Cheap hood latches might look the same and seem the same, but when they fail at 137 miles per hour, you really begin to understand why you should not cheap out on what holds you hood down.

The driver in this video sent in his story on why you don’t buy the cheap (read: knockoff) hood latches that are available to you. He’s the guy who had his hood smack into his windshield and blind him down the front straight at VIR:

Note the excellent “where do I go” hand dance performed with the flagging station after the event.

Here is Roberto’s story:

NASA Mid-Atlantic at VIR on 25/Mar. Thunder group, GTS3 class. I qualified in fifth, started in fourth and was in second gaining on first place when hood latch failed at 137 mph on the main straight going into Turn 1. I stayed on the brakes and pulled to the right and kept an eye on the flag station. Damages include hood/windshield/roof. I did some track side fixes at night (bolted hood back down, made a Lexan windshield and screwed a sunroof insert into place) and went on to .

Amazon is no longer selling this specific one. It seems Amazon

You can still find .

This might help as well:



Generally, buying the cheap stuff is never a good idea in the car world. You end up paying for things one way or another. Knockoff wheels you have to replace when they break. Knockoff steering wheels you have to replace when they brake. Knockoff seats you have to replace when they...well...you get the idea.