just a thought about weight

NYSpeed Automotive
1

i was reading a car magazine (doesnt matter which one) in which they were comapring the new Lamborghine Gallardo roadsert to a Ferrari F430 Spyder. the editors were squaking about how the roadster Gallardo weighs 300 pounds more than its hardtopped counterpart like it was the end of the world.

now, im not a physicist (i dont even think i spelled that right haha) or an engineer, but it seems to me that 300 lbs doenst really make that much of a difference. ok, mayb 300 lbs is pushing the limmit of the idea, but still. i think when people talk a about a few extra punds being a tragic flaw on a car, they are not considering everyday applications. sure its a different world in racng, but who buys Gallardos and F430s for the sole purpose of racing them on a competitive level? i could be wrong in saying this, but i would think that msot buyers of such cars buy them for personal enjoyment.

so about that everyday application thing. im gonna use a real example for this. the other night, i was with my uncle and we stopped by the Saturn dealer for the hell of it to check out the new Sky. now, im about 6’ 1", 240 lbs and my uncle about 6’ 6" and 280 lbs or so. so with both sitting in this car (yes, it was quite a sight lol), how much would that hinder the performance verses 2 people that are 5’ 10 and around 160 lbs? does that extra weight really make a difference for everyday driving? same thing in the Gallardo roadster. lets say theres a guy driving it thats 5’ 8" and 160 lbs. now lets say theres 2 guys in that coupe that are 6’ and 230 lbs. theres that 300 lb difference made up right there. so, considering that, is it safe to say that theroetically those 2 cars should be equal now that they are weighing the same? are they? were they even consistnatly that much different to begin with?

lets take a more practical example. 2 people on this forum race. the race is very close and the losing car has a driver and 1 passenger. the losing car uses the fact that he has 1 passenger as an excuse for loosing. considering the car weights, we’ll say 2900 lbs, does that extra 150-200 lb weight of the passenger really make that much of a differnce? i dont think so.

now, when we talk about, people who completely gut the inside of thier car, use all lightweight materials and lighten the car up by 500 or more lbs, then yes, i think that does make a differnce. is doing all of this for an everyday car work it? hell no. on a race car is it? of couse.

the point i am trying to make, is i honestly dont think that its worth making a huge deal out of a few hundred punds weight difference when there are soooo many variables that make an extra coupple hundred punds on or off the car virtually meaningless. yes there is a point where weight makes a difference, if we’re talking about a Ford Festiva that can barely do 45 mph and has less hp than the average riding lawmower, then yeah an extra 200lbs is gonna kill the damn thing. but in a car making 500 hp, is an extra 200 or 300 lbs really that big of a deal? i mean there has to be a certain point where such a small measure in relation to the weight of the car doesnt matter anymore.

so if u read all that, please comment and add your own thoughs. im interested to hear what people have to say on this.

2

back before i was able to drive after 9 haha 2 of my buddys had integras. one was a 94 and one was a 91 but both just as fast as the other. side by side with out anyone in the car. now when i would go out with one of them and race whos ever car i was in would lose by a good car leanth. now this is in a 140 hp no torque honda but yea to a point the weight makes a diff when racing even if its only like 170 - 180 lbs. but everyday driving i dont see it making anykind of difference. also the higher hp and torque the less 200 or so lbs would make to a car if im thinking right.

3

the lighter the car is…the more significant weight becomes…

for example, shaving 100 lbs off of a 2000 lb civic hatch will make a noticable difference (noticable to the driver that knows the car best, but probably not noticable to you or me), but shaving 100 lbs off of my 3300 lb Z probably wouldn’t have near the same effect…

same can be said for horse power…a lighter car will gain a lot more from an additional 30hp than a heavy pig would…

there’s no set ratio of X weight to Y power = Z time in the quarter mile…it’s completely different in every situation, and when you have supercars such as ferraris and lambo’s, when you’re paying a quarter million dollars for a car…yes, a few hundred pounds is going to make a difference, not only in performance, but in the satisfaction of the customer…

4

One other thing to think about is where the weight is coming from. That 100lbs could mean the difference in a few percentage oint of weight distribution, which is paramount in terms of performance.

I’d say 100lbs actually does make a significant difference in a car, if used for performance at all.

5

I think I’m gunna go ahead and agree with this statement. When I have 1 passenger in my car, it makes a world of difference. At the track, I run 12.6’s. When I was taking my bro on multiple runs, so he could feel the launch on slicks :), I couldn’t get into the 12’s. I was consistantly 13.0, my 60’s suffered bigtime as well. So basically adding 200 lbs to my sub 2000 lb car made me run .4 slower consistantly in the 1/4.

6

The rule is every 100lbs. = .10 in the quarter mile. Throw a 200lb. passenger to the curb and you’ll go .20 faster in a quarter mile.

7

I wouldn’t expect someone that drives a truck as a “sporty” vehicle to understand this concept.

Anyone that wants to compete in Ferrari Challenge, Gallarados are for rich ricers.

Now here is another problem, probably manifested by your affinity that trucks are or can be “sporty”. You are thinking strictly in straight line performance.

Braking and turning are also affected by weight. (although I have been told that adding more power to a VG30DETT will help both these :bloated: ) Tire management also needs to be considered.

Quick example: let’s say a 2350# car qualified with a time of 1:20 and I qualified with a time of 1:15 seconds @ 2500#. All things being equal after 20 laps my times would fall off more than his.

Again, look at yourself, you drive a truck.

AGAIN HP DOES NOT MAKE UP FOR CORNERING AND BRAKING.
AGAIN HP DOES NOT MAKE UP FOR CORNERING AND BRAKING.
AGAIN HP DOES NOT MAKE UP FOR CORNERING AND BRAKING.
(UNLESS IT IS A VG30DETT).

8

although to a point 300zx man is right u wont necessarily feel it driving to the grocery store but you will feel it on the track…i mean auto-x or roadcourse…every little bit will will help breaking and cornering…and of course the more u take off the heavy front end the better…u may not think 300 lbs is alot but it could mean the difference between winning and getting beat by a Maxima

9

go put 300lbs in your truck and tell me it isnt a lot slower

10

i :heart: Jeeves

11

Righto

I think the magazine was making a big deal out of the extra weight on the Lambo because if I am not mistaken, the F430 Spyder is only slightly heavier than the coupe.

12

If i was going to buy a ferrari or lambo. i would definetely want it to be every bit of a track car as a nice daily. If the car couldn’t handle like a track car, then it would be a waste of money. And every bit counts when you are reducing weight. since something only weighs like 10 pounds you might not remove it, but remove 10, 10 pound objects and thiers a difference.

13

not only in accleration, light weight helps in reducing load on your engine, more gas milage, and better handling. I’ve taken weight off my car, and I can def. feel the 100lbs or so.

14

You can talk physics all you want but, 50 Cent, Busta Ryhmes, etc don’t give a flying fuck about that 300#s and that is who is buying those cars.

15

hahaah so true

16

Yep, weight matters a ton (pun intended). How much you notice it depends on your driving style, how observant you are, and the vehicle. 300 pounds of sand in the bed of a diesel 3/4 ton pickup won’t feel the same as 300 pounds of sand in an Elise.

17

yes i drive a truck, im just saying ingeneral.

18

horsepower is not the only thing that defines a fast car. ur looking to ultimately optimize your power to weight ratio. any way to improve that ratio will make ur car that much quicker. It just so happens that instead of shaving weight off, most ppl like to increase their hp.

19

unless u own a Honda

20

19 posts and no one has talked about the location of the weight being added?
(maybe someone has? I skimmed through)