Carbon Fiber weight reductions, is it worth it? Options

[dutchboy]

How much do each of the OEM style CF hood and hatch from Seibon / Vis shave from the weight of the car?

Are hood pins required for the hoods(has OEM style hood latch).

Be sure not to count the glass in weight measurements.


Just wondering if it is worth the cost of the parts.

Thanks!

[playr158]

hahahah...you know there is more to racing than a 1/4 mile.

removing a sunroof is a dual purpose...let me requote that for you
"removing upper weight (IE sunroof, hood, hatch) shifts the weight balance of the car to a LOWER point (thus giving lower center of gravity).
the more "upper" weight you can remove the better your car can handle."
its handling advantage.
lowering the center of gravity and cutting weight can cut LAP times down.
better handling & less mass = later braking points and faster corner speeds = faster laps.

please go to VIR/Summit hell even a drag strip and tell the real racers weight reduction is psycological

you have yet to make a valid arguement besides an unsupported claim of psychological factors. When you can techincally support and prove it come back and talk to me. I on the other hand can.

my weight savings > you

all the AC boxes came out, the sunroof came out (honeycomb/carbonfiber LTW plug replacement) not to mention many many other things

This post has been edited by playr158: Jan 15, 2008 - 1:02 PM

[95st-celica]

hahahah...you know there is more to racing than a 1/4 mile.

removing a sunroof is a dual purpose...let me requote that for you
"removing upper weight (IE sunroof, hood, hatch) shifts the weight balance of the car to a LOWER point (thus giving lower center of gravity).
the more "upper" weight you can remove the better your car can handle."
its handling advantage.
lowering the center of gravity and cutting weight can cut LAP times down.
better handling & less mass = later braking points and faster corner speeds = faster laps.

please go to VIR/Summit hell even a drag strip and tell the real racers weight reduction is psycological

you have yet to make a valid arguement besides an unsupported claim of psychological factors. When you can techincally support and prove it come back and talk to me. I on the other hand can.

my weight savings > you

all the AC boxes came out, the sunroof came out (honeycomb/carbonfiber LTW plug replacement) not to mention many many other things

clearly i understand your argument and agree 100% with reducing weight=better times ESPICALLY on an auto cross track...but what im trying to say is how many people on this forum are going to completely gut there interior like you have??? not many...most are looking for a "quick and easy way out" such as replacing both the hood and hatch with CF ones....which is a great idea and again it does lower the center of gravity...im not arguing with you about that at all....what im saying is that by removing your sunroof and throwing a CF hood on your car is not going to drastically improve your times....yes it may cut lap times down a few tenths but all that for what? when you could do simple mods to your motor to get more out of it....

[hatchy_gt-s]

hahahah...you know there is more to racing than a 1/4 mile.

removing a sunroof is a dual purpose...let me requote that for you
"removing upper weight (IE sunroof, hood, hatch) shifts the weight balance of the car to a LOWER point (thus giving lower center of gravity).
the more "upper" weight you can remove the better your car can handle."
its handling advantage.
lowering the center of gravity and cutting weight can cut LAP times down.
better handling & less mass = later braking points and faster corner speeds = faster laps.

please go to VIR/Summit hell even a drag strip and tell the real racers weight reduction is psycological

you have yet to make a valid arguement besides an unsupported claim of psychological factors. When you can techincally support and prove it come back and talk to me. I on the other hand can.

my weight savings > you

all the AC boxes came out, the sunroof came out (honeycomb/carbonfiber LTW plug replacement) not to mention many many other things

clearly i understand your argument and agree 100% with reducing weight=better times ESPICALLY on an auto cross track...but what im trying to say is how many people on this forum are going to completely gut there interior like you have??? not many...most are looking for a "quick and easy way out" such as replacing both the hood and hatch with CF ones....which is a great idea and again it does lower the center of gravity...im not arguing with you about that at all....what im saying is that by removing your sunroof and throwing a CF hood on your car is not going to drastically improve your times....yes it may cut lap times down a few tenths but all that for what? when you could do simple mods to your motor to get more out of it....

The problem with your argument is that you are basing it off an unlimited amount of money, I could either spend money on a part that will get me 5-10 hp or I could remove something (spare/jack, seats, carpet, int. trim) for free and have the same results. Now I do SOMEWHAT agree with you on the whole sunroof removal, yes it WILL decrease your central weight for better handling, BUT for someone who doesn't know how to weld it would be hard to cover up the giant hole that is in the roof, so there you would be better off buying a mod.

Also in racing (track, autoX) more power is not always better, take a corvette for example it has loads of HP and TQ but is quite hard to use all of it around a corner, but if you take an elise or exige it has the 1zz/2zz from a 7th Gen. celica which isn't that powerful but hell if those things cant use all of there power around a corner.

[jimmykay]

The problem with your argument is that you are basing it off an unlimited amount of money, I could either spend money on a part that will get me 5-10 hp or I could remove something (spare/jack, seats, carpet, int. trim) for free and have the same results. Now I do SOMEWHAT agree with you on the whole sunroof removal, yes it WILL decrease your central weight for better handling, BUT for someone who doesn't know how to weld it would be hard to cover up the giant hole that is in the roof, so there you would be better off buying a mod.

Also in racing (track, autoX) more power is not always better, take a corvette for example it has loads of HP and TQ but is quite hard to use all of it around a corner, but if you take an elise or exige it has the 1zz/2zz from a 7th Gen. celica which isn't that powerful but hell if those things cant use all of there power around a corner.

ok, first of all, you can't remove the spare tire if its already been removed. its a given that anyone running track or autox will already have their spare removed and other similar easy to remove items. when you are talking about swapping out CF parts you should be past the point of diminishing returns, so you're spending a lot to save a little.

Also, in general, more power is always better in track racing. a corvette doesnt need to drive at the limit to compare to an elise or exige. sure, the lotus' handle quite well, but given a capable driver, the corvette should win on any track that isn't designed for a go-cart. and just because you have an extra 300 hp on a lotus doesnt mean that you need to use it all.