Looking to set up a group buy on Polycarbonate Windows

[RobCallow]

As above trying to gauge interest on a GB

Here is the Feeler Thread - http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... c&t=210378

[DasChin]

avoid P4P. expensive products and not good quality!

Perspex is not good and I would go polycarb.

I know the guy that runs ACW Motorsport Plastics really well and he has already offered me a deal for my E30 320 iS track car

it was about £150 for a full kit including sliders and rear window.

take a look on here: http://www.acwmotorsportplastics.co.uk/ ... ccfutit3s3

let me know. Nick

[TRACKM3]

avoid P4P. expensive products and not good quality!

Perspex is not good and I would go polycarb.

I know the guy that runs ACW Motorsport Plastics really well and he has already offered me a deal for my E30 320 iS track car

it was about £150 for a full kit including sliders and rear window.

take a look on here: http://www.acwmotorsportplastics.co.uk/ ... ccfutit3s3

let me know. Nick

Nick ive supplied P4P parts for years there also in the Falcon and most other Historic FIA cars, there all FIA legal with FIA approval stickers,i can only say all the kits ive had have been superb quality and the main difference between them and ACW is that P4P are thermoformed, but please correct me if im wrong ?

[Demlotcrew]

avoid P4P. expensive products and not good quality!

Perspex is not good and I would go polycarb.

I know the guy that runs ACW Motorsport Plastics really well and he has already offered me a deal for my E30 320 iS track car

it was about £150 for a full kit including sliders and rear window.

take a look on here: http://www.acwmotorsportplastics.co.uk/ ... ccfutit3s3

let me know. Nick

Nick, thats a pretty far out statement! I bought a kit via Martin (TrackM3) early this year which were from P4P and the windows were mage from Lexan Margard and if one were to buy the raw materials just enough for a E30 coupe window set, you would be looking at;



I looked in to all of this before i made my purchase, there is very little to be saved by using cheaper sheets. Margard is very tough and is hard coated, on my car you can hardly notice its all plastic windows.

The added advantage of P4P is the FIA approval. Im not saying this is true for all situations, but I have been told of occasions where track cars on public days at the ring were not allowed access to the track because of no certification on the glass.

This is my turd with P4P windows all round (the rears have a slight tint/Motorsport).



I would like to hear why you think their kits are poor quality?

Andrew

[ross_jsy]

Am extremely impressed with my P4P kit (although yet to be fitted bar testing 1 side window)

Only thing is I think I ordered the wrong one for the rear side windows. Does anyone have pictures of what they have done with rear pop out shadowline frames? Want it to look relatively standard

[DasChin]

kitsI have bought and seen have been tatty, badly presented and they are perspex. really rough around the edges and not best value.

Perspex kits have a habit of shattering under big impact which is why I went down the Polycarb route with ACW. they provide 4mm thick polycarb windows.

Andrew, do you really need FIA approval for what you do? I doubt it. you always over engineer everything though to be fair

Perspex is a bitch to clean and not ideal for a road car as its scratches really easily.

just going on what I have seen and experienced. if you want a good deal then go to ACW.

[ross_jsy]

My windows are polycarb and from P4P?

[Demlotcrew]

Nick,

My kit from P4P is Lexan Margard, this is used on Planes both commercial and Light, its one of the best materials available.

I looked on the ACW site, and they only offer the two front windows in this materal, and the cost between both like for like sets is only £40, for the additional cost, would it not be a good idea to have FIA approval?

Just saying, thats all.

Andrew

[DanThe]

Is this the kit you have Andrew?

http://www.plastics4performance.com/Lex ... 5-702-521/

Are the windows curved and are the fronts intended to be mounted solid or can they be used with lifters?

[TRACKM3]

You can have the fronts Thermoformed now, so can be used in the runners allowing you window opening as per std fitment

Martin

[Jhonno]

What sort of weight saving would you get with poly windows over glass?

As a side bonus, are they not more resiliant to 'brick attack' also?

[TRACKM3]

What sort of weight saving would you get with poly windows over glass?

As a side bonus, are they not more resiliant to 'brick attack' also?

Not 100% on the weight saving but the main saving is they wont shatter in an accident saving you the waiting time in A&E

[Jhonno]

So yes to the brick attack also then..

[ross_jsy]

Jhonno, to give you an idea, I think my whole window set was about the same weight as my glass rear window

[DanThe]

Its approx half the weight at the same thickness

[Demlotcrew]

Is this the kit you have Andrew?

http://www.plastics4performance.com/Lex ... 5-702-521/

Are the windows curved and are the fronts intended to be mounted solid or can they be used with lifters?

Dan, only the front windows need to be curved, the rears are quite small and shape really well once in the rubbers, the same goes for the rear screen.

I only have the drivers front window thermo formed as its the only one i will use on the stock mechanism.

The passenger one is fixed in place.

HTH

Andrew

[DanThe]

How much extra for the forming?

[Demlotcrew]

I actually dont know, TrackM3 did me a really good deal on the whole set to my spec, its worth sending him an email or PM

[Jhonno]

Its approx half the weight at the same thickness

Coolio... No idea what the starting weight is, but weight up top is good to lose.

[Demlotcrew]

Ive just noticed something, its minor but its what makes P4P that little bit better value, a seller on here is listing a set of rear quarter windows from ACW.



Please note the orientation of the logos on the protective film, one is horizontal the other vertical, normally the manufacturing process of any clear plastic type of glazing causes ripples in the sheet and the orientation of the logo denotes the orientation of them.

Its clear that ACW dont think this is an issue and use every last piece of the sheets, regardless of orientation, this of course results in the cheaper kits but lesser quality and finish.

Nick, you cannot dispute whats in black and white.

[DasChin]

andrew what are you on about? are people really going to notice? er nope. I spoke to Tony from ACW and he said that all the protective film is mounted after the process to use up the film and not the plastic.

also if you are putting any sort of plastic windown in a road car and winding the windows down a lot then they are going to mark loads and scratch. especially the P4P ones

just going on what I have seen and known

in my old track e36 the polycarb kit saved around 45kgs. include rear screen. glass is heavy for sure

if you all think the extra 40 to 50 pounds with P4P is worth it then be my guest.

[DasChin]

would it not be a good idea to have FIA approval?
what difference does FIA approval make for a road or track car that does not need homologation. its just a sticker gimmick to charge more money I am afraid. £40 pounds is a lot for a sticker.

as for the comment on the ring then this is urban myth. maybe for a german car that needs TUV approval you need a sticker, but if a UK car has an MOT and is of sound accord and build then it will get on no problems and be allowed on.

Polycabronate is in fact safer than glass but the ring on TF days, then a car only needs to beroad legal

[Demlotcrew]

Nick,

There is no way the protective film is applied after the sheets are cut, your friend is not being honest with you about that.

I have had my P4P kit on my car for the best part of this year, anyone who knows me will tell you how dusty it always is, no issues with scratches or UV damage.

It sounds like you are going by a bad experience you had with an E36 fitted with an old kit from P4P, a few years ago im guessing P4P made a very cheap kit which scratched easily, but i doubt they would have used perspex as it splinters badly, its easy to mistake it for perspex.

Im very happy with my kit, anyone who has seen will testify.

[DasChin]

Nope the p4p kit was a while back for a different car.

Maybe they have changed the materials they use now.

I have found acw to be of excellent quality and price. The e36 kit they supplied a great finish and did not scratch at all. I have also done a few other cars with acw.

[winx]

we use p4p at work, and have just put a set on an LM which are absolutely flawless. We had one window made to test the coating they put on them and it worked very well so went ahead with the whole set. If it's good enough for a £7m hypercar, then my track car will eventually be graced with them They are cheaper from p4p today than they cost in 1996 from the original supplier with no coating!

[Demlotcrew]

I have a spare front window in my workshop from P4P, i was servicing one of my callipers and i managed to get a few drops of brake fluid on it, i notices a few days later and thought i have damaged it.

Nope, simply wiped off and no marks at all. The coatings have come a long way since the E36 era.

[DasChin]

and so it should for their prices

have a medal andrew