Installing front end cover(ie bra)........

[Edward 96GTS]

this weekend. Any advice or tips I should know? It's a Mopar bra that clips around the front fenders. Should I place some type of tape in high wear/stress areas such as fascia corner edges? Would hate to find out later that the bra actually caused damage by rubbing thru the paint.
TIA

 

[GR8_ASP]

Mine never caused any abrasions. Just make sure it is clean and dry. If it gets wet take it off. Sand and dirt get in the openings along the wheels very quickly in the wet. I did not use the hood portion very much. I did hear that it could cause abrasion marks on the hood due to flapping (even with the air foils).

 

[carguy07]

I would get some more opinions here before installing a bra on a car you like. I have no experience with Vipers and bras. But have put them on many of my cars in the past and every one of them has been damaged to some extent. The black rustang ended up with a bra permanently attached because it wore contact lines in the paint. My Vette got caught in the rain and I could not remove the bra immediately, the sun worked some magic and I was rewarded with huge patches of haze deep in the paint that buffing did absolutely nothing to remove. Another permanent bra wearer. If this is a fair weather car and you triple wax you might be OK, but if you go somewhere and it gets wet and you don't immediately remove it you better like it because you may never be able to. IMO.

 

[GTSTF]

i have a bra from Speed Lingerie. i had it on last summer and have no complaints. it fits perfect and caused no problems. i can't speak of the quality of the mopar bra, though. sorry. my only advice is to have a friend help you put it on because stretching that thing is a b**ch.

 

[Craig 201 MPH]

Rock chips are way worse than the potential harm a bara could cause, you just have to take extra care. Before putting the bra on give the front end a really good waxing so that any grime in contact with the surface of the car is better protected. Then just make sure you remove the bra frequently and wash the car especially if you've been driving in sandy/dusty conditions. If you're really worried buy some of that 3M clear bra stuff and install the mopar bra over that.

 

[GR8_ASP]

I have both the Mopar bra and the Speed Lingerie bra. The Mopar bra is much easier to install and far less potential damage.

I have used the bra many, many times over the 8 years I have had the RT/10. I have experienced some road garbage that would have made a mess of the fascia and the bra protected it. I know of another owner that hit a raccoon or other animal and had no damage either. From my experience I would recommend a bra for long distance drives when the potential for debris is fairly high. I would not use on in town in normal use.

I would never, that is NEVER, leave it on for any extended period. I have removed it daily when taking a long drive. If it gets wet I would remove it as soon as possible and not reinstall it until everything is dry. I vacuum it or brush it before installing to make sure that no trapped debris is placed on the painted surface. If you use it wisely you should not incur any damage. Note this is coming from a Viper owner that has used one more than 50 times and more than 8000 miles.

The Speed Lingerie bra has a potential wear problem. The hard, clear portions that cover the driving lights can find its way onto the painted surface. If it does it can wear down the clear coat and eventually wear in the paint. I have placed soft material in those areas to protect for that issue. I like the Speed Lingerie bra appearance much better. From 50 or more feet you can hardly tell that a bra is installed. That is because it uses red material that is pretty close in color to Viper Red.

Good luck in whatever choice you make. Just remember this is not a Honda. A bra is intended to give temporary protection and not make an ugly car look a little more "high performance."

 

[Frank 03SRT]

Before I used 3M, I would just take some 2" wide clear celophane tape and put it over the sharp edges and across the whole front edge of the hood and top edge of fascia. Only took 5 minutes and came off easily.

Bras are a pain in the **** though, unless you use 3M.

 

[SRT10]

Frank or Ron, have you purchased the new bra for the SRT? It looks good in Dodges exterior accessory page and they do say it won't harm the paint.

 

[GR8_ASP]

Living in the great white north I have been taking my time accessorizing. Just got the trunk kit yesterday. Waiting on a cover. In the near future are the bra and floor mats. Interestingly I have an extra set of floor mats from the RT/10 and they fit reasonably well, so no great need to hurry. So I will be getting a bra but really would like to see one first. Is it on a web page somewhere?

I would still plan on using a bra only for longer drives which I do not plan on any right now (my wife is due at any moment - 3 days over at the moment - and that will put a damper on too many extended drives).

 

[Viperbass]

Be careful with any type of bra. I ordered the Speed Lingerie bra and was VERY happy with the look of it, but after a trip to Ohio, I noticed the clear fog light covers had actually rubbed spots in my clearcoat that I had to wet sand out. I sent the bra back, Speed Lingerie was very understanding and offered to try and design a fix, but I opted not to use one in the future. I am still debating as to if I want to mess with any front protection or not in the future.

 

[Ryan]

My dad has the mopar bra that came with the car, it fits well and doesn't appear to flap at triple digit speeds. No marks to indicate that its moving about. Of course, it could be that this bra was made a hair smaller than others.
I guess its mostly personal opinion as to using one or not.
Bra on a red RT does look sharp though.

 

[Edward 96GTS]

Thanks for all the great feedback.

Viper SRT-- what type of material did you place under the bra and how did you secure it from moving?

Frank 03SRT---I'm trying your idea but w/ 3M packaging tape. 3" wide, seems to be the same as the celophane tape you used.Tough to get it to apply smoothly. It easily lifts off the paint. Did you have any residual adhesive after removing tape from the warm hood?
Ed

 

[Frank 03SRT]

Edward, no never had a problem of glue residue, but never left it on more than one week. It doesn't go down smoothly, but you can't notice it under the bra.

 

[GR8_ASP]

I just used a piece of cotton towel (thin) with some tape between it and the bra to keep it from sliding. Note there were only 2 small areas that needed protection from the clear lenses.