» Site Navigation | | » Recent Threads | | | | | | | | | 05-12-2006, 04:26 PM | #2 | Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: No Where Posts: 297 | I know that the fiberglass ones are not as durable. Anyone know the difference between the ABS Plastic & the Polyurethane bumpers? | | | 05-12-2006, 05:08 PM | #3 | Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Saint Paul, MN Posts: 3,244 | From the car nut/mold engineer with 20 years experience sitting next to me, definitely go for the polyurethane. Broadly speaking ABS is more sensitive to UV over time and stress cracks from vibrations. Only time you need ABS is when you need a hard surface otherwise PU is more durable. __________________ My Former Rides 1999 318ti Alpine White, Cali Roof, Dinan goodies 1996 318ti Hellrot California Edition | | | 05-12-2006, 05:34 PM | #4 | Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: No Where Posts: 297 | Cool, more durable, and I save $$$. I like it, I like it! | | | 05-12-2006, 10:37 PM | #5 | Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Saint Paul, MN Posts: 3,244 | Well it does still depend on the quality of the PU part but that's the way I'd go. __________________ My Former Rides 1999 318ti Alpine White, Cali Roof, Dinan goodies 1996 318ti Hellrot California Edition | | | 05-13-2006, 08:42 AM | #6 | Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Berkeley, CA Posts: 411 | Which one is lighter??? __________________ I'm back with a different 95 ti | | | 05-13-2006, 03:26 PM | #7 | Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 677 | doesnt polyurethane warp under too much heat? because I was thinking about it but I warned to possibly go for fiberglass or a rear OEM bumper. lol living in florida its a big deal to make sure car parts wont fudge up in the summer haha __________________ my new world | | | 05-14-2006, 02:02 AM | #8 | Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: No Where Posts: 297 | Quote: Originally Posted by bmwracerchick doesnt polyurethane warp under too much heat? because I was thinking about it but I warned to possibly go for fiberglass or a rear OEM bumper. lol living in florida its a big deal to make sure car parts wont fudge up in the summer haha | I hope not. AZ gets pretty dang hot! | | | 05-14-2006, 07:09 AM | #9 | Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Saint Paul, MN Posts: 3,244 | If you're at all in doubt, buy OEM. Have you priced it at the dealer? Some things are not much more expensive. __________________ My Former Rides 1999 318ti Alpine White, Cali Roof, Dinan goodies 1996 318ti Hellrot California Edition | | | 05-14-2006, 07:15 AM | #10 | Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Canada Posts: 465 | The Bmw OEM M3 bumper is made from Polyurethane. However, construction quality varies between bumpers, so don’t expect OEM quality from these bumpers even though they are made from the same material. You also need to consider fitment; many replica bumpers have poor fitment which can lead to the bumper sagging and large gaps between the bumper and the nose panel. Bodyshops may be able to fix this issue to some degree, but be ready to pay for it. If you are not willing to go for OEM, I highly recommend that you go for the Rieger bumper; at least that way you know what you’re getting. To address the other questions; generally, ABS plastic is more susceptible to heat, but I’ve only ever seen problems occurring on ABS constructed side-skirts. You may have fitment problems if you live in an area with big temperature differences. The skirts will expand when hot and shrink when cold. On a positive note, ABS is more flexible than polyurethane and of course, fiberglass, which is the most rigid of the three. When comparing the weight difference between a Rieger M3 ABS plastic bumper, a polyurethane OEM M3 bumper and an m3 replica fiberglass bumper, the Rieger is the lightest, followed by the fiberglass, then OEM M3. __________________ | | | 05-14-2006, 07:22 AM | #11 | Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Berkeley, CA Posts: 411 | very detailed. Thanks a lot. I just got mine replaced a couple months ago and there was no question for me, OEM. I just wanted gaurenteed perfect fittment. Also, just for the info, do you know what company makes the better carbon fiber m3 spoilers? Perfect fit? __________________ I'm back with a different 95 ti | | | 05-15-2006, 02:15 PM | #12 | Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: No Where Posts: 297 | Quote: Originally Posted by m-technik_ti The Bmw OEM M3 bumper is made from Polyurethane. However, construction quality varies between bumpers, so don’t expect OEM quality from these bumpers even though they are made from the same material. You also need to consider fitment; many replica bumpers have poor fitment which can lead to the bumper sagging and large gaps between the bumper and the nose panel. Bodyshops may be able to fix this issue to some degree, but be ready to pay for it. If you are not willing to go for OEM, I highly recommend that you go for the Rieger bumper; at least that way you know what you’re getting. To address the other questions; generally, ABS plastic is more susceptible to heat, but I’ve only ever seen problems occurring on ABS constructed side-skirts. You may have fitment problems if you live in an area with big temperature differences. The skirts will expand when hot and shrink when cold. On a positive note, ABS is more flexible than polyurethane and of course, fiberglass, which is the most rigid of the three. When comparing the weight difference between a Rieger M3 ABS plastic bumper, a polyurethane OEM M3 bumper and an m3 replica fiberglass bumper, the Rieger is the lightest, followed by the fiberglass, then OEM M3. | Thanks for all the info. This will help me a lot. | | | | Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | | Thread Tools | | Display Modes | Linear Mode | Posting Rules | You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts HTML code is Off | | | |