removing weight
- Thread starter Faheemo
- Start date
I have a full set of mods for my car - a set of coil overs, big brakes ,swaybars , camber arms and probably a square setup for the tyre sizes. The Front end is really hard or expensive area to loose weight, I've removed the sec air injection system (i dont have cats) and i intend to loose the headlight washers and anything else that i dont really need. Aircon is needed in our climate ,as i drive the car to the track.
Im not intending to strip the car bare , just removing a few items i can live without.
Yeah!
1200kg will have been really awesome
Im not intending to strip the car bare , just removing a few items i can live without.
Yeah!
1200kg will have been really awesome
pilchardthecat said:
The fuel tanks are nearer the rear than the front and so constantly losing and redistributing weight when driving so it's all theoretical anyway
pilchardthecat said:
The Z4MC on OEM suspension lifts and pitches excessively at the front so adding weight to the back end isn't going to help. Correcting the imbalance of F/R spring rates and dampers and resetting the geometry is the way to improve the Z4MC's handling. Running ballast in an optimised car doesn't improve performance (as proven in BTCC races).
pilchardthecat
Active member
exdos said:
The Z4M is not an "optimised car" and it's single biggest weakness by a country mile is that the engine is too heavy.
Fucking about with dropping weight from the rear gives you naff all, and might well make things worse.... unless you can make the front lighter too. You obviously cant make the engine lighter, but there are a few few things up there that could be moved and/or replaced with lighter equivalents
just an idea
what happens if you shift the rear wheels to the front?
what happens if you shift the rear wheels to the front?
pilchardthecat said:
I didn't say the OEM Z4MC was an optimised car; that's the problem, it's not. I was suggesting that once a car has been "sorted" with appropriate suspension mods and the geometry set-up to correct perceived handling problems, it has been "optimised".
The adage is:"to go faster, add lightness". I'm assuming that if someone starts stripping a car down, then they'll be sufficiently serious to have already fitted adjustable suspension etc. If you remove weight from a car with adjustable suspension you can account for weight losses by adjusting the suspension accordingly (i.e corner weighting, spring rates and damper adjustments etc.).
pilchardthecat said:
+1 I don't think the gear box is at the back. It would not understeer so much if it was 50/50. But maybe if you're a bit lardy sitting in it its 50/50 :lol: .I've also wondered about removing weight from, the front:
CF bonnet seems like an expensive and will only save very little from the aluminium OEM bonnet/ hood.
So what left to do:
Racing alu radiador, upgraded water pump sound insulation from the front
Front bumper assembly?
pilchardthecat
Active member
There's probably about 20k could come out of the front fairly easily
water pump, headlight wash, insulation, relocate screen wash reservoir (6kg full) and pump to rear
Better than 100kg at the back IMO
water pump, headlight wash, insulation, relocate screen wash reservoir (6kg full) and pump to rear
Better than 100kg at the back IMO
It's a good idea to lose weight from the car generally, but unless your competing in a proper race series its all a pointless expensive geek fest. You'll be basically ruining a road car into some have way house track car. From your previous post the car is still a weekend car which means You'll be driving some rattling noisy austere pig for at least 75 of the time, how many track days/race's did you do last year?
Lobing 60 kilos off the weight will make no difference unless your using 100 percent of the performance on every braking zone, apex and exit of the corner.
If I was you I'd go for a lighweight fixed bucket seat, light weight wheels and track rubber, properly set up adjustable coilovers, (both street and track setups) and keep the car pretty standard. Run the car for a while and then see if you want to start getting really serious with cages and zero interior.
Or you could buy E36 m3 and mod that, similar performance once moded for much less money
Lobing 60 kilos off the weight will make no difference unless your using 100 percent of the performance on every braking zone, apex and exit of the corner.
If I was you I'd go for a lighweight fixed bucket seat, light weight wheels and track rubber, properly set up adjustable coilovers, (both street and track setups) and keep the car pretty standard. Run the car for a while and then see if you want to start getting really serious with cages and zero interior.
Or you could buy E36 m3 and mod that, similar performance once moded for much less money