PU bodykit..how reliable ?

Erm , I was told by a bodykit shop owner , he told me that PU material does MELT..Thats all I know ya

Ain't PU are usually used for the interiors? Like the door trim or dash board.. But if things invloves exterior mostly involved molding, welding and drilling.

PU is reliable in term of strength.. coz its a mixture of plastic and rubber, more likely more plastic than rubber, thats y it can be bent.. but it have a defect also when going against high speed.. they said it will 'kembang'..

Maybe PU is a new term. Never heard of this type before.

FRP with a SPL resin will be flexible. Many aero makers here in japan apply this method.

Personally prefer Urethane, but not many aftermarket makers supply full kits in this material. More like little spoilers for the front lip and that's it.

Here is a Eurethane front spoiler I just fitted to a customers car last week. Can't beat the material. So well made and durable.

You can just check about PU usage for the cars... Usually are for wrapping interiors.... One more thing it can be used to be the car's bumper.... Since its PU itself, it is easily bended and custom made to fit in the size of the car. Good thing about PU, its cheap and has good tensile strength. Bad thing is, poor compression, which means it tends to crack if taken a direct hit perpendicular to its lining. Summore, once PU dry up, it may start to losen lots of hardness and shart to shed like dandruff. Just my opinion though.

But there are ways to protect PU materials, you can just buy them at any detailing shops, or paint it kaw kaw. Also, always wash them so that they dun tend to dry up easily.

better than fiber, that's all i know...

got this off Wiki,

low density flexible foam used in upholstery and bedding,
low density rigid foam used for thermal insulation and e.g. automobile dashboards,
soft solid elastomers used for gel pads and print rollers, and
hard solid plastics used as electronic instrument bezels and structural parts.

Its waaay much better than fibreglass. PU can melt, but not by our harshest sunlight. But by open flame.

nuwa said:

better than fiber, that's all i know...

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true...i know a guy's toyota LE fiber spoiler crack just cz was exposed to sunlight regularly...

FYI.. in malaysian market here, car kits comes in 4 different material,

1- ABS plastic - Orginal (Mostly use, normal standard bumpers)

2- PP - Aftermarket kits, closest to original, flexible and hard, best choice but expensive, Non-customizable (can add fibre, but won't stick that well)

3- PU(Polyurethane) - Also aftermarket kits, flexible but not that hard, NON-customizable (same case like PP, can add fibre but wont stick well), and need a really professional guy to spray cos paint wont stick easily to it. But Cheaper solution compared to PP.

and last but not least, Fiber - Hard, Solid, Very easy to customize, but too much customization may make the surface uneven and hard to spray (depends on the workmanship).
There is also FRP (Fibre reinforced PU), which is abit more flexible than fibre, but still easy to break.

so, answering TS's question, i don't think there is such thing as customizing PU parts, because PU kits are made in a mold and it came with just one Piece, meaning you can't add stuffs to it (unless u are talking about canards/diffusers). Mild customization is possible, but to customize it, they will still use Fibre.. you cant add PU to it, there is no such thing..

and about reliability, i think its the best choice after PP, and to me, it depends on where would you like to have it.
If it is just a bumper, shouldn't be a problem if you screw all the brackets to necessary points, it will hold well and won't go out of shape easily.
If it is to be used as a fender, bonnets or spoilers, then it is not advisable, Fibre part is a better choice, or if you have the cash, go for customize metal parts instead, way better.

Does that answer your question?

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ae101rulez said:

true...i know a guy's toyota LE fiber spoiler crack just cz was exposed to sunlight regularly...

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it sounds more like a paint crack to me..
paint crack is different la.. but for the part itself to crack just because of sunlight, i don't think its possible..

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Mishima said:

Ain't PU are usually used for the interiors? Like the door trim or dash board.. But if things invloves exterior mostly involved molding, welding and drilling.

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that is PVC bro, not PU..

tai-kor has spoken..Erm , bro , how about those old old cars using bumpers infront like rubbers ?..

most old classics, actually their bumper are metals lar.. with some rubber strips on it.. hehe...

if its not, then its normal ABS plastic lar, like how cars are nowadays..
some of the newer cars nowadays, even use plastics for Fenders.. for example Nissan X-trail..

don't believe me? find one and try pressing it.. hehe..

roy_fatboy said:

most old classics, actually their bumper are metals lar.. with some rubber strips on it.. hehe...

if its not, then its normal ABS plastic lar, like how cars are nowadays..
some of the newer cars nowadays, even use plastics for Fenders.. for example Nissan X-trail..

don't believe me? find one and try pressing it.. hehe..

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Oh , I believe I believe in you..haha