A Guide to Gloss Black vs Carbon Fibre Styling
Here at CT we of course love our carbon fibre & we’ve created some fantastic kits such as our G80, F40, Lamborghini Huracan Performante & McLaren Kit. Still, we also do appreciate that not everyone loves carbon or could even just prefer the gloss black/matte black aesthetic & price point.
With this in mind, we’ve decided to offer a comparison but also show some of our favorite gloss black pieces/ kits that we provide at CT Carbon.
Reasons to opt for gloss black styling
Gloss black is a very common aesthetic that people like to apply to their cars with either body kits or even wraps and other types of styling.
Gloss black kits that we offer can add a great level of aggression that any other styling can but at a price point that is a lot more wallet-friendly compared to carbon fibre & also offers a different styling aesthetic: pure black and gloss or matte. Here are a few points to consider when buying a gloss black kit.
1. Durable, More Weather Resistant & UV Resistant.
ABS is generally able to flex and move more when you are fitting it, allowing for more play and easier fitting but it’s also durable which means you are able to be more forceful with it. It also won’t have as many risks of being contaminated or having the resin destroyed due to weather conditions.
2. More Friendly To Your Wallet
This point speaks for itself, with plastic rather than carbon fibre, the cost of purchasing these products is a fair amount less than the equivalent carbon fibre which of course is a huge factor to many people and there’s nothing wrong with that.
3. Dark, Stealthy & Cleaner
Being pure black and glossy, it’s a simple and clean aesthetic styling part with no weave etc & which is a big plus to a lot of people, a carbon fibre weave is sometimes a detail people would rather not have.
4. Environmentally Friendlier Than Carbon
Making carbon fibre is a process that can be pretty heavy on the use of CO2 & ABS plastic is a simpler process that just requires the heating up of the plastic, a machine which would press the plastic into a mould and cool it down. Plastic also offers the positive of being recyclable
Reasons to opt for carbon fibre styling
Carbon Fibre is a very strong material that also adds a beautiful aesthetic to your car with it's patterned weave, there are also the options of forged carbon which has a "crushed" weave and has a completely different aesthetic. Finally, you can also opt for "pre-preg" or "dry" carbon fibre which is an even stronger version of this material.
Carbon fibre is also a material that allows for a lot more creativity with design, gloss black does have some limitations with shaping and design due to the nature of its manufacturing but carbon fibre does not have the same limitations which is great.
1. Durability
Gloss black is a durable material but carbon fibre is also very strong (especially pre-preg) which makes it harder to beat when you look at this comparison from a durability perspective & when you want longevity to be a key part of your purchase, then pre-preg carbon fibre is a brilliant option.
2. Light-Weight
Although potentially more durable, carbon fibre is also more lightweight. This is especially true when you consider pre-preg/dry carbon fibre which does not use any reinforcement from fibreglass. There is not an incredibly large difference but it’s always important to know everything.
3. Aerodynamic Performance
Although to some people this point will make no actual difference in their decision as aerodynamics aren’t always a conversation someone has when looking into styling for a vehicle. Carbon fibre is actually much more of an aerodynamically friendly material due to the way it flexes under load from the air.
Gloss black plastic is a lot more rigid and does not move in the same ways & this is something you can see from race cars, as they use a lot of carbon fibre in their aero.
4. Repair
One thing you can also add to this comparison is the possibility of repairs after some sort of impact, carbon fibre is a very strong material and it can withstand impacts to a degree but being a resin-covered part, you are able to repair this resin if something causes damage to it which is something that can be harder to achieve with gloss black.
Comparing some of our products
When comparing products, we want to ensure we can offer great value & quality over OEM or other counterparts.
BMW M3/M4 G80/G81/G82/G83 Carbon Fibre Grille vs OEM BMW G80 Grille: We offer our CSL Style grille for the BMW G8X Series which not only is made from high-quality dry/pre-preg carbon fibre which saves on weight, provides better styling with its design & finish.
Another example of this difference is the CT Design Spoiler in Carbon Fibre & The F40 Gloss black spoiler in MP style. We recommend both due to offering great styling changes which allow our customers to pick based on budget & preference.
Summary
There will always be a lot of different reasons and things to consider for yourself when you are looking into purchasing some styling for your car & we are always happy to help in any way we can!
Overall as we have mentioned above, there are reasons which can point you in either direction and we understand that. Gloss black styling for your BMW is cheaper than BMW Carbon fibre and if cost is the most important factor then we have a huge range available here.
If cost is a less important part of your decision, or you simply know that you want carbon fibre then of course you have come to the right place! Our carbon fibre is a lightweight, strong & high-quality styling product and this is something we stand by.
Need some help deciding? Have any questions? Then feel free to get in touch!
