was looking an some carbon fiber intake snorkels from chaser aero dynamics website and saw 2 different kinds on carbon fiber snorkels. one said it was a 4x4 twill weave. what is this? the other just said carbon fiber. pics just show the same looking part. the 4x4 twill weave one cost $249, reg carbon fiber $199. also they have a carbon/ kevlar $199.

what is so special about the 4x4 weave one to make it $50 more than the reg carbon fiber one or carbon/kevlar one? anyone have info on this or seen the 2 of them side by side. want to know if the extra $50 is worth it cause i can get the carbon/kevlar one for cheaper which carbon kevlar is always more expensive. much help appreciated.

 

Im not sure about the weave in the carbon fiber, but I would not buy the snorkel from Chaser. I think a member here screen name EOE (if I remember right) bought one from Chaser, and it fit like crap. It involves some modification to fit. Hell, i've seen people with Ebay carbon snorkels that fit pretty good. You just have to move your hood latch up some for it to clear the hood.

 

the weave is just that -- how the composite fibers are woven. think about it like a cotton cloth made from yarn. weaving fabric is the same for composite. assuming neither of the products have earned a reputation for poor workmanship / being junk, just get the one that you like better. i would consider the weave to be almost exclusively aesthetic.

if you're concerned, for cross-ply woven fabrics of equal areal density (which won't be the case), the differences in going from one standard weave to another produces a difference of less than 10% in structural performance with few, rare exceptions.

which means that the thickness of the fibers, the type and compatibility of the resin, the process, the void content, and so on and so forth will make a MUCH greater difference. and you won't know that, so it's a crapshoot to guess which is stronger / lighter / better without a lot more data.

 

right on... suzuka-blue-s2k have a fiberglass snorkel right now and it fits pretty well, just bought it from a friend used for $40. painted it with bumper trim paint for now so it looks like the plastic like the airbox. but was looking to get something nicer.


how much do the e-bay carbone fiber snorkels usually run for?

 

Im at work so I dont want to be going to a bunch of sites haha, but I think their around $180, in that range.

 

ace123 you are just stating the obvious. i was wondering how it looks. has anyone seen them. what wandering if the extra weave is worth it? but why would it be worth it if it looks the same? cannot tell by the pics.

 

I would say just stick with the 2x2 weave. I dont think the changes would be worth $50. 2x2 looks nice as it is.

 

never seen 4x4.

2x2 looks like diagonal lines. 1x1 looks like a basic checker. most jdm companies use 1x1

just pick the one that looks better to you.

 

I was about to say, it's either 1x1 or 2x2.



1x1



2x2

 

4x4 cross has extremely wide "diagonal weave pattern," I imagine it would look very odd on a small part such as a snorkel.