i have the gt trim that i want to take to the track (california speedway) about 2-4 times per year ideally.

sooo.. obviously, i will be getting track tires and brakes. but, how can i lose about 150-250lbs off of the car itself? is that kind of temporary weightloss possible? what would be the most practical/easiest and economic way to do this?

i also plan on going FI in the near future so that adds another 80-100lbs to the front of the car. im already planning on moving the battery to the trunk. what else can i do to keep weight down/balanced?


denward

 

I don't know how helpful this is, but there is a LOT of sound proofing crap in the car...you might want to start with that...just a thought

 

Have you taken the car to the track already in stock form?

 

wow, you're screwed. To take off that kind of weight you'd really have to get aggressive.

Remove the 3 un-needed seats (pass-rear), if you have the spare tire, remove it. Take out all sound material. CF hood (the rx8 hood is already super light), titanium exhaust. Get some super light track wheels (ssr comps). Possibly get rid of the speakers (i know extreme isn't it?). That's all i can think of. The seats are probably about 80 pounds of weight, so that helps. Maybe a bit more. Good luck.

 

i think it would be easier for YOU to go on a diet than your RX8.

 

agreed.

 

Thats what I did. 50lbs lighter and the car screams!:D

 

Or just figure that maybe you don't need to drop that much especially if you havent been to the track in stock form

 

I don't see the point. Who are you? micheal schumacher, racing for the championship. You're not going to lose that kinda weight without having a total disaster of a car. And for what? so you can drop a second off your lap times, which don't count towards much if anything important. Silly. Become a better driver, you'll accomplish the same thing.

 

How much does the sound deadening weigh?

If you wanted a lower weight car, than why get the GT package?

How much if you remove the AC? Mine sucks anyway and I never use it because of the power drain.

Does appearance package add substantial weight?

Might want to keep the passenger seat if you will ever ride with an instructor or passenger.

You could also replace the power seats with racing seats and save a bit.


On a personal note, I made a pact with the wife that if I lose 60 lbs, I can triple my track budget... I'm 257 right now and my ideal weight is about 170 so this is quite doable....

 

"A lot of people go through life doing things badly. Racing's important to men who do it well. When you're racing, it... it's life. Anything that happens before or after, is just waiting."

 

^ well said mach

 

I don't see what that quote has to do with anything, except to say that it's a bad idea but who cares! I suppose if you're going to keep the car forever, or turn it into a dedicated race car, well then, get started.

However, I race too, and far more than 4-5 times a year, and in actual racing series where lap times mean a great deal. Though, I would never butcher a street car for the occasional track day. Especially when I have to live with it for the other 360 days in the year. It would be far more intelligent to make oneself a better driver and shave time that way, or, invest in other performance parts to do the same (tires, suspension etc)

Let's face it, until this guys equipment is holding him back, rather than his skill, there isn't much sense to go ripping out sound deading and seats. I mean, if you want to pull the seats for the day, fine, you can easily put them back in, but tearing parts of the car out that can't easily be put back in, not a good idea. It's just not feasible to loose 100-200 lbs temporarily.

 

AC 60-70 lbs

Appearnace probably maybe 30lbs, other cars where the kit is larger it would be more

Sound deadening depending on how much the car has could be up to 100 lbs, but most likely less than half that.

 

wow.. this forums has been busy since i went to lunch.

were do i begin...
well first off, i got the gt trim because i got the car for 25k brand new fully loaded which was cheaper then any other trim at the time of purchase. i also use it as my daily driver(sorta not really but i do drive it a lot) so it worked out well.

and as for you blueeyes, not to flame you or anything but 150-250lbs off a car a huge amount. driving characteristics can be changed completely. i remember my 1st track car was a 1990 bmw 318is. i raced it a few times at thunderhill and willow springs completely stock and had a great time doing it. then after a year or so, i decided to strip it out completely(became dedicated track car). i couldnt believe the difference! and the same goes for all the other cars and bikes ive ive ever taken to the track. now, as for the 8 i know its a fun car already but i feel it can be better and to me a couple hours of work before going to the track and after is worth the extra fun. if youve never driven a car hard before and after its lost some weight, then i can see why you would think it doesnt matter.

anywho, i asked for advise on losing weight on the car.. not for your own personal opinions so please stay on topic.

mugatu... im 5 11 and weigh 165lbs. i dont have much to lose.

ive already taken out the spare and have removed the back seats (not for weightloss but because im trying to find were a ratling noise is comming from).

for the most part, i think i can shave about 125lbs off of it without really messing up the car or spending too much $

denward

 

I agree that it would not be someone for a novice to do but I can definitely see why someone might want to turn their car car into something more like a track car.

I think it all depends on your lifestyle. I know guys who are in their 50s that drive around in heavily stripped cars with rollbars and carbon fiber hoods as their daily drivers. You could say "they make a statement" everywhere they go. Also people in large cities like Chicago, NYC, etc might not use their daily drivers much so you might sacrifice some creature comforts to make a better track car.

For example, I never considered the GT package because I didn't want the sunroof due to helmet room issues and I also wanted to save a little weight by not having the power seats and sunroof, etc... I also think the cloth seats hold you in the seat better.

Lately I drive my car less than 5 miles per week so I could definitely give up the AC (which hardly works anyway) to save some weight.

The idea that the car is a more purposely built to do sports is appealing to some detail oriented people.

 

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

How hard was it to remove the back seats? I might want to try that.

Sounds like a good project.
I might be interested in creating a dedicated track car in a few years if I don't put it into a wall or fall in love with another car.

 

Titanium exhauast, maybe a set of those carbon fiber rims. All big bucks but will take a lot of weight off the car. Heard about a lighter battery

 

Take it out stock. You'll be amazed. Also, you don't really need track brakes. Have you competitively road raced the RX-8 before? If not, the brakes won't really make that big of a deal. They are amazing in stock form.

 

I race, well, race cars. I know what weight, and saving it, can do for a car. My arguement was not against saving weight. It was against ripping out parts of the car not easily replaced for the sake of 2-4 days per year. You have to live with the car for the other 360. If you can pull something out and put it back good as new in a couple hours, go for it. I would do the same. But don't go ripping out sound deading, as some suggest. I ripped out the sound deadining in a porsche, it took 2 weeks. I never want to see it again in my life, and I sure as hell won't put it back.

 

I recently went to weigh my car and it came to 2871 lbs, this was without the driver and with 1/4 of gas in the tank. I have the basic version, no traction control, no power seats, no sunroof, no nav, no xeon lights. I checked out the weight for the fully loaded RX8 and its at 3029lbs

I'm putting on light weight rims with a set of toyos on in about a week they 40lbs lighter then stock!!!

So the weight will be 2831lbs :o

 

not yet but ive been doing autox and track days for almost a dacade now. i got the rx8 2 months ago so i havent taken it to the track yet.

ive driven it in angels crest, crestline, mt baldy and a few other local twisty roads but i havent opened her up like i would at the track yet. i don't know if its just me being used to smaller cars but i just think i would like it to be lighter.

does anyone know how much the 2 front seats weigh on the gt?

denward

 

??? i think there is a mis understanding here blueeyes. i was just about to post that i didnt want to do sound insulation and ac because it would take too long. and is more seriouse then i am willing to commit. in my original post i said that i didnt want to do anything too involved.

i think a lot of people here just read 150-250lbs and freaked out.

im thinking racing seats, smaller wheels, titanium exhausts, no back seats etc.

i still think 125lbs is doable without it being too unreasonable

denward

 

Mt. Baldy.... That in New Mexico? If so, I've hiked to the top of it.... Beautiful!

 

Don't forget that 3029 is the curb weight which includes a full tank of gas and all other fluids. So add 75lbs or so to what your car actually weighed in at to figure out the curb weight.