Riz

I'm thinking of occasionally tracking my 997 c2, I don't have any clear film applied. Is this reccommended, and which areas should get covered, i.e. how high up should it go on the hood etc. Does it look ok on a red car?

p-cardriver

My wife has it half way up the hood of her CaymanS and across the "brow" above the windshield. Her car is dark blue. Up close it is easy to see the line/edge. But it does protect pretty well against the "clag" tossed up especially in the higher run groups at the track.

I don't have it anywhere on my black C2S except the front bumper. I have lots of rock chips on the lower hood. I use a good paint protector (Klasse AOI and Sealant) and the clag smears come off pretty easily.

My feeling is it is easy to clean the paint and I'd rather respray the hood etc in a few years/miles than pay for the full clear bra application and deal with the look of it. Others disagree.

russo

Definitely get the clear film on the entire front of the car. Its not very pleasant to see the front of your car sandblasted.

brendo

i have it and it's really saved me. get the front bumper minimum. i don't like the look of the 1/2 hood & perfer the whole thing. it's about $1300 to spray the bumper & hood. my product is 3M but i'm not deep on the product varieties. i know it works like a champ.

true some don't like it especially with the paint jobs on these cars, but when you choose to track it, you'll be glad you have it.

Frino

You can get away using racing tape if you are only tracking once or twice a year. You'll likely see more damage from regular driving than on the track, especially if you are a track newbie and running in the novice groups. Case for getting the film is much stronger if you consider your daily driving needs...especially if they involve regular highway use.

I've had the 3M product on for past three years....lower half of hood, bumper, fenders, A-pillars, mirrors, and front lights. Would get it again in a heartbeat.

camhabib

As others have said, go for the 3M or any other variant there of. I've had them on all my road cars and they still look spotless after years of daily highway and country road driving. I really recommend getting a) the lifetime warranty on them and b) not skimping on what you cover. I recommend covering everything that has direct contact with wind - aka bumper, hood, mirrors, lower side skirts, and the hips in the back.

mobonic

If you will be tracking and you like your paint. get the full front.

I did the bumper and half hood b/c I did not want to spend the extra money and had to pay double to get it latter on and remove part of the front.

smackboy1

If you're going to go to the trouble and expense to get clear bra, get full frontal coverage. I went partial front and now I regret it as chips appear higher up on the fenders and hood. If you autocross, consider getting your doors and rear wheel fenders covered too. I think 3M has best film for protection.

Here's something I also use for my headlights. It's DIY and a lot thicker than the paint protection film. Headlights can be costly to replace.

http://www.xpel.com/products/headlight_protection.asp

BTW, a good quality film professionally installed is barely perceptible until you are standing next to the car. And even then unless you are looking for, most people don't notice it. Full coverage done right is virtually invisible because the installer should pull all the lights off the car and wrap the edges around so there are minimal lines visible. It looks fine on red cars. We have full frontal 3M on a red MINI and nobody notices it because the install was done right.

Paul S.

I am probably in the minority, but if you are only occasionally tracking the car, I would go traditional Colgan bra, mirror bras, and selectively use tape to protect the trailing edges of your fenders and the rockers.

If, however, you track a lot, clearbra certainly is easier. I would cover front bumper, hood, mirror backs, trailing edges of the fenders, the fender lips themselves, and the entire rocker panel area.

The down side is clear bra you will see--pictures never do it justice, as far as how visible it really is especially as it ages and gets some track dirt along the edges. I had it on my 996 TT (which I tracked on average 15-18 weekends every year). I do not have it on my Club Coupe which will not be tracked, because I don't like the look (lines, yellow bug guts can leave stains that have to wear off, it discolors with age, and no matter what you cover, you cannot cover everything so there will be stone chips, and over time the film will nick and look bad/need replacing).

Mr. Brown

I would get the clear film regardless.

I do track my cars, and I got XPEL installed. It covers the entire front, the entire hood, one third of the front fenders, and the rear view mirrors. It has kept my car perfect, so I do recommend it. If you're in the northern VA area, I can recommend a first class installer.
Mr. B

Fred2

What do you think about installing this film to protect the windshield?

http://www.clearplex.com/

Mr. Brown

I've never needed windshield protection, but the stone chips your car will get at the track will drive you crazy, unless you get the clear fim.
Mr. B

KeninBlaine

I'm dubious of windshield film being scratch resistant, but would be curious to hear of the experience of anyone who has tried it. Our Porsche windshields seem to take a real beating with little stone chips.

Jetpilot

Do it

brendo

just broke mine - rock chip. not sure this protection would have helped. maybe??