~ Weight Reduction ~
An article on losing weight, kind of like a diet plan for your car.
Click here to go straight to the CALCULATOR
The Basics
Everybody knows that less weight means a higher power to weigh ratio, that part is obvious and that is is going to cost money, even more obvious but what parts and how much are you likely to save is the question.
Generally, a Westfield (or any Seven for that matter) will be around the 500 - 600kg mark. So assuming 575kg car had 160bhp, this would equal around 278bhp per ton which is very good by many standards.
If you could save around 42kg which is easily achievable, then the P2W ratio will rise to 300bhp per ton which is much more like it and all without even lifting the bonnet.
Ripping out everything that you don't need like Carpets, Heater (that is included in the calculator by the way), Bootbox, etc will help of course, but there is still room for improvement.
You can go overboard with this weight reduction. Some people go as far as replacing the bolts and rivets with Titanium items which is a bit extreme but if your into serious competition then I suppose this is par for the course.
SO, I have compiled a Calculator listing some of the more popular items that you can change to achieve this.
What this is not
This is not a complete list of everything available as there are so many options and specialist parts out there that the list would go on forever. I have listed as many items that I could find data on, believe it or not, the information is hard to come by but you are lucky, I've done it for you :-)
As ever, your parts probably won't be listed but you will get the general idea and I have included a list of weights from 0.5 - 5kg to balance it all out just in case.
If you have something that is particularly light and think it should be added, by all means let me know and I may add it.
Using the - Weight Reduction Calculator
There is two main areas, "Parts fitted", and "Optional Parts". Obviously you select the part you have from the left area and the optional parts from the right. If you already have a lighter part fitted, then this will add weight which is not what your after.
The "Difference" column has been conveniently multiplied by 2 or 4 depending on parts i.e. x4 for wheels, x2 for brakes etc, so no need to get out your calculators.
Also it displays the final results in kgs and lbs (for the older folk like me!)
So go ahead, give it a try, you may be surprised just how much you can save wallet permitting of course.
Click HERE for calculator