Region: Delta
Car #: 77
Year : 1990 Posts: 74
Status: Offline
posted
To reach 2285 lbs, I need to remove 16 lbs of stuff. I'm wondering if removing the driver's side vent window and removing the plastic inner fender materials would be advisable? I've removed everything else easy (parking brake, wiring, glovebox door, catalytic converter shield, etc).
Region: Northwest, Oregon
Car #: 79
Year : 90 Posts: 3336
Status: Offline
posted
Don't take this the wrong way, but how's your "personal ballast?" Only a month of dedicated effort can remove 10-15 lbs, plus you'll be in better shape to drive the car.
Fender liners are easy but only save you a pound or two as I recall (from years ago).
-------------------- Crew Chief, 3D Racing #64, aka Team Scrappy 2.0 3rd place E2, 2009 25 Hours of Thunderhill
Crew Chief, EGR/Miller Motorsports #64, aka Team Scrappy E2 Champions, 2008 25 Hours of Thunderhill
Region: Delta
Car #: 77
Year : 1990 Posts: 74
Status: Offline
posted
Wheels are 13 lbs, personal ballast is 175 lbs. I wonder how much the vent frame and vent window weigh? How about the winshield washer bottle and electric motor, can I remove these items?
Region: southwest
Car #: 14
Year : 90 Posts: 739
Status: Offline
posted
A '90 with personal weight of 175 should easly get down to 2285. I still have my passanger door and Petty bar and still need to finish with around 1/4 tank of fuel. If you have an extra heavy roll cage, then that is weight well spent. I would sugest looking at other lighter cars in your area to see what you have overlooked.
-------------------- "The problem with Socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money." ~Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." ~Thomas Jefferson
Region: texas
Car #: 71,72
Year : 1990,1999 Posts: 166
Status: Offline
posted
that car is mega heavy you must be missing alot.i am 185 and i have 45# of lead plus a cool suit to make 2275 in my 90.the only way we can help you is if you post a series of pics inside and out under the car,in trunk,and under dash other wise this is a waste of time.
Region: NWR/Oregon
Car #: #26
Year : 1991 Posts: 334
Status: Offline
posted
Agree that something must be amiss. I weighed 220 this spring and came in anywhere from 2296-2310, depending on scales, in a 91 with unaltered driver and passenger doors...
Bill
-------------------- William Bonsell SCCA/ICSCC #26 SM/ITA
Region: South East
Car #: #92
Year : 91 Posts: 189
Status: Offline
posted
I agree with these other post that you are missing something or I should say you are leaving something big in. I weigh between 205-210 dressed out and came across the scales at VIR at 2290. I have a lot of extra gusseting on my cage and all the undercoating plus aluminum interior panels.
Region: Delta
Car #: 77
Year : 1990 Posts: 74
Status: Offline
posted
I have a heavy roll cage with nascar doors, but the doors are gutted and the a/c condensor are gone. I bought the car used after a professional rebuild of the roll cage and other items. I presume that no one considers the vent frame, the washer bottle and pump and inner plastic fenders are worth removing? I weighed the car with one gallon of fuel and with me in it with helmet, etc. Thanks, everyone.
Region: NWR / Oregon
Car #: 88
Year : 95 Posts: 2000
Status: Offline
posted
Whiners. Prep a 1.8 and your problem will be... Ok, how and where to add a bunch of weight? Seems like I'm always one good crap away from coming in light.
-------------------- Keith Novak (Will work for tires)
Region: texas
Car #: 71,72
Year : 1990,1999 Posts: 166
Status: Offline
posted
i have a heavy .120 wall cage also.yes remove all the plastic crap,vent window and frame.you will lose some weight.not sure on the washer fluid bottle.mine is in and half full
Region: Delta
Car #: 77
Year : 1990 Posts: 74
Status: Offline
posted
Thanks, guys. Vick, aluminum seat and hood, and all the stuff you named are gone. I guess it's the roll cage that puts me over by 26 lbs. I'll work on the window vents and the plastic inner fenders. I don't see any prohibition with removing the windshield bottle and washer motor. what say you guys? Legal or not?
Region: Detroit
Car #: 5
Year : 1991 Posts: 1029
Status: Offline
posted
It's not legal to remove the washer bottle but you can empty it completely. I wrote a letter to the CRB and BOD requesting that we can remove this part. However, I'm not confident that it will be allowed.
You can use mountain climbing loops for tow hooks. I bought mine at REI. The OEM ones are very heavy.
Did you remove the front and rear dust shields on the brakes?
Region: NNJ
Car #: 51
Year : 1991 Posts: 161
Status: Offline
posted
i have personal experience from a .120 cage and a .095 cage, both in 1991 miata's. Thats where all of the weight is. When i had the thicker cage, i couldn't even dream of getting down to the minimum weight but with my newer car and the miatacage kit, i weigh 250 and still need a little fuel to keep me above weight.
there's a sound deadening mat on the firewall which will be a PITA unless you have tons of time but it might be worth a couple pounds. Also hood latch/trunk latch, any airbag sensors, etc.
do you have an aluminum radiator? the factory steelie is heavy and no good anyways.
Region: texas
Car #: 71,72
Year : 1990,1999 Posts: 166
Status: Offline
posted
lets just put some facts in here for everybody blaming the .120 wall cage. .095 wall weighs 1.426 lbs per foot .120 weighs 1.769 lbs per foot.average miata cage has about 60 feet of tubing adding up to a total weight difference of 20.58 lbs reggie's car is atleast 50lbs over weight compaired to mine there is more to his weight problems than the cage.
Acording to the MiataCage site there basic kit is 69 feet of tubing for their cage therefore the weight difference between .095 & .120 inch thick wall for 1.5 inch diameter tube is 23.669 pounds.
-------------------- Have Fun
David Dewhurst CenDiv Milwaukee Region Spec Miata #14
Steven Holloway
Blue Eyes, Aquarius, hates being squeezed to the grass in SowDiv!
Region: Lonestar
Car #: 97
Year : 91 Posts: 740
Status: Offline
posted
quote:Originally posted by Teamfour: I ordered two runners from this site today. Cheaper than rock climber stuff, plus it is 1" wide. 6500 lb. rated.
Region: southwest
Car #: 14
Year : 90 Posts: 739
Status: Offline
posted
quote:Originally posted by Chris Haldeman: lets just put some facts in here for everybody blaming the .120 wall cage. .095 wall weighs 1.426 lbs per foot .120 weighs 1.769 lbs per foot.average miata cage has about 60 feet of tubing adding up to a total weight difference of 20.58 lbs reggie's car is atleast 50lbs over weight compaired to mine there is more to his weight problems than the cage.
OK, you sucked me into this one. According to this sight DOM Mild Steel Tube 1.5 X .120 the .120 weights 1.59 lbs / foot. The site agrees with the .095 weight of 1.426 / foot. Therefore the delta for 69 feet is 11.316 lbs.
-------------------- "The problem with Socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money." ~Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." ~Thomas Jefferson
Region: texas
Car #: 71,72
Year : 1990,1999 Posts: 166
Status: Offline
posted
cam your numbers make what i said look even better thanks! i got my numbers from some other site i dont remember what it was but the point is the tubing thickness makes very little difference
Region: Southwest
Car #: 22
Year : 92' Posts: 296
Status: Offline
posted
If your car is a 90-93 model and the scales you are using are accurate, then your car is a big fat pig that needs Jenny Craig. I'm about 240 with racing gear and my 1.6 weighs in at 2285 ish depending on the scales.
Something isn't adding up. My car weighs 81 lbs less than your car. I haven't even gone to some of the more grey areas of weight removal.
Region: Oregon
Car #: 51
Year : 1993 Posts: 322
Status: Offline
posted
quote:Originally posted by Teamfour: I must be in the big fat pig club. My car is a '93 and I weigh in at 195. Total weight of car with me and gear is 2345.
Mine is a '93. I weigh 220 with gear and come in on the scales at around 2308 with 1 gal. fuel. When the minimum was 2285 I was able to come in just a few pounds over but that was with an open diff. So are the '93s heavier than the '90-'92s?
quote:Originally posted by Chris Haldeman: lets just put some facts in here for everybody blaming the .120 wall cage. .095 wall weighs 1.426 lbs per foot .120 weighs 1.769 lbs per foot.average miata cage has about 60 feet of tubing adding up to a total weight difference of 20.58 lbs reggie's car is atleast 50lbs over weight compaired to mine there is more to his weight problems than the cage.
OK, you sucked me into this one. According to this sight DOM Mild Steel Tube 1.5 X .120 the .120 weights 1.59 lbs / foot. The site agrees with the .095 weight of 1.426 / foot. Therefore the delta for 69 feet is 11.316 lbs.
When one gets sucked into something one should be sure one is dealing with facts. The onlinemetals site is wrong. The 1.5 inch diameter A513 steel tube weight is the same weight as the required SCCA roll cage material. 1.5 diameter .095 wall is 1.426 pound per foot & the .120 wall is 1.769 pounds per foot. The delta for 69 feet is back to 23.669 pounds.
-------------------- Have Fun
David Dewhurst CenDiv Milwaukee Region Spec Miata #14
Region: Southwest
Car #: 22
Year : 92' Posts: 296
Status: Offline
posted
It appears an intervention is necessary. Your cars are heavy because you have more legal stuff to remove. Lets take off some weight for Reggie's heavy cage. 81-24 still leaves 57 lbs to go.
Things I have, Mitatacage with optional dash bar, Torsen, fire bottle, 92 with extra subframe crossbar, Team D 1.2 wheels, hood pins, no ECU cover, traqmate, camera mount, the heaviest driver suit ever invented(LICO Michellin Man), Ultrashield Pro Race with Halo, black matting in trunk still in, no firewall matting (way more than a couple of lbs), no e-brake hardware, no passenger door stuff, lexan vent window driver.
Region: NWR / Oregon
Car #: 88
Year : 95 Posts: 2000
Status: Offline
posted
There's still other stuff that's more a replacement than a removal if you're hyper concerned about getting all the way down to weight. A 1.8 diff is huge compared to a 1.6. A SD exhaust is amazingly light. A 2" radiator might be more than you need and holds lots of water. Many people run a little low on oil for reportedly improved engine performance. Shaved tires will weigh less. If you've gone agricultural, mud and rocks stuck in funny places weighs a lot. Apparently, not all tops came with headliners. You can use any shift knob. The stock one is a brick.
A friend who debated getting a '99 since he didn't think he could get to weight in his 1.6 had a more knowledgeable friend go over the car and they lightened it quite a bit.
I try to come in about 5# over for a little cushion. Sometimes scales vary a lot too. Set up exactly the same I've weighed 20 lbs differently on scales at track A vs. B.
-------------------- Keith Novak (Will work for tires)
Region: CCR
Car #: 14 SM
Year : 1990 Posts: 36
Status: Offline
posted
Another fat pig...
1990, Aluminum hood, Torsen, no bondo, fire system, no A/C components, no airbag senders, gutted doors, no heat shields or insulation, Momo seat, Piper cage.
1 gallon gas, driver 215 lbs with safety gear (includes HANs), car scales at 2316.
-------------------- Seneca Motorsports Sponsored by Race Engineering "American by birth, CONSERVATIVE by the grace of GOD"!