carbon fiber valve covers

Greenfive-oh8 said:

Just so you know, Carbon fiber is lighter than aluminum. In racing lighter is better, so what's so "rice" about that?


I've been dying for a set of CF valve covers ever since i saw that v-10 in a penzoil magazine ad

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For the record the original post was reasonable since CF valve covers look great-( if you have the cash to blow) and I would throw them on my 5.0 if I found them cheap- however this post by Greenfive-oh8 sparked the argument that for the money the weight savings were excessivly rediculous. I think everyone would agree with me....sorry greenfive-oh8 just wanted to avoid yet another pointless neverending debate.
Fact is +/- $400 can go alot farther than just a set of valve covers.

That's like saying people that buy 400 dollars in billet pieces and engine dress up pieces are stupid for buying it, and it could be put to better use. It's a cosmetic thing. Why do people buy Polished blowers? They're much more expensive, but it does nothing but look good. Same concept. If you have the money, and want to spend it on CB valve covers, go for it! They look awesome!

Killer50stang said:

Sorry but that small weight difference, will give you no difference at the track. Like I said before. Run with the fibers and without and tell me your time difference. I spent $100 on mine...high rise ford racing covers and they're perfect. $400 on any cover is just plan stupid!!

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You miss the point, less weight is faster no matter what, if they saved 10 pounds, that could be the difference in an 8.00 and a 7.99 at the track. It might not be measurable but lighter is lighter. Im not saying that it's bang for the buck and it's one of the worst ways to spend money for weight reduction but he did also want them because of the way they look and they stay cooler.

I'm just saying I would spend my $$ elsewhere first. You can get plenty of other mods under $400. Then the next step after you've built everything up perfect, then get the CF covers. They do stay cooler, however, I'll disagree on looks. I think my $100 covers look way better than any fiber cover. Then again, it's my opinion, just like %50 of threads. I'm not here to argue, just stating facts.

Oh in no way shape or form am I arguing that. Im not a fan of the looks either but you know, if you like genuine carbon fiber stuff, they would be more worth it to you. The price is too high for mere weight savings alone!

If it were an all out car and you needed every ounce out, it would matter more but I still say go with the Comps if you can find em and get a set that dont crack!

For $400 .. a nitrous setup could drop you up to a full second off your ET where as the valve covers MAYBE .001-.002. (for example sake) You take your pick . No one is disagreeing that CF valve covers look good- its the basic principle that they were (hopefully) never advertised to make your stang go faster. If you really feel the need to point out the weight savings of maybe 5-10lbs then thats the most expensive way to save such a little amount of weight. Id begin with the free weight savings mods such as AC, sound deadening,rear seat , spare etc.

Ummm, a $400 nitrous kit can make you faster than an $400 k member also but people still buy them. If everybody stopped at just what is bang for the buck, there wouldnt be 4 second 1/4 mile cars. Oh it's not a smart way to spend money to go faster for the average person. Nobody is denying that.

I know somebody that has Weld Alumastar wheels for the front of his 03 Cobra that are around $400 each when he could have just spent $230 on a pair of Pro Stars, the Alumastar Prostock wheels are probably a little lighter but not for the money!

BLOWN 5.0 FOX said:

For $400 .. a nitrous setup could drop you up to a full second off your ET where as the valve covers MAYBE .001-.002. (for example sake) You take your pick . No one is disagreeing that CF valve covers look good- its the basic principle that they were (hopefully) never advertised to make your stang go faster. If you really feel the need to point out the weight savings of maybe 5-10lbs then thats the most expensive way to save such a little amount of weight. Id begin with the free weight savings mods such as AC, sound deadening,rear seat , spare etc.

TO EACH HIS OWN ​

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Exactly my point. Looks are one thing, but do you think people are going to be like "wow you have CF covers??". Most likely not. Why not spend it on something stated above like nitrous?

Whoops sorry for starting a monsterous arguement, and then walk away from it lol

Yes i know CF valve covers won't do smack on the track, but who cares! you'll be pulling in more asian babes!

CASE CLOSED

I just thought I would add my .02 since I just did a project in an Advanced Composites class on this last spring. Also, the head of my university department fabricated a CF V-12 engine block.

The weight saving will be very small maybe a pound per cover. The problem is that with CF getting a flat surface to seal to the head is very difficult. The best way to do it is to bond an Al. flange to the CF cover.
As far as heat dissapation, It may be better with CF but you will not be able to run a smaller radiator because of it so in my opinion there would be no advantage there.

As far as fabrication goes there are a few challenges, which is why no one makes a good pair now. First is epoxy selection. The matrix must hold up at high temps. and be chemically resistant. I found one company that made a suitable matrix, but was unable to actually get a sample. The professor who made the CF block said that the material was very difficult to work with, requiring heating to mix the two parts. Also, epoxies (especially with high service temps) require high temp cures. Having to cure a part in an oven at 300F for an hour adds alot to the cost.

The tooling is fairly straight forward, but must be made of the same material as the finished product to ensure against warping during heat up due to CTE mismatches.
Also, to get good consolidation and lower void contents with thick epoxies you almost have to use an autoclave. Cheap autoclaves are about $100,000, if I remember right. Maybe you could find one used for half price?
There are not many gel coat type materials that are chemically resistant and have a high enough service temp, that also would porvide a clear glossy finish. Most that fit the operating conditions are yellow/brownish in color.

I was able to make a tool and fabricate a prototype using Iso resin and fiberglass. It came out ok. But what I determined from the project was that doing this as a business venture would not be economically justified. Maybe making a set or two would be fun for personal use, but I have very little time now that I am working for such a project.