Why does my backdated Carrera 3.2 weigh so much?
 

Based on what is (or I guess isn't) in my car, I would have expected it to weigh less, but it weighed in at 2650lbs.

Relevant info pertaining to weight:
1987 Carrera 3.2 Coupe with
No AC compressor, condenser, front blower, heater blower (the black ducting on the left in the engine compartment), or plumbing
SSI's
RS carpets including rear parcel shelf conversion
Reduced sound insulation
No back seats or belts
No electric mirrors
RS America door panels
No Center console
No automatic heat-backdated to cables for heater boxes
No radio or speakers
No fog lights
No rear bumper guards
Lightweight battery
Fiberglass duck tail

It does have:
Electric windows
Central locking
High back Recaro sport seats
Sunroof
Extinguisher
Side sill trims

Does that sound right? I would have guessed based on the above something about 200lbs lighter. Do I just suffer from delusions? What's left to lose some weight besides the seats, ditching the spare, plexiglas windows, and fiberglass/CF panels/bumpers?

TIA,

Derek

elec. motors & G-50 are heavy

lots of undercoating & sound proofing also

are the scales accurate?

gravity is a beeatch....Did you remember to fill your tires with helium? :D

go to a FG hood, probably minus 20 to 30 lbs.

Seats weigh a lot. Probably minus another 50lbs. with race buckets

Do you have the bumper shocks? those are heavy. Are your bumpers metal?

How much sound deadening did you remove?

Doug

Hmmm.

My 87 Carrera Targa weighs 2,460 lbs. with the gas tank nearly empty. It was 2,880 before I started pulling everything out of it.

I will try to list things that may be a factor:

I stripped EVERYTHING out of the interior, including the center console.

The tank for the windshield washer fluid was full and heavy before I deleted it.

I use an Odyssey PC680 battery that weighs 12.5lbs. And, my M&K muffler is quite a bit lighter than the stock muffler. My front trunk is stripped (no spare, No jack).

I do still have the stock bumper guards.

The wieght I have is from the alignment scale at TRE.

Mike

P.S. Maybe it's the 917 style shift knob I have?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1204595227.jpg

this was on a WA state DOT scale btw.

tell me about it! they do put helium in tires sometimes but i should have done that huh?

yea, i imagine that those high back seats are heavy, especially since the long hood guys always complain about how heavy the low back recaro sport seats are.

the interior insulation is all dynamat now, on the rear firewall/seat area. the sound pad is gone from the engine compartment.

still have bumper shocks and impact bumpers.

http://www.stanford.edu/~dtscott/dtsporsche17.jpg

pix of the removed:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1204595565.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1204595598.jpg

Wow, TIA your interior is AWSOME. That is where I would like mine to be someday. Unfortunately, I have some very tired manual Sport seats and no carpeting as of yet.

Fuel weighs 6.15 lbs. per gallon.

Were the scales intended for measuring 2,000 lb cars or heavy freight trucks?

Mike

My '71 was updated to a turbo look in the 80s or early 90s. The wiring harness was converted to the latter. I have a box full of wiring that I removed. It weighed between 15 and 20 lbs. It had the old school computers for cruise control, remote locks and all kinds of superfluous stuff.

I removed as much as was possible, but to remain street-able.

I like the Miura project in your signature! The car sounds jinxed.

Doug

What's the stock weight rating for the car before you removed the excess baggage? You should have lost about 100 lbs at least from what you described. I know those flag mirrors weigh almost 4 lbs. each. I know because I just removed my passenger side mirror. (freaking little brick hanging off the doors!). Go weigh it again on a different scale.
By the weigh the interior looks great. Nice and tidy and minimalist...

That seems about right to me. You probably shed what, maybe 200 lbs with that list?

I have similar set up and about the same weight. I can't remember exactly my last corner balance weights but I was in the 26xx. I have light weight seat but also have a roll bar. Next for me is fiberglass rear bumpers and tail decklid. I hope to get under 2600 but it's going to be tough and still have a streetable car.

The factory aluminium bumpers and all the associated hardware ( mounts etc ) weigh a lot. Fibreglass bumpers will save you a lot of weight, and IMO this is the easiest way to significantly lighten an impact bumper car.

I would second that your seats probably weigh a lot too.

I weight in at 2396. I have stripped all mentioned here, all interior sound proofing was chipped off ( interior is bare metalplus sunroof panel tracks and motor 40+ lbs.( high up weight). Replaced with FG panel. That weight is with a full rollcage so I say something is off. I now have FG front and rear bumpers and FG hood to install. I'm hoping to get down below 2300. I remember seeing a few weight loss lists and will try to locate them.

thanks for the complements all. the scale is for all WA state vehicles, so it should have fine enough calibration to get a reasonably good number.

Ed Scuba that's interesting to me because that's really more where I had imagined ending up. Here's a link to Dane Burns' car to see how much it takes to get under 2300, though he still has a radio you'll note: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-cars-sale/310469-well-sorted-79-rgruppe-3-6l.html free plug too if he's still trying to sell it.
I'm going to keep the impact bumpers because I still park around idiots and the car gets used a fair amount. Plus I kind of like the look of it this way because it's essentially a dead-ringer for a 74 Carrera. Seats are worth considering, maybe some Nurburgring Seats, though they are a bit too early looking for what this car is supposed to be. No tilt back either...
Fiberglass front deck might eventually make the cut although I have a stigma that's tough to shake with that...it would look cool with a sticker crest instead of a cloisonne one...

btw the car had cruise control which is now gone

DOT-mandated door beam x 2 are not lightweight. Same with already-mentioned bumper shocks.

Full use of Dynamat is not lightweight.

WW tank in LF fender has large volume. Heavier if full of fluid.

Sherwood

I'm on the road and don't have my notes with me, so the following weights are from my memory:

There are fiberglass copies of the stock bumper blades. No impact protection but you can lose around 25 pounds total and still look stock. You can save a few pounds more by fabricating aluminum bumper mounts.

You can replace the windshield washer fluid tank with a small reservoir made for the intensive washer system.

I'd suggest replacing the seats with Recaro Pole Positions, if you don't need access to the back seat area. You'll lose 45-50 pounds, for the pair.

There are dozens of little things you can do to save a half pound or a pound here and there. Individually they don't do squat but if you do enough of them....

JR

I have a light weight ish Targa 83sc
Got lost of F/G parts. Bumpers, rsr wings, duck tail, bonnet, and stripped inside, Door braces(1.1/4" tube with plates)
Light weight sparco seats, harnes belts, replaced washer bottle under wing(fender) with a small bottle in the boot (trunk)
In the region of 1040kg(2290lbs) with spair wheel, tools and 1/4 tank

Paul

Impressive weight reducing results here.

I have a completely stock 85 Carrera with A/C that tilts the scale at 2660 with half a tank of gas.

hell im showroom stock and we weighed in with no tire/jack/no tools/full tank of sunoco race fuel and me in it at 2820#

me=230#

RUF front rear bumpers no shocks
no rear seats/belts
recaro race seats/harness'
fire suppression and fire ext.
no mats
no a/c belt!
setrab oil cooler lines/fender cooler/engine cooler=17qts oil+/-
windshield water bottle empty
carbon fiber doodads here and there.
GHL exhaust 2in/2 out,headers

i gave up trying to lighten it!

Big boy you are Charles!

I should have mentioned my 84 is Euro which I believe start off slightly lighter IE no door beams etc. I do have very light weight seats 2 Kirkeys.

Interesting about Dane Burns car. It's a give and take thing. My rollcage must weight at least 200lbs.( I never weight it.. DOH). So all his FG parts, nice interior and light weight battery makes up for that? I don't know weight diff. with his 3.6 VS my 3.2. So when I install my FG bumpers,hood and lite weight battery (saving 25lbs alone) I should reach my under 2300lbs. goal COOL.

2820# car
230-me=
2590

showroom stock is limited to options for your year.

technically RUF bumpers were an option.

i might add the above weight was with (4) hellas and light pod on OEM hood weighed on PCA ZONE 8 scales at california mtr speedway.

you think yer skimming weight but as mentioned above it takes alot of little things to add up.

for resale IF i ever sell car and PCA rules our mantra has been "as it came from the showroom"

my best advice.................

buy a race car already prepped stripped suspended motored the WAY YOU WANT and not try and build one from a stock car. leave stock car alone and go putt putt and buy REAL racecar for the track. theres plenty out there to choose from every month in pano magazine.

you really limit yourself to buyers when a/c and heat are gone no matter where you live. add headers loud pipes strip everything out and the ONLY person that will want to ride with you is another certified GOOFY PORSCHE FREAKAZOID! like me!

Electric seats? V. heavy. Go to even stock manual sport seats to save a lot.

Dynamat is also heavy. Engine sound pad is nothing.

Bumpers and shocks are v. heavy.

Those big wheels and tires also weigh a lot more than those skinny tires on the long hoods.

Helium is a joke, BTW.

Hmm, stock bumpers are way over 60 lbs. Spare tire and jack ? over 40. All glass ?=HVY. Rocker panels and rubber unbelievable HVY. Pwr anything- widows, seats , mirrors=HVY
You need lt. wt. starter, some lexon , F.G.bumpers, C.F. hood, for results

the sound mats on the inside rear package tray and the inside rear seat buckets are heavy....did you all remove these items too?

Sherwood - do have actual wts. on the door beams? They look like sheet metal to me, thus much lighter than the shells themselves...

-------------------------

Concentrate any wt. saving work on the rear of the car.

Also, I would not trust the scales - from what you say they can weigh heavy trucks. If so, then they will not be that accurate for a car. The Or. scales along the hwy are checked to within 20 lbs. BUT they have never told me at what wt. they check them. Scales will still be somewhat useful for comparisons however.

To be more accurate (likely), find a buddy with a set of corner balancing scales. To be honest, the only thing you can really trust is a set of NBS traceable scales, that have had the calibration checked recently.

The data I compiled and those of Jim Calzia are accurate, but both are aimed at the early cars. This may help tho:
http://www.penaltykicker.com/911/data/

lightweight battery and one recaro race bucket now. 2553lbs as of today, without jack, tools, and spare, with 3/4 tank of gas.

I thought that the G50 wasn't that much heavier than the 915. Does anyone actually KNOW, as in having weighed both, to come up with a definitive answer?

Electric motors like the ones in the power seats are heavy. The electric windows are about the same weight as the manual AFAIK. The winding mechanism makes up for the weight of the motor. All of the rest of the stuff in there is the same regardless of power or armstrong lifting. I guess the 15 feet of wire might account for something... Power locks, maybe a bit o'weight.



If a scale that is designed to weigh loaded transport trucks (up to 150000 lbs) was used to weigh the car, it might be a few pounds off. The sensitivity at either end of its capability might not be so accurate. Your car might actually weigh MORE than what you think. Wouldn't that be a kick in the pants.

-kevin

that scale is likely off by at least 20 lbs. - as based on Or DOT truck scale calibrations

g50's are in fact heavier than the 915 -- a Mg cased 915 is less wt. than the last Al cased 915 -- the clutch is a substantial part of the g50 porkiness

there is a thread with some info on it - you'll have to search for it

the difference of the G50 is not that large, something like 40 pounds, if i recall, but a sizable chunk of it is indeed the clutch. there is a thread where the weights are compared somewhere on here.

not much of a difference with electric/manual windows either.

the scale today was an electronic racing scale used for corner weighting.

NOT that large ??? I would pay a good chunk of $$$$$$$ ( and have ) to get rid if 40 lbs !!! Thats like amost 1/2 of a 100 !!

Take a bag of trash to the dump and ask the person at the booth how much your car weighs when you exit. That is how I found out my Avalanche weighs 6,900 pounds....YOW!

Like already stated "those scales can be off (and more ) 20 lbs real EZ

My G50 weighed 20lbs more than the 915 I removed

There's another thread going on weights... I reported that my "84" Turbo Look was just weighed by electronic scales, 2799 lbs.

Includes:

3/4 full fuel, A/C, Sun Roof, LSD, 16" BBS Wheels, Optima battery, Tool kit and jack, Spare tire, Full carpeting, Less floor mats.

Who's TIA?

Sporto veloce
did you remove evaporator and expansion valve in smuggler box? associated
hoses?
Rocker panel mouldings?

haha it means "thanks in advance"

Nope, all that stuff is still in there. I just haven't had the chance to get rid of it yet.
The rocker moldings are still on the car also. Having a G50, the torsion bar covers are not round and kinda goofy looking, so when the moldings are off it looks a little too unfinished for my taste. I'm planning to take them off eventually when I get glass IROC bumpers, but right now, it has the 74 Carrera look, which I would like to preserve until I decide to "go to town" with it.

The above stuff mentioned by afterburn is exactly what I was going to comment on.

If you replace the hood and front/rear bumpers with fiberglass, you're going to lose according to my scale measurements:

Hood = -21 lbs
Complete front bumper = -33 lbs
Complete rear bumper = -37 lbs

Factory sport seats weigh 49 lbs EACH. That's what my RS America cloth 4way power seats weigh. Install a light track seat with alloy side mounts that weighs ~25 lbs like my Cobra Imola S

Lose the windshield washer bottle for up to 15 lbs depending on how full?

Lose the rear charcoal cannister for 5-1/2 lbs

Lose the side rocker panel trim for 12 lbs but I think the G50 cars look like crap without them

Install a custom muffler and you'll lose ~ 10 lbs (factory style banana mufflers are robustly built and heavy)

My car currently weighs 2650 with me in it fully equipped to go on the track (helmet, harness bar, harnesses, no jack, compressor) and a little more than 1/2 tank of gas. It's almost exactly equipped like the original poster's car, with few less, few more things that are not all that heavy.

I can still lose weight by eliminating factory door panels and speakers (rear speakers and radio already gone), sunroof, lighter exhaust system (I have custom muffler, factory exhaust manifolds and a Fabspeed premuffler), lexan windows and fiberglass fenders. I think my car is almost at the point where you really have to work to lose weight. Losing the sunroof, installing lexan windows and installing a real roll bar involves some commitment that kills some of the streetability of the car. But hey, my car is barely streetable anymore with 23/31 t-bars, R compound tires, squeaky brake upgrade, little sound deadening.......... I figure with some more changes the best I can do is a car that's around 2450 with 1/2 tank of gas and fully equipped for safe track driving.

The simplest way to cut weight is to move from one 'certified' scale to another until you find one that gives you a great number. In my experience, there's a lot of variation in scales.

There's probably a little bit of exaggeration in some guy's online boasts, especially with how much gas they say was in the car. But who knows?

My car has all fiberglass except the roof, race seats, much of the interior deleted, lexan in the back and quarter windows, aluminum trailing arms and front crossmember, lightweight exhuast and a handful of other little weight saving tricks -- and it's still heavier than stock.