How much horsepower does this mod add?
Photography by J.G. Pasterjak
Our BMW 435i is a race car, right? Therefore it needs some stickers.
We thought this would be a nice chance to review some best practices for applying vinyl, since it’s something we’ll all have to do at some point.
Start with a clean surface. And by clean we don’t just mean free of dirt but also free of chemical contaminants that …
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How much horsepower does this mod add?
Good article. I had to figure all of this out on my own. Nice to see that I (mostly) had it right.
The 91% isopropyl alcohol is my go to degreaser and solvent for a lot of things. When removing stickers, it's really useful for cleaning the melted adhesive/citrus solvent (goo gone) slurry.
mikerunt said:How much horsepower does this mod add?
Good for at least three tenths.
What are the chances of the stickers "ghosting" the paint underneath if they're left on for awhile? Like months/years?
Even with pressure decals ive had a lot more luck getting them flat with soap and water. This is especially true with decals with a lot of surface area. part of the issue is decals are flat and your car isn't.
Also temperature matters. Warming them up with a heat gun makes them a lot more pliable. this makes matching curves a lot easier, especially wrapping edges.
docwyte said:What are the chances of the stickers "ghosting" the paint underneath if they're left on for awhile? Like months/years?
It happens. There's multiple factors in the degree of fading of the surrounding paint.
I got lucky, removed some letters after at least five years. The paint didn't fade much as the car was covered when not in use.
docwyte said:What are the chances of the stickers "ghosting" the paint underneath if they're left on for awhile? Like months/years?
About 100% given enough time and not enough UV protection on the uncovered parts. Also, different types of vinyl are going to allow different levels of UV to pass through. Bottom line here is it's probbaly best to peel every season and make sure the whole surface is properly cleaned if it's a car whose paint you care about long term.
A few weeks ago I had to put a bunch of stickers on my race car after I got it through tech. A guy next to me had a spray bottle of vinyl application fluid and loaned it to me. After cleaning the paint, you put down a spray or two of the application fluid then put the sticker onto it. Man, I'm never going back to dry! It made it super easy to position the sticker and squeegee the air bubbles out, even with very large stickers. Game changer.
In reply to docwyte :
Depends on paint protection.
Worst case buff it
In reply to theruleslawyer :
This! When I got out of high school, I worked for a Budget Rent a Car franchise. I used to decal the cargo vans we rented. Dish soap and water in a spray bottle. Worked to perfection. Great for giving you more working time.
On the flip side, removing was a bear. I used a heat gun to remove the vinyl but the decals were usually on for a long time. Glue had to be removed sometimes with good old gasoline. Used the plastic squeegee and, believe it or not, a BIC pen cap to scrape the glue off. Back then, the decal kits corporation sent to franchises, the glue was real thick and tough to remove. Then wash vehicle down and buff for the shadows. I always enjoyed putting them on. I did a Ford Ranger we used to plow our small lot and it was sweet. I wish I had a picture
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