Vorsteiner GTS-V Front Lip Flew Off

[Danlnyc88]

I was on the fwy last night and I hit a high rate of speed. I hear a loud sound and my brand new Vorsteiner GTS-V front lip ends up flying off my car....1.6k down the drain and I had that shit on 2 days lmao.

I don't think it was an install issue and more of a design flaw. I used double sided tape and used more than 8 screws to secure it. Upon closer inspection the screws are still attached but the front lip is gone. Doesn't that mean the lip broke where it shouldn't have?

Need suggestions for front lips that won't fly off going 150+mph.

[guess2098]

You need to use 1 inch washer for all screws

[Tommy L Garage]

My lip uses nuts and bolts.
Had it up to 148mph at the track.

[TopJimmy]

On researching CF attachment it seems that much attention needs to be paid not to crack the fiber at the screw holes. Many brands come dimpled or pre-drilled small. Drilling obviously increases risk of cracking. Any vibration also increases crack risk or progression of cracks. My Vorsteiner Evo (4000BMV) has been up to speed without any issues. I've worked many years at a car shop in the past so I did have a few tricks...

Best practices:
-Scotch/masking tape any holes before drilling
-Dremel diamond bits are great to start holes and round them to size
-If no Dremel available I've had good luck starting with small drill bits at high speed, then progressively larger bits at high speed (use new/sharp bits!)
-A tiny swipe of clear nail polish (ask your girlfriend for Top-Coat) on the drilled hole edge will settle or prevent fray
-Tape over both sides of the hole as the nail polish dries so it dries perfectly flat
-Use 91% ISO alcohol (repeat, use multiple paper towels, especially for ceramic coated areas) to clean all/both surfaces where tape will be applied or attach, and wipe dry with clean paper towel
-One wipe of alcohol on ceramic = contaminated towel, fold and continue with a new/fresh wipe surface
-Only use real 3M brand double sided tape, 5/8 or wider, and 1in if you can
-Cut all tapes 2 inches too long, peel and cut off 2 inches of tape leaving a 2 inch pull-tab that you can easily grab and pull out AFTER you have ALL your screws in three full turns (less fiddling = less cracking)
-Double-side tape all contact surfaces, even under screw holes, which reduces vibration further
-Use the right size screw for the right hole
-As our buddy above mentions, use washers beneath all screw heads, and I even add thin rubber washers under the metal up against the CF, so I can tighten the screws with little risk of cracking CF or tearing out bumper plastic
-If you need to remove your spoiler one day, use a dental floss garotte on wood pulls to cut through all tape foam before you remove screws the last couple threads

[Danlnyc88]

Originally Posted by TopJimmy

On researching CF attachment it seems that much attention needs to be paid not to crack the fiber at the screw holes. Many brands come dimpled or pre-drilled small. Drilling obviously increases risk of cracking. Any vibration also increases crack risk or progression of cracks. My Vorsteiner Evo (4000BMV) has been up to speed without any issues. I've worked many years at a car shop in the past so I did have a few tricks...

Best practices:
-Scotch/masking tape any holes before drilling
-Dremel diamond bits are great to start holes and round them to size
-If no Dremel available I've had good luck starting with small drill bits at high speed, then progressively larger bits at high speed (use new/sharp bits!)
-A tiny swipe of clear nail polish (ask your girlfriend for Top-Coat) on the drilled hole edge will settle or prevent fray
-Tape over both sides of the hole as the nail polish dries so it dries perfectly flat
-Use 91% ISO alcohol (repeat, use multiple paper towels, especially for ceramic coated areas) to clean all/both surfaces where tape will be applied or attach, and wipe dry with clean paper towel
-One wipe of alcohol on ceramic = contaminated towel, fold and continue with a new/fresh wipe surface
-Only use real 3M brand double sided tape, 5/8 or wider, and 1in if you can
-Cut all tapes 2 inches long, peel and cut off 2 inches of tape leaving a 2 inch pull-tab that you can easily grab and pull out AFTER you have ALL your screws in three full turns (less fiddling = less cracking)
-Double-side tape all contact surfaces, even under screw holes, which reduces vibration further
-Use the right size screw for the right hole
-As our buddy above mentions, use washers beneath all screw heads, and I even add thin rubber washers under the metal up against the CF, so I can tighten the screws with little risk of cracking CF or tearing out bumper plastic
-If you need to remove your spoiler one day, use a dental floss garotte on wood pulls to cut through all tape foam before you remove screws the last couple threads

Hey thanks bud. I'm gonna repurchase the front lip and make sure it's 110% secure with the right screws and extra double sided tape. Ill be sure to show the installer the advise you gave me.

[drgmt]

If you took this to an installer - find a new installer.

[CarbonFiberCo]

It definitely sounds like an installation error that didn't secure the lip properly. We've seen tons of these lips get pushed past the 150mph mark. It should definitely have withstood the elements. TopJimmy has some great tips above, that if you follow, you should be able to push your car to the absolute limit with no issue. We carry the RSC front lip that is super aggressive and makes for some serious downforce, but even that holds up really well to high speed/ downforce. Best of luck on round 2 with your GTS lip!

[Spoolin Montego]

3m tape doesn't do shit at 150mph. It's all about the screws and 8 screws is not enough. That's good to maybe 100mph. If you want to go that fast you need at least 20 screws or nuts and bolts

[vividracing]

Dang, that sucks!! Shoot me a PM, I'll see if I can get you a good deal on the replacement!

[satx_yas]

Oh man...that sucks. Sorry to hear that, thanks for the heads up.

[notnow]

As I was installing my lip, I found this thread and it scared me enough to add 7 bolts with huge washers to my lip. Now I have no idea how to re-attach the splash guards.

[TanzaniteBlue]

Whatever secures on the M performance front lip works well, I had it at 182 mph indicated 179 gps and over 150 numerous times and its still holding.

[AlpineWhite_SJ]

Mine came with 14 x nuts and bolts and is pretty solid.

[CaroleBaskin]

That shit (your speed) would not fly here, lol, Florida Troopers are fucking king of camouflage and huge dick heads.

[Spun Crankhub]

Originally Posted by Spoolin Montego

If you want to go that fast you need at least 20 screws or nuts and bolts

Oh man, 20 might be a little overkill, haha. That is a bolt every 1.5”

My CS rep lip is held on with 10 bolts with washers on both sides and 3m double sided tape, and has held up to speeds up to 170mph.