Unsprung weight

[zoom]

How do you you reduce your unsprung weight?

 

Without spending a ton of money on lightweight parts, what is your "backyard" solution?

 

How do you reduce without loosing strength?

 

Let us know.

[jp17]

There really isn’t any way to appreciably affect un-sprung eight in a car without replacing parts. If it moves up and down or round and round use the lightest stuff you can.

[Truck99]

How do you you reduce your unsprung weight?

 

Without spending a ton of money on lightweight parts, what is your "backyard" solution?

 

How do you reduce without loosing strength?

 

Let us know.

Like JP said, unpspring weight is very difficult to reduce without buying expensive parts. And in a street stock or sportsman type car, your ability to do that legally is very limited as well. Your best bet is to make the best selection of the stock parts available.

 

Also keep in mind that some parts are considerd to be half sprung and half unsprung.

 

In a sportsman type car, I think your better off focusing on reducing your overall weight, most of which is sprung. Do this by removing every little or big piece of metal that is not necessary without comproming safety. You can then put your weight down low and positioned where you need it.

[zoom]

So the stories ( since I have never actually seen any) of the drilled backing plates and a-arms to lighten them along with the ground rear end housings are a myth?

 

I agree with overall car weight. I think lighter unsprung weight is an area that can be improved on in my situation. I was thinking of the compromise also of a lighter versus heavier/tougher wheel, as an example. Since running a camaro, I don't know of any stock parts (someone else might) I can get that are any lighter than what I run now (stock). So I was thinking maybe a little massage here and a little rubbing there. an ounce here, an ounce there. Is it worth it? .

Right now, my car ready to race is 3425 lbs. (by the track scale) I keep the 25 as a safety precaution because your weight can vary depending on who is weighing you. My L - R % is good, as is my F - R

 

Anyway, thought maybe someone might have something to contribute on this subject.

 

Thanks all

[Mel]

Zoom,

This may be a little too late but, if your cage is built out of the less expensive black pipe it weighs a whole lot more than the 095 wall. First car I ever built was made out of this pipe.....battleship!

 

 

Mel

[flyingaces]

3425 lbs is still 3425 lbs. what matters is HOW you have your weight percentage and WERE you have your weight. if you don't have that right you'll be lose as a goose or push like a fat lady at a lunch buffet.

[Crazyhorse]

So the stories ( since I have never actually seen any) of the drilled backing plates and a-arms to lighten are a myth?

it's not a myth.

[zoom]

push like a fat lady at a lunch buffet.

 

Now THAT is a visual LMAO

 

 

Well, crazyhorse, how and where are they drilled? What is the procedure?

Will you loose strength on the units themselves?

 

 

Mel,

No, I used good electonically welded pipe not the black pipe. cage is good.

Need to lighten the nose a tad, have some weight up high that will come off ( about 4 to 6 pounds I guess) The car is pretty balanced and goes through the corners ok. I just need it better there since I can't out horsepower anyone on the straights. You know how it is

 

Thanks guys

[flyingaces]

Hey zoom,

 

I can fix your problem real easy: buy my car, and be done

[zoom]

Ain't no fun buying somethin already done.

 

 

Most of my fun and relaxation/stress relief is getting in from work, and going to the garage and working on the car. No phone, no computer, no hassles. Just work.

 

But, good luck selling that car, someone will get a good one when they buy it.

Are you building a new one or you getting out of racing?

 

Laters

[NickHolt]

I have seen cars that have painted wheels. Not a good way to reduce unsprung weight. Most people don't think of paint as heavy, but it really is. You wouldn't bolt a can of spray paint to a wheel, but the paint weighs the same in the can or out of the can..

 

I have also seen wheels that had several ounces of dirt/grease/caked on brake dust, etc. Again, it may not seem like much weight, but every once not on the car as unsprung weight can be put on the chassis where you want it as sprung weight.

 

Nick Holt

[ProTree]

sometimes a few pounds of weight can be lost in the drivers seat-as in driver going on a diet-one of the funniest comments i ever heard was from steve kinsers crew when kinser told em they needed to get the car on a diet and the crew told him NO, YOU NEED TO GO ON A DIET,ITS CHEAPER THAN ALL THESE LITE WEIGHT ALLOYS your spending THOUSANDS for

[zoom]

Sprung weight Tommy.

 

I am trying to discuss UNsprung weight and the methods different people use to minimize the amount on their car. Some people buy liteweight parts, some people use the homespun methods and "horsesense" ingenuity to reduce the weight.

 

I agree, the driver wieght plays a role, but. in my case, I took that into account when I built the car. Even with my svelte figure, I guess I could drop a pound or two

[SASPEEDRACER24]

I wonder if different types of paint the cars are painted in could change that weight factor? Also would there be any benifit in moving the seat more to the left or the right? instead of the 'stock location'? What about shaving the greenhouse hight by cutting an inch or two off the pillars and rewelding?

[flyingaces]

I read in ripleys beleive it or not that a custom paint job can weight a car down as much as 30 lbs that goes along with what nick said about painting wheels.

[ProTree]

i pulled one of my old BASF automotive paint books from 2003 when i worked in the collision business and it read that an OEM paint job was between 12-17lbs and they were in the process of lowering that number-you can do a race car alot less than those #'s for sure

[REBELRACER]

What about shaving the greenhouse hight by cutting an inch or two off the pillars and rewelding?

 

i dont know if sas would like the idea of a chopped top sportsman.........hahaha......so i guess thats why mark mathias is so fast.........that flat black primer weighs less than the fancy paint on the other cars........hahaha

[ProTree]

rebelracer-we used to call em the "30ft paint job"-all it had to do is look good from a distance of 30ft and beyond

[KISS_Racing]

How about lowering some of that weight? Could you lower you seat?

[1-Crew]

What do you run for a rear end? I have seen Pro-4 cars run a Ford 9 inch - for 200 HP.. Look for what is available and run the lightest components you can get on the rear axle. Wheels are a big one but what about the rest? Do you run the smallest brake drum assembly offered? Big brakes seem like a performance advantage unless you don't use a lot of brake, then it is just extra unsprung weight. Disk brakes are lighter overall and more importantly, lighter in rotating mass than drums. Unvented rotors are less than vented (usually) and for the rear, are vented rotors neccesary? Just some thoughts..