Review: Covercraft Full Nose Mask
 

I perform frequent long distance driving including on the interstate with my 370Z and I did not like the car getting bug-face all the time and risking rock chips so I invested in a Covercraft full nose mask (bra) for the 370Z. I recently had a chance to test it out and here are my thoughts.

REVIEW:
The install process went very smoothly. The instructions are very straightforward so there really is not much to setting it up. What I did do was wash the front of the car (and the entire car) so that I did not intentionally trap dirt between the mask and the paint. I learned this lesson from when I had a LaBra on my 91 Camaro RS (305). The one thing I did not do was use the Velcro pieces that is intended to hold the nose mask, or to better say, “Velcro down” the nose mask to where the hood latches are on top of the bumper. I refused to use Velcro so what I did was held the mask in place and dropped the hood down, as it is suppose to be done, and let it be “pinched” in. On these long distance drives, I would make a mental note to check at every stop (e.g. gas station, food, restroom). I attached a PIC of the TEST FITTING. I will update with new pics once I have to put it on again.

I drove around town, on the highway, and on the interstate (I-10) with no problems, no flapping, no odd noises, and the car was not pulling in any directions. Then I decide to make my trek on a 80ish-mile voyage. The outside temperature stayed around mid 40s to low 50s degree Fahrenheit while the car’s oil and coolant temperature stayed within the operating range. I probably was cruising on the average around 80 MPH.

Once I got home, I checked everything over and I saw no scuffs from the bra and it was mounted the same as it should. As I proceeded taking the mask off and giving the car another bath, I continued to be pleased with the protection the mask offered. I am happy with the investment and will be putting it back on for each and every long distance driving.

GOOD:
I have always been impressed with the Covercraft car covers (own 1 for each car) so I was not surprised that the bra was of the same caliber. It fits nicely, all of the parts such as the hooks are nice quality, and the material feels super durable and solid/thick. It fits snug except you might have a little show of bumper near the front fender-well, right by the tires. It was very minimal and not exposed to the road like majority of the bumper so I was not worried about it.

BAD:
Velcro! I rather it had been hooks. Small hurdle that was easily solved though, in my opinion. I might look into fabricating straps with hooks in lieu of the Velcro.

###END###

I hope this helps for anybody else looking into a similar investment. If this helped, please "rep" me! Thanks for reading!

http://i725.photobucket.com/albums/w...1-26141432.jpg

clearbra would be more modern look?

But on highway speeds, a rock will go through a clear bra, city driving and such a clear bra is great.

I assume it is good quality, however, exploding the picture view, it doesn't look like it has a very tailored fit, looks more baggie than I would expect it to be.

i cant see myself getting a car bra...

ive seen too many of my friends have them and end up with a line all the way across the hood where the upper end of the bra continiously beat the hood from the wind at speed...

especially with nissan's soft paint...

Yeah, I took the pic when I was test fitting it as I mentioned before but because I did not use the Velcro, the center top of the mask does sag a tad bit. In a couple weekends after I finish my finals, I am going to go to Lowes or Home Depot and see if I can fabricate some strap-hooks in lieu of the Velcro and alleviate the sag. Once I get that done, I'll post some new pics up.

My Camaro actually had the line too! But it was from paint fade. The mask came with the car and I never thought to look under it. It was a novice mistake; I was really young when I got it.

I am not really a fan of these mask/bra because of how they look on vehicles (and how sexy our Zs look naturally) so that is why I only strap it on when I drive long distance. I tell you what though, damage control on bug kills is AMAZING. Washing post driving was a jiffy.

I am very meticulious when taking care of the car so I intend to do what I can to avoid damage to the paint, within my means, of course. But I nor did my passenger (a mask/bra advocate) did not experience or heard any flapping though.

thats cool, i would like to do something about highway trips with mine but i think its too late now to really worry about it...

plus she looks a lot sexier topless ;)

but to do it right, people put 5 layers of clearbra....



;)

True that! It was a tough choice for me because topless is sexier. I have an insane number of layers of wax (Turtle Wax ICE) so that always help too.

Woah! That (quality) stuff is not cheap either. I would imagine with a larger number of layers, the more visible the cut-off of the bra would be but that's just a theory!

I would only used it on long drives.

:tup:
nice avatar you got there...;)

Its possible that's the last time I saw a black bra on a car - I thought they were extinct. ;p Probably a good idea for long road trips if you don't have a clear bra...

It's a car.. not a priceless work of art. Cars get some damage here and there. That's the nature of driving. It's not a big deal.

Putting a giant piece of black fabric on the front of a car is a travesty.

I'm just going to get the front nose re sprayed probably once a year. I have a guy that will do it for approximately $150-$200. He said that they spray it well and put more than one coat on.

I bought the Nissan full-nose mask made for the 370Z. It cost about $25.00 more than the Covercraft, however the stretch fit is perfectly skin-tight so there is absolutely no looseness or folds to be seen anywhere. And the Nissan mask has the plastic hooks...no use of velcro at all.

From the looks of the Covercraft in the picture it doesn't look well designed given the folds in the material. It looks rather loose and ill-fitted.

As for the comment about getting a clear bra instead because it looks more modern or in with the times that is a bunch of :bs:. Whether a person uses a leather / vinyl bra or clear has nothing to do with "modern" times...it is a preference and that's all it is.

It's :bs: remarks like that create :bs: fables and myths that other :icon14: brainless sheep then start to take to heart.

And besides, a clear bra doesn't do jack for many things that get tossed up and slamming toward the car's front. The leather / vinyl bras do protect well against those times.

BAAAAAAAAA.....

False. Paint protection film will stop a half inch stone at 140mph. Its been tested over and over. Besides... and I am just being honest here, that is one of the worst looking bras I have seen. It doesnt fit smoothly, is very bulky, and just looks horrible with that color. At least with clear bras you can cover any area of the car and the headlights.

Zkindofguy... I had a piece of tire, roughly half of it, flip up and hit my bumper, headlight, hood, and then over the windshield at 80mph and therre wasnt one single scuff on the paint. There were some black marks on the film but they buffed right out. So I am not sure what your "those times" are but it seems to hold up better than you lead on. In fact I would be willing to say that its youre remarks about clear bras not holding up that lead to people becoming "brainless sheep". if you want to stick with 80s technology and cover up the lines of your car, go ahead. But do not put out false information about paint protection film not holding up. If that were true all of these Ferrari, Porsche, Lambo... owners would not be getting them. They would be driving around like you with a big piece of leather covering up their beautifu cars.

No what is a travesty is an attitude that one shouldn't try to take care of what they do have so that it lasts longer and maintains the highest possible value. I'm glad you aren't living in my neighborhood.

I don't care what the tests shows...I can test prove that an elephant can hang from a flower by his tail on a cliff. I had a clear bra on my previous car. And it didn't do jack for two different incidents. Every car (3 in number) I have put a leather mask on and have driven each of those cars near 100,000 miles the fronts remained as pristine as the day I bought it. I have no problem using a leather mask on the 370Z now as a leather mask has certainly proven to me it can in all cases protect the the car.

I agree with you about the bra in the picture being terrible looking. That is why I suggested going with the Nissan bra as it is formed fitted and absolutlely skin tight.

I'm not putting false information about anything. And its funny you should mention the "tire" incident you had. That is exactly what one of the incidents I was refering to when I had a clear bra on my Shelby GT and it didn't do sh*t. The foot long piece of tire "gator" flew off the back of a semi and slammed the front passenger portion of my front fascia. It actually pierced the clear-bra leaving a ragged edge in the clear-bra material and made it to the actual bumper plastic leaving a tread mark outline and indentation that to the day I sold the car never came out.

Now on my 370Z I had the same thing happen but I had the leather "80's technology" bra on. It slammed the car even harder than the other incident with the Stang as this "gator" was larger and rocked the 370Z when it hit it. I immediately pulled over to the side of the road expecting to find all kinds of damage....and there was absolutely nothing at all. Even the "80's technology" leather still remained intact. It just had a flat-black scuff across the leather at the strike point which came off very easily using some leather cleaner and conditioner.

So spare me your knee-jerk "sales job" when I can show that "80's technology" works any day of the week because it NEVER fails and isn't a pure CRAP SHOOT like when using "modern-day clear-bra technology". :thumbsdown:

And BTW...just because a clear-bra makes its way onto some exotic brand of vehicle has absolutely nothing to do with how well the clear bra will actually protect the car. So HTP AutoWorks, do you want a shot at the "proven technologies" title?

:iagree: I have had clearbra on my Z since the beginning of April, right after I bought the car. I drive the interstate daily to work. My front end looks like new. Rocks and debris at highway speeds have not damaged or torn the clearbra. My 350 looked like sh!t, as if someone had shot the nose with a shotgun. My 370 looks showroom new. From a performance standpoint in resiliancy to rocks, it is an excellent product. It also has zero peeling and no yellowing.... looks as good as the day it was installed. You guys can debate looks and conventional bras all day long, but the clearbra is a winner from a protection and asthetics standpoint on my car.

John

Reading these posts, I wish ZKindaGuy was a CamaroKindaGuy so he could go join those folks. Did no one ever teach you that it's not what you say, but how you say it?

Would that be anything like the proverbial "bedside manner" ? :p

Id rather drive with my front bumper and hood off than put a leather bra on my car :p

:wtf2:

why do i feel nauseous :confused:

Something like that. One doesn't get far in life flipping off the handle every time there is a point to be made. Be a little bit rational and explain your points like a grownup. Popping off and flexing your e-muscles doesn't impress anyone around here.

"Dr. Frost. Dr. Frost. Please come to I.C. Dr. Frost. To I.C."

:icon17:

Dr. Frost was needed in this thread, we had a "brain dead" patient :bowrofl:

x2

He just needs some people skills :icon14:. Y'know in a way, they're both right. Although the film is tough, there is no way it could be tougher than the old bras. Biggest problem with the Wonderbras is their looks. No doubt the Ferrari and Lambo owners are just as concerned about their looks as they are with protecting their paint.

Back in the olde days, a couple of my rigs had the wonderbras. Biggest problem was al the crap that got underneath them. No way a car is gonna look good after 100,000 miles when it's got stuff festering under one of those bad-boys. :stirthepot:

:iagree: there was another here that did that very same thing...and it didnt end well for him :rolleyes:

Ya, another one who could have ben saved by Dr. Frost, MD :rolleyes:

http://www.crestock.com/images/78000.../788399-xs.jpg

:icon17: :iagree:

"Y'know in a way, they're both right"

This is very true, sometimes it is just fine to "agree to disagree" and respect the other man's opinion. I love all the fights that occur over "styling and asthetics", where there is no right or wrong, just personal preference. Then again, when everyone thinks something is hideous, and you happen to like it, you're much better off sometimes to keep it to yourself and avoid criticism, and just enjoy what you like. :p

Proof to this "test."
As I have seen a clear bra on a car and then drove next to it from Houston to Austin, guess what, it had rock chips under the clear bra from road debris, rocks, etc. A good leather front mask will protect better on highways (city to city driving), inter-city driving I have no tests on as I could careless at this point.

lol dreamer dont let that snow get ya down :icon17:

Definitely true. Arguing about personal preferences is just a waste of time. It would be like getting all juiced up in a "what color do you think is best?" thread, or "which exhaust sounds the best?" Don't worry about beating your point into the ground, because you're not going to change people's minds and for the record, not many people really care anyway.

They both protect very well when applied or put on correctly, it's up to you as to which one you like. :iagree: