Gaining weight

Andy Bettencourt

Andy Bettencourt

Super Moderator
Let's say hypothetically, that YOUR car's minimum weight was raised by 100-150 pounds.

What would you do to make weight?

Add gas?
Add cage?
Put some interior back in?
Add it all in legal ballast?
All or combo of the above?

It seems simple to me but I wanted some creative minds out there to provide feedback...

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Andy Bettencourt
New England Region, R188967
www.flatout-motorsports.com
 
For that much weight you could get a girl friend....
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Or I would add ballast and tubing..and a cool suit.
 
I'd still have to find about 25lbs to lose...
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I'd definately do some cage improvements. Could also use the money I'd save on NOT having to buy a Carbon/Kevlar seat and other high dollar ultralight pieces to pay for GAS!

Definately easier to prepare a car that DOES NOT have to obtain a really low minimum weight...

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Darin E. Jordan
SCCA #273080, OR/NW Regions
Renton, WA
ITS '97 240SX
DJ_AV1.jpg
 
Order of priority:

- Maximize stiffness of the cage, especially down low. Make better anti-intrusion bars, better foot protection, etc.
- Add fuel. FWD cars need the rear weight bias. Maybe even add a large fuel cell.
- Add interior pieces to reduce noise and heat, especially down low. Carpet, carpet insulation, sill trim, etc.
- Add ballast.

If I were - hypothetically speaking - dealing with an ITS/SM crossover, I'd probably focus on things easily removable. Fuel, bolt-in cage parts, carpets, and additional ballast.
 
I would prefer to add ballast over anything else. Fuel is expendable, while it would be fine to add fuel for most sprint races, the car should be able to roll over the scales and make minimums dry. It cars do run enduros, etc. Additional cage would cost more to those that cannot weld. I might also put the spare tire back in or something to that effect.

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Jason
ITB 17 (NER SCCA)
VW Scirocco
 
Optimize the cage for stiffness.
Depending on where I would like the weight to balance the car, I would look at what I could legally replace/add/change.

For example, a heavier exhaust puts the weight really low.
Sturdier hardware for mounting the seat.
A heavier battery for that light right rear corner.
Ballast.
Gas.
Heavier gauge bulkhead for dividing the driver's compartment from fuel hose.
Sound/heat insulation like carpet, etc




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Ony Anglade
ITA Miata
Sugar Hill, GA
 
I would definitly add cage....I'm not hung up on trying to make my car as fast as possible. Safety is my first priority.
 
Stainless exhaust (full length)--nice and heavy and DOWN LOW in the middle of the car.

Cheaper solution--Put your spare tire and passenger seat back in.
 
Breath a huge sigh of relief to know that the car is finally able to make the minimum. The cry when I think of what that does to the tires.

Then ballast & quit agonizing over how to build things from plastic & aluminum. Ballast is the easist thing to tune to match driver/fuel/tire weights that can change.
 
This brings up another question I've been thinking about. During the offseason I've been having some fun with the car (or not with the oil leak amoung other things!!) Within the next few weeks I'll be taking it to the scales.

How close do you get it to the minimum weight? I will be using gas as a ballast and am being on the conservative side with my ending fuel amount. What other very cheap and legal ways are there to add weight where we want it to other than ones already listed here?

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Dave Gran
NER ITB #13
'87 Honda Prelude si
 
Originally posted by gran racing:
What other very cheap and legal ways are there to add weight where we want it to other than ones already listed here?
Click to expand...

Once the car is race-ready, safe, and basically "done"... I don't see why you wouldn't just take advantage of the ballasting rules to get it to weight... I believe the 100lbs minimum has been officially removed, unless my timing is off and it hasn't been announced yet...



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Darin E. Jordan
SCCA #273080, OR/NW Regions
Renton, WA
ITS '97 240SX
DJ_AV1.jpg
 
>I don't see why you wouldn't just take advantage of the ballasting rules...

Because by getting creative with allowable items you can improve your weight distribution. As an example, I did an annual inspection on a Miata last weekend where the cage builder used 3/4" steel sheet for the mounting plates on the two right rear mounting points. Very clever, I thought.



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Ty Till
#16 ITS
Rocky Mountain Division
 
Various safety items: 1)Reinforce battery and fire extinguisher mounts(use metal plate rather than washer). 2)Add bars to cage(1.5# per ft for .095) 3)Add driver aids(cool suit or helmet blower) 4)suspension reinforcements(sway bar mount or tie bars) You do note that most of these items can be mounted fairly low in the car. I forget where I got the ideas.
 
Darin, the biggest problem I have with the prelude is how nose heavy it is. I have some weight to play around with and would like a bit more in the rear. Or when you get within 50lbs is it not too important?

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Dave Gran
NER ITB #13
'87 Honda Prelude si
 
Add bars to the cage, add other allowable items (cool suit, fire system, etc.), add back interior. Place them in areas that allow you to improve the weight distribution and lower the CG. If you've got ot add weight, you might as well get some benefit from it instead of just bolting 150 pounds to the passenfer floorboard.
 
A combination of driver aids and ballast.

I will be faster and more consistant the more comfortable I am.

As long as the weight distribution is close, I'd be more concerned with polar momment. A long polar momment (like hanging weight outside of the wheelbase) makes the car much slower to change direction. While, you can tune for an unfavorable weight ditrubtion by controlling how fast the weight transfers to the desired end, within reason.

Fuel would be my last choice because it moves the opposite direction you want it to, unless you have some elaborate fuel cell with all kinds of trap doors and baffles.
 
Good points Daryl. What about fuel versus ballast on the passenger side footwell? Again, for a front heavy car. Maybe I'll just split the difference.

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Dave Gran
NER ITB #13
'87 Honda Prelude si
 
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