Lightweight hood and Decklid: Any interest? - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

Mpowered5 · 13th October 2002, 05:13

In looking for a good front spoiler for my E46 M3, I came into contact with MASHAW. Check out his website. Mike is a reputable dealer who has made a name for himself by producing high quality lightweight parts for the E36 M3 and various Porsche body panel kits. I asked what it would take for him to get interetsed in the hood and trunk for the M5 and 10 parts was his answer. I asked him if he would take a look at a spoiler kit as well and he appeared very interetsed in both pieces of business. I'll have more information this week. My guess is that there is at least ~100lb to be gained between the hood and deck.
If there is interest from the board, I'll see if I can get him to take deposits as a means to kick the work off. That way each of us can deal directly with him without having to try to pull something together over the web. Please reply so I can get a gauge of interest. Please specify hood/deck/fr spoiler/r spoiler to denote interest.

Guy
2000 M5
2001 M3

MAVERICK · 13th October 2002, 05:23

Guy,

How would lightweight replacements affect crash test safety?

Thanks.

tfung · 13th October 2002, 06:05

I'd be interested in the hood.. but what is this website you're talking about?

KirklandM5 · 13th October 2002, 08:58

I would not recommend this....

On an E36 M3, the hood saves you 30 lbs, the trunk lid 20-25lbs.

So call it 60lbs, not a big deal on a 4000 lbs car.

The E36 Hood is like 800-900 bux, the trunk is like 6-700.

Figure painted with install $2000 for 60bls. If you lightnen your wheels, you'll notice it more because that weight is rotational.

and BTW, these parts do not have have the factory/fit finish of steel stuff.

I have a carbon hood on my race car....

On a race car best bang for the buck on weight is "gutting" the doors...removing power windows, glass, and putting lexan rear windows in the car.

tfung · 13th October 2002, 10:46

ahh.. but since I have a black car, for me, a carbon hood is purely for cosmetics.... I'll probably leave it unpainted and just put a few layers of clearcoat on it....

D/FW M5 · 13th October 2002, 16:07

I would certainly think you could save at least 75 lbs with an M5 hood/trunk lid. I would love to see the M5 tip the scales at around 3500 lbs, but that would be hard without gutting the luxuries . Here are the obvious weight saver possibilities that would retain most of creature comforts:

2 racing seats: ~170 lbs
fikse/hoosier: ~ 50 lbs
drain washer fluid: ~ 15 lbs
CF driveshaft: ~ 25 lbs
LW flywheel: ~ 25 lbs
CF hood/trunk: ~ 75 lbs
CF rotors: ~ 80 lbs
Total: 440 lbs and thats without a significant compromise to luxury comfort. Add the Dinan mods and your getting Viper type track performance.

Any one have any other weight reducing ideas without gutting the car?

Also, what about venting the hood to help keep underhood temps down and possibly add a ram air cutout to the front of the hood, add some hood pins. WOW!!! Guy, I might be interested in the CF hood/trunk from MASHAW.

Doug

Gustav · 13th October 2002, 17:32

And unsprung too!

Quote:

Originally posted by KirklandM5
I would not recommend this....

Figure painted with install $2000 for 60bls. If you lightnen your wheels, you'll notice it more because that weight is rotational.

KirklandM5 · 13th October 2002, 21:48

D/FW? Are you building a race car???

Carbon rotors??? those things won't work when its COLD on the street.

Carbon Driveshaft? DO you know how much that costs?

Add up the cost of all those mods....and you can get a VERY GOOD RACE Car....and still have a super nice M5 street car.

On Race Seats? 170lbs? Maybe...Race seaat in Carbon Kelvar are about 10lbs each...the stock seats are about 70-75lbs each.

D/FW M5 · 14th October 2002, 00:53

Kirkland M5, I don't plan on turning my M5 into an all out race car, and yes there are other more appropriate platforms to build a dedicated track car, but since this is an M5 forum, I thought it might be an interesting discussion to see what the possibilites are without giving up the luxury side. Of course speed costs big $$$$, but if I were to spent the $s on my M5 that some on this board have spent, I would devote a good portion to weight reduction vs simply adding more HP, since my interests are towards tracking the car. Also, my garage space is limited, so I can't add a dedicated track car. This leads me to looking at the possibilities given what I have, an M5. Since you seem to have a dedicated track car, great, count yourself lucky.

CF brakes, doesn't Porsche offer these as an option on the TT? Don't you think a street compound pad is possible with CF rotors?

CF drive shaft, several $K.

Yes the $ on the above are very high.

Weight of the seats? I don't know exactly. I changed out the seats in my last car (C4S Porsche) and they were about 60lbs each. The M5 luxury seats look to me like they would be much heavier, so I was guessing about 100 lbs/ea which could be replaced with a 15 lb racing seat.

Having said all of the above, since you seem concerned about pointing out price/performance factors, the best investment of all is in the nut behind the wheel (instruction + track time), do you agree on that point?

Doug

KirklandM5 · 14th October 2002, 01:08

Doug!

Yes, NUT Behind the wheel is best/bang for the buck to improve performance of a vehicle! Hands DOWN!

After that, WEIGHT is the CHEAPEST WAY to improve performance provided, that you are taking off stuff you don't need. In a production based race car that means, interior, radio, a/c, power windows, replace glass with lexan etc. Any of which make the car uncomfortable for the stree.

Porsche offer "Ceramic Brakes", Carbon rotors are used on Race Cars (like F1). Carbon is SUPER expensive. Cerramic does offer weight savings. My "gut tells me to upgrade to Ceramic which does offer maybe 40lbs of unsprung and rotational weight saving would be $10,000.

I do know weight of power E36 Seats to be in the 65 lbs range. Let's just say the M5 seats are 80lbs each. Unforunately, I've heard the the tilt wheel won't work if you mess with the seats. I guess the memory function thing gets all messed up.

As you can see from my sig I do own a race car. I'm fortunate to keep it with a shop that maintains and transports it for me. That car is much more fun to drive than the //M5.

Jeff