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How much lighter can E63 go for while still be comfortable to ride

23898 Views 98 Replies 19 Participants Last post by  wxq99, 
wxq99
Long story short, I just bought a 2009 E63 M6 and really happy with the purchase. After driving the car for a couple of days I am a kind of feel it is a bit too heavy and the car is not that engaging into the corner. I am planning to spend a bit to make it a weekend track and street fun car. The first step I want to try is to do weight reduction but I am wondering how far can I go for while the car is still comfortable to ride? My goal is 1500kgs (3300 lbs) but I am not sure if it is possible. I have put a list of what I think is realistic but that wont give me 220 kgs (480 lbs) weight reduction.

1, Remove back seats: this is something that should go immediately. Possible 15kgs (33 lbs).

2, Change front seats to lightweight racing seat. I dont know how heavy the factory seats are but Recaro sportster gt seems to be a good choice between comfortable and weight saving. These two front seats together will save maybe 30kgs (66lbs)?

3, This car still have original battery, 12 years still working fine. I have ordered Voltphreak VPH1200 lithium racing battery. VPH1200 is 3.6kg (8 lbs) so I think I will be able to save at least 15kgs (33 lbs) here. (Done, total weight saving is 56 lbs)

4, The original owner has upgraded to meisterschaft GTC exhaust and I really like the sound. According to the manufacturer, OEM exhaust weighs 68 lbs, meisterschaft stainless steel version weight 42 lbs and the titanium version weight only 21 lbs. I may go to the titanium version and sell the stainless steel one. The weight saving will be 21kgs (46 lbs).

5, Considering to upgrade to BMW 763M wheel and the F80 carbon ceramic brakes. Handling is a big pain for me so I will be happy to throw a lot of money here to reduce the unsprung weight. We may talk about 30 kgs (66lbs) range. (Done, total weight saving is 50 lbs)

6, Change hood and trunk lid to aftermarket carbon fiber one, I am not sure how much it will save since the hood is already aluminum, maybe 5kgs all together (11 lbs)? (Done, total weight saving is 11 lbs)

7, Remove all stereo speakers, I dont listen to music while driving at all so that can count for 5kgs (11 lbs).

8, I will upgrade the suspension, looking for MSC system 2 now. The OEM EDC suspension can be heavy and I am sure I will save some weight here but I dont have a number.

9, Other small items, like airbag for the rear and passenger,

With all these together, it will only save about 110-130 kgs (240 - 280 lbs). Is there anything I may have missed or that's probably what it is?

Other items I am thinking about are removing carpet, polycarbonate window but I am not sure how noisy the car will be so I am quite hesitate to do so. I also feel the front of the car is quite heavy and a large portion of the weight removal I listed above are from the back of the car. That may change the weight balancing and the front feels even heavier. So I am looking for more aggressive way to remove weight in the front if possible.
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o2sys
E63 is a GT car and pretty damn good one while at. Not saying it can’t be tracked but probably not the best platform to start with.
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P
How about forged 18 in wheels? Every single one of these type of posts I've seen ends up with "look at me I'm a race car" mods and huge heavy wheels.
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wxq99
Yes, because it is a GT car, that's why I want modifications wont compromise the ride a lot.

18" light weight will save about 2-3 lbs on each wheel but carbon ceramic brake will save more due to the much lighter rotor so I think I will keep running on 19" and it is much usable on track.
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P
Forged 18s will shave around 8-10lbs over the stock wheels (SSR comps for example ~16.xxx lbs), which is far better deal than carbon ceramics given the current stoptech offerings (18lb front rotors).

Buuuut these threads always end up being about looking like a race car (recaros, lexan, laminix headlights, tow loops front and back and door pulls, 5 point harness anchored to floor with home depot bolts etc), rather than functional changes.
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wxq99
I totally agree with you, I searched the forum thread history, every single discussion I looked at ended up with a racing car mod, that's why I started this new one. I want this car still be comfortable to ride but much more fun to drive. Increasing power is not even on the list at right moment, I want to improve handling and traction. Some people will ask why not buy a Porsche if this is what looking for, I just love the sound of S85 V10 :)

If 18 inch forge can be as light as 16 lbs then it will be a really good choice. Their website is a kind of pain, not a lot of useful information.
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Fiftytwoeighty
I didn’t realize an 18” SSR will fit our e6x. Learned something new.

In the early days, lots of people ran a square 18x10 ARC-7/ARC-8 on the e6x platform for track days. From memory, they were heavy — about 20# for an 18” wheel. Subsequently, I think they have released a lighter 18x10 wheels, closer to 19#.

Im running a 19x9/19x10 Dinan Champion wheel, weighing about 19#. Volk TE37 is another light wheel that will fit.

It’s been so long since I weighed everything but, with my BBK, I think I dropped close to 20# per corner over stock.

Increasing power on our platforms is almost pointless. It’s seems like I’m preaching to the choir, but at the track, you can find more time in the corners with suspension, brakes, and tires.

If you do pull the trigger on an MCS suspension, you’re going to love it. I’m running their 2way on my e60m5 and 3way on my e28m5.

www.m5board.com

Time to upgrade my current coilovers with a full...

Time to upgrade my current coilovers with a full motorsport/competition MCS 2 way system. At about 75,xxx miles I installed CKS Coilovers w/swift springs. A bunch of us gave these a try back in 2012/2013. I don’t know how many are still on them today. My original thread can be found here...
www.m5board.com www.m5board.com
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wxq99
Did some research. SSR Competitions is U.S name, it is actually SSR Type-C. This model is no longer available and I dont see they have our pattern. According to this website, the 18x9.5 weight 17.5 lbs so it is not close to 16 lbs.

SSR Type C Racing Spec wheels from Upgrade Motoring

SSR Type C Racing Spec - 14 to 19 inch Semi Solid Forged wheels from Upgrade Motoring
www.upgrademotoring.com

This is another photo online, the SSR Type-C 18x9.5 weight 19.8 lbs:

936197


@Fiftytwoeighty: Your E60 looks really stable in corner! I am going to call MCS next week, hopefully they dont have a super long lead time. Dinan 19x9 / 19x10 is a good one but I have heard bad story saying they are not strong enough, not sure if they will survive the pothole in my area...

BMW 763M 19x9 / 19x10 cost less than $4000 per set, weight only 20.75 lbs and 21.8 lbs, that's pretty impressive for OEM wheel (I hope they are a bit stronger). It however will require 20mm / 25mm spacer to reach OEM mounting position on E63, a bit annoying.
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Fiftytwoeighty
wxq99 said:
Did some research. SSR Competitions is U.S name, it is actually SSR Type-C. This model is no longer available and I dont see they have our pattern. According to this website, the 18x9.5 weight 17.5 lbs so it is not close to 16 lbs.

SSR Type C Racing Spec wheels from Upgrade Motoring

SSR Type C Racing Spec - 14 to 19 inch Semi Solid Forged wheels from Upgrade Motoring
www.upgrademotoring.com

This is another photo online, the SSR Type-C 18x9.5 weight 19.8 lbs:

View attachment 936197

@Fiftytwoeighty: Your E60 looks really stable in corner! I am going to call MCS next week, hopefully they dont have a super long lead time. Dinan 19x9 / 19x10 is a good one but I have heard bad story saying they are not strong enough, not sure if they will survive the pothole in my area...

BMW 763M 19x9 / 19x10 cost less than $4000 per set, weight only 20.75 lbs and 21.8 lbs, that's pretty impressive for OEM wheel (I hope they are a bit stronger). It however will require 20mm / 25mm spacer to reach OEM mounting position on E63, a bit annoying.
Click to expand...
MCS is no joke, but it will take time for them to build your system. I'm heading out to Buttonwilliow this weekend to run my ST4/Spec e30, but I will have my e60 at the track. I just swapped out my worn PS4S for AD08s on the e60 -- should be interesting on the MCS!

I was concerned with the Dinan's too, but nearly 9 years later, they have stood up to the abuse of kerbs at the track and an occasional hit on the street. I'm running a decent sidewall, which I think helps. If the Dinans ever fail, replacements Dinans are nearly impossible. I would go back to my OEM 166s and probably bite the bullet on some Volks.

Nailing a drainage "curb" on the street. I thought my wheel and control arm was TOAST. You can see me straighten out after the hit, to feel any damage.
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Khanquer
Interested in buying your Meisterschaft exhaust! Where are you located?
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wxq99
I am in Oregon US.
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wxq99
2
Got the carbon fiber hood and trunk lid and installed today. The OEM trunk lid is very heavy and weight at 27 lbs, I think it is made by steel, the carbon fiber one is only 15 lbs. The hood is a a big surprise, I know the OEM one is made by aluminium but don't expect it to be so light, it only weight 29.5 lbs! The carbon fiber hood weight at 28 lbs so it wont save any weight.

Voltphreaks lithium battery is coming tomorrow and BMW 763M wheels are coming next week. I feel very lucky that shipment can still go out from Germany due to the COVID-19 chaos in Europe.

936700


936701
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o2sys
OEM trunk is steel? Thought it was some type of composite build?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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wxq99
Not sure about the material but it is the same weight of hood but much smaller.
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wxq99
6
Voltphreaks battery came in Friday, it is really light and small. OEM battery weighs 58.8 lbs and lithium is only 7.8 lbs. I also removed BMW mobility kit which is about 5 lbs, the total weight saving is 56 lbs.

To mount the battery, I have created a simply bracket bolted to the metal chassis then use metal strap to hold the battery. It seems to be pretty stable but will see if I eventually need to weld the bracket down.

I have noticed the Voltphreaks VPH1200 is 40AH and 700CCA while OEM battery is 90AH and 900CCA. I have no problem to start the car in Oregon's mild weather and it is actually super easy, but reduced CCA can be a problem for cold start if you are living in an area with cold winter.

Technology Electronic device Label Electronic component Floppy disk
Product Technology Electronics Electronic device Compact cassette
Gas
Product Technology Electronic device Circuit breaker Electronic component
Auto part Engine Wire Electrical wiring Vehicle
Trunk Wire Audio equipment Technology Electronic device
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B
That's a very nice weight saving. Hope the lithium battery does the job for a long time.
On my E46 M3 race cars I ran a Shorei lithium battery which was 5lbs total including the bracket.

Have you looked into removing sound deadening from the body? Might be a good 20lbs if not more, and it's free..
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G
omg, thats a good value for weight reduction, compared to the arkapolvic exhaust, which you should also consider!
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wxq99
bmxmax said:
That's a very nice weight saving. Hope the lithium battery does the job for a long time.
On my E46 M3 race cars I ran a Shorei lithium battery which was 5lbs total including the bracket.

Have you looked into removing sound deadening from the body? Might be a good 20lbs if not more, and it's free..
Click to expand...
Well, I really want to keep a comfortable ride, those changes will make tire and wind noise way too loud?
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o2sys
Are you going to do seats? I'm sure they each weight about 60+lbs vs some nice Recaros that weight 30lbs. That would be a huge weight saving.

Also if don't need the back seats make a seat delete kit?


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wxq99
Yes, that's my plan, see my original post. Recaro should be less than 30 lbs each, the OEM seat is a kind of around 70 lbs. Back seats will be gone for sure but a roll cage will add up some weight.

It seems to be very hard to remove some weight off the front axle?
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