FenwickHockey65's Great Thread of GM Knowledge

[DGthe3]

Did the Vue even have the composite panels like the SL/SC/SW's?

[JerTM]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

Did the Vue even have the composite panels like the SL/SC/SW's?

yeah, all but the hood and the rear hatch. I loved my Vue, but it was a hybrid and had to change the batteries twice. I wasn't going to do that out of warranty.

[alcal1084]

My 1996 SL2 looks like it just rolled off the line. Garage queen lol

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

Sounds like that material is a special type of fibre glass, not carbon fibre.

My parents had a plastic fantastic Saturn for nearly 15 years and they didn't have any issues with the body panels.

What if its for some sort of specialized variant, like a sport truck or a Raptor fighter? Something where maximum durability of the bed might be less important than shaving a few pounds.

The CF bed may be for higher tier Premier/LTZ and High Country models.

[snizzle]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

Did the Vue even have the composite panels like the SL/SC/SW's?

It did for the 1st generation model. I believe Saturn switched back at some point with the rebadged Opel Vue.

[FenwickHockey65]

I think the Relay was the first Saturn missing the composite panels.

[JerTM]

Originally Posted by snizzle

It did for the 1st generation model. I believe Saturn switched back at some point with the rebadged Opel Vue.

Yep. I guess I should have been a bit more specific in my reasoning for saying a composite bed isn't ideal. The composite material itself on Saturns was great, it's just not very impact resistant when it's cold. Less impact resistant when cold an the abuse I see on work trucks and their beds and there will be a few broken bedsides, much like the current dually beds I see around. It would make sense to only use composites on the bed sides and not in the cargo area however.

[6spdhyperblue]

How did the Composite beds work in the early 2000 Silverado’s? This isn’t their first go at it. I remember it being on the option list in 2001

[sherob]

Kevlar is a composite... it seems to work pretty well. They use composite armor on the M1 Abrams tank, seems to work pretty well. It all depends on how GM formulates the composite.

Read this a few minutes ago...

http://www.autonews.com/article/2017...ber-pickup-bed

[FenwickHockey65]

http://www.hsv.com.au/hsv/2017/home/en/

The new HSV, post Holden manufacuring.

HSV Colorado Sportscat/Sportscat+
RHD Chevrolet Camaro 2SS
RHD Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD/3500HD

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by sherob

Kevlar is a composite... it seems to work pretty well. They use composite armor on the M1 Abrams tank, seems to work pretty well. It all depends on how GM formulates the composite.

Read this a few minutes ago...

http://www.autonews.com/article/2017...ber-pickup-bed

Yup, composites cover a ridiculously wide range of materials. Saying something is made of 'composite' is less helpful than saying something is made from 'metal'. A composite could be carbon fibre, or fibre glass, or reinforced concrete, or wood, or a number of other things.

Now, a pickup bed probably isn't made from Chobham armour, or wood, or concrete. But even with the various fibre reinforced plastics out there, like you said: it depends on how its formulated. They type of fibre, the way the fibre is laid (woven mat vs loose vs blown), and the type of plastic matrix can dramatically change the properties of the resulting material.

[FenwickHockey65]

http://www.carscoops.com/2017/12/u-s...th-escala.html

CT6 MCE.

[Angrybird 12]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

Yup, composites cover a ridiculously wide range of materials. Saying something is made of 'composite' is less helpful than saying something is made from 'metal'. A composite could be carbon fibre, or fibre glass, or reinforced concrete, or wood, or a number of other things.

Now, a pickup bed probably isn't made from Chobham armour, or wood, or concrete. But even with the various fibre reinforced plastics out there, like you said: it depends on how its formulated. They type of fibre, the way the fibre is laid (woven mat vs loose vs blown), and the type of plastic matrix can dramatically change the properties of the resulting material.

My patio and part of my driveway are composite, fiberglass reinforced concrete, they have held up well over the last 20 years. LOL

[Royal Tiger]

Sportscat???

Oh god, please no GM. Nothing with “scat” in its name.