[pazzer]

Hi Chaps, well winters here and im going to lose some weight out of the car, ditching the heater and going to retro fit a smaller one just to keep the screen clear in the colder months, ditching the power steering and going with the 944 manual one, headlights are gone, front and rear bumper bars are going, air con is out and the carpets, foam and all that bloody glue is going, anyone who has gone down this route have any tips, should save around 100kg. well thats what i guess from weighing a few items. regards chris.

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[bob blackwell]

Pazzer, good start! Get rid of those heavy stock seats next. A good set of lightweight sports seats with manual adjustment will save you a lot as well. I ditched my rear fold-down seats as well, replacing them with the package tray from the cab with the retainer bar and the lockable storage cubbies. I also deleted the rear muffler and extended the two pipes straight out the back, much more powerful sound (but not offensive) and lost about 30 pounds from that stock muffler. Good luck, Bob Blackwell.

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[pazzer]

Hi Bob, just tolet you know i have a mo30 clubsport withthe recaro's, going to keep those, i'm running a full rsbarn system aswell, kokeln rear delete , looking at gettingthe car as near as 1200kg as poss, without going fibre panels and lexan. upto now i have removed the following.



1, headlights and motors 7kg



2, air con an associated parts, 15kg



3, heater and associated parts, 10kg



4, carpet, glue, soundproof material yet to weigh but at a guess 20kg



5, power steering system, in progress.



6, front bumper bar, 5kg



7, rear bar, 4kg



i think 100kg is achievable without going to extreme, anyhow must crack on with all this glue to remove, regards chris.

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[bob blackwell]

Good job Chris, be patient with all that glue and sound deadening - it really is a mess and seems to be stronger than anything else on the car! Good luck, Bob Blackwell.

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[pazzer]

Thanks Bob. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Jason Judd]

Don't forget to look up...and get rid of the sunroof, that is, if you have one. With the mechanics, there's a good bit of weight to lose!



Jason

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[pazzer]

Hi Jason, no sunroof either, lightweight mo30 car, apart from the wiring loom, lots of connections floating around that are not needed, have you removed the heater and associated parts from yours, and if so to you have problems from misting upscreen, in the colder months this maybe a problem for me and i'm looking for a solution, also going to go for a manual steering rack do you have a ideas on this modification, regards chris.

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[Eric_K]

I'm assuming you already have a light weight battery? Does the car have a roll bar/cage? You may want to add some weight back for safety. The manual steering rack bolts right up, if you have collected the right parts.

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[flash]

lol - and better add the extra couple of pounds of new forearm muscle once you change to that manual steering rack too

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[pazzer]

Hi Eric, not got a lightweight battery yet, but my present battery gave up the charge they other day, totally drained it by leaving the glovebox open for a few days oops. so maybe i should invest in one of those. i have a half rear cage at the moment, which i think i will keep, as for a safety aspect a full cage on the road, "driving to circuits and the odd blast to relieve some pent up frustration now and again" is unsafe whilst not wearing a helmet, would'nt like to hit the bars with the force involved during a crash with no head protection on. would you happen tohave the parts list for the ms rack and approx price for conversion, many thanks. chris <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />





[quote name='flash' post='43491' date='Nov 12 2007, 11:07 AM']lol - and better add the extra couple of pounds of new forearm muscle once you change to that manual steering rack too[/quote]



No problems in that department flash, with 14.5 inch forearms and 18 inch biceps i think i can handle it, all those days in the gym, and eating chicken and tuna will pay off now, <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> pazzer <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[flash]

cool - been there done that in a 944 and HATED it



i'm thinking of swapping out to something like a 280zx rack to achieve fewer turns lock to lock (whereas a manual rack ADDS turns)



something to consider:



rack attack bushing - significantly tightens up the steering input



spherical monoball control arm bushings and castor block bushings - also significantly tightens up the steering response



power pulleys - reducing the pumping input from the power steering pump made a BIG difference on how the steering felt - much more satisfying input feel now - tradeoff was lower low rmp voltage output



i would be completely happy if i could just get the number of lock to lock turns down to under 3, so that it would take less rotation of the wheel to make the turn

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[Anchorman]

[quote name='flash' post='43495' date='Nov 12 2007, 01:46 PM']i would be completely happy...[/quote]

I'll take bets on that. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[flash]

roflmao - ok - that's fair

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[sguy]

Having driven Eric's race car, with manual steering, back to back with my street car, with stock power steering, I think the manual rack worked very well for the race car and I did not miss power steering even a little on the track. I've also seen several drivers run Eric's car for 2 hours and longer stints at enduro races. These drivers come in spent, but I doubt it is becasue of the manual rack. That said, I would not convert my street car to manual, but for me a dedicated track or race car would have a manual rack on the desired list. YMMV

Cheers,

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[flash]

due to the increase in number of turns lock to lock, i'm sure the effort increase is mitigated



the thing that would bug me is that i think it is already too much steering wheel rotation for a 180 turn - avoiding the swapping of hands would be much preferred, and something to which i grew accustomed - the number of lock to lock turns of this car feels like a big luxury sedan by comparison - i continually find my hands down near my lap when holding a tight turn - that just isn't as efficient - that's what i thought of the 944 that had the manual rack, and i can't see it being much different on the 968



lol - maybe i'm just not driving fast enough



i will begin my search for a better power rack as soon as i get a bit closer to building the race car



however, on the street car, i agree that this seems to be just fine, especially now that i have tightened it up and reduced the amount of power input to the rack - much sportier and precise

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[Eric_K]

I would prefer if the manual rack had a tighter ratio. That would be my only complaint against it. The effort and feel are good. You HAVE to shuffle steer in tight corners, but it is not a big deal.



After a long enduro stint, the manual steering doesn't hurt until the next day. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[flash]

yeah - that's pretty much what i thought about it too - i really want to stop shuffle steering though - i know i can get there, if i can just find the time to do the homework on it

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[Jason Judd]

Chris,



I did remove the entire H/V/AC system in my car...it doesn't mist/fog up in the cooler weather here on the East Coast...but my front windows are removed, too, and that promotes enough circulation. Have you removed your windows and motors?



As others have said, the manual rack is a snap...I don't complain about the effort.



I'll be removing my wiring harness this winter...I've heard that the unused wires are good for almost 30 lbs.



Now, for a confession...I've decided to get a "Cool Shirt" set up also over the winter. I'm just no good when it gets hot in the summer months! I really fatigue in the heat; so I'm going for the setup that also sends cool air to the helmet. I'm due for a new helmet, so I'll get the model that incorporates the air input.



I feel like a sissy about the Cool Shirt setup; but, I really get hot very easily...I think it must be from the years I've spent in a refrigerated environment. I just melt once the outside temp hits over 80...although inside the car it must be + 20 degrees more!



By the way, a lightweight battery, like the Odessy, can save you over 20 lbs!



Jason

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[Super_Marv]

Chris, surely it would be worth keeping the bumper bars, for the sake of 9KG?



Still, 100KG would make such a positive difference to how the car performs <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[flash]

the bumpers are only good for speeds UP to 5mph - after that, they actually cause more damage as frequently as they prevent it by connecting the 2 subframes together, thereby causing damage to both instead of just 1 - i know of quite a few cars that would have been repairable had it not been for the bumper



also, that weight is on the very end of the car, creating more rotation potential - there was a very noticeable improvement in front suspension action when i removed my front one



kids don't try this at home

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