Do I have to have hood pins????

[drivenlegend]

Man, I'm freaking out now..... I just read the post about someone losing a VIS CF hood by it unlatching and messing up his car pretty bad. I was about to buy a VIS Oem style hood for my S14 Kouki, but now I'm not sure. I guess what I want to know is if I ABSOLUTELY have to use hood pins. I really don't want to, I don't like the way they look, I want my hood to be smooth and painted body color...... no pins sticking out.

I just need to know if they are truly necessary?!?!?!

Thanks
Nate

[mjjstang]

my friend was on the highway and had his hood smash his windshield and almost crashed, and he had hood pins. not fake ones either. so anythings possible.

[drivenlegend]

The hood i was looking at has factory latches and everything, but if this is a problem.... screw it!

[Grandpa]

Yes, you need hoodpins. Russ has had something like 38 hoods fly up on him.

It also helps latching the hoodpins. Just having them there doesn't help at all.

-john

[drivenlegend]

Well shit. Is there any alternatives to pins like most people have? I like the CF hood, but if i wanted a bunch of goofy looking crap hanging off my car, i'd just buy a 3 foot aluminum wing and drill it on top of my existing wing........ I have busted my ass trying to keep my car clean, and I just don't want pins!

Any alternatives?

[speeddreamz]

spray the hood pins black or get carbon fiber overlay material, make it sorta stealthy, thats what im planning to do with mines.

[iknowyoulike]

hey i dont' have hood pin on my ride. Its' been like that for a while now, it's seems to be okay. I mean it vibrates on highway but not cause of the latch but it was more of fitment...so maybe it due to fitment that the hood flew off. Cause my hood still fine.(Knock on Wood)

[drivenlegend]

Man, the hell with all that. I'll just do something else, if I can't have it look how I want.... I don't want it. I feel kinda bad though..... I already told the guy that I would buy it, so, you know anyone who wants a S14 Kouki OEM style CF hood? - $300 + surprisingly cheap shipping - the guy is located in Houston.

Nate

[skatanic28]

ive been goin through the same shit. some fuckhead scratched up my hood and i was just gonna get an oem cf one cuz its the same price as resprayin mine, then i find out i cant just use that latching. having pins on there totally ruins it for me

[Powashiftin]

my VIS S15 latches to the stock latch... no fitment problems... actually it fits perfect.

I am getting hood pins though... if anyone knows somewhere were i can get them cheap but good quality let me know

[Blues13]

Anyone have the alarm hood locks? I'm not sure about the locking mechanism, but you need a key to open your hood.. that sounds like there would be an additional locking mechanism.

[Grandpa]

Originally Posted by drivenlegend

Well shit. Is there any alternatives to pins like most people have? I like the CF hood, but if i wanted a bunch of goofy looking crap hanging off my car, i'd just buy a 3 foot aluminum wing and drill it on top of my existing wing........ I have busted my ass trying to keep my car clean, and I just don't want pins!

Any alternatives?

Uhhhh....dude. Hoodpins aren't as hideous as you make them out to be. They are completely functional, and they've been around for longer than 99.9% of us on zilvia have been alive...

And I have seen low-profile hood pins.

-john

[Agent_S13]

Why not get solex locks? I remember seeing them on Sam (Jspec's) bumble-bee yellow car with his CF hood. Its a really clean look. All you have protruding are the lock faces which are a few centermeters off the hood. His were chrome so they stuck out a bit, but you can probably paint 'em black to match the hood and they work just as well as regular hoodpins. If I ever go that route, I'd go with the solex locks on mine. Seems simple enough to do, the only hard part would be drilling the holes --- which is an entirely different problem in itself.

-Aaron
'91 240sx coupe

Here's a pic, hard to see but they look very clean
Sam's Car

[S14DB]

I have a kouki with a CF and have had it up past what the Speedo will read and cruised at 120mph for 30mins. Never had a problem. The center does lift up a little past 90mph. I think it's from the air raming infront of the Radiator. Getting a cooling panel to see. The front lip with gasket never lifts off. I had a friend in front look back at 95mph and it was still resting on the headlights.

[Matt_240]

i had a cf hood for my kouki front s14. notice i said "had". that bish flew up on me as i was driving down a hill. and yes it was locked on the hood latch. it actually broke off at the hinges. can you believe that?

anyway, if you're gonna go w/ a cf hood. you need hood pins. some of these guys might have gotten lucky with theirs but don't take the chance.

hood pins aren't that bad. you can get those flush locking ones. maybe have someone powdercoat them black or spray them black. will look pimp. also, if you're getting one for the kouki, dont forget to get the rubber trim for the hood because w/o it, there's gonna be a gap between the hood and the headlights.

[ghostuss]

Yea my CF hood came with problem for the latching. Like it is too short and won't close with OEM locks. So basically what I did was use some washer (1 sprint washer) and some longer bolts. After a tripe to the home depot problem solved. Oh 1 more trick that I did. I put some soft tape around the hook so the hood won't bounce or anything. YOu guys should try too.

[Steeles]

Originally Posted by Agent_S13

Why not get solex locks? I remember seeing them on Sam (Jspec's) bumble-bee yellow car with his CF hood. Its a really clean look. All you have protruding are the lock faces which are a few centermeters off the hood. His were chrome so they stuck out a bit, but you can probably paint 'em black to match the hood and they work just as well as regular hoodpins. If I ever go that route, I'd go with the solex locks on mine. Seems simple enough to do, the only hard part would be drilling the holes --- which is an entirely different problem in itself.

-Aaron
'91 240sx coupe

Here's a pic, hard to see but they look very clean
Sam's Car

yeah those are the things that broke on my old fiberimages hood (formally Russ's as Grandpa knows) as I stated in the other thread ive been driving around with mine for almost two years i think and havent had a problem (vis invader style hood) with no hood pins. are they a good idea yes and recommended. but its up to you if you wanna risk it and always remember FUNCTION > FORM

[blu808]

The Vis hood i had fit perfectly. When the hood flipped up the latch didnt fail, the fiberglass underbody part of the hood broke. It left the latch on the hood still in the latch, the rest of the hood is what flipped up.

Luke

[HyperTek]

I had a cf hood pop up on me.. I had Sparco hood pins but I forgot to latch it down that night. If you dont use hood pins, that lets us all know that you only care for looks. Hence my new slogan, "More people rather look the part instead of play/be the part." If you just want looks, get ur hood overlayed or something. Otherwise, you gotta do things right, $300 is too much for a hood just to have it for a few weeks then pop up on you forcing you to throw it in the dumpster and drive home hoodless.

[S14DB]

I've had my CF hood on for about a year with 100+ runs every week.

[tryiian]

but you didnt mention whether or not you use pins.

i`m interested in a vented cf by vis for my zenki s14.

[JDM K's]

I have Sparco hood pins on my car I think it makes it look sportier and as long as it is functional I don’t care. I feel a lot safer with my factory latch plus hood pins. It is batter to be safe then sorry later so like everyone said if you don’t like it make it cam flash by painting it the same color as the hood.

[S14DB]

Originally Posted by S14DB

I've had my CF hood on for about a year with 100+ runs every week.

Oh, No pins. Stock latch only.

[Shin_Kudo]

How about those latches they sometimes use on race cars? I think I've seen them on NASCARs and on Rhys Millen's GTO. They look like the head of a big flathead screw with a ring around it, and you turn them a quarter turn to lock them. They migh tbe better than pins.

[Brian]

i think something to consider here is the brand of hood being used.
"you pay for quality"

[blu808]

Dsuz fasteners are what you are refering to. They are not as strong as hood pins. You would need like4 or 6 of them

[S14DB]

Originally Posted by yeswepromise

i think something to consider here is the brand of hood being used.
"you pay for quality"

Yeah, I just noticed he got a VIS.

[Shin_Kudo]

Originally Posted by blu808

Dsuz fasteners are what you are refering to. They are not as strong as hood pins. You would need like4 or 6 of them

Yeah, I know there needs to be more of them, but if you really want a clean look, maybe they're a solution. Also, they do have the advantage of providing support all around th ehood, instead of just two points up front.

[Steeles]

Originally Posted by S14DB

Yeah, I just noticed he got a VIS.

My Hood is a vis and I've never had a problem with it know several others with vis hoods who havent had a problem. MUCH better than the fiberimages hood I did have

[AlexAtPerformanceNissan]

Why are you guys making this so complicated... I am sitting here reading post after post in this thread, and laughing..... Let's make this simple...

1.) If you want to get a Carbon Fiber hood or fiberglass for that matter.... It is highly recommended by all manufacturers to use hood pins.... in fact, most make it mandatory... Therefore, if you want a carbn fiber hood...deal with the fact that you will have to have hood pins or some type of hood locking mechanism. If you don't like hood pins, then don't go for the carbon fiber hood.

2.) If you are willing to deal with the carbon fiber hood having hood pins... then people here have made some awessome suggestons like painting the hood pins, or getting solex locks for your hood....

See.... not so hard brotha.... I hope this helps you and eases your decision.



-Alex B.