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Windshield. Acrylic or Polycarbonate

gazunni

New member
Would love to hear people sound in on windshield material, acrylic or polycarbonate.

Pros and cons of both and any real world experience with Acrylic shattering.
 
I'm not quite sure what's behind your question, Gazunni (are you looking to make your own, just choosing between third party manufacturer's etc etc?), but I have never seen a single report of any BRP or third party windscreens shattering on this site. Of course, that doesn't mean there haven't been any;) . They are all very strong these days. The plus of the F4 screen that Bob mentions above is that it can be cleaned using good old paper towel at a service station, without any scratching.....perfect.:thumbup:

Pete
 
F4

Would love to hear people sound in on windshield material, acrylic or polycarbonate.

Pros and cons of both and any real world experience with Acrylic shattering.

whatever F4 is - they are the best!:yes::firstplace:
 
You should review the following video, if there is a belief that acrylic and polycarbonate are both strong. Each have their own properties, but acrylic will shatter on impact and requires a thicker composite to get the strength. Additionally I have read reviews (motorcycle) where people in an accident that go over the handlebars with an Acrylic windshield get cut up as it shatters. The poly will bend out of the way.

http://coloradoplastics.com/polycarbonate-lexan-vs-acrylic-lucite/

I'm not quite sure what's behind your question, Gazunni (are you looking to make your own, just choosing between third party manufacturer's etc etc?), but I have never seen a single report of any BRP or third party windscreens shattering on this site. Of course, that doesn't mean there haven't been any;) . They are all very strong these days. The plus of the F4 screen that Bob mentions above is that it can be cleaned using good old paper towel at a service station, without any scratching.....perfect.:thumbup:

Pete
 
WINDSHIELDS

Acrylic windshields would never be D.O.T. approved for the reasons you state and I doubt very much anyone is making them from that ...... jmho ..... Mike :thumbup:
 
I cant find the specs for the BRP windshield but I believe it is Acrylic. There is D.O.T. approval for Acrylic as a windshield material. CalSci windshields are 3/16" D.O.T. Acrylic.

Acrylic windshields would never be D.O.T. approved for the reasons you state and I doubt very much anyone is making them from that ...... jmho ..... Mike :thumbup:
 
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MISINFORMATION

I cant find the specs for the BRP windshield but I believe it is Acrylic. There is D.O.T. approval for Acrylic as a windshield material. CalSci windshields are 3/16" D.O.T. Acrylic.[/QUOT If D.O.T. approved Acrylic for a windshield then it doesn't ...." SHATTER " like you stated above ...............Mike :thumbup:
 
You should review the following video, if there is a belief that acrylic and polycarbonate are both strong. Each have their own properties, but acrylic will shatter on impact and requires a thicker composite to get the strength. Additionally I have read reviews (motorcycle) where people in an accident that go over the handlebars with an Acrylic windshield get cut up as it shatters. The poly will bend out of the way.

http://coloradoplastics.com/polycarbonate-lexan-vs-acrylic-lucite/

So.....I repeat my question.....if you already know all the answers, exactly what is it that you are trying to achieve in asking the question?

Pete
 
F4 uses a treated polycarbonate (lexan). The treatment prevents scratching and fading, which is a known drawback of the polycarbonate and is a benefit for Acrylic.

I repeat.........what exactly are you trying to ascertain? If you are worried about acrylic shattering, but know that it has a better resistance to scratching and fading, and the F4 bends and doesn't shatter and has a coating that prevents scratching and fading, surely there is only one choice? :hun:

Pete
 
I thought my question was clear, has anyone had any real world experience with acrylic shattering, all I have seen is third hand information and a video.

And I don't know all the answers, do you have any worth sharing, or will you just keep asking questions about my question?


So.....I repeat my question.....if you already know all the answers, exactly what is it that you are trying to achieve in asking the question?

Pete
 
I don't know the meaning of "third hand information" but both acrylic and polycarbonate will shatter if untreated. It's what the manufacturers do with the polymers that makes the difference. Is an acrylic windshield more likely to break in the dead of a Minnesota winter versus a warm summer day? Of course it is, and polycarbonate will more likely break as well. The term "shattering" implies breakage into small pieces, and neither material is prone to do that.

A body flung forward through any polymer windshield in an accident is likely to break the windshield at least at the attachment points. Frankly, that would be the least of my concerns at that point.

So it appears no one has responded with real world information about shattering acrylic windshields. Therefore why shouldn't the members here ask for more information so we have some context about the reason for the question?
 
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