Tesla Carbon Fiber Upgrades for All Models in 2024 - MUST READ Before Buying
Tesla vehicles are renowned for their cutting-edge technology, sleek design, and commitment to sustainability. They are also infamous for their build quality. We know! We own one. Nonetheless, with most brands in the automotive world, the aftermarket industry boomed behind Tesla's success. To stand out in the crowd of an ever-increasing EV market, Tesla carbon fiber upgrades have become a popular modification among many owners, offering a perfect blend of lightweight strength, high-end looks, and improved performance (speed or efficiency).
As an aftermarket restyling company, we work with customers in various domains, but mostly luxury vehicles such as BMW, Mercedes, Audi, etc., and these customers have a certain understanding of aftermarket parts. Although Tesla cars have been a around for a few years, there has been a huge variance in preference for Tesla owners. Of course, personal preference can't really be quantified and everyone is entitled to modify their cars how they see fit. It is merely our observation that the range of ownership mentality is much more dynamic compared to the traditional luxury vehicle market. We notice customers ranging from "just gimme the cheapest mod possible" to "I want something that is considered a UNICORN and no one else must have this mod". Maybe something this like AI generated image below? Or maybe not! But we're not here to talk about taste, that is completely subjective.
Regardless of taste, it is certain that the carbon fiber industry has certainly come a long way, and it's not easy to make a well-informed decision. No matter if this is your first time modifying, or if you're a seasoned veteran, we appreciate you visiting our site and checking out this blog. We hope this article can provide some objective points to help you make a better purchasing decision.
Who is This Article For?
E3Tuning specifically caters to the enthusiast market, and as automotive enthusiasts there are certain aspects that we tend to look for when purchasing aftermarket upgrades. Some factors can make a huge difference in the look, quality, and price of the final product. If you're looking for bottom-line-dollar products, we hope we can open your eyes to why that may want to consider investing a bit more into your beloved new Tesla.
First of all, as an aftermarket restyling company, we've worked with customers in various domains, but mostly luxury vehicles such as BMW, Mercedes, Audi, etc, and these customers have certain expectations in their aftermarket mods. With luxury vehicle owners, many of them understand that carbon fiber doesn't just look good, it elevates desirability. Afterall, before carbon fiber manufacturing became streamlined, it was something only found in aircrafts and high end super cars. Not your everyday coupes and sedans.
So What's the Big Deal About Carbon Fiber?
Carbon fiber is a high-strength, lightweight material composed of thin, tightly woven strands of carbon crystalline filaments. Each fiber can be thinner than a strand of human hair, but when braided together, it's strength is absolutely exceptional.
These fibers are then woven into sheets of fabric with different weave patterns (we'll discuss this later), and the fabric is then laid into a mold to create the desired part. We will also be covering the 3 main methods in which carbon fiber parts are manufactured today.
As mentioned before, carbon fiber is typically used in aerospace, motorsports, and high-end automotive manufacturing applications, due to it's high strength-to-weight-ratio. Compared to traditional materials like steel or aluminum, carbon fiber offers the advantage of being significantly lighter while maintaining superior durability and rigidity. This makes it an ideal material for automotive upgrades, especially in electric vehicles like Tesla where weight savings can directly equate to increased performance and battery range.
Carbon Fiber Weaves
Early carbon fiber sheets were woven into a 1x1 checker board pattern (aka plain weave). This was the most basic form of carbon fiber used in aftermarket parts manufacturing.
Today in 2024 (as of writing this article) there are many more options when it comes to weave pattern. The most popular weave pattern today is the 2x2 weave with a stair-shaped pattern (aka twill weave).
There is one more category of carbon fiber that we should bring to your attention, and that is forged carbon isn't actually made of carbon fiber sheets, but rather chopped up chunks of carbon fiber (before they are woven into sheets). This creates a completely random pattern that is unique to each piece, creating a marble counter-top look on the final product. Again, this form of carbon fiber was popularized by parts found on high end super cars and eventually made its way down to your every day vehicle.
Due to the manufacturing nature of forged carbon, no two parts will be identical, and no specified pattern can be obtained on demand, whereas in traditional carbon fiber you can decide if you want to clad you entire vehicle in plain weave, or twill weave, or whatever weave suits your fancy. Some customers prefer forged carbon for this specific reason. Even though the part is shaped the same, the pattern is completely one-of-a-kind.
How Carbon Fiber Parts are Manufactured
We'll save you the technicalities of how the carbon fiber fabric is manufactured and all those juicy nerdy details. If you are interested in that, a quick Google search will provide some handy info. To turn these amazing sheets into a part, you first start off with a mold, but because carbon fiber fabric cannot be injected into the mold, the industry typically uses 3 main methods to lay the fabric:
- Wet Lamination (aka "wet" carbon): Sheets of carbon fiber are laid down into the mold and then resin is applied with a brush, roller, or spray gun. Very similar to how fiber glass body work is done, this method takes skill and practice. However, it is the least expensive method and is done completely by hand. Carbon fiber parts made using this method can also be much heavier than the next methods. E3Tuning does offer wet carbon parts, but we carefully vet our brands and manufacturers to make sure the parts still meet a certain quality standard to satisfy the enthusiast demands.
- Prepreg Lamination (aka "dry" carbon): In this method, resin is infused into the carbon fiber fabric before hand. This fabric is then cured in the mold under lots of heat and very high pressure (typically in an autoclave, which is basically a giant pressurized oven. The dry carbon method is the most expensive process, but yields products that are very precise, repeatable, and very light. E3Tuning is proud of offer brands like FYBR Aerodynamics, who specializes in dry carbon fiber products that are extremely durable and long lasting.
- Resin Transfer Molding (RTM): This method is specifically used in mass production applications. Here, the carbon fiber fabric is laid into the mold first, and then resin is pumped into the mold at very high pressure before it is cured. This process is highly automated, and since the goal is mass production, you can yield a component is has similar attributes to dry carbon at a slightly lower price point.
E3Tuning offers parts from manufacturers who use all 3 manufacturing methods. We will generally distinguish between wet and dry carbon, but will not distinguish between dry carbon and RTM carbon, because the end product is too similar. If cost is your main barrier, we recommend choosing a wet carbon part, but if you truly are looking for enthusiast grade parts, and cost is not a barrier for you, we recommend dry carbon all around.
What Parts are Available for My Tesla
Alright, hopefully we've covered a lot of fundamentals of carbon fiber in a concise (and hopefully interesting) way. Here at E3Tuning, we have many Tesla carbon fiber upgrades from front lips, to side skirts, to rear diffusers. We also have mirror covers as well as smaller interior upgrades like trim piece veneers and even full of replacement pieces.
As you take a look at everything E3Tuning has to offer, you may notice prices differences between 2 similar products. This will most definitely be due to the fact that the cheaper variant is "wet" carbon and the more expensive one is "dry" carbon. Other factors that may influence price is brand name. Certain brands will simply command a higher price tag due to demand alone. You can rest as ease when you purchase from E3Tuning because we have spent time vetting the brands we carry to make sure that you are getting a quality part for a very competitive price.