Weight Reduction

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mrx
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Weight Reduction

Post by mrx »

Has anybody else seen the shots of the forthcoming Proton Coupe (latest Motor magazine)? Looks pretty sweet from what we can see.

But it got me thinking...the cheapest performance mod of all is weight reduction. Lotus build their cars based around this basic principle (except possibly the esprit) as less weight means better acceleration and better handling (all other things being equal). Top speed is the only thing where power is king.

So, has anybody ever stripped their FTO of unnecessary weight? You could remove the rear seats, sound proofing, carpets (rear at least), spare tyre, air conditioning, ICE and save a fair amount of weight, and gain some performance, for free. And if you went the whole way, buy a CF bonnet and boot, replace the glass in the windows with thinner glass or even plastic.

I am not sure how much weight you would actually save, as to whether it would be worthwhile.

Of course, I will not be doing this :) . I enjoy some peace and quiet, but it does make you think...
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FTO338
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Post by FTO338 »

If I set my car as a track car only, then i might do it, since all those comfort feature mean nothing on the track but it might also upset the balance of the weight distribution & end up with negative effect, instead of better handling.
DISCLAIMER: The above text is the personal opinion of the author and does not represent the indisputable truth. The author is not responsible for any deaths, injuries or mental illness caused by the above statments.
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ruchi
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Post by ruchi »

As I've said a number of times now, set your car up for how you drive it 90% of the time not for how you're going to drive it 10% of the time :wink:
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FTOluv
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Post by FTOluv »

I wouldnt dare start stripping stuff out of my car. That sort of thing is usually reserved for track use.
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RichardH
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Post by RichardH »

ruchi wrote:As I've said a number of times now, set your car up for how you drive it 90% of the time not for how you're going to drive it 10% of the time :wink:
But what if that 10% of the time gives you 90% of the fun?

;)
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ruchi
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Post by ruchi »

LOL! :lol:
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smorison
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Post by smorison »

i can tell you after today, removing my seats and everything else for the track day at Wakefield (had to remove everything out of the boot regardless but decided to do seats as well). I ended up with a car which was really light when cornering, need extra downforce now ;)
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Jono
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Post by Jono »

just eat a few meat pies, thatl give some downforce. :P
Or ......
some baked beans,..... upforce :lol:

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Post by smorison »

Jono wrote:just eat a few meat pies, thatl give some downforce. :P
Or ......
some baked beans,..... upforce :lol:

jono

ahahah :)

what actually happens is it upsets the weight distribution...

adding downforce can counteract some of this... and as Boris would have seen on sunday helped stop the squirming motion the car goes under when going from about 180-190 down to 60-70 (from memory) when going along the front straight to the tight right hander in a very short distance.

oh i'm so hoping there's some video footage of my nice big lockup... it'll make quite entertaining watching.
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SilentBob
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Post by SilentBob »

sorry to dissapoint but i dont think the camera girl was 'in action' at the time....

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smorison
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Post by smorison »

SilentBob wrote:sorry to dissapoint but i dont think the camera girl was 'in action' at the time....

SilentBob
that's alright... so what did you end up with footage of?
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Boris
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Post by Boris »

I didn't get your huge oversteer after that left U turn corner, but I did get the smallish oversteer coming out of the right hander from the straight...

That small one was when that R32 overtook you on the straight, and you were probably trying to keep up on the corner with it :wink:

Movie will be edited and hopefully uploaded tommorow ppl.
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GPXXX
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Post by GPXXX »

depending on how much you want to spend, there are many ways to remove weight from the car... Some of these measures are free, like taking out the carpet trim, seats, jacks, spares, misc items from the glovebox etc...

then you get to the expensive option of replacing factory panels with composite matrials (lay off the carbonfibre jokes ok fellas), forged lightweight racing rims from Japan, titanium exhaust systems and strut braces, the list goes on..

some extreme examples I've come across is drilling holes in the door and bonnet braces, boot, even cutting out the boot floor! :shock:

and btw, lexan windows are illegal for road use...

p/s: bakebeans = release of backpressure in the human exhaust ;)
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Post by Jono »

release of back pressure = Blow off valve ( are there settings for these things 8O ....... :P )

Jono
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MarkFTO
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Post by MarkFTO »

the fto is a nose heavy car so ive concentrated my weightloss on the front end of the car. Battery is relocated to the boot, carbon bonnet etc. I think its something in the order of 68-32 front rear distribution as standard. Im trying to reach a 60-40 split, should allow me to have some stereo stuff in the boot too :D
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Post by smorison »

mark i agree 100% :)

the only problem is i want to build more strength into the suspension arms which means adding more weight to the front... and an oil cooler for the transmission. (which is minimal weight each but all add's up)...

carbon bonnet is going to be a must and maybe i'll start building all the panels out of carbon (if i can be bothered to build the moulds).

putting a nice aerodynamic wing on the back with min drag and max downforce will help to even up the weight issue by pushing down on the back, however i also found at above 180-190kph the car at the front was getting a bit light for my liking so needs canards or somethig on the front as well as being about 20mm lower.

i was also suffering from mechanical grip (sh*tty tyres) which made for some really exciting first corners off the front straight.... hehehe
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GPXXX
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Post by GPXXX »

and as discussed many times before Steve, my carbonfibre GT wing is always for sale if you need 'em hehehehe...

and as for the carbon bonnet, did you get my PM? i need to get it like, NOW! ;):D
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