Tom W

You will need to do a bit more than your plan to get to 2800 lbs. Getting the Turtle Mk1 to 2800 lbs also required the removal of all AC and heating components as well as the washer and wiper systems. I did leave the main stuff for HVAC behind the gas tank intact for Mk1.

If you remove the stuff behind the gas tank and gut the sunroof completely and remove more of the easy to get to stuff, you can get to about 2650 lbs (Turtle Mk 2).

If you strip the car to the tub cut out everything not essential and rebuild it with only the essentials and using light-weight parts, you can get to about 2150 lbs. The questions are: How much do you want to spend? Why do you want to do it? Will it cause problems for the race class of the car if/when you race it?

A photo history of the Turtle's transformation is here: http://gallery.mac.com/tomllama

What does the weight loss do? Well, it's hard to be specific but combining weight loss and driver improvements together it was about like this for me using Thunderhill as a yardstick:
Mk 1 @ 2800 lbs: down to 2:10 per lap after starting at 2:15 2 years prior (5 sec driver skill improvement)
Mk 2 @ 2650 lbs and $30k: down to 2:01 after a year having started the year at about 2:08
Mk 3 @ 2150 lbs and a lot more money: 1:57 in the first weekend with a target of down to 1:55-1:56

The Mk 1 version was a stock engine and the dyno said about 245 hp at the wheels. Mk 2 and 3 are the same engine (mostly stock but stronger) with 300 at the flywheel (about 260 hp at the rear wheels).

Juha G

Thanks Tom! That was great info! Especially with the lap times!

How much do you think I saved with these:

Original cats -> DACH-X bypass
Original steel decklid+RS wing -> 3.8RS composite decklid+wing (MaShaw)

Wilder

Juha, the DACH-X and RSRs saves you about 25lbs over stock cans and cats. You should also consider deleting your heater at about 7lbs in the rear. The problem with some of the suggestions above is that they place to much emphasis on removing weight from the front when ideally, the goal should be to remove weight from the rear.

Tom W

I can't address those weights. The Mk 1 version of my car had an aftermarket (MA Shaw) fiberglass RSA tail and decklid.

You really need to decide the purpose of the car. I wouldn't do most of what I did to the Turtle to a street car that only sees occasional DE use. It just isn't worth it. I would also very strongly urge you to develop restraint and not do this to a DE car (even if it's a track only car). Yes, it may help you go a bit faster but it costs money and is not easy to reverse. Spend the time and money on improving your driving with the car you have. Most of my lap time improvements have come from improving my driving over the last 4 years (about 25 track days per year). If and when you decide to race (the only time it's important how fast you can go in your car), then you can decide to spend money making it competative within the class rules or selling it and buying a car ready to race.

race911

To kinda play on Tom's weight v. lap time thing, I can say the following for the RSA #1.........at club race minimum of 2750 for (then) D stock, best I ever got at Thunderhill on the full track was a mid-2:03. When I added ballast to get up to the ~3000 and bump back to E, I was instantly looking at over 2:05.

The yellow car is slightly lightened, maybe mid-2900. It's waaaaaaaaay faster than the RSA (and obviously much further prepared). But it doesn't feel it! Yeah, a couple hundred off it would be nice; but so is having it as a sorta-usable street car.

CWay27

front to back......

- remove mass from front and rear bumper reinforcements
- change front hood with FG or CF and remove hood shock
- change battery with CF braille and remove spare + jack + compressor
- remove huge windshield washer tank in fender
- change door panel to rs
- remove carpet and foam padding
- remove passenger airbag
- remove rear seats and deck
- remove engine sound padding
- change engine lid to FG or CF
- change quarter and rear windows with lexan
- change wheels with CCW C10
- change rotors with aluminum hats

That should be a good start...

Gasser

Well, my car currently is 2800 pounds exactly. Unfortunatly I need to add around 140 pounds back to the car for G class. My car is basically G class ready minus the weight. It was raced before by another driver in the old D class and I am not sure when the weight left the car. I removed the carpet and rear interior, front carpet and a 25 pound steele plate from the passenger compartment. I also had the spare out durring that measurment. I guess that should put me pretty close when put back. I put an RS carpet back in wigh is nothing basically. I will put the spare back in, and add lead to the passenger compartment.

Be sure to know what you are shooting for so you don't have to add too much back and wasit a lot of time. Sure moving the weight to a more optimal place is good but there is a point of diminishing return here somewhere...

Juha G

Thanks for all the valuable input!

The car is almost a 100% DE car but I do drive it on the street occasionally.

I would like to remove the sound deadening for two reasons actually; to hear the sound of the engine better and to shed the weight. The primary reason is the sound.

I have ridden in Flying Finn's car several times and I just love how it sounds and feels with all the sound deadening removed. I am ok with a very raw car. I still have the BMW as a daily driver and when I need the comfort.

As far as my targets, I'm not planning on racing and even if I do, this car is no good. It is modified way beyond any class rules where it would be competitive.
So if I decide to start racing I will need to get another car in any case.
That leaves me with free hands to modify the car to my likings and right now I would just like to see the car get down to 2800lbs. Flying Finn's car weighs that much and he still has radio, AC and some interior etc. in the car.

I also agree on shaving the seconds trough practise and I can promise you, I am working hard! I'm signed up for Homestead for next weekend and Sebring the following weekend.

I don't want to shed weight so I could get better lap times, I want to shed weight because I feel the car is too heavy as it stands right now.

Van1

I am trying to shave 10-15 lbs off of the adjustable nut behind the steering wheel. Who else here could stand to lose some weight from this part? Let's be honest. It is always ironic when you go to club races and DE's and see guys (and girls) who have worked hard to shave weight off of their cars but obviously spend little time in the gym or on the treadmill shaving weight off of their gut.

Juha G

Hahah! That is SO true!

I think I have a good 20-30lbs I could (read: should) shed off my self...

Gasser

Yes, I will join that club. Anyone up for reducing the weight of our race cars by reducing the mass of the

Juha G

Ok, I'm in for the club! Who else is in?

My target is to reduce the driver's mass by a total of 30lbs, with the pace of 2lbs/week. So that should take me about 15weeks which is ~3.5 months. Now it's middle of April so come August, the driver should weigh 30lbs less than right now. Let's see how this goes...

Edit: I just weighed my self first time for half a year or so...whopping 242lbs!!! I knew I was carrying some ballast but damn, that's just plain gross! No wonder my knee's hurt after last nights floorball game...
August come, my mass must be under 210lbs or I'm gonna sell my car cause a fat man like my self does not serve to drive a car this capable.

Gasser

How tall are you. I think we are the same weight... Check in next week for our weigh in to see how much Ummm our cars lost

1pcarnut

I'm in. Currently at 190 but should be 175 at most for my height of 5'10". Need to start the bicycling again now that the weather is warming up.

CornerCarver

Count me in. I already started last month in order to fit in the Pole Position seat. 190 down to 182, so far. Target weight is 172 by June.