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      12-15-2008, 01:53 PM   #1
eclivia
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weight saving?

the car is not here yet and i have never own a 2 seater car. The question is , how do you save weight from the 2 seater car?
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      12-15-2008, 02:56 PM   #2
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buy a lighter car to begin with
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      12-15-2008, 04:03 PM   #3
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I'm amazed with how much people talk about weight as if their lives depended on it or as if BMW didn't know what they were doing. The car my friends, is not meant to be a stripped down, raw roadster for the enthusiast. It's designed and built to sell to as many people as possible. At 0-60 in 5 seconds, that quite quick and I'm sure some tweaks to the turbo can yield some serious performance. Perhaps people should question their own weight when they plunk down in the car or consider a motorcycle?
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      12-15-2008, 05:34 PM   #4
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tenorino, please stay on topic. i didnt ask for your opinion. the question once again HOW DO YOU SAVE WEIGHT on this car? first thing come to my mind is racing seats.
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      12-15-2008, 05:39 PM   #5
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strip out the hard top & just drive on sunny days.
= -200lbs
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      12-15-2008, 06:56 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tenorino View Post
I'm amazed with how much people talk about weight as if their lives depended on it or as if BMW didn't know what they were doing. The car my friends, is not meant to be a stripped down, raw roadster for the enthusiast. It's designed and built to sell to as many people as possible. At 0-60 in 5 seconds, that quite quick and I'm sure some tweaks to the turbo can yield some serious performance. Perhaps people should question their own weight when they plunk down in the car or consider a motorcycle?
Excellent point. BTW - How many of you take these to the track? And if you do, why don't you buy a real track car? This is supposed to be fun to drive and provide more utility than a rag top at a luxury level. You want a light track car go Lotus....
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      12-15-2008, 09:23 PM   #7
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Wheels and Tires will be easy big weight savings. BMW uses overweight cheapo wheels from the factory, and you should be able to save 20lbs per corner easily by going with a lighter wheel and tire combo, and ditching run flats.
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      12-15-2008, 09:26 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 155MPH View Post
Excellent point. BTW - How many of you take these to the track? And if you do, why don't you buy a real track car? This is supposed to be fun to drive and provide more utility than a rag top at a luxury level. You want a light track car go Lotus....
At that point, why not by a Merc or Lexus? More luxurious, more comfortable, more stylish, faster, not to mention Lexus offers vastly superior build quality and reliability.

People buy BMWs because they are fun to drive, and the success of the BMWCCA would suggest that enough owners DO want to drive off road from time that performance and fun to drive is a consideration.

The reason I bought my 135i over a G37, CLK, IS350, or CTS had little to do with luxury, features, and quite obviously not styling.
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      12-16-2008, 03:17 AM   #9
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appreciate people staying on topic. I dont know why people read this thread, then bashing the idea of weight saving. No sh.i.t i know its not a track car, is it wrong to save some weight? Lets keep the weight saving idea going.
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      12-16-2008, 11:23 AM   #10
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Standard weight saving ideas will apply...

-Lighter wheels/tires as previously mentioned
-Lighter body panels - specifically hood and trunk lids (aluminum or carbon fiber)
-Aftermarket seats such as Recaro, etc.
-Lighter battery
-Remove sound deadening and trunk carpet, etc.
-Remove jack and tool kit if those are present - spare tire isn't
-Pull all cosmetic plastic & metal bits from the engine bay
-Ditch airbox in favor of aftermarket cone filters (Burger Tuning for example)
-Replace heavy cast headers & factory exhaust with lighter aftermarket units
-Replace heavy factory brake rotors & calipers with lighter aftermarket units
-Replace solid sway bars with hollow aftermarket units
-Go with 6-speed manual vs. DSK to save nearly 50 pounds

These and other "add lightness" fixes will gradually come to market as these cars begin to hit the road. I suspect it's possible to "add" 200-300lbs. of lightness, but I doubt you'd really notice it in the real world. And you'd certainly spend a LOT of coin doing so. Better to just turn up the wick on the turbos and give the car the 400 h.p. it's capable of producing. But then, that's just my opinion.
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      12-16-2008, 11:59 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eclivia View Post
appreciate people staying on topic. I dont know why people read this thread, then bashing the idea of weight saving. No sh.i.t i know its not a track car, is it wrong to save some weight? Lets keep the weight saving idea going.
Debating is not always bashing. The post above has a pretty solid list of items to reduce weight. On a new model such as the Z4, cost will add up in a hurry. It will be a while before we hear of all the aftermarket performance items for it and after time there will be some killer stuff. I think what some are trying to say is if you are after a light, track car, there are several other platforms that are better to start from. The Z4 will perform above what many need or want for normal driving, but I doubt the new one will be top of class on the track. But we might get surprised.
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      12-16-2008, 02:11 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eclivia View Post
appreciate people staying on topic. I dont know why people read this thread, then bashing the idea of weight saving. No sh.i.t i know its not a track car, is it wrong to save some weight? Lets keep the weight saving idea going.
I have been a member of this forum for years...this is the first I have heard that we are supposed to stay on topic...in fact, I thought the goal was to see how quickly we could get off topic.
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      12-17-2008, 05:14 AM   #13
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Debadge?
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      12-17-2008, 05:38 AM   #14
eclivia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RktWgn View Post
Standard weight saving ideas will apply...

-Lighter wheels/tires as previously mentioned
-Lighter body panels - specifically hood and trunk lids (aluminum or carbon fiber)
-Aftermarket seats such as Recaro, etc.
-Lighter battery
-Remove sound deadening and trunk carpet, etc.
-Remove jack and tool kit if those are present - spare tire isn't
-Pull all cosmetic plastic & metal bits from the engine bay
-Ditch airbox in favor of aftermarket cone filters (Burger Tuning for example)
-Replace heavy cast headers & factory exhaust with lighter aftermarket units
-Replace heavy factory brake rotors & calipers with lighter aftermarket units
-Replace solid sway bars with hollow aftermarket units
-Go with 6-speed manual vs. DSK to save nearly 50 pounds

These and other "add lightness" fixes will gradually come to market as these cars begin to hit the road. I suspect it's possible to "add" 200-300lbs. of lightness, but I doubt you'd really notice it in the real world. And you'd certainly spend a LOT of coin doing so. Better to just turn up the wick on the turbos and give the car the 400 h.p. it's capable of producing. But then, that's just my opinion.
very nice post, keep all that in mind. 400 hp plus wieght saving is my goal. The best post i have seen all day. All i want was weight saving ideas, most of the other post was useless. Thanks again. I dont know how hard it is to post weight saving ideas. IF YOU HAVE ONE THEN POST, IF YOU DONT THEN JUST IGNORE and dont waste bandwith
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      12-17-2008, 05:40 AM   #15
eclivia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 155MPH View Post
I have been a member of this forum for years...this is the first I have heard that we are supposed to stay on topic...in fact, I thought the goal was to see how quickly we could get off topic.
I have a been member for years too, i was hoping to have a mature crowd from bmw. I guess i was wrong
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      12-17-2008, 11:48 AM   #16
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I am sure this car will have alot of sound deadening material, if you are willing to take your interior apart and take this material out the car will be lighter and louder on the inside, more like an S2000. I wouldn't do it personally, but some people would do similar things to other BMWs in the past. You could also make sure to get new brakes (lighter) and new wheels/tires which are lighter. These things will make a big difference as well. Some exhausts systems can be lighter as well and i've heard of people shaving 25-50lbs just from an exhaust system
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