UpFixenDerPorsche

Anyone had thought about these?

I've recently meandered into the carbon fibre tech areas and am amazed at what is readily available off the shelf.

Eg - for a torque tube: 100mm x 6mm wall CF tube: $375/metre (oh heck: 4" x 1/4", $360/yard ) Sheet / plate can be had in any thickness.

Jointing/bonding resins are as strong or stronger than the parent material.

Many automotive driveshafts are being made from CF.

Finished item would be much lighter than steel or alloy. A CF drive shaft may even solve the current creep/flexplate problem.

AO

interesting idea. Would save a lot of weight, but the expense may be too prohibitive.

Creep can be an issue with the autos, and especially on the 90,91 (maybe GTS too) autos, the drive shaft really cannot handle much more than 400 RWHP. After that the shafts go boom! The solution is to use one from an earlier car.

slate blue

I am in the process of this upgrade, doing it more for convenience as this is a bolt up to my new trans, the GM 8 speed auto. Both the tube and shaft are carbon. I need to adapt the GM tube to the Porsche bell housing.

UpFixenDerPorsche

I posted this idea a few months ago, but in light of my recent post re carbon fibre wheels I thought it may be timely to resurrect this idea, as applied not only the TT, but also to other areas of weight reduction / strength gains.

OK - so you're not running in the Indy 500 but you're one of those sporting tech purists who really can feel this sort of weight reduction benefit

Have another think about all the 928 areas open to weight reduction: CF torque tube; CF tower strut brace; CF lower tower brace; CF headlight riser bar; a bucket load of steel nut and bolt Titanium replacements; more efficient sound deadening. CF or Titanium exhaust components; Lighter seats; a Lithium battery.

Really and truly if you're on a full blood-ed weight loss warpath you'll find no shortage of candidate areas. Just be sure to examine each possibility with a cost/benefit focus.

A 200 lb drop is not unreasonable.

Then there's your 50" waistline ... oops ... smirk larf giggle ...

Speedtoys

But the $50k to get there, is not so much.


Not that its not worth it, if you have the scratch.

UpFixenDerPorsche

Arrrhhhhh geee Speedtoy: doesn't have to be anything close to that $$$ amt, but the main thing is whatever floats yer boat eh ?

ALKada

Carbon Fiber intake manifold....
CF drive shaft.

Those would be first on my list to save weight and break my bank account.

Rob Edwards

CF roof panel. sunroofless
CF rear hatch with a lexan window
CF TT and driveshaft

That's where the biggest weight benefits would be.

The carbon fiber intake from the Zombie is actually quite heavy, probably heavier than a stock S4 intake. Will weigh it when I get a chance.

Speedtoys

If yer gonna go bling, go all the way.

Mongo

Sounds expensive.

Black Sea RD

A 928 TT does not way that much really.

Biggest weight savings would be a chassis made of carbon fiber.

Now that would lighten things up a lot.

mark kibort

I don't think its as heavy , but it would be interesting to see the comparison.

you going to sell that CF intake????????

what's the latest on the car?? replaced the engine yet?? let me know ! and let me know if I can help.... I set it up for long life, doing some special things..... oh I guess you can too...... LEAVE IT ALL STOCK and use amsoil!

mark kibort

I think you need to replace the torque tube case, not the torque tube with CF...is that what you guys are talking about?

Im still at 2700lbs empty and there is no obvious way to get 200lbs out of the car. I already have, no sunroof, light starter, 2piece clutch, lexan windows, no bumpers, gutted doors, so what else is there? Anderson got his chassis bead blasted and still was only 100lbs lighter than me. he also had to add more bars to his borderline illegal cage, and his dry sump system is heavy, as well using a larger battery.

drnick

Build it and the buyers will come.. In about five years.. in dribs and drabs!

Speedtoys

Some to be found in ripping out the WHOLE dash, and use small tubing there to rebuild a 'dash'.

Then judicious use of a spot weld drill to remove interior trim hangars..not many..then whole inner layers of steel if not too load bearing (a good cage built to interfere with the body helps here)..

Probly 30-50lbs 'easy' in your car, but will require work to make it usable again once that is gone.


Tear off the front end, and rebuild it in small tubing.

There's your big next step, really.