Protective tape

I assume the discussion is about real 3M helicopter rotor tape, not some of the commercial tapes sold or like new car protection.

I did use real honest to goodness 3M chopper tape on my Tiger and ultra black and shiny Avanti. On both cars I applied permanently on quarter panels and wheel well lips. This stuff works. I also applied on front of car but wanted to be able to remove and reinstall on occasion of long trips. The reason for removal was that there are severe depressions on both cars. These depressions were beyond normal stretch points of the tape which would cause small areas of delimitation or air bubbles over time and look ugly. I solved some of the problem by cutting smaller pieces, but none the less, it was obvious there was protection on front of the car. Did I say this stuff works!

This stuff can be removed and reinstalled. But the reinstalled pieces look really, really ugly since it is IMPOSSIBLE to put back on without wrinkles, air bubbles, little pieces of dirt, etc. But as I said it works and I did use it that way on long trips.

Now the forum question, does it leave residue. NO But and however, there is a micro impression of the adhesive that is easily polished out. My real test is on the ultra black Avanti. And it worked. Still ultra glossy with no paint damage.

BWTM. Be concerned about removing helicopter tape, not the residue. This stuff adheres as well as it protects. Even when painting with a heat gun, it is so tenacious that if you have paint not properly prepped, it may pull paint off the car. To reduce this possibility, I waxed the heck out of all surfaces before applying the tape.