Car Weights

[Matt Conrad]

I've been meaning to post this thread for a while now. Some recent rumors of top speeds at the June Sprints prompted me to finally do it...I was trying to figure out how a car that was 5mph slower through the corners and has at least 10% more frontal area could be 5mph faster on the straights? Can't be the engine...they both have the same "stock" motor according to the rules....right?? Maybe its weight....that's the only other possiblility....So....

What weight is your F1000 car when it goes across the scales after a race?

And be honest....

For example, my car (prototype) came through the scales at FIR in March at 1,023#, but I have 18 pounds of lead on the floor pan under the header...so a true weight would be 1,005#. We didn't check the fuel remaining. I weighed around 165#. Truthfully, I've just been too lazy to take the lead out....it is a pain to get to it....I'll do it while we're rebuilding the car this summer.

When Scott Dick won the January National race here in Phoenix he weighed 1,007#...no lead...and from memory...3 gallons of fuel in the car. I don't remember how much Scott weighed...pretty close to my weight I'd guess.

Matt Conrad
Phoenix Race Works, LLC

[Purple Frog]

Ceramic bearings...
stretched hub bearing seals...
increased tire pressure...
low grip tires, for freer top end...
no toe alignment...
gearing...
careful attention to brake pads releasing from the rotors...
wing angles...
radiators that "breathe" easier...

I can think of a LOT of reasons.

Always at Road America you give up corner speed for top end.

[Art Smith]

to Frog's list add inertia (rotational), viscosity, and Cd.......

less wing would translate into lower Cd and less grip (cornering speed) which is consistent with your observations

Art
artesmith@earthlink.net

[Matt Conrad]

I'm really looking for weights on the current F1000 cars....I was being a bit sarcasctic on the radar gun data...

Matt Conrad
Phoenix Race Works, LLC

[Richard Dziak]

Phoenix F1K-07 F1000

I have weighed in consistantly at 1072-1075 #'s

This was the last 11 race events.

Suspect after race...... the car has 3 to 4 gallons of gas left in the tank. It is an 8 gallon tank.

[Brands]

'07 Cooper Elan

5 gallons of fuel (30lbs approx) and me onboard = 1020lbs.
The car is pretty much pared down, and I don't think I can loose much more from my 150lbs body! Winter project is to take molds off the bodywork and make pre-preg parts which should get me under 1000lbs (the stock VD bodywork is very heavy.) For what it's worth 140mph at Road Atlanta with a rear gear that was a little too tall, so maybe a few mph there?
Ben

[glenn cooper]

1029 post race at Sprints, including driver / approx 160lbs, and very heavy engine cover, which will hopefully soon be replaced, saving possibly 20 lbs.

Started race w/ full fuel cell (to brim), as I needed some insurance to be over 1000 lbs.
Not sure how much fuel was used, guess I'll have to top it off and see how much it takes.

I believe I was 1007 at Rd Atl the other day w/ 1 gallon in the cell, again w/ me in car.
Your question was how much does the car weigh after the race, so although I've given some #'s to digest (Buuuuuuuuurp), I guess it's better than nothing...
GC

[carnut169]

1015-1030 depending on the track.I always go out w/ a full tank and could possibly save some weight there.

[Jnovak]

What were the top speed rumors. I did not hear anything?

Thanks ... Jay

[Richard Dziak]

Top speed at Firebird International Raceway, Phoenix Arizona with 1072 #'s in car .......139 MPH.

[carnut169]

My stock dash says I'm doing 180+ mph Too bad I'm not running the stock gear ratios or tire sizes.

I hit redline in 6th at Road Atlanta going down the hill into 10a with a 15-43, so that should be 152.

[RussMcB]

What were the top speed rumors. I did not hear anything?

I was wondering the same thing. Too hard to guess with 4 different FB chassis there (except we can rule out the Piper as being 10% bigger than anything else, right? :-).

PS. My top speed was 153. I didn't actually measure it, but I'm basing that on Sean going 152. :-).

[Matt Conrad]

I just had read in another thread that someone clocked the fastest straightaway speed on one of the Stohr cars was 150mph and that car was 5mph faster than the Piper....while the Piper was carrying 5mph more speed through the corners....seemed logically backwards to me, especially when reports back in November showed the Piper at Road Atlanta to be the fastest straight line car....by a ways. I would assume the set-ups for these two tracks to be pretty similar?

Glen. WOW....that must be one heavy cover if you're going to lose 20 lbs! FYI....we get about 10mpg while racing (obviously depends on yellows, etc).

Richard's Phoenix has some extra ballast....he's around 6'3" tall....and from memory....we used 225 lbs of lead when we put his car on the pad to do the set-up.

Matt Conrad
Phoenix Race Works, LLC

[carnut169]

I think the Piper was down on power (or having some other issue)... but still had a great pilot. That would explain the higher cornering speeds but slower straight line speeds.

[carnut169]

PS. My top speed was 153. I didn't actually measure it, but I'm basing that on Sean going 152. :-).

Seems like that big head of yours would create too much drag...

[jjstecher]

1072lbs after the Sprints with me being fricking 230lbs and 2.2 gallons of fuel in the car. So I need to lose lets see one leg, half my brain and an arm to get down to Glenn's weight (wife already has my nuts). Seriously through by next year it will be 200 but I can't go lower than that at 6'3" so its got to come out of the car. My fricking bead seat weights 15lbs some how...

I am not sure what apex speeds your talking about Matt but I have speeds from the carousel courtesy of some friends and the Stohrs were 4-6mph faster there than the other FB's. I also don't see how the piper would have more mechanical grip either though the slower turns...I would say that Justin might be making up for the lack of mechanical grip and thus was faster but I am guessing.

Max I hit on the GPS was 145 into T5 up from 140 two weeks ago when i was in the car for the first time really.

[VehDyn]

With respect to the ARRC, I believe the Piper had a 2007 GSXR whereas Cole and Jean Luc were using 2006 motors.

Were those speeds taken during the race? Its hard to believe Justin was down on power when he was setting those great times in qualy. He is a great driver though and pretty familiar with a Piper. What actually happened in the race?

[Matt Conrad]

What I'm seeing though is that most cars are going to be within 25lbs of the minimum when there's a 165-175# driver. Obviously you guys that shop at the Big & Tall stores are going to have a bit of a weight penalty.

Another factor at these large tracks might be the tire sizes...I'm assuming the Stohr guys are still running the 8's and 10's...and I've seen the Piper and most of the VD conversions running the narrower 7's and 9's. Personally, I've found on the shorter, tighter tracks that those wider tires do seem to provide more grip...I just don't know how much of an aero penalty they impose when the track is like RA.

Matt Conrad
Phoenix Race Works, LLC

[jjstecher]

Ken I find it hard to believe the Piper was only doing 145 as well as I know for a fact on one lap in quali he drafted up on me and past me on the front straight and on that lap on data on GPS I was at 141 at breaking for T1 which is about 3-4mph off T5 entry speed. I am calling sandbagging if someone is saying that car or Coops car were only doing 145 max (jesus I was leaving time on the track left and right and was hitting 145 with a ebay motor that I just bolted in. I think at the end of the day there is not as much in it as everyone things aero wise between the VD's, Piper and the Stohrs.

Matt - Yep all you little bastards out there running around will all be damn close to the 1000lb mark. Its a shame superior genetics have lead me to be bigger. :P Or it could be the damn twinkies.

[996kyle]

Matt

I was the one who posted seeing speeds in excess of 150mph, in my 2008 Stohr.
This was from my GPS from my CDS data system, also going into T5 at Road America.
We were using a bone stock 2007 engine bought from George Dean, running on 93 octane pump gas from the gas station in Elkhart Lake.
We saw these speeds all weekend and were not in a draft.
We weighted 1030 at the end of the race with there (RA tech) scales. I weigh 170, and only had 1 gallon left at the end of the race.
We will dropping weight in the car for the ARRC race to be as close to 1000 as we can get, heck maybe i will shave the rear wings down 2-3mm to help with that.

Cheers
Kyle

[glenn cooper]

Matt, Seriously, the cover is really heavy, also we run 6 and 8" wheels.
I've no idea of speed at Rd Am; no wheel speed sensor.
Bone stock, new '07 Suzi.
GC

PS, I've got a set of 8's and 10's to put on for Barber!

[carnut169]

Coop-

Tell me more about the air box on your car....

[glenn cooper]

Sean, It's one of the kits available from Piontek Engineering, who manufactured the Novak kit It's offered seperately, or, as I did, part of the whole shebang. It's very lightweight, utilizes a cone filter that's located between the 2 pieces that slip fit together.
It's a bolt-on for '98 and later VD's...

GC

[Nicholas Belling]

At the ARRC race in 2007 with only half the data sensors in the car that I have now,
+ a full minidv camera system which added an extra 4 - 5 lbs extra that could have been removed

My car was virtually bone stock STOHR factory trim aside from the data system and camera system I came accross the scales at 1004 lbs. with .5 lbs of fuel left.. on the last lap my fuel pressure warning light was coming on the dash on cornering.

I dont remember what weight I was for that race.. I know I spent alot of time working on the car prior and less time eating.. so I was on a not so preffered weight loss program at the time.