Summary of weight savings for the beast

wilsodh · Jul 7, 2005

gbogh3 said:
Dave,
Great thread, and fantastic input from the others on specific weights, 250+ lbs is HUGE!

Question, the topline seats from Recaro have motors don't they? memory positions?

Yes on the motors...the Recaro Toplines have their so-called 'comfort package' (vent system, seat heating and electrical recline adjustment) and combined electric seat height and tilt adjustment, along with seat-integrated controls. The one thing they don't have is the electric forward and backward adjustment...that is manual. Good question about the memory.. I didn't see anything about it.

In any case, with all the creature comforts, it is surprising that they weigh so much less than OEM. I just wish I could find one to sit in!

Dave

aw/ir02smg · Jun 26, 2003

hi dave,

this topic is of great interest to me. i'm on this insanity kick right now of maximizing what power i have. and as a newbie to modding, finally realizing 2 important things:

1. weight kills
2. what wheels/tires are sued to best deliver the power to the ground.

item 1 - of course, without necessarily compromising the comfort. i probably wont go the round of cf panels here and there. the hood is intriguing, onyl because my guy told me my s/c and all its associated bits ADDED 70 - 90 lbs up front. you bring up a good point - because bottom line is the NET weight savings. sometimes i am not too sure about the real agains. 100+ lbs - and how much do i have to squeeze my poor wallet? i figure i can live with what the dinan s/c cost me - labor included, call it about 17k - tax and labor included. added hp on paper at least = 120 (from 290 to 410). that comes out to $141 per hp. then i'll have to plug in the costs of the other things - seats and what have you. (sorry - i am unfortunately both a math major and financial advisor. hence the preoccupation with numbers...:rofl

realistically, not much i can do, except the gas in the tank and the spare, along with lighter wheels. (or as kees once suggested, i remove every mod i added. :hihi

thankfully, i already have the lighter dinan exhaust, and supposedly lighter bbks (stoptechs.)

2. working on this right now for the next few months. going insane, but definitely having some fun at my own expense.

03BeastCharmer · May 20, 2005

Dave,

Which beast are you trying to reduce weight on? Are you going to end up with two devils?

IanS · Oct 31, 2006

In terms of order of lightening, I would think the wheels and brakes would be most important since they are unsprung weight and will also have some of the greatest affect on the handling differences due to weight reduction.

One could make graphs of mod cost versus weight (or cost/lb) or amount of weight lost/mod or ease of mod or something to help prioritize :typing:

warhaven · Sep 14, 2003

I can feel a difference too but more quatifiable in terms of lack of nagging quotient hiha ... piece of mind...:wroom:

wilsodh said:
I've been looking at potential weight savings from 'painless' mods (ie, no negative impact on looks or luxury*). In particular, cf hood, cf trunk lid, and Recaro Topline seats (full function, including seat heating). Here is a summary:

Hood:
OEM:47.7 lb; Vorsteiner GTR:28.6 lb; CA & E6: 17.6 lb.
Weight saving: 19.1-30.1 lb

Trunk:
OEM: 26.6 lb; ViS (stock look) & CA (CLS style):5.5 lb.
Weight saving: 21.1 lb

Front seats:
OEM:73 lb (x2=146 lb) Recaro Toplines: 42 lb (x2=84 lb).
Weight saving: 62 lb

Total weight saving: 102.2-113.2 lb

Not bad... that's about the weight of my girlfriend. I can tell a difference when she's in the car, so this difference can be felt!

Dave

*excludes pain to wallet

E55AMG2 · Oct 20, 2004

For those of you that track their cars regularly, and are on coilovers (ones stiff enough for track duty), don't forget to have the car re-cornerbalanced.

wilsodh · Jul 7, 2005

jjc1843 said:
Lose the M-Mobility system....Practically useless anyway.

+1. Surprising heavy too.. dead weight in my book.

aw/ir02smg said:
hi dave,

this topic is of great interest to me. i'm on this insanity kick right now of maximizing what power i have. and as a newbie to modding, finally realizing 2 important things...

oohhh: Newbie at modding??? You only have probably the longest running single thread in the M5board's history about one of the most extensive mod projects on record! :byee55amg

aw/ir02smg said:
sometimes i am not too sure about the real agains. 100+ lbs - and how much do i have to squeeze my poor wallet? i figure i can live with what the dinan s/c cost me - labor included, call it about 17k - tax and labor included. added hp on paper at least = 120 (from 290 to 410). that comes out to $141 per hp.

$141 per hp is a BARGAIN!! Wish we could do that on the beast!

aw/ir02smg said:
then i'll have to plug in the costs of the other things - seats and what have you. (sorry - i am unfortunately both a math major and financial advisor. hence the preoccupation with numbers...:rofl realistically, not much i can do, except the gas in the tank and the spare, along with lighter wheels. (or as kees once suggested, i remove every mod i added. :hihi

thankfully, i already have the lighter dinan exhaust, and supposedly lighter bbks (stoptechs.)

2. working on this right now for the next few months. going insane, but definitely having some fun at my own expense.

I look at most of these weight saving things as getting 2-fer's: ie; looks plus weight savings, or added performance plus weight savings (ideally all three, as with the brakes). The Recaro seats look really hot, and frankly I've never been bowled over by the M5 sport seats. Two Toplines will set you back maybe 3 grand, so you really gotta love the looks. I just wish I could find one to SIT in! But if they were not roughly half the weight of the OEMs, I might not be so tempted. Imho, it is nice to gain great looks and be consistent with the racing tradition of lighter weight components and materials.. regardless of how serious the absolute need for a 62 lb weight reduction.

03BeastCharmer said:
Dave,

Which beast are you trying to reduce weight on? Are you going to end up with two devils?

No way I have the energy and funds for two mod rods... gotta get a kid through college! :confused3 Diablo enjoys the fruit (however excessive and anti-social at times) of every additional mod idea I can think of that fits Abdulla's original vision. She may be a poster child of indulgence, but I hate the idea of carrying around unneeded pork. Sub enclosure = needed. Train horns and blue strobes = needed. Heavy steel hood and weighty OEM seats = unneeded...

warhaven said:
I can feel a difference too but more quatifiable in terms of lack of nagging quotient hiha ... piece of mind...:wroom:

hiha

IanS said:
In terms of order of lightening, I would think the wheels and brakes would be most important since they are unsprung weight and will also have some of the greatest affect on the handling differences due to weight reduction.

One could make graphs of mod cost versus weight (or cost/lb) or amount of weight lost/mod or ease of mod or something to help prioritize :typing:

+1. Aesthetic appeal too.. a real pareto excercise!

E55AMG2 said:
For those of you that track their cars regularly, and are on coilovers (ones stiff enough for track duty), don't forget to have the car re-cornerbalanced.

Note to Jayson - do you remember what coilover kit you used in the e39 that you thought saved 50 lbs?

Dave

Jayson · Jun 6, 2003

wilsodh said:
Note to Jayson - do you remember what coilover kit you used in the e39 that you thought saved 50 lbs?

Dave

PSS9's.

wilsodh · Jul 7, 2005

Thanks!

D

EM5PWR · Jan 15, 2006

wilsodh said:
Sounds trivial, but what is a couple of tenths in a close heads up race?
Dave

As long as your on the winning end it really doesn't matter I guess ... But if on the losing end it does matter...:grinyes:

Jeff M5 KNinja · Jan 24, 2007

IanS said:
One could make graphs of mod cost versus weight (or cost/lb) or amount of weight lost/mod or ease of mod or something to help prioritize :typing:

+1

Ken21 · May 29, 2005

Jayson said:
PSS9's.

So PSS9 will save another 50lbs ??

cosioboy · May 27, 2004

The Dinan lightened flywheel is I believe marketted as 8lbs less than stock, resulting in a 40% reduction in rotational mass.

If one really wants to be picky, you have to ask whether the BBK are with slotted or crossdrilled rotors. The latter I believe are about a lb lighter.

Then if one really wants to shave weight off from the beast, get rid of carpet mats (especially the rubber ones in the winter), keep windshield washer fluid to a minimum, clear all that junk from your glove compartment, etc. etc. :hihihi:

wilsodh · Jul 7, 2005

So here's a revised list of big hitters and some very rough cost guesses:

Item / weight saving / finished cost (w/ paint)

cf hood - 19.1-30.1 lb (GTR, E6) / ~$2,000, ~$2,500
cf trunk lid - 21.1 lb (ViS or CA) /~$1000, ~$2,500
Recaro Toplines - 62 lbs / ~$3,000
Lightweight battery - 30 lbs / ~$150
SS exhaust - 70 lbs (incl headers) / ~$7,000
Brembos - 48 lbs (similar for Stoptechs) / ~$9,000, ~$5,000
Lightweight wheels - 24 lbs ~$2,500
Bilstein PSS9 coil over - 50 lbs? / ~$2,500
Dump the usless tire goo - 20 lb / $0

Total weight loss: 344.2-355.2 lbs.

So our porky two-ton sedan is now down to a buff 3650 lb!! lovelove

That's comparble to picking up 30+ hp, or inviting your morbidly obese uncle to please exit your car... :hihihi:

Dave

cosioboy · May 27, 2004

I would add the lightened flywheel to the list, good for about 10lbs or so, depending on manufacturer.

I guess these items are from various parts of the car, but it would be nice to calculate the revised weight distribution after all the 'diet' mods, prob moves you closer to the perfect 50.0-50.0% :M5thumbs:

MGZ · May 24, 2006

Why not by an M3CSL instead an get most of those things from the beginning?

IanS · Oct 31, 2006

Never imported to the US, and only 2 doors

aw/ir02smg · Jun 26, 2003

dave,

wilsodh said:
I look at most of these weight saving things as getting 2-fer's: ie; looks plus weight savings, or added performance plus weight savings (ideally all three, as with the brakes).

now you are going to cost me more money! :bawling: while i am admittedly fixated on the weight saving issue, it absolutely adds a few intangible points when it also looks good. the barkes, as you point out, are a great example. the rears look great, but definitely are not quite as worthy as the fronts in terms of function. i consider my rear bbk the first official 'bling' mod for me.

wilsodh said:
The Recaro seats look really hot, and frankly I've never been bowled over by the M5 sport seats. Two Toplines will set you back maybe 3 grand, so you really gotta love the looks. I just wish I could find one to SIT in! But if they were not roughly half the weight of the OEMs, I might not be so tempted. Imho, it is nice to gain great looks and be consistent with the racing tradition of lighter weight components and materials.. regardless of how serious the absolute need for a 62 lb weight reduction.

just went searching for them on google. they are unbelievable. but it means i have to go without my massagers and warmers... :crying2: i bet those silver grye ones would look great. and what luck - they have a dealer showroom in carson - less than 1 hr away from home!!! time for a field report! :reporter:

my conscience: :nono:
pocketbook: :grrrr:
me: :byebye:

well, my :deal: resolution going forward is: if it does NOT increase performance, either in weight savings or adding power, then it's a :nono:

wilsodh said:
Newbie at modding??? You only have probably the longest running single thread in the M5board's history about one of the most extensive mod projects on record!

:hihi: newbie as in real knowledge. almost a pro in terms of money spent. :rofl:

speaking of that thread, the next few updates will be fun. and i thought this year was going to be relatively quiet. apparently the 'disease' has metastasized considerably, and has progressed beyond a stage 3 malady! :1zhelp:

wilsodh said:
Total weight loss: 344.2-355.2 lbs.

So our porky two-ton sedan is now down to a buff 3650 lb!!

That's comparble to picking up 30+ hp

gustav, we need a 'drool' smiley.

oohhh: this will do for now. i am sked to go to a local truck weigh station. need to know how much my little miss piggy weighs.

MGZ said:
Why not by an M3CSL instead an get most of those things from the beginning?

cant speak for dave, but i have thought about that.
1. love the 4 doors.
2. the m3csl is OBVIOUSLY fast. my car is stealthily fast.
3. i want to be different.
4. i am moderately insane.
5. because thankfully, fortunately, (and maybe stupidly), i can. :cheers:

i need to work on my own spreadsheet/ list . thanks for your figures. i have at least a good reference point.

:lightbulb: important question: how is the safety/strength of the cf hood?

thanks!

ohmyhed · Apr 25, 2007

Switch from Beer to Bacardi diet coke. -20lbs

wentouch · Nov 5, 2006

good info!

Summary of weight savings for the beast

wilsodh

aw/ir02smg

03BeastCharmer

IanS

warhaven

E55AMG2

wilsodh

Jayson

wilsodh

EM5PWR

Jeff M5 KNinja

Ken21

cosioboy

wilsodh

cosioboy

MGZ

IanS

aw/ir02smg

ohmyhed

wentouch

Our Vendors

Top Contributors this Month

Recommended Communities