OK OK

I have already searched about weight reduction and have 3 simple questions...

Question #1
If I remove the following: spare, jack, tools, air compressor, carpet under front hood, AND replace the battery with a lightweight battery...will this upset the car balance much?

Question #2
Having read about the front not being the best place to reduce weight....should i NOT do this before a DE event?

Question #3
What are REAR inexpensive/simple/reversable weight reduction items to offset that front reduction? Just wanting to begin a "starter diet" for my 993?

Thank you in advance,

Doug

 

I have always believed that you should get all the weight you can out of the car, even if its at the "light" end of the car. There really isn't much you can do at the rear... remove the mufflers? Cats? Swap out the stock decklid for a fixed fiberglass spoiler? Biggest bang for the buck may be swapping the seats for some lightweight racing shells. But this is generally still pretty expensive.

You are at the top of a long and slippery slope. You have way too nice a car to start hacking it up. Leave it alone and get a spec Miata. Or find a used beater race Porsche you can mess with. Trust me... been there; done that.

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by ca993twin:
<strong>You are at the top of a long and slippery slope. You have way too nice a car to start hacking it up. Leave it alone and get a spec Miata. Or find a used beater race Porsche you can mess with. Trust me... been there; done that.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">I second the spec miata comment. Your p-car ( or mine for that matter ) will never be a race car without spending another 40+ K into it.

On the other hand, you can get into spec miata racing for under 15K. A 2000 lb car with 125 hp is loads of fun.

 

You are at the top of a long and slippery slope. You have way too nice a car to start hacking it up. Leave it alone and get a spec Miata. Or find a used beater race Porsche you can mess with. Trust me... been there; done that

Oh great! Where were you last week? <img border="0" alt="[crying]" title="" src="graemlins/crying.gif" />

 

also consider sound proofing and rear seat removal aka RS, lighter rims perhaps....

 

I am not planning on cutting up my car....

I just am looking for how to lighten it up for Driver's Education Events...of which I plan to attend 4-6 weekends per year.

I bought this car to drive it and enjoy it. Not sit it in the garage to collect dust. Now that doesn't mean Club racing (at least not yet). I just want to explore the limits of the car.

To clarify...
Just looking for advice on easy and temporary weight removal items.

So far...
1. Remove Spare
2. Remove Tools and Jack
3. Remove carpet under front hood
4. New Wheels and Tires

Planning...
1. Lightweight battery
2. New Exhaust
3. Fixed Rear Wing (fiberglass) to swap out just for DE weekends.

Thanks

Doug

 

Doug,

Less weight is always better, I agree, but if you're looking to lighten in order to get faster in DE's, I'd say just listen to your instructor and concentrate on smoothness and consistency. The speed will come and you'll find yourself moving up in run groups.

Besides, it's always kind of fun to see if you can beat the cars that are equal to yours or quicker on your own driving ability.

If I were looking for an easy way to lower lap times, I would buy R compound tires before I tried to pare weight off.

 

Just removing weight from the front may cause your car to understeer more than it did before. When I ran my street car at DE's I leave everything in and a full tank of gas.

Mark's speaks the truth, speed comes from within, not from a 100 lb weight loss.

 

Thanks....

I spent last season completing 5 DE's in my BMW E46.

I did just buy BBS RS-GT rims with Michelin Pilot Sport Cups. The r-compounds will help...just looking to lighten the 993 up a bit.

I agree that speed comes from within.

I guess I will just do a few runs with and without front "extras" to get a feel for weight.

Thanks....

Doug

 

Here is a list that DC Lee sent me one time that is helpful. I believe it came from this board.

When I convert my car to RSCS spec I weighed everything I took out and added back. I have weighed my car at several club races and the end weight is pretty close.
Starting Weight 3,060
Removed
Seats (Factory to Sparco Evo) 46
Mufflers (Factory to Supercup) 20
Tires/Wheels (17? to 18? BBS) 18
Carpet/Padding/Other Interior 80
Rear Deck Lid w/Speakers 10
Rear Seats 10
Seat Belts 14
Lower Dash 13
Air Conditioner + Coolant 45
Stereo - Head Unit 3
Sun Roof 30
Engine Tray 7
Doors Panels w/Speakers 18
Passenger Side Airbag 8
Steering Wheel w/Airbag 5
Flywheel 13
Windshield Wiper Fluid 8
Engine Sound Proofing 5
Catalytic Converters 18
Heater Fan in Engine Compartment 7
Rear Bumper Cover 7
Added back
Roll Cage, Seat Brace & Cam Mount -85
Bigger Brakes + Rotors -12
Oil Cooler -10
RS Carpet -8
Front and Rear Spoiler -5
Total Removed 265

End Weight 2,795

The other thing I would share with everyone is to NEVER remove the spare if possible. It is absolutely integral to the tubs structural integrity in a frontal collision. It serves as a mini cage to keep impact away from the fuel tank.

 

Doug,

I'm in the process of reducing my car's weight to 2800# and during this process I've figured that $30/lb of weight reducing is a good ratio. Don't spend $1000 on new Supercups to save 14# (~$70/lb) or new fixed wing to save 7-8# (&gt;$100/lb). I'm at 2850# now and to get to 2800#, I will have to cross this treshold as I've removed all the free stuff.

The best bang for your buck are racing shells. For $900-$1200 you save approximately 70#. You also will be more secure while driving and can do harnesses if you want to spend a little more.