics- they span 4 races.

John H

That's nothing...You know its bad when the stewards come up to you on the grid and remind you there is an aesthetics rule....

As for the duraflex stuff, I have no idea.

MariusRacer

You got to come over to the dark side and get a cup. I know D. Pahl is going to make the switch. He just needs a little push

jrgordonsenior

Just lighten it up and go beat the 6-cups. 2600 w/driver seems to work ....

Lemming

Why bother, it's fun using a beater to win And yes, I'm speaking from experience.

007DT

Say WHAT!

J richard

Lets see about two silver rolls and a red roll, yup we can fix er right up with some duct tape..

The factory or the dura flex plastic is more resiliant, can take a hit and not fracture. if you have the option it beats Fiberglas and isn't that much more $$$

Lemming

Just a hint, always paint your car a known duct tape color

Ritter v4.0

So the proposition now is get a Cup instead of a new bumper?? I love RL

Have thought about it for sure. DCP and I have discussed this and we both have very fun, reliable, economical and pretty successful cars. Its not broken (unlike the bumper) so why fix it?

Besides nearest goal is get down to 2600 lbs with drover (NASA GTS 4 limit) and go bag some 6Cups as JR says.

mobonic

It works for JR, he even beats 90% of the 997 cups too.

Ritter v4.0

So basically I just need to lose another 200 lbs off the car and have JR drive it?
Easy enough.

Maybe I'll just forego the bumper altogether and shed a few lbs right there.

Jon Schepps

The Duraflex parts are urethane plastic, similar but not identical to the factory stuff. I've been told the factory stuff is a urethane compound, but somewhat stiffer than the aftermarket parts and therefore more dimensionally accurate and stable.
I bought some urethane parts from another company (gt3tech.com) and they're fine for a track car. I was shocked when the front spoiler came balled up in a box about 2 feet on a side - but once opened up, it uncurled to its proper shape in a few 15 minutes. Weird stuff. I had little trouble getting them to fit as long as you're not the concours type. They are also more likely to pucker under wide ambient temperature changes. I've seen this a little bit on my side skirts. Again, not an issue for me.

Fiberglass parts are probably lighter, but we're likely not talking about pounds of difference. Fiberglass will crack or shatter if hit, but minor dings are repairable. The urethane parts are much more forgiving, but holes or tears can't be repaired. Urethane parts must be painted with properly prepared primer and color that can handle additional flex.

For nose, tail and spoilers, I'd go with urethane. Not for large body parts or wings.

bobt993

I have installed a duraflex gt2 bumper on my car
It was bit cheaper than the other options decent quality but that flexible
Fit required multiple cuts to get the bumper to meet the fenders
The material appears to be fiberglass based with an added flexible hardener
It is easily prepped and modded using fiberglass materials.

Ritter v4.0

Thx-
Here's their description.

Duraflex

Extreme Dimensions' new Duraflex premium aerodynamics combine fiberglass, plastic, and flex resins to obtain its unique features. The new Duraflex technology obtains a much higher durability rate than the average fiberglass product, resulting in reduced shipping damages up to 75%. Duraflex products feature a black primer finish, high quality mesh grille, hardware kit, and an installation guide to help you install the product. This revolutionary product allows you to receive a premium fiberglass product at an affordable price. Due to high consumer demand, our entire fiberglass line of 6,000 products have been converted to the new Duraflex technology.

Blah blah blah, but it does need extra prepping and that can be costly and time consuming on a street car for factory finish. But I only really want a 50/150 finish ( didn't know what that was until my tech told me recently) so do I really care.

onefastviking

A well built, well setup, well driven 996 can beat 996 and 997 Cups. We did it some more this last weekend at NASA TWS.

Note: We are a 3.6 tho, with a little more power, and a little more weight (3021 lbs with fuel according to this last event scales).

Personally I don't care for the Duaflex, I'd go factory parts, with the prep time to get the other to fit properly it's just not worth it to me. But that's just me.