EHS
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2002
- Messages
- 175
- Location
- Sleepy Hollow, Westchester, NY
- Corvette
- '00 Triple Black Convertible
History of the Steinschlagschutzhuelle
A little bit of background first. Supposedly, Porsche invented the bra in the late sixties, when the factory still road tested every 911 before it was sent on it's way. Because they used the local roads around the factory, a temporary (back then fabric) bra was put on the car, before the test driver headed out, to protect the brand new paint job.
Notice the "temporary" part. The Porsche factory kept theirs on the cars for about half an hour. Ja?
The bra (the German word is "Steinschlagschutzhuelle" -- stone chip protection covering -- don't you love it) was never intended to be permanent. Why? Because no matter how careful you are, no matter how clean you keep your car, the fabric bra will eventually damage your finish, if you keep it on long enough. Gritty, dirt, sand, and grime will work their way under the covering, and then you have a full time sander on your hood. The wind adds just the right amount of pressure and a wonderful rythmic action to the cover, moving things around no matter how tight you fit.
Enter the "clear bra."
Concept
The clear bra is a plastic film, very thick and virtually indestructible, that is adhered to the car. Custom, laser cut templates are available for virtually all car models, and many parts of the car:
A number of manufacturers make them. Three that come to mind are:
www.cleartastic.com
www.xpel.com
www.armorglove.com
When considering which to purchase, be sure to ask who makes the film (3M or DuPont), and -- this is important -- whether it will yellow over time. I've been through two bras now in four years (the first had to come off for a repaint recently – a construction truck decided to dump a load of sand and gravel my way in rush hour traffic at 65 mph -- the bra portion was just fine – it was the hood, fenders, and windshield that weren’t so good).
From the research I've done, the 3M film tends to yellow, fade, and cloud more than the DuPont variety, so if you buy one, make sure you ask which brand you are getting.
The advantages of the clear bra are obvious. The bra stays in place, you can cover other delicate sections of the car, like fender wells, and it is virtually invisible. How much you wrap is up to you.
My most recent experience has been with Armorglove of Greenwich, CT. I have absolutely no affiliation with them, the insurance covered the installation (remember the truck), therefore no money changed hands, so other than the fact they let me photograph the installation, there is zero connection. They do protect virtually all of the 24 hour endurance race cars, including Saleen, Ferrari, and Porsche. If you've ever seen those cars race, you know they take a huge amount of abuse from the track, and always manage to look like new the next weekend and the next race. Here are a couple of their customers:
You can buy the material from any of the vendors listed above on line, they all have distributors, you can then have regional shops install the stuff, or you can do it yourself. That's where this post come in:
Installation
Prep is important. The surface needs to be absolutely clean and wax free. Not a big deal, just clean it and strip it.
1. The plastic material comes backed on paper and rolled. This is the hood piece:
2. First step is to peel it off the backing paper and wet the material profusely (four hands and a six pack help for the larger pieces). Do not apply the beer to the material, if possible:
3. Next, place the piece in position -- the wetter the better -- you will have some time to move it around. No different than applying a decal to your model airplane or car, for those old enough to remember when kids did that:
4. You will have time to adjust things -- it's very pliable. This is the side "wing" going on:
5. When you are happy with the location, start working the material, rubbing and drying, getting any bubbles out. You still have time to lift and fuss with it. Notice one side of the hood is being dried and "in place," the other can still be lifted. A squeegee works well:
(continued......)
A little bit of background first. Supposedly, Porsche invented the bra in the late sixties, when the factory still road tested every 911 before it was sent on it's way. Because they used the local roads around the factory, a temporary (back then fabric) bra was put on the car, before the test driver headed out, to protect the brand new paint job.
Notice the "temporary" part. The Porsche factory kept theirs on the cars for about half an hour. Ja?
The bra (the German word is "Steinschlagschutzhuelle" -- stone chip protection covering -- don't you love it) was never intended to be permanent. Why? Because no matter how careful you are, no matter how clean you keep your car, the fabric bra will eventually damage your finish, if you keep it on long enough. Gritty, dirt, sand, and grime will work their way under the covering, and then you have a full time sander on your hood. The wind adds just the right amount of pressure and a wonderful rythmic action to the cover, moving things around no matter how tight you fit.
Enter the "clear bra."
Concept
The clear bra is a plastic film, very thick and virtually indestructible, that is adhered to the car. Custom, laser cut templates are available for virtually all car models, and many parts of the car:
A number of manufacturers make them. Three that come to mind are:
www.cleartastic.com
www.xpel.com
www.armorglove.com
When considering which to purchase, be sure to ask who makes the film (3M or DuPont), and -- this is important -- whether it will yellow over time. I've been through two bras now in four years (the first had to come off for a repaint recently – a construction truck decided to dump a load of sand and gravel my way in rush hour traffic at 65 mph -- the bra portion was just fine – it was the hood, fenders, and windshield that weren’t so good).
From the research I've done, the 3M film tends to yellow, fade, and cloud more than the DuPont variety, so if you buy one, make sure you ask which brand you are getting.
The advantages of the clear bra are obvious. The bra stays in place, you can cover other delicate sections of the car, like fender wells, and it is virtually invisible. How much you wrap is up to you.
My most recent experience has been with Armorglove of Greenwich, CT. I have absolutely no affiliation with them, the insurance covered the installation (remember the truck), therefore no money changed hands, so other than the fact they let me photograph the installation, there is zero connection. They do protect virtually all of the 24 hour endurance race cars, including Saleen, Ferrari, and Porsche. If you've ever seen those cars race, you know they take a huge amount of abuse from the track, and always manage to look like new the next weekend and the next race. Here are a couple of their customers:
You can buy the material from any of the vendors listed above on line, they all have distributors, you can then have regional shops install the stuff, or you can do it yourself. That's where this post come in:
Installation
Prep is important. The surface needs to be absolutely clean and wax free. Not a big deal, just clean it and strip it.
1. The plastic material comes backed on paper and rolled. This is the hood piece:
2. First step is to peel it off the backing paper and wet the material profusely (four hands and a six pack help for the larger pieces). Do not apply the beer to the material, if possible:
3. Next, place the piece in position -- the wetter the better -- you will have some time to move it around. No different than applying a decal to your model airplane or car, for those old enough to remember when kids did that:
4. You will have time to adjust things -- it's very pliable. This is the side "wing" going on:
5. When you are happy with the location, start working the material, rubbing and drying, getting any bubbles out. You still have time to lift and fuss with it. Notice one side of the hood is being dried and "in place," the other can still be lifted. A squeegee works well:
(continued......)
