What is the Lightest Miata You've heard of?
10-26-2011, 02:25 PM
#21
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Problem I always struggle with is that the stuff you need for racing adds weight 
but that's just the way the cookie crumbles.
With all the things I've pulled/cut out of the car, if I DIDN'T have the turbo, 3/4 cage, 3" exhaust, splitter, spoiler, diffuser, fire extinguisher, intercooler, big *** radiator, oil cooler, etc. etc. I'd probably be pretty damn low.
But then... I wouldn't be able to use the car the way I want to.
-Ryan
but that's just the way the cookie crumbles.With all the things I've pulled/cut out of the car, if I DIDN'T have the turbo, 3/4 cage, 3" exhaust, splitter, spoiler, diffuser, fire extinguisher, intercooler, big *** radiator, oil cooler, etc. etc. I'd probably be pretty damn low.
But then... I wouldn't be able to use the car the way I want to.
-Ryan
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10-28-2011, 12:20 PM
#27
If you would go really nuts in loosing weight there are two areas that stands out (for anyone who have handled a bare tub), the doors and the rear clip.
The doors are easy to make lighter but to make the whole rear part lighter you would need to go all the way to a tubular chassis, starting from the cage and the bare rear subframe.
There must be more then 100lbs to shave off back there (counting from a bare shell, even when keeping the stock subframe).
But it is always easier to make the rear lighter (on cars... with the engine up front)
The doors are easy to make lighter but to make the whole rear part lighter you would need to go all the way to a tubular chassis, starting from the cage and the bare rear subframe.
There must be more then 100lbs to shave off back there (counting from a bare shell, even when keeping the stock subframe).
But it is always easier to make the rear lighter (on cars... with the engine up front)
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11-01-2011, 07:05 PM
#28
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Taking significant weight out of the rear will of course make the car more nose-heavy. Does the improvement from less overall weight "outweigh" (no pun intended) the drawback from having a less optimal front-rear weight ratio? I do not know... but there sure are several places I can immediately see in the rear where weight can be saved, beyond the obvious things I've already done (bumper chop, no bumper support, moto battery, no spare/jack, lighter muffler...)
-Ryan
-Ryan
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11-01-2011, 11:25 PM
#31
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So far, I haven't seen any swaps that have saved any significant amount of weight.
Unless... rotary? I don't know weights of a rotary + whatever transmission is needed for that swap, but I bet that's lighter. Of course, I'd never want a rotary in my car... but it is probably lighter.
-Ryan
Unless... rotary? I don't know weights of a rotary + whatever transmission is needed for that swap, but I bet that's lighter. Of course, I'd never want a rotary in my car... but it is probably lighter.
-Ryan
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11-01-2011, 11:56 PM
#33
Mine was 1840 with a hardtop and roll bar, but no cage. Anything that didn't have to be on the car wasn't there. No headlights, cut down wire harness, gutted doors, no glass in the hardtop, aluminum seat, small battery reloated to passenger footwell, lightened flywheel and crank, half dash, etc. It was also wasn't turbo, so that helped too.
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11-01-2011, 11:57 PM
#34
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http://www.motoiq.com/projects/proje...miatabusa.aspx
Busa motor lighter and more power
not saying its worth the money but BALLER build
Busa motor lighter and more power
not saying its worth the money but BALLER build
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11-02-2011, 12:19 AM
#35
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^ STILL not done, and it's been... years 
I'm sure they aren't working on it 24/7, probably just in between other jobs/projects hence the snail-speed progress, but some day, it will be awesome. Not exactly a realistic weight saving method for most of us though
-Ryan
I'm sure they aren't working on it 24/7, probably just in between other jobs/projects hence the snail-speed progress, but some day, it will be awesome. Not exactly a realistic weight saving method for most of us though -Ryan
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11-02-2011, 12:59 AM
#36
All it takes is an aluminum block 4cyl. To drop weight with engine swap. Matter of fact savington had an alum. block iirc.
No, rotary is heavy iron and steel. The benefit to the rotary is small size being able to sit further towards the center of the car. What new car companies like to call front-mid engine design.
No, rotary is heavy iron and steel. The benefit to the rotary is small size being able to sit further towards the center of the car. What new car companies like to call front-mid engine design.
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