chuhsi

Does anyone know how safe a carbon fiber hard top is for our car? (not in terms of rollover protection)

I'm specifically wondering what happens in a crash. Does it explode into a million sharp pieces of razor-like carbon fiber?

Thanks

Driven

don't know if anyone has rolled with a CF top yet... or is planning to.

But, if hardtop equiped miatas are any indication, they tend to fly off.

goldenfri

I asked a similar question a while back:

https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/107...-for-tracking/

Manga_Spawn

I don't think it will "explode." I got ina wreck with my civic which had a CF hood and it bent and cracked pretty bad and the hood latch was ripped out but it didn't shatter. I would expect the same with a hardtop. Depending on the hit I could see it coming loose depending ont he hardware holding it to the car. Rollover wouldn't be fun but I would expect it to tear off as someone said since it isn't structural.

GT Motoring

This is part of the reason we actually put the layer of carbon kevlar on the inside layer of the Carbon hard tops we make as well as some of the trunks as an option. While it serves as a nice cosmetic touch, it also in the event of an accident also will help minimize some of the possible splintering or shattering on the roof in a major accident. in addition we molded the OEM interior skeleton so that all the oem foam/plastic parts can also be installed in desired which would also help minimally in an accident.

zeroptzero

For the hardtop to severely split or fly off, the windshield frame support would have to be severely deformed. If an accident is bad enough to cause significant damage to the windshield frame then you have other things to worry about. A soft top in a similar situation would be even worse, though the OEM hardtop would probably fair best.