A high-performance composite manufacturing method that produces carbon fiber parts with a higher fiber-to-resin ratio than wet-layup carbon, resulting in stronger, lighter, and more expensive components.
Dry carbon fiber (also called pre-preg carbon or prepreg carbon) is manufactured using pre-impregnated carbon fiber fabric that has been pre-saturated with a precisely measured resin at the factory. The pre-preg fabric is laid into a mold, vacuum-bagged, and cured in an autoclave (a heated pressure vessel) at high temperature and pressure. The controlled curing conditions eliminate air voids and excess resin, producing a part with a higher fiber-to-resin ratio than wet-layup carbon.
The result is a component that is stronger and lighter per unit of volume than conventional wet-laid carbon. A dry carbon hood may weigh 40-60 percent less than the steel original and be significantly lighter than a wet-layup carbon equivalent of the same thickness. The autoclave curing process is expensive (industrial autoclaves cost hundreds of thousands of dollars) which is why genuine dry carbon parts cost several times more than wet-layup carbon.
Wet-layup carbon (common on inexpensive aftermarket body panels) uses liquid resin applied by hand to dry carbon weave. The fiber-to-resin ratio is less controlled, air voids are more common, and the result is heavier and less consistent. Most enthusiast-grade carbon fiber hoods and diffusers in the $300-$1,000 range are wet-layup. True dry carbon (OEM Porsche Carbon Fiber packages, McLaren's Monocell tub, Ferrari dry carbon components) is substantially more expensive and found on purpose-built performance cars and premium upgrades.