Adding a Body Kit to Your Car or Truck Can Really Change It's Looks. But If You're Going to Drive it on the Street Are You Concerned About Your Safety? There Are a Few Things You Should Consider.

SAN DIEGO, CA June 7, 2011 (Press-News.org) Most people who buy a body kit for their car or truck are looking forward to making the vehicle more aggressive, a custom appearance, and completely unique. Yet the last thing that they think of when messing around with their bumpers is safety. It's kind of crazy really, some are willing to risk their safety just so they can look good.

We are proud of what we drive, but we are all unique. We like to show our style, or even enter our vehicle into some car or truck shows. One of the most drastic things that you can do to your vehicle is to add a custom body kit to it. Adding a body kit will change out the front and rear bumpers, as well as adding two side skirts to complete the package.

There are three types of body kits by design, and different types of materials are also available. You have full replacement body kits, you have bumper covers, and then you have what are called lip style body kits. Each are very different when it comes to safety.

A full replacement fiberglass body kit requires you to remove the factory bumper, rebar and bumper supports. This is due to the shape of the under side of the factory part. These fiberglass parts frankly will not fit on the vehicle with all of these supports in the way due to their thickness so modifications to these bumpers are necessary.

You can address that in 2 different ways.

You can modify the bumper supports so that they will mount to the fiberglass bumper, or you can do what most people do and just remove the supports.
This would be the easier way, but without those supports you can possibly have less crash protection for your vehicle.This is why all of the manufacturers that we deal with say that the body kits are for show purposes only, or for off-road use only.They don't want you to use them on the street because of the safety concerns.

Fiberglass body kits tend to come in many more styles that other types of material, and they are a lot more aggressive looking as well. But some people are not comfortable with the safety aspect, so there are other options for them.

"Urethane body kits are among the best materials out there are the market," says Mike Briglia, Owner of CustomAutoTrim.Com. "They are most similar to what the factory would supply to you on a new car. They are also the most forgiving in a small bump type of an accident like when you run up into a curb," Briglia said.

A lip style body kit does not require you to remove any parts from the car. The lip body kits are designed to fit over existing factory parts, meaning that a front lip would pretty much just stick onto the factory bumper and then screw down at each end with stainless steel sheet metal screws. Once the lip is painted to match the existing bumper it give an appearance that you really did change out the entire bumper for a more stylish one. On the plus side with these types of body kits you did not remove any factory parts, did not remove the bumper supports or rebar, and you did not change anything safety wise on this vehicle. The down side is that because these are lip kits and reliant on mounting on to an existing bumper, they are not as aggressive as many other kits on the market. However if you are a parent that is buying a body kit for their son or daughter you probably would be more interested in getting a lip body kit for them, preferably in urethane if possible in case they scrape a curb or something similar. Urethane lip body kits will not break like fiberglass body kits.

Last, there are bumper covers as an option. These are usually for trucks, but they work just like a factory replacement would. Some bumper covers require you to remove the existing factory bumper cover (not the supports) and replace it with the new bumper cover. Or, some bumper covers are molded and designed to fit right over the existing factory bumper cover. In either case each of these installations are simple to do, and safety is not an issue here either because we did not change anything structurally on the vehicle.

So before you actually choose your body kit, think about it. Are you the type of person that is just taking their car to car shows, or is this vehicle a daily driver where safety is an issue. Ultimately it is your decision, but at least now you have some information to help you make your selection for your next body kit package for your car or truck.

Some other accessories that are available from Custom Auto Trim are rear window graphics, body side molding, and truck graphics.

Numerous customer testimonials to be found on Custom Auto Trim's website (www.customautotrim.com) bear out that claim, while others cite the company's exceptionally extensive inventory of top quality products as a major draw. Such auto accessories as car body kits, spoilers and wings, ground effects, car decal kits, and euro tail lights are among Custom Auto Trim's most popular products, Briglia said.

Founded in 1997, Custom Auto Trim has been a premier global supplier of body kits, truck graphics and car accessories, and serves many industries including automotive, recreational vehicle, boats and heavy truck. Some applications of their products can be found at car dealerships including spoilers and wings for cars and trucks, body side molding, custom pinstriping, truck decals, and stainless steel nerf bars for trucks and SUV. You can reach Custom Auto Reim at (800) 232-6922 or at www.customautotrim.com

Custom Auto Trim is an industry leader in sales of auto parts and accessories since 1997. For further information please contact us at 858-273-5700.