Superhydrophobic

[etlh]

Hi,
I'm new to the forum and wanted to know if any of you had experience coating your 7s with a superhydrophobic coating to stop corrosion?
Was also thinking it might work to halt condensation inside the car when the hood is up and to stop the carpet stinking (as it wouldn't absorb water). Any knowledge on the matter?
Best,
E.

Edited by etlh on Tuesday 18th April 13:40

[Oysterman]

Hi
Errr, what is this coating you talk of? Sounds like the holy grail to me.

[etlh]

Well, after reading the impressive amount of knowledge here (I'm about to take the plunge on a 310), I saw that a major problem is corrosion. I live in the Austrian mountains so if I want to maximise my driving days (I plan on running it at least 300 days a year), salt on the roads is a reality I cannot escape.
A couple of years ago I was researching a way to stop ice forming on my terrace and I came across these superhydrophobic coatings, but at the time they weren't commercially available. Now a couple of firms offer some that can be used on metal, cloth, glass and plastic:
http://www.neverwet.com
http://www.aquashield.net
http://www.ultraeverdry-store.eu
http://www.aculon.com
http://www.hydrobead.com
There are even some videos on youtube on how to home brew this type of coating.

So I was wondering if anyone had tried this out previously, because I'm thinking of dropping the whole car into a vat of the stuff :-)

Edited by etlh on Tuesday 18th April 22:55

Edited by etlh on Tuesday 18th April 22:56

[BigRabs]

I'd be interested in any responses to this too! I'm currently waiting for my 310R and whilst I plan to avoid salt I'd still like a little more peace of mind.

[Oysterman]

Not sure about any of those but I do use ACF 50 on my motorcycles for years now and have found nothing better ,will be using it on the R500 this winter without hesitation. It comes from the aviation industry and is now widely available also known as Corrosion block in the marine industry.

[etlh]

From what I could read ACF50 is a corrosion inhibitor that works by applying a "grease-type" coat.

Superhydrophobic coatings can do this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvTkefJHfC0

or this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7is6r6zXFDc

[framerateuk]

etlh said:

From what I could read ACF50 is a corrosion inhibitor that works by applying a "grease-type" coat.

Superhydrophobic coatings can do this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvTkefJHfC0

or this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7is6r6zXFDc

What happens when you get a stone chip on the powder coat? I can't imagine these coatings are intended to be reapplied all the time? Looks like they would be best applied to a bare chassis - even kit built Caterhams are supplied with the skin already attached.

It would probably make it difficult/impossible to apply any other corrosion inhibitor on top afterwards too.

[xjay1337]

Bilt Hamber offers a sprayable under coating which when dry you could then top with hydrophobic coating / ACF50

[etlh]

framerateuk said:

What happens when you get a stone chip on the powder coat? I can't imagine these coatings are intended to be reapplied all the time? Looks like they would be best applied to a bare chassis - even kit built Caterhams are supplied with the skin already attached.

It would probably make it difficult/impossible to apply any other corrosion inhibitor on top afterwards too.

For example this one:
http://aquashield.net/index.php?route=information/...
supposedly protects from stone chips (for which I'll mount a self-healing XPEL film anyways) as well as from dirt/water/corrosion. It lasts for 3 years (!).

My idea is to use the above one on the painted area outside and a 2 layer one from Ultradry or Neverwet (that is not transparent) on the inside of the panels and on the chassis. Because of its superhydrophobic properties no water will ever stick to any part that's been coated (corrosion problem solved). Then I'll use one for glass on the windshield (bad wiper problem solved) and one for cloth on the carpet (smell problem solved).

Edited by etlh on Thursday 20th April 14:14

[Toaster]

Use rubber mats and don't have carpets on the inside panel !

It's a 7 so when you hit standing water the tyres will send water up the outside panel between the door and bodywork and you will find a fountain of water entering the car. You will look like you have just capsized a kayak. Now that happens if your caught out in summer goodness knows the delights of winter driving.

[mharris]

framerateuk said:

What happens when you get a stone chip on the powder coat? I can't imagine these coatings are intended to be reapplied all the time? Looks like they would be best applied to a bare chassis - even kit built Caterhams are supplied with the skin already attached.

It would probably make it difficult/impossible to apply any other corrosion inhibitor on top afterwards too.

^^ Making a good point here. You're only going to get corrosion on the chassis where the powder coat has chipped or flaked off. A hydrophobic coating isn't going to do anything to protect the powdercoat. You'll be better off repainting any chips with something like POR15. I'd be interested to see what a hydrophobic coating does in the grot traps though.. Would it cause the water to pool up rather than drain out?

When looked after, most Caterhams dont show any serious signs of corrosion for perhaps 15 years or more. So thats no different to any other road car really. Regardless, pretty much everything that might rust can be replaced (even the side-skins).


For what its worth.. I go out of my way to avoid road salt, and give the car a liberal spray with ACF-50 a few times a year. Including pouring some down the grot traps with the front of the car jacked up.