In terms of problems: there’s also some concerns about the toxicity of CRP as well, something not discussed by the original article or by the comments. As the author pointed out; CRP when it does fail goes out in a big way. How small this big way is unclear, but looking at crash footage of notable accidents where CRP was present (as with the big crash Robert Kubica had at the Canadian GP in 2007), I have to wonder what sort of CF particulates were tossed into the environment in the resultant dust cloud that followed the initial impact.

There have been reports that under a microscope, a number of carbon nanotubes look a lot like asbestos fibers. But how dangerous this actually is is still unclear, because not enough research has been done as to how long these carbon fibers actually will exist in an environment like a human body. But considering how CF advocates proclaim the benefits of CRP longevity elsewhere, is it really too much to assume that such inhaled dust cloud fibers will stay in the body for a long, LONG time…just like asbestos?

Maybe I’m just paranoid, but I think I’d rather stay upwind of said dust cloud if I had the choice. Problem is, in an accident there isn’t such a choice.

Absolutely correct. And yes, KnightRT, the chassis must be autoclaved in order to cure the resin. For some information on the subject look at the ATR group in Italy who makes most of the F1 chassis tubs, as well as the Veyron’s, Ferrari Enzo and the aforementioned Carrera GT.

CRP (Carbon Reinforced Plastic) is by far the optimal material currently for the structural elements of a vehicle’s chassis. It’s only real problem is expense and not necessarily from a materials standpoint but mass production.

It comes down to “what’s your life worth?”

This conclusion does not follow from the previous sentence and is not based on any scientific or engineering knowledge.

but it also is staggeringly expensive

Carbon fiber is just graphite and resin. The raw material cost is less than $8 a pound, which, while a single-digit multiple of the cost of steel, is hardly staggering. Much of the expense is in crafting the fiber sheets into the shape of a vehicle chassis, because they’re only strong on two axes (and depending on the particular fiber, only in tension) and therefore don’t lend themselves to mass production metalworking techniques. The McLaren F1’s chassis actually required baking in a massive kiln, though I’m unaware if this is still the norm.

Insofar as you suggest that the main point of the article is that carbon fiber “sucks,” the article is wrong.

Leaving aside the carbon fiber trim pieces (and the fake carbon fiber trim pieces, which are just as function, albeit less expensive), in terms of daily drivability, carbon fiber offers little advantages to the street car owner.

Steel has toughness that can withstand impacts and bounce back. Minor dents can be pounded out (sometimes without repainting, those dent doctor places actually work).

Granted, carbon fiber is stronger and lighter weight, but it also is staggeringly expensive. As a practical material for an affordable mass-production street car, it leaves a lot to be desired.

Just because something works well in a race car does not make it suitable for a street car. In fact, most racing gear is best left on race cars. The idea that racing technology trickles down to street cars is largely a marketing gimmick. What works on the track is often disasterous on the street.

(Perhaps if race cars had to go 150,000 miles between teardowns, some of the technology might be applicable to a street car).

The main point of the article was not that carbon fiber sucks, only that as TRIM material for the interior of a car, it is ludicrous. But the same could be said of “brushed aluminum” trim, which is often, in reality, plastic.

I ran into one doofus who was trying to remove all the “fake wood” trim from his BMW X5 to replace it with aftermarket plastic fake brushed aluminum trim (they also make a fake carbon fiber kit as well).

Of course, the joke is on him. The “fake wood” in the BMW is, of course, the real deal, not some plastic laminate. But yet he dropped over a grand taking it out and replacing it with…plastic faked up to look like aluminum.

Go Figure.