Doug's Cobalt SS SC

Hey guys I just had my new AIT carbon fiber hood installed & im debating weather to install hood pins or not. Currently I’m using my OEM latch & it seems to be holding just find other than just the slightest bit of play in the latch. I really would like to avoid drilling holes through my new hood however I do not want the latch to fail while driving down the freeway.

I’m hoping to get some feedback from others on here that have the same type of hood setup without hood pins so that I can see how long they have been running that way without issue however I’m open to any & all advice

Wind

Aren't you supposed to since the it's basically just glued on ?

double clutch

iTrader: (1)

If I was getting a carbon fiber hood I would for peace of mind. There are flush pin setups available so that yo can barely tell they are there.

Slowbalt2000

iTrader: (1)

100x yes

Doug's Cobalt SS SC

Thanks guys & your right double if I do go with hood pins I was looking to go with

Snail_SS

iTrader: (3)

I would go with the same set up for pins if I was in your shoes

Doug's Cobalt SS SC

Just wanted to follow up on this thread. I did end up taking everyone's advice & installed hood pins in my CF hood just to be safe! The install was fairly straight forward & I was able to do it without screwing up my new hood . I ended up going with the quick latch pins from quick latch as I felt that they were the easiest to install & use. They weren't cheap at $139.99 from quick latch plus shipping however in my opinion it was worth it as they should out last the car & my hood is nice & snug now with 0 flex! They are also known to hold 500 pounds each before letting go & Quick Latch has stories & pictures on their site showing where their pins actually have saved lives in front end collisions by preventing the hood & the front support beam from getting crinkled back into the cabin. If this is true then it's good piece of mind to know that they could protect me in a front end collision. Pics below, I went with black so that they would blend in with my CF hood as I really didn't want them to stand out.

07MetallicSC

iTrader: (16)

confirmed theyll stay on at 160mph with no hood pins. I wouldnt waste the money

chevygirl2006

JUSt a few Days ago someone posted pictures of their carbon hood coming apart on the freeway. They didn’t have pins.

Doug's Cobalt SS SC

I think it all comes down to personal preference. I ran without pins for about 3 months before having pins installed & I didn't have an issue however I was getting some hood flex coming from the front passenger side of my hood on the freeway. I put a lot of $ into my new CF hood & I have a 1.5 hour round trip daily commute to work that's all freeway. I didn't want to have to keep worrying about what could happen without the pins & every time I saw that hood flex it drove me nuts. Also I had to adjust the striker on my CF hood all the way out in order for it to attach to my OEM latch leaving little to none of my striker still in the hood so I didn't feel very comfortable with that.

At the end of the day you have to ask yourself will the OEM latch & the striker on your new CF hood hold without pins ? The answer may be yes however are you willing to risk completely damaging your new CF hood that you put a lot of $ into & possibly crashing your car all because you don't want to drop $135 bucks on a good set of pins ? My answer was no however that's my answer for my situation. As I said it's all personal preference & im happy with my decision as my hood flex is gone, they look good, I no longer have to worry every day when I drive to work & these pins could possibly even save my life if I'm ever involved in a front end collision as they have proven to keep the hood & front support beam from pushing back into the cabin as seen in the pics below.

Doug's Cobalt SS SC

I think it all comes down to personal preference. I ran without pins for about 3 months before having pins installed & I didn't have an issue however I was getting some hood flex coming from the front passenger side of my hood on the freeway. I put a lot of $ into my new CF hood & I have a 1.5 hour round trip daily commute to work that's all freeway. I didn't want to have to keep worrying about what could happen without the pins & every time I saw that hood flex it drove me nuts. Also I had to adjust the striker on my CF hood all the way out in order for it to attach to my OEM latch leaving little to none of my striker still in the hood so I didn't feel very comfortable with that.

At the end of the day you have to ask yourself will the OEM latch & the striker on your new CF hood hold without pins ? The answer may be yes however are you willing to risk completely damaging your new CF hood that you put a lot of $ into & possibly crashing your car all because you don't want to drop $135 bucks on a good set of pins ? My answer was no however that's my answer for my situation. As I said it's all personal preference & im happy with my decision as my hood flex is gone, they look good, I no longer have to worry every day when I drive to work & these pins could possibly even save my life if I'm ever involved in a front end collision as they have proven to keep the hood & front support beam from pushing back into the cabin as seen in the pics below.

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

the need for pins comes down to the construction of the hood. if its just a lightweight skin, then yes it needs pins. if its built with an inner hood structure it really shouldnt need pins, especially if there is a metal plate glued inside the hood structure that the hood latch bolts to. if the hood looks like its flapping at speed it likely is because the latch or hood bumpers are incorrectly adjusted. the hood shouldnt be loose on the latch, if it is the bumpers need to be brought up to put some load on the hood when its latched.

my shop has worked with our fiberglass guy to build some one off fiberglass and carbon hoods. we start with a steel hood and mod it the way we want, and that becomes the plug. we have a mould pulled off both the inside and the outside, and then have composite pieces made from the moulds. 1/4-5/16" thick aluminum plates are bonded to the inside of the structure where the hinges, latch and any lift supports bolt to, and these plates are as large as we can make them to spread the load as much as possible. the inside and outside pieces are then bonded together with panel adhesive. doing it like this gives the hood a very good structure, honestly the ones we have done have been every bit as rigid as a steel hood, and we have never had an issue. they may be a little heavier than others, but if you want the lightest hood your gonna be holding it with dzus fasteners anyways.

adding hood pins like you did is fine. myself, i would likely put the pins closer to the outside, if the hood isnt very rigid it would keep the hood down better at the front corners, and the factory latch will hold the center. im sure you will have no issues with it though. good call on the quick latches, ive used them a couple times, they are amazingly strong.

Jbsmusic1

Hood looks good bro, I have the same hood on my ss sedan. I have been running it without hood pins and have had no problems. AS stated by everybody else it's a personal preference. I personally did not want to mess with and mess up my carbon fiber hood. My biggest problem is the sun fading out the hood it's about time for a new clear coat.

exninja

iTrader: (1)

In a front end collision I'd be more worried about the hood failing at the hinges and spearing the cabin. Factory hoods are engineered to buckle in a crash, but CF hoods aren't really engineered at all.

cluelessk

The catches are on the hinges so it all really relies on how well the hood mounting brackets are fastened to the hood itself.

Doug's Cobalt SS SC

Thanks Sharkey really good stuff bro! & yes I completely agree with you on putting the hood pins farther out towards the corners. Not only do they look better but like you said they offer more support. With my hood we tried however because of my 3 large functional cooling removable panels the only flat spot where the panels were not located or where there wasn't a curve in the hood was where I mounted them.

Doug's Cobalt SS SC

My hood does have an inner skin structure however I did not see a mettle plate where the latch mounts so basically it's just being held on by the hood skin itself

Doug's Cobalt SS SC

Looks good JD! Mine came with a clear coat, how long have you had your hood for now ? The place that I purchased my hood from AIT racing said that I should use that Meguiar ultimate black wax seen in the pic below. They said it would protect against sun fade & make my clear coat last a lot longer. I already picked up some of their wax & spray wax for this upcoming summer! I'm going to use it all summer to keep that dark black look & to protect it from fading. I also keep my car garaged so I hope that keeps my hood from fading as well.

JD one other thing you had mentioned the hood bumpers, I have all of my hood bumpers I'm not missing any & we adjusted my hood, my OEM latch & my hood bumps as much as possible to prevent the hood flex. My hood is almost perfectly aligned & prior to my pins I had 0 hood flex from the driver side however I had a little from my front passenger side but it was only when I got her up over 75mph.

Doug's Cobalt SS SC