i see a lot of exhausts, headers, wheels designed to save on weight. my question is, at what weight do the savings start making a difference on performance? 10 pounds, 20 pounds, 30 pounds?

 

Lets just estimate it right here..

~200 HP (at the wheels) and say 2800 pounds.. 14 pounds per HP. Save 50 pounds and it is 13.75 pounds per HP, kinda like a 3.6 HP gain. So every pound saved is worth .072 HP. So round a little and say that you get a HP for every 14 pound you save.

That

 

Which is why ultra-light cars like the Elise perform so incredibly with relatively low HP motors...

 

makes sense.

 

We have weighted a couple of S2Ks and the car is around the 2,750-lb mark. Our race car weights 2,700 flat with half a tank of gas.

With the 2809 they required us to race with we did the fastest time. But we will see this next weekend as we have been bumped up another class but they allowed us to race with the 2,700-pounds (as per SCCA rules).

We are thinking of moving up to GT next year to forget about all these mod limitations thay have been impossing on us. According to the rules we can weight a minimum of 2,350-pounds. The question now is how do I get all the weight off (from 2,700 to at least 2,400.)? Sounds like carbon goodies could do the trick but at a high price.

 

I've seen a Japaneese thread of a stripped one at 2,350lb (posted in KG's)curb weight. I'll try to find a thread. That weight was with no CF just unloading the junk (i.e. top, top motors) seat, insulation, etc.

 

I thought there were some cast iron safety beams in the doors ?

Who are the guys in europe that got it down to 1700? was that what it came in at?

 

I guess the cheapest way to improve your car performance is to hit the treadmill a couple more times a week and put the Oreos down. HP gains by being less fat!