Light weight?? Can there ever be too much??

[Z3_GoCar]

I'm just curious if anyone who's got ballast in their car, have you ever tried driving without it? Say during a test and tune day, or in an open ITE class. Did it take seconds off your best lap time? Did you go really that much faster than with the weight? Or is there a point that removing another 50lbs just doesn't help anymore? I know that IT is balanced on lbs/hp, but I imagine that removing lbs only helps to a point.

James

 

[gran racing]

James, my car is classed at 2,450 lbs and is simple for me to get below weight. Another club I have raced with does not have a minimum weight associated with it and I was able to take off ~ 50 lbs from what I race at in ITB. Yes, it helps. Maybe we should start doing rewards weights like World Challenge?

(I say that now until I become the person having to add more weight to the car.)

 

[shwah]

The only point at which lighter is not better is when it results in component failure. Less weight improves every performance aspect of the race car - accelleration, braking, direction change, fuel consumption, tire wear. I run a lot of ballast in my car, one of these days I will head out to a track day with all of it out and see what it does, but my experience in street cars is that 40# makes an instantly noticeable difference (on a car that weighs in at 2400, so maybe less so on newer heavier stuff).