Originally Posted by Rehaan (Post 676145)

I have to say that common perception would lead most people to believe that "Naturally aluminum/metal is stronger than plastic", but we are dealing with three variables here :
1. What alloy of aluminum are we talking about ? Theres such a wide range of alloys with noticably different properties.
2. What plastic are we talking about ? I dont know much about plastics, but i can surely say that there must be more types of "plastics" than alloys of aluminum. Some of which can be incredibly durable.
3. The third variable is strength. "Strong" is a very vague word. There are many different attributes that could make up the word strength, and for every person and every application its a different selection of those attributes. In simple terms, a few of them could be - how much a material flexes without getting permanently damaged, how much a material can flex before it breaks, how much force a material can withstand without deforming, tensile strength, malleability, shear strength, compressive strength etc etc


So my point is, unless we go into the specifics of the materials (im guessing a 6061T alloy for the aluminum -- samurai, any idea?) and compare with the plastic (what kind is the stock GV protection and what kind of aftermarket versions are available?), its really no point arguing about it.

Also, keep in mind strength provided by structure (4th variable actually). For example - If you are comparing a 6mm flat sheet of XYZ to a 3mm ribbed / corrugated sheet of XYZ, the thinner sheet just might take more of a beating.

cya
R

ps - i also remember Mpower saying something about engineered plastics... maybe he can contribute.

Originally Posted by nitrous (Post 675924)

rl:
Taking an indica off-road, recommending plastic skid plates over aluminium ,....
We can't survive without someone like Headers' in the group. :lol:

Originally Posted by Samurai (Post 678700)

I just checked with Arka, I think we know what happened. Arka who organised this event, had posted the same photographs in Jeep Thrills. The photos must have been picked up from there.

Jeep Thrills India » Forums » Events » JEEPTHRILLS & Team BHP - 4x4 Training Day (09-12-07)