[QwikFlip]

Hi all. Just looking for some advice with regard to hood pins. I just acquired a carbon fiber hood. I track my car regularly and was thinking it would be prudent to install hood pins. Here are few questions that I have.

1. Where is the best place to install the pin itself (ie, an existing hole somwhere, or drill new holes)?

2. From what I have read, it seems like the best way to line up position for drilling holes in the hood is to apply some grease to the top of the pin and lightly close the hood until it touches the pins. Agree? Any better ways?

3. Anyone use AeroCatch hood pins? Good or bad comments on them? Would you recommend these over standard self captive pins? They seem to have functional advantages as well as the asthetical advantages. Comments?

4. Should I install the hood shocks from the factory or leave them off? I have seen mixed comments on this?

Thanks for your help!

 

[VMRWheels]

I dont see a problem with normal sparco hoodpins. They are 1/4 of the price... Unless your going to aerocatch for the appearance. As far as marking holes, you can use white out too, that works as well.

[email protected]
www.vmrwheels.com

 

[MasterTJ]

CLEAR! *defibrilator sound*

THE THREAD IS BACK! Phew. Sorry for the revival BUT:

This thread asks exactly what I want to know about installing hood pins, and it looks like the OP never got an answer on most of his original questions.

-Where do the anchors go?

-Does anyone have experience cutting holes in their CF hood? If so, how?

I'm getting aerocatch pins from my GF for xmas and I want some advice on the install. Thanks in advance to anyone with some input!

 

[mrshelley]

I have my hoodpins mounted to the front core support (about an inch inside of the hood bumper). I suggest backing the nuts up with as big of a washer as possible.

As for the areocatch, absolute junk. They look neat but catch dirt really well, hard to align and break real easily. I have watched (and personally looked at the point of failure) at least 5 cars that run in Continental that have had the areocatch break and the hood fly open. Then the teams that run them, are constantly blowing them out with compressed air because they are a dirt magnet, thus are hard to operate. They are great under ideal conditions but most of us don't live in an ideal world.

Take a look at this video at about 2:48. You'll see that a small hit breaks both hoodpins. I looked at the car afterwords and both of the parts in the hood, broke in half. With a steel pin and clip, this would not have happened.
http://www.youtube.com/user/GrandAmVids#p/search/13/htNI3Ad_7B0

For hood shocks, you can still use them but usually you have to do some experimentation and remount them where they have less of a lever effect.

 

[McSpeed]

Take a look at this video at about 2:48. You'll see that a small hit breaks both hoodpins.

!
compelling.

 

[MasterTJ]

Take a look at this video at about 2:48. You'll see that a small hit breaks both hoodpins. I looked at the car afterwords and both of the parts in the hood, broke in half. With a steel pin and clip, this would not have happened.

Wow that hood got owned! But I wouldn't call that a "small hit", I'd call that an accident. I don't race the car, and have never tracked it. The pins will be just to hold the hood down while driving at highway/100+ speeds.

These aerocatch should do the trick right? If dirt gets in em, I'll clean them. It's mainly for keeping the hood from flying off.

 

[vaio76109]

It's mainly for keeping the hood from flying off.

The stock latches do a pretty decent job of that .

 

[MasterTJ]

The stock latches do a pretty decent job of that .

Yeah but what if they fail? It's happened before. This would be an extra failsafe to protect a $1400 hood ya know? Better safe than sorry. Also, they look cool.

 

[FTWeisse]

The stock latches do a pretty decent job of that .

Genius.

 

[vaio76109]

Yeah but what if they fail? It's happened before. This would be an extra failsafe to protect a $1400 hood ya know? Better safe than sorry. Also, they look cool.

Ive seen way more hoods pop up from people forgetting to install their hoodpins than the stock latches failing.

If you want to do it because they look cool just say so.

 

[bigjae1976]

Wow that hood got owned! But I wouldn't call that a "small hit", I'd call that an accident. I don't race the car, and have never tracked it. The pins will be just to hold the hood down while driving at highway/100+ speeds.

These aerocatch should do the trick right? If dirt gets in em, I'll clean them. It's mainly for keeping the hood from flying off.

That wasn't a real hard hit. Either way, don't want your hood flying open if you are still moving.

 

[bigjae1976]

If you want to do it because they look cool just say so.

:rofl: :facepalm: :rofl:

 

[mrshelley]

They do look cool but I won't use them. I do have angel eyes and yellow film on the headlights. That's because I think it looks cool but it offers nothing when it comes to performance. I do have wheels that cost $1K each but they don't look cool. On the other hand, they do add to the overall performance and reliability. I can't think of one thing on my car that looks cool and adds to the performance of it. Pretty much everything I got looks like it came from the dorks that sat all by themselves during lunchtime.

 

[bigjae1976]

They do look cool but I won't use them. I do have angel eyes and yellow film on the headlights. That's because I think it looks cool but it offers nothing when it comes to performance. I do have wheels that cost $1K each but they don't look cool. On the other hand, they do add to the overall performance and reliability. I can't think of one thing on my car that looks cool and adds to the performance of it. Pretty much everything I got looks like it came from the dorks that sat all by themselves during lunchtime.

Nothing wrong with doing things for appearance...to each their own. But the epic bumper seems concerned with their hood flying open for some reason. Just be honest, that's all.

:thumbup: for using the e-fibrilator to revive this 2 year old thread!

 

[MasterC17]

Wow that hood got owned! But I wouldn't call that a "small hit", I'd call that an accident. I don't race the car, and have never tracked it. The pins will be just to hold the hood down while driving at highway/100+ speeds.

These aerocatch should do the trick right? If dirt gets in em, I'll clean them. It's mainly for keeping the hood from flying off.

:hmm: I'm confused. If you're just going to use the hood pins for street driving, than they are purely for looks. The hood will not just fly up on you driving on the street or highway. However, why would you want to drill holes in your $1400 hood?? Just stick with the stock latches, the hood pins don't look that cool, will have no functionality, and there will be two holes in your expesnive hood. But to each their own! :thumbup:

 

[FTWeisse]

:hmm: I'm confused. If you're just going to use the hood pins for street driving, than they are purely for looks. The hood will not just fly up on you driving on the street or highway. However, why would you want to drill holes in your $1400 hood?? Just stick with the stock latches, the hood pins don't look that cool, will have no functionality, and there will be two holes in your expesnive hood. But to each their own! :thumbup:

While I think hood pins on a street car are well...you know...

However, we are, after all, talking about a composite hood here. Honestly, I wouldn't use a composite hood without hood pins - you never know how robust the mounting points for the latches are and the last thing you want on the street is for them to fail while you're on the motorway. Yeah yeah yeah, I know there are tons of people who have composite hoods on their street cars without pins. I don't care - I personally wouldn't trust those latch mounts.

Moral of the story: composite hoods on a street car are a no-no. However, if you do decide to use one, be smart and use the pins. That's just my opinion though. Feel free to disagree.