Weight of Race Car

#21

PeakRacer: Can you give a link to survey results?

Re. Chuck’s comments below. Change is bad. But everything is interesting.

That’s like some philosophical chit there I think.

#22

Where do you guys think this is going? As a curiousity, to see if some years are predisposed to be lighter, it may be of value for future builders, but as a means to lobby for a change in the weight rule, I wouldn’t hold out much hope.

It seems, based on comments, that some racers can easily get down to weight and have to add ballast, and others are struggling or just plain unable to get down to the weight we already have.

If you lower the minimum further you foul up some racers, and if you raise it(which nobody has suggested) you have other racers running out of legal options to add weight.

2750 seems to be a number that nobody loves, but for different reasons, so it must be the right answer.

#23

Ctbimmer: I am mostly Just curious and I think it is a good Idea to have a data log.

Ranger, Sorry there is no easy way see the data, but you can Download the CVS file here. http://pereda.org/tinc?key=HSNeyeTl&formname=racecarweight

Don’t worry, I will be putting all this in to nice pretty graphs for you guys.

#24

Quick screen grab[img size=150]

http://picasaweb.google.com/dpereda/WebPics/photo#5172441699254591666[/img]

http://picasaweb.google.com/dpereda/WebPics/photo#5172441699254591666

#25

What about creating a weight without driver?

#26

Guys,

This is interesting but if you take a look at the weight of the front and rear bumpers (alum. vs. plastic) that may be where the weight is at… NOTE: I am not saying that is where all the weight is at.

Also; 85 318i are the lightest E30 chassi; so if you really want to start off lite; go with an early 318. Then M20 swap it…

Not everyone is running the same cage, the same seat, the same fire extingusiher, the same gas amount, the same wheels, the same pad thickness, etc…

BMW CCA List:
325 87-88 stock weight 2765
325e 84-86 stock weight 2770
325es 86-88 stock weight 2785
325i 87 stock weight 2850 /87-88 IS weight is 2815
325i 89 stock weight 2895 /89-91 IS weight is 2865
325i 90-91 stock weight 2811
84-85 318 is 2361

#27

No thanks, there is almost a 100lb. difference between some of our drivers.

#28

155MPH wrote:

Ya, but half-efforts won’t get you on the podium. If you want to be good, you gotta be hungry.

I tried to make the “I’d give an arm and a leg” work as a second gag, but I couldn’t make it work.

#29

Removing ‘ballast’ from my car only for the enduro at VIR was worth about 6 seconds a lap.

If you aren’t running a full 100 pounds of lead and have to top off the tank before each sprint to make weight then you are too heavy.

#30

6 sec for 100 lbs, I need to go on a diet.

#31

robweenerpi wrote:

Removing ballast or driving a Vette? :silly:

(you meant 0.6 seconds is my guess)

#32

You guys are forgetting all of the other forms of “ballast”, spare tires, cool suit, etc…

Rob took quite a bit of weight out needless to say.

I think its also a fair conclusion to say now that the 318is either needs to be dropped from the series, ala the e cars, or have the minimum weight dropped to make it more competative.

JP

#33

did I miss the post where Rob complained that he wasn’t competitive at the spec weight in his 318iS?
bruce

155MPH wrote:

[quote]You guys are forgetting all of the other forms of “ballast”, spare tires, cool suit, etc…

Rob took quite a bit of weight out needless to say.

I think its also a fair conclusion to say now that the 318is either needs to be dropped from the series, ala the e cars, or have the minimum weight dropped to make it more competative.

JP[/quote]

#34

Things I consider ‘ballast’ that may or may not count as ballast in the rules.

Lead
Fuel - 85# worth (I calculated I’d need to run 40-45 minutes to be iffy on fuel)
Spare Tire
Windows/Mechanisms
Heavy Fire System.
Many Small parts under the hood and around in the car that aren’t bolted down really well.

I can pull about 220#'s in parts and weight in about 25-30 minutes from my car.

#35

leggwork wrote:

[quote]did I miss the post where Rob complained that he wasn’t competitive at the spec weight in his 318iS?
bruce
[/quote]

Guess you weren’t at the track then! :wink: :stuck_out_tongue:

If you check the laps times for the weekend you can see for yourself. Rob even had a pro driver in driving the car.

I’m doing his complaining for him. :blink:

Rob - go ahead and drop that M20 in there and come race with the rest of the pack! :laugh:

#36

Yes, I suck. Yes, I’m slow. Yes, I qualified last at VIR (after the sole e-car went home). Yes, the 318 had a professional driver. No, it couldn’t keep up with me. As Nick, the driver, noted, the 318is might be competitive on a track where higher speeds were sustained, but on a track like VIR, with some slow, tight turns the 318is just didn’t have the necessary torque to run with the 325’s.

I applaud Rob for trying a very grand experiment, but without a weight reduction for the 318is I also don’t see how it can be competitive. Maybe we should all chip in a little bit to buy him an M20?

Sasha

#37

Ex36 wrote:

[quote]Yes, I suck. Yes, I’m slow. Yes, I qualified last at VIR (after the sole e-car went home). Yes, the 318 had a professional driver. No, it couldn’t keep up with me. As Nick, the driver, noted, the 318is might be competitive on a track where higher speeds were sustained, but on a track like VIR, with some slow, tight turns the 318is just didn’t have the necessary torque to run with the 325’s.

I applaud Rob for trying a very grand experiment, but without a weight reduction for the 318is I also don’t see how it can be competitive. Maybe we should all chip in a little bit to buy him an M20?

Sasha[/quote] I have one in my shed (M20) I would be willing to sell…I need to make room.

#38

Not really enough results to draw a conclusion, Not that it matters. Just get your car down to weight.

See all the details here http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=ppl14wGuVT5iptQ8vEYmhaA

#39

Not sure how old this thread is, but I figured it might be worth bringing it back. I just weighed our Project Spec E30. I was a bit concerned that the change to the new extremely lightweight spec exhaust (36 pounds lighter than stock) was going to throw things off on our car weight-wise, and it seems to have done:

First off, things the car has in it:
Super-robust Kirk Racing cage
Spare tire in well
Big 'ole battery in right rear
No sound insulation in trunk
Spec Exhaust
Power Steering hardware (belt cut)
Power side windows that still work
Fire bottle
Full tank of gas (16.5 gallons, approx. 100 lbs. worth)
Me (full of awesome, about 175 pounds in reasonably priced street clothes)
Front oil pan guard
Lots of stickers
Probably some ants and other bugs and stuff

And the tally is:

LF: 729 RF: 743
LR: 691 RR: 591
TOTAL: 2754 lbs.

So I’m right at the MINIMUM target weight assuming I can complete a race with a filled-to-the-brim tank of gas. I’m not sure any amount of drafting is going to make that possible.

The rules allow for 100 pounds of ballast maximum. If I ran the tank bone dry, I could actually still end up under weight.

Can we fill the spare tire with concrete?

#40

GRMScott wrote:

[quote]Not sure how old this thread is, but I figured it might be worth bringing it back. I just weighed our Project Spec E30. I was a bit concerned that the change to the new extremely lightweight spec exhaust (36 pounds lighter than stock) was going to throw things off on our car weight-wise, and it seems to have done:

First off, things the car has in it:
Super-robust Kirk Racing cage
Spare tire in well
Big 'ole battery in right rear
No sound insulation in trunk
Spec Exhaust
Power Steering hardware (belt cut)
Power side windows that still work
Fire bottle
Full tank of gas (16.5 gallons, approx. 100 lbs. worth)
Me (full of awesome, about 175 pounds in reasonably priced street clothes)
Front oil pan guard
Lots of stickers
Probably some ants and other bugs and stuff

And the tally is:

LF: 729 RF: 743
LR: 691 RR: 591
TOTAL: 2754 lbs.

So I’m right at the MINIMUM target weight assuming I can complete a race with a filled-to-the-brim tank of gas. I’m not sure any amount of drafting is going to make that possible.

The rules allow for 100 pounds of ballast maximum. If I ran the tank bone dry, I could actually still end up under weight.

Can we fill the spare tire with concrete?[/quote]

This is why (in addition to my being lazy) that I have not gone hog wild in trying to lighten my car. Mine weighed in at 2808 with 1/2 tank of gas (no spare and most of the sound deadening still in place). So I figure that when the tank is dead empty (which I realize is not a good thing to do) I’ll be right at the limit. We’ll see in a couple of weeks at Roebling.

Relative to 318s, I not oppose a provision in the rules a bit to allow the 318s to run lighter. It is a shame for a guy to have spent a bunch of money on his car and not have a place for him to run. There is a guy down here in the Tampa FL area (I think his name is Jim ____) who has a lightweight 318 and he drives the snot out of it. I don’t know exactly what time he turns but I think he is quicker than I am. I know he’s quicker in the turns but that’s mostly becuase I am a wimp. I bet he could be competitive at Roebling.

Just my $0.02

Don