Recaros would be a huge addition (=) subtraction. How about a gel-type battery like an Optima? Or do these cars use an Odyssey?

 

I checked the archives and it looks like both Optima and Odyssey have been used by board members.

Oem battery ~55lbs, Odyssey lightweight drycell ~20lbs, you save ~35lbs

About the lightest drycell I could find was one of the Odyssey 1200's @ 37.5 lbs. Dunno if I've seen a 12v in the 20# range. Link? :dunno:

Dave

 

Oem battery ~55lbs, Odyssey lightweight drycell ~20lbs, you save ~35lbs

 

OEM resonator + muffler = 98lbs

change to SS x-pipe + other muffler = 50lbs or more saving

 

Disclaimer:

Searching the archives, the question of weight savings has come up pretty regularly. Inevitably, someone chimes in about how pointless or stupid it is to try and shave weight from this car.

Shaving a couple of hundred pounds can have a noticable impact. I'm not talking about cutting into the M5's luxury features. But if one can lose weight without compromise, this is a good thing, no?

OEM resonator + muffler = 98lbs

change to SS x-pipe + other muffler = 50lbs or more saving

+1. I read more like 70 lbs savings with the SS exhaust including headers. A good one to add to the list.

Here's another (from the BeastPower website):

Floating rotor design reduces heat and stress transfer to wheel bearings and hubs and greatly reduces unsprung weight. The unsprung weight on the e39 M5 is reduced by 18 pounds per corner from the stock M5 brakes, and an astonishing weight savings of 12 pounds per corner from the light-weight Brembo® Gran Turismo big brake kit for the e39 M5. The unsprung weight savings translates into the equivalent of reducing the M5's weight by approximately 150 pounds, and provides for better handling, quicker response and better acceleration.

So a conservative list thus far might be:

cf hood, trunk lid - 40-50 lbs
Recaro Toplines - 62 lbs
Lightweight battery - 15-20 lbs (maybe more?)
SS exhaust - 70 lbs (incl headers)
Brembos - 48 lbs (similar for Stoptechs?)
Lightweight wheels - 24 lbs

Total: 259-274 lbs.

Jayson reported his e39 coilover kit saved perhaps 50 lbs. If so, this gets us over 300 lbs savings potential from a beast with enhanced performance and no luxury compromises.

Think you could feel a difference in the car from the weight from two adult passengers?
:cheers:
Dave

Edit: I added 20 lbs savings for SS headers per Dan's post below.

 

Here's my Jenny Craig special / weight reduction program for my beast.

Stock rims are = 26 lbs each.
I upgraded to Fikse Profil 5S rims = 19 lbs each.
Weights savings = 28lbs.

Stock exhaust = 96 lbs.
Tubi Rumore Plus exhaust = 51 lbs.
Weight savings = 45 lbs.

Stock brakes 28 lbs ea.
StopTech = 18 lbs ea.
Weight savings = 40 lbs.

Stock headers = 45 lbs.
Supersprint headers = 25 lbs.
Weight savings = 20 lbs.

Total = my beast is now 133 lbs lighter.
(That's way more than what my wife weighs!)

 

Stock headers = 45 lbs.
Supersprint headers = 25 lbs.
Weight savings = 20 lbs.

This is true ?

 

Every 100 pounds lighter = 1/10 of a second faster in the 1/4 mile too..

 

I had no clue about the brakes on the weight loss...

 

I have often thought about the weight saving and when I was motorbiking it always made me laugh when people kept going on about losing a kg here and there from a CF clutch cover blah blah blah. Especially when the best mod you can possible do is to improve your own driving/riding ability. Unless of course you can honestly say that you use 100% of everything the car has to offer. In which case you should all be Touring Car champs!

But each to his own. Just remember with all the effort and money spent to lose weight, don't go and spoil it all by having a slap up breakfast!

 

I have often thought about the weight saving and when I was motorbiking it always made me laugh when people kept going on about losing a kg here and there from a CF clutch cover blah blah blah. Especially when the best mod you can possible do is to improve your own driving/riding ability. Unless of course you can honestly say that you use 100% of everything the car has to offer. In which case you should all be Touring Car champs!

But each to his own. Just remember with all the effort and money spent to lose weight, don't go and spoil it all by having a slap up breakfast!

Like it :biggrinbounce: I would also like to be Touring Car Champ :wroom: Got more chance of winning the lotto :3:

Only had my beast for a couple of weeks and to be honest I am still trying to keep the damn thing under control oohhh:

I think I will be keeping mine stock

It has to be said we all look at these things differantly and if you have the money to do the mods ... why not ..... Enjoy :M5thumbs:

Dave

 

Lost 15 lbs in 6 months. What does that equal to? (and it was free of cost).

 

I just weighed my car this past week at a moving and storage here in town. With a full tank of gas and no driver it weighed in at 3680 lbs. I lost weight with the Dinan wheels and exhaust, removal of the spare tire, and the UUC flywheel. My weight-to-HP ratio went from 9.23 to 8.90.

 

m5 doesn't have a spare tire to lose. and the 540 is lighter to start with.

 

strange double post

 

Lose the M-Mobility system....Practically useless anyway.

 

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

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

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!

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.

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...

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

hiha

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!

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

 

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?

 

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

 

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.

 

Dave,

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

 

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:

 

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

 

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

 

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.

 

Thanks!

D

 

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:

 

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

 

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
Dave

Can anyone suggest a Lightweight battery for our Beast? Just did a search and didn't find much on the names of batteries which would be best for us.

Is it possible to buy 1 Recaro Topline? I don't belive in fixing things that are not broken (my passenger seat). My seat sees more usage.

I think I'll be doing the resonator remove soon (less $ than the SS exhaust).

 

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:

 

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

 

Never imported to the US, and only 2 doors

 

dave,

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.

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:

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:

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.

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!

 

dave,

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...!

We seem to be of similar minds Jack! My fixation started with the Vorsteiner cf hood.. I was thinking, 'yeah, but the E6 hood (hood Abdulla put on) weighs quite a bit less...'. Then I started wrestling with pork guilt... here I go adding this doo dad and that doo dad (train horns, nitrous sprayer, license plate flipper, etc etc, ) and started really thinking about weight. Then the whole Recaro seat thing... 62 lbs is nothing to sneeze at!
Now... I'm ready to start whipping out the credit card ..h: Its a terrible affliction!

just went searching for them on google. they are unbelievable. but it means i have to go without my massagers and warmers... :crying2:

Well at least the Toplines do have seat warmers, but if you are looking at shedding weight, do you REALLY need a back massager? :redflag: Pork alert!!!:redflag:

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:

Some of those Recaro seat color combinations look incredibly sharp! It will be hard to decide which one to go with. It would be fantastic if you could check out the seats for comfort and quality in Carson.. If it helps move this forward, here's a wee bit of encouragment: DO IT!!!!...SOON!!!! The anticipation is killing me!

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

thanks!

I have the Vorsteiner GTR hood (still waiting to be installed) and I can say that it is very structurally rigid. It was not built to be the lightest hood out there. I think the guiding objective was looks. And it does look great in person. On the other hand, the e6 hood was built with weight as a major consideration. The result is a super light hood, but the trade off is that there is less structural rigidity. When the e6 hood was on Diablo, I remember thinking that I was not keen on seeing some hood movement at speed. I don't know if it could have been secured better because we had it removed soon after due to the crack (probably from the wrong hood shock). Hearing from others that have the GTR hood installed, they report zero hood movement at speed.

If you want to keep the hood lines OEM looking, there are OEM-styled cf hoods out there also.

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

...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:

:hihi: Jack, you and I really should not be talking. I can see we could be a terrible influence on one another.. :confused3

Switch from Beer to Bacardi diet coke. -20lbs

Good one! I keep telling myself that my nasty nightly wine habit is not doing my weight reduction efforts any good...

+1. Just need to figure out the order in which I want to do it. Or just save the money and send little miss porky to the fat farm so she can come back trimmer:cheers:

Just a thought. Maybe we should get a group that will commit to this plan and stage our group buys? Hoods, trunks, seats, battery (although shipping might ruin that one)

gavin

I'm game! But I guess we would need to align on the preferences. The OEM-styled cf trunk lid is about $500 iirc. I'm gonna stick w/ OEM style over the CA version. Any others game? Any others game on Recaro Toplines?

Dave

 

Switch from Beer to Bacardi diet coke. -20lbs