Original
rear zip window design eliminates any possibility of water
leakage through zip.
The hood on the left is a High Grade 'Hot Hood' made to the same design
as the original Mazda hood. The hoods on the right is made
to a non-original design. Look more closely and you will see
that the non-original hood has a stitch line around the zip
window. This is prominent and goes up the sides of the window
and across the top. The original hood has no visible stitching
on the outside of the hood. Stitches that are exposed to the
elements can quickly fade, become brittle and fail. There
are also the obvious problems with water ingress through the
stitch holes. Another major difference is the construction
of the rear section of the hood. The non-original hood in
the photograph has a single skin rear screen design. Compare
this to the original Mazda and High Grade 'Hot Hood' which have a
double skin rear screen window design incorporating a replaceable
inner zip window section which extends across the whole rear
section of the hood and an outer section (or rear window curtain
as it is called) which effectively provides a double skin
layer to the side quarters of the hood. This original design
is more complex. The extra layers of material greatly add
to the insulation properties of the hood and the zip window
positioning provides the best possible protection from draughts
and water leaks.
See the difference between these
two photos.
Bonded Double
Faced Edges to Resist Shrinkage
Some hoods are being advertised
with an extended roof area to cover door seals? I find this
claim to be a little misleading. Any new hood that does not
adequately cover above the door seals would be considered
a poor fit and if you extend it beyond the door seals it will
interfere with the door opening. You therefore cannot extend the roof beyond its optimum size but you can ensure it stays that size by using high quality hooding materials and construction methods to re-enforce stressed areas. Mazda and our High Grade 'Hot Hood'
incorporate such features to resist premature shrinkage and
this can be explained in the photos below.
See the difference between these
two photos.
The sides of the original
Mazda & High Grade 'Hot Hood' are double skinned. (See left photo).
This is achieved by gluing a second layer of material around
the inside of the hood. This second layer re-enforces the
sides of the hood and also carries the side tensioning cable.
The side tensioning cable is passed through the material and
held tightly sandwiched within the sides of the hood fabric.
This arrangement not only provides a superior tight seal against
the hood frame but the double layer also provides superior
resistance to shrinkage.
Some after market hoods that
we have seen omit to glue the re-enforcement material to the
inside of the hood. (See right photo). The material is simply
sewn on as a loose flap through which the tension cables will
pass. This loose flap of material is not providing the same
function as the original glued re-enforcements on the original
Mazda and High Grade 'Hot Hood'. The hoods sides remain a single
thickness providing considerable less resistance to shrinkage
and damage. In addition the side cable passes through the
loose flap of material and therefore does not hold the sides
of the hood as well as it was intended too. This non original
design cuts costs from the manufacturing process at the expense
of losing the obvious benefits found in the original design.sts.
We hope that the above information
will enable you to make a more informed choice when choosing
who fits your hood.
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